Return to home page

Dean's News (as of 12/01/97)

Dean's recent trip to Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago -- A three week vacation in November included a mixture of adventure, recreation and relaxation with the following highlights:
-- An expedition by boat up a hell-raising river through dense rain forest to the world's highest waterfall, Angel Falls (approximately 1000 meters, over 3000 feet high). Other spectacular waterfalls, majestic mesas called tepuies, colorful bird life (notably parrots, macaws and condors) and the intimidatingly cantankerous river kept us on the edge of our seats throughout the journey.
-- Hiking to a 4200 meter (14,000 ft.) mountain pass in the Andes to Laguna Negra, a remarkably black lake surrounded by bright yellow wildflowers.
-- Biking through Andes Mountain villages to a relaxing natural hot spring.
-- Snorkeling among colorful fish and coral in the turquoise waters of Tobago.
-- Biking the winding back roads and along the rocky coasts of Tobago.
-- Driving for the first time on the left side of the road (easy since most roads in Tobago are not much more than a left side anyway).
-- Enjoying live Trinidadian steel pan and calypso music and native dance (including some amazingly talented limbo dancers).

Virtually everything went pleasantly well. I enjoyed Venezuela enough that I'd consider it for a return trip, particularly to further appreciate the Andes Mountains and the unusual flattop land forms called tepuies. Tobago is a paradise, but just one of many to explore in the Caribbean, and it only heightened my curiosity about other islands in the region.

Click here to view images from Venezuela and Tobago.

The past three months have otherwise been rather uneventful. A theater performance of Phantom of the Opera at the Kennedy Center was a highlight, and I enjoyed seeing a couple old groups, Bachman Turner Overdrive and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas at the Taste of D.C. For movies, I'd say that "The Full Monty" is a howling good time, "The Edge" is a thoughtfully captivating adventure as stunning for its spectacularly scenic setting as it is for its terror, and "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", though too slowly paced for most jaded movie goers, was nevertheless enjoyable for its remarkable acting performances and off-the-wall cast of characters. I wouldn't have guessed that Clint Eastwood had it in him to direct such a movie.

This winter will see me in front of my home computer continuing the monumental task of scanning thousands of slides from my first round-the-world tour. I'm about a third of the way done. By spring, I'll be done archiving, and hopefully by sometime next summer, I'll have a decent show organized which I eventually plan to put out on CD. Some of the images will be added to my home page later this winter. Check back later!

Other news items about folks I know:
-- Hatem and Kathy Mostafa are now fully settled in Boise, Idaho.
-- Igor and Alla Kosov, now settled in Haifa, Israel with their son, Igor's mother and grandmother, are trying to adapt to the new culture, learn the language and hunt for employment.
-- My sister-in-law, Lynn, has been hired in Minneapolis by the county hospital to assist women through their pregnancies and to console them at the time they are giving birth.
-- Ben and my mother are preparing for their seasonal migration to Arizona.

Please, drop a line to bring me up to date on your news. You can contact me by clicking on this E-mail address: doman@tidalwave.net

Click here to view last quarter's newsletter.

Best wishes to all,

Deano

Return to home page