Silk Worms

Do you remember in second grade that you raised silk worms? In Turkey we met a man in the rug business. His family has made and sold handmade Turkish rugs for generations. I told him that we study the life cycle of the silkworm in our school and he was excited to share with you how he uses the product.

This is where they process the silk cocoon. The cocoon is placed in a vat of hot water to soften the threads. When warm, a brush is used to pick up some of the cocoons by the loose threads.

Can you see the cocoon suspended from the broom by it's threads?

Our expert is pointing to cocoons in the tub.

The threads are pulled from the cocoon and each string is threaded through a small eyelet. It is then secured to the wooden frame and the frame is turned to unravel the cocoon.

He used his pen to demonstrate how fine and thin each thread is. Because his shirt is white and the silk is white, it's hard to see. Look closely.

When all the silk has been removed from the cocoon, we find the moth inside. 

1,200 individual threads are woven together to produce a thin piece of string. The strands are dyed in different colors and are then available to be used. This is a loom for hand tying the strands. At the top is a photograph of the design and below you can see the rug the weaver has started.

He is holding a strand that he gave to our school so you can see what the silkworm produces.

I am modeling a cocoon tied with a silk strand that he gave me so you could see.

Here are 2 examples of rugs and 2 framed wall hangings all done by hand with silk from the worm. I would have brought you one of these so you could see the beauty and detail. It takes years to learn to hand tie a carpet and months to complete each piece so they are very valuable. The rug with colors was $7,000,00 and the next rug was $12,000. I will be empty handed.

This was my favorite. This photo does not show the true beauty and detail in this work of art.

Our ship

In case you were wondering what a cruise ship looks like, here are some photos.

This was my favorite room on the ship - the library!!

Hungry??? Food was available here 20 hours a day. Lots of good stuff. This is only for a casual meal if you were still hungry after eating in the formal  dining room.

Including all the ice cream and toppings you want!

2 swimming pools and 4 hot tubs outside. 

A nice place to sit and see where we were headed.

This is the indoor pool. 

In our bedroom. Nice and comfy. 

The bathroom was luxurious!!

A place to sit and watch TV or work on the computer.

The balcony - nice to sit and read a book, have breakfast or....

Soak in the tub!!

Arrivederci Roma

At the airport in Rome for the flight home.

All nestled in for a loooooong flight home. 

The pilot asked me to come sit with him cuz I'm so cute. Oh, and I invited Sandy to come too.

Pompeii, Italy

Pompeii was a large Roman city buried under ash by a volcanic eruption  of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The ash preserved much of the town and numerous excavations have left us with a wonderful example of what  a Roman city was like  almost 2,000 years ago .

Denali on the exercise field of Roman Gladiators.

Hey, look at me. I'm a brave Gladiator in my dorm room. Don't I look fierce?

I'm sitting in front of a store in Pompeii. I don't know what they sold, but the groove in the rock indicates it was a shop with a sliding door.

The stone urns held food and was a restaurant at the market. The original McDonald's perhaps?

Our tour guide near a public fountain on the street. Notice how well preserved the walls and streets are.

Bob is standing next to the door into a bedroom.  What can you surmise about the people of Pompeii from this photo?

The ash covered the town so completely, statues and even the paintings on the wall are still visible.

This is the dining room of a very elegant home.  The floor was covered with beautiful mosaics that have been moved to a museum for protection. The walls were covered with fresco's and notice the tunnel under the floor at the back.  Robbers were breaking in to steal from the owners when the volcano erupted!! 

Archaeologists know they were robbers because they found their skeletons in the tunnel carrying out stolen goods. 

The main street of Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius in the background. This is an active volcano and the towns surrounding it practice evacuations from their towns and cities.  Why do you think they do this?

The names engraved on the top of the pillars are of the best teachers in Pompeii. What a good idea!! We have the best teachers at our school. Anyone have a chisel?

Here are some of the artifacts removed and stored in Pompeii. Thousands of items are on display. Make sure to put Pompeii on your list of places to visit in your life.

A camel ride at the pyramids

Since I was in elementary school I had dreamed about riding a camel at the pyramids in Egypt.

This is what I said: "I am so excited I wish I had brought Pampers. I might wet my pants"!!!!

A camel is a bit larger than you may imagine.  

Hey, this is fun!!!

My camel was supposed to be last in line, but he didn't know the proper attitudes and profiles. He kept trying to pass the camels in front. Very rude, but he wouldn't listen to me!!

How much fun is it to ride a camel??

THIS MUCH!

Introducing Denali to my camel.

I don't know if the camel wanted to kiss or EAT Denali. Maybe he doesn't know they are cousins.

Pyramids!!!

This is one of the original pyramids of Egypt in Sakkara and is more than 5,000 years old. As you can see, it is a series of steps to the top, not like later pyramids with straight angles. A pyramid is a burial chamber for a Pharaoh and was started when they began their reign and was completed at their death.  The building of pyramids evolved over centuries and became larger and more complex. 

 I am emerging from the burial chamber of Ti .  That smile is because I was so excited!! The stairs were very steep and of course it was very dark inside. The tunnel is so small I had to bend over and  tall people like Bob wouldn't fit.  It is not recommended for people with claustrophobia, breathing, knee or back problems.  Would you dare to enter??  When we were in the actual burial chamber they had recreated a sarcophagus and an anteroom.  

At the Giza Plateau and home to the only remaining Wonder of the Ancient World, the Pyramids of Giza.  

Our little Denali is dwarfed by the size of the pyramids!

Hello from behind one of the building blocks for a pyramid. How did people move huge rocks without modern machines?

See the camel?? I really am at the pyramids!!

There are 3 large pyramids and 4 smaller pyramids on the Giza plateau. The largest, the tomb of Pharaoh Cheops, was the tallest man made structure on earth for 3,800 years.  It is believed the construction took 20 years and because of the enormous size, 12 blocks would need to be placed each hour day and night to have finished in that time period.