Ibama Twins take a rest at Sheep Meadow

After visiting the Strawberry Fields memorial the Ibama Twins decided to go to Sheep Meadow in Central Park to lay down and rest on a gorgeous 90 degree day.  Max and Rex joined all the other New Yorkers on one of New York's biggest lawns.

The 15-acre preserve known as Sheep Meadow has a long history as a gathering place for large scale demonstrations and political movements. It is currently a favorite spot for families, sunbathers, picnickers, kite flyers, and other visitors to come relax and admire the New York City skyline. Sheep Meadow is located at West side/mid-Park from 66th to 69th Streets and is open from May to mid-October dawn to dusk in fair weather. This open area is very popular and can draw up to 30,000 people a day. "I've seen people standing in line to enter the Sheep Meadow," said Doug Blonsky, president of the Central Park Conservancy.

Imagine

Max Ibama is showing us the Strawberry Fields memorial to John Lennon uptown in Central Park.

The Central Park memorial was designed by Bruce Kelly, the chief landscape architect for the Central Park Conservancy. Strawberry Fields was inaugurated on what would have been Lennon's 45th birthday, 9 October 1985, by his widow Yoko Ono, who had underwritten the project.

The entrance to the memorial is located on Central Park West at West 72nd Street, directly across from the Dakota Apartments, where Lennon lived for the later part of his life and where he was murdered. The memorial is a triangular piece of land falling away on the two sides of the park, and its focal point is a circular pathway mosaic of inlaid stones, a reproduction of a mosaic from Pompeii, made by Italian craftsmen as a gift from the city of Naples. In the center of the mosaic is a single word, the title of Lennon's famous song: "Imagine". Along the borders of the triangular area surrounding the mosaic are benches which are endowed in memory of other individuals and maintained by the Central Park Conservancy.
The mosaic is at the heart of a series of open and secret glades of lawn and glacier-carved rock outcroppings, bounded by shrubs and mature trees and woodland slopes, all designated a "quiet zone". A woodland walk winds through edge plantings between the glade-like upper lawn and the steep wooded slopes; it contains native rhododendrons and hollies, Carolina Allspice (Calycanthus floridus), Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia), viburnums, and Jetbead. Wild shrub roses and a mature pink Magnolia soulangeana flank the main walk. At the farthest northern tip of the upper series of lawns enclosed by woodland are three Dawn Redwood trees, which lose their needles but regain them every spring, an emblem of eternal renewal. The trees can be expected to reach a height of 36 metres (118 ft) within 100 years, and eventually they will be visible from great distances in the park.

The memorial is often covered with flowers, candles in glasses, and other belongings left behind by Lennon fans. On Lennon's birthday (October 9) and on the anniversary of his death (December 8), people gather to sing songs and pay tribute, staying late into what is often a cold night.

One of the best-known fans of the site is Gary dos Santos, a Beatles fan who decorates the memorial in circles of different flowers and objects, often in the shape of a peace sign.^[1]

Impromptu memorial gatherings for other musicians, including Jerry Garcia and George Harrison, have occurred at the memorial. Many times, particularly in the summer and on the anniversaries of the other Beatles' birthdays, gatherings take place at the site. In the days following the September 11, 2001 attacks, candlelight vigils were held at the Imagine Circle to remember those killed.

At Ess-a-Bagel

"Ess-A-Bagel down here (1st Ave) is the best bagel store in Manhattan," says Max, "I'm so hungry! Let's go in and have raisin walnut cream cheese on a raisin pumpernickel bagel! Whaddeya think, Rex?"

"How do you know they're the best bagels, Max?"

"maryt told me so, Rex. She and her husband come down here all the time. They buy bagels and sit in their car (it's always so crowded inside the store), and eat them.She showed me a picture once of a typical bagel from the store, look:"

"Wow, let's go in, Max!"

At the Mosque

"Hi, everyone, Max here. Rex has already gone upstairs to visit the space where imam Faisal wants to build a Islamic mosque and community center.

Did you know this used to be a structure that housed a Burlington Coat Factory?

There has been a lot of disagreement about putting a mosque here within 2 blocks of Ground Zero.

Isn't it a shame? Don't you wish everyone could get along?"

At Ground Zero

Max and Rex flew back to New York City from Hawaii yesterday.  What a different scene! They wanted to go down to Ground Zero to see how things were coming along.

They're looking from their hotel window across the street and marveling how little work has really been done. "Why is that?" Max asks Rex.

"Because no one can agree about how to build the memorial to 911 victims," answers Rex.

"What a shame!" says Max

"Yeah," says Rex, "I wish everyone could get along."

Ibama Twins at Pearl Harbor

Max Ibama is at the Pearl Harbor Memorial. He thought his brother was here but is suspicious that Rex has jumped in to see the U.S.S. Arizona below.

Do you see Rex anywhere?

Episode 11

Max and Rex decided to go snorkeling underwater with some people they met in Honolulu.  Unfortunately there was no more equipment for them to rent but they took a great big breath and dove in.

Episode 10

Episode 10

Rex Ibama is looking for Thom Robinson, a wonderful friend of a blogger who hosts Thom's Place 4 Well Whatever and lives and works in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Ibama Twins are in Hawaii seeing the sights. Across the way from the Ibamas' hotel is Diamondhead, The most famous volcanic crater in the world, located on the South-east Coast of O'ahu at the end of Waikiki overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was originally named Laeahi by the ancient Hawaiians. The name meant "brow of the tuna" and looking at the silhouette of the crater from Waikiki, you can see the resemblance.
 The current name was given to the crater by British sailors in the 1800's. When they first saw the crater at a great distance, the calcite crystals in the lava rock appeared to glimmer in the sunlight. The sailors mistakenly thought there must be diamonds in the soil.  

Diamond Head is a crater that has been extinct for 150,000 years. The crater is 3,520 feet in diameter with a 760-foot summit. When the United States annexed Hawaii in 1898, harbor defense became a main responsibility. One of the major defense forts, Fort Ruger, occupied the Diamond Head Crater. A battery of canons was located within the crater providing complete concealment and protection from invading enemies.

An observation deck was constructed at the summit in 1910 to provide target sighting and a four level underground complex was built within the walls of the crater as a command post. A 580-foot tunnel was dug through the crater wall to provide easier access to the Fort.

Hey Thom, come by and visit.

Episode 9

Episode 9

The Ibama Twins flew out last evening for Hawaii and flew straight to the Big Island which is called Hawaii too.

You  see them here in Volcanoes National Park where lava is still flowing into the Pacific Ocean and creating great billows of steam. If course when the lava flows it is red hot as you see it below.

Max asked the National Park Ranger  "How close can we get to the lava?" And the ranger said, "As close as you like." Ha!

 Kīlauea (pronounced /kiːlaʊˈeɪ.ə/ in English, [ˈkiːlouˈɛjə] in Hawaiian) is an active volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five shield volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaiʻi. It is the most recent of a series of volcanoes that have created the Hawaiian archipelago, as the Pacific Plate moves over the Hawaii hotspot.^[1] Kīlauea means "spewing" or "much spreading" in the Hawaiian language, in reference to the mountain's frequent outpouring of lava. In the Hawaiian religion, the volcano is home to Pele, the goddess of volcanoes. Kīlauea is one of the most active volcanoes on the planet^[2] and an invaluable resource for volcanologists.

Episode 8

Max and Rex have returned to the U.S. of A just in time for Connie's birthday party. Connie is in blue sitting with the beautiful flowers in her hands. There I am in the middle between Max and Rex, they insisted I stand next to them. Later they want to tell me all about their trips to Europe...

The Ibama Twins will be in America for a while. Where will they go next, gee, I don't know!

Check out Episodes 1-7 of the Ibama escapades below

Episode 7

Episode 7

There's Rex! Do ya see him, do ya see him? He's right below the Arch...

Did ya know arches like that are made by the flow of water through the rock?

Oh let me go now my shoes are getting wet...Yuck!

Posted by maryt/theteach at 4:16 PM

Episode 6

Max and Rex are staying at the Hotel Tesoriero on Panerea Island. It's located near the arrivals docks.
Hotel Tesoriero offers rooms with spacious private terraces, surrounded by a lush garden, some of which provide a suggestive panoramic view on the rock facing the island and of the Isle of Stromboli.
On request, the Tesoriero can provide a shuttle service with electric shuttle, to and from the harbor.

Max has been looking for Rex since they checked in but no luck... He's not worried though, the island is only 3.3 km² long. It will be easy to find him, dontcha think?

Episodes 1-5 are here 

Posted by maryt/theteach at 4:16 PM 0 comments Links to this post

Adventures of the Ibama Twins Episode 5

The Ibama twins, Max and Rex, decided to pack and get outa town and fly to Isola Panerea, an island in the Aeolian Islands in the Mediteranean Sea.

They asked a passerby to take this shot with two rock outliers, Basiluzzo and Dattilo, in the background.

Panarea island is a motor free island! Every year a law is issued that limits the access for motor vehicles (motorcycles too). Note that also the Police car is an electric golf car. The limit is not worth much, if you think that there are less then 5kms of paved road!

The Adventures of the Ibama Twins Episode 4

Rex Ibama says, "Hey, I can see my house from here!"