Ancestors - Odessa, Russia Late 1800's

Thistle is a bad word around here! I’ve heard it called ”cow choker” or something like that.

Not that many tourists tromp through the canals - most go to the beach bike path or boardwalk, and the bike path does get crowded, especially in the summer and August, when European tourists tend to visit. I used to ride my bike on the bike path after work almost every day, and I did get tired of the crowds - especially the tourists who would walk on the bike path instead of on the boardwalk. The bike path was clearly marked in the pavement "BIKES ONLY" but perhaps some of the tourists could not read English. The Japanese tourists were especially bad because they would walk on the bike path in groups and cause problems for bikers. The boardwalk was right next to the bike path, and so there was no reason for people to walk on the bike path. I never saw a lot of people at the canals - mostly just locals.

My MIL kayaking with the pretty brown Giraffes. I had trouble picking a Giraffe photo, they make me smile. So pretty!