#first img was also featured in pins of the past

[bomberqueen17]

Sewing Things Update

So I uh, I worked for hours on sewing all last week and this past weekend, and uh well I didn’t finish anything but I did do a lot of stuff. So, a scattershot update:

1) I am making a muslin of this dress, out of muslin (amazing), and it has you bind the neckline with bias tape, which I had not done before. Well, I thought I hadn’t, and I didn’t understand the directions, but then i started to do it and duh this is the technique I used to finish the inside necklines of like, all the supportive kirtles I made for garb between 2006 and 2012. I just did the last stitching by hand for those, which gives a different look. But it’s entirely the same geometry as that.

Anyway here’s a photo, featuring me not feeling like cutting bias binding out of the muslin so I used the closest scrap to hand that seemed like it was cotton. I’m going to overdye the muslin if it turns out as something wearable anyway-- I also didn’t prewash it so it’s gonna depend how much it shrinks. This was all kind of an experiment. but I have some fabric I really like that I want to use for the final version of the dress, so I figured muslin was a good way to go.

[image description: a beige muslin garment sits on an ironing board with pins holding down the turquoise bias binding applied to the neckline.]

2) Once I lined the neckline I assembled the front and back bodices, and that meant it was Sleeve Set in Time and i hate gathering so I let myself hand-sew the gathers in. They turned out better on the second sleeve than the first, but now I know that technique.

[img description: beige muslin fabric, with a seam in the middle, and the fabric to the left is slightly gathered while the fabric to the right of the seam is flat.]

3) Muslining stretch garments: I got the pattern for this knit wrap dress exclusively so I could make cropped tops out of it, as I’ve always loved the idea of a wrap top and have never been able to buy one that fit me. I’m muslining it in dress length though, because like, why not, I’ve never had a wrap dress that fit me either. I have this huge wodge of really crappy cotton jersey that I got on clearance from dharma trading because it’s not *quite* white, and I’ve discovered that it’s reasonable quality fabric BUT it becomes grungy-looking upon the first wash. So it’s great for muslining because it was so cheap, and then I’m going to attempt to overdye it when I have a stash of muslins to overdye, and we’ll just see. Some of these muslins may not turn out wearable so I also may take them back apart, but these are all problems for future me. Meanwhile I’m squeezing the pattern pieces for as many things as I possibly can onto this stuff.

[image description: a stretch of white fabric is across two smallish tables; pattern pieces are drawn on in Sharpie because it’s a muslin so who cares what it looks like i just need it to be accurate so i can make my fit adjustments!]

4) and I finally read the pattern yardage charts correctly for this dress, which I have been longing to make but it needs 7 yards of fabric... if it’s 45″ wide and you’re making one size larger than I am. So actually, I have 4.5 yards of 55″ of this fabric I think is really cool, but then I need a contrast fabric to make the neck and waistbands out of.

and it crossed my mind that like i could... i could make inkle bands for this purpose. I posted a question to the forum (this is a Club pattern, which I got by subscription, and there’s a forum that goes along with the Club) and the dress designer told me that the neckline ties do need to be on the bias to stretch a little, but the waistband does not, there’s an interior piece stabilizing it, so it could be made out of anything. So I have gone through my weaving threads and tried to figure out what colors would coordinate.

[image description: a length of fabric printed with animals and women and flowers, with a hand-woven inkle band lying atop it.]

This test band is too wide and too short, I need it to be like 120″ long and half an inch wide or less, but the colors work-- cream, black, blue/gray, and bright green.

This is Mood’s Elysian Menagerie Cotton Voile and this girl is my new girlfriend:

[image description: a close-up of a woman printed on the fabric, who has her head at a coy angle and is wrapped in a blue-gray towel with a vine flowing around her.]

we’re going to be very happy together, if only i can figure out how to do the waist ties on this dress.

I bought the fabric with a different pattern in mind but the scale is so large on this print, that even with the size pattern pieces I’m using (i’m a US size 20) the girls and peacocks and zebras and giraffes would get chopped up, so I decided to use this dress because it’s in big vertical panels. The woman in this print is larger than my hand. So, I’m gonna give this a shot.

Also pray for me I’m not doing a muslin before hand because it’s SO much fabric and muslin is too thick, this needs to be pretty lightweight, and I don’t have four and a half yards of unwanted gauze or chiffon lying around. (Also, i’m a little worried that I will use up ALL of my sewing energy on these muslins and wind up with ZERO finished garments, so I’m going to go for it. The pattern pieces are so big that even if i fuck it up beyond all saving, I’ll be able to recut something else out of it. This may be famous last words but like. I gotta commit.)

[typotripprr]

i return

[rebeccarayner]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Wiltshire is an English county bursting with history. Tales of medieval conquest and druid ceremonies resonate across the county, but these tales have subsequently become overshadowed by their more famous neighbour, the prehistoric Stonehenge.

This ancient monument has become a popular day trip from London due to its easy transport connections to Salisbury, but what about the rest of Wiltshire? As well as the stones, there are plenty more things to see and do and different ways to experience one of England’s most historic counties. I teamed up with Visit Wiltshire to experience a jam-packed 2 day Wiltshire itinerary. What a way to discover how to maximise your visit to Wiltshire and how to get off the main tourist trail and see way more.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Don’t forget to pin this post

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Day one in Wiltshire

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Stay Somewhere Unique- Stonehenge Campsite And Glamping Pods

Staying in the same homogenous chain hotel time after time never really gives you any feeling of depth, diversity or the sense of truly discovering what a destination is about. Try and get away from the tourist traps of familiar chains and instead focus on finding something unique, different or that allows you to discover more of somewhere. If you’re planning a visit to Wiltshire and really want to be in the heart of this historic landscape, then a fantastic place to stay is the Stonehenge Campsite and Glamping Pods. With direct bus routes to Salisbury and Devizes, it’s easy to get around. The site has award-winning facilities and a range of camping options. If you want a truly unique experience there are a range of Glamping pods available, each with its own special touches. I stayed in the Butterfly Pod, a little wooden hut with a warming electric fireplace, double bed and tea making facilities. There was a private garden and picnic bench, perfect to enjoy the outdoors with a little privacy.

To find out more information about pricing and the different types of glamping pods available, visit the Stonehenge Campsite Website[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Walking The Salisbury Plain, A Guided Tour Through History

I always say the best way to get to know somewhere is to walk it, so to take this one step further, a personalised guided tour is like turning a place into a potential mastermind subject and getting to experience it in a way not everybody does. Chris from Guided Walks In Wiltshire took us on a guided tour around Salisbury Plain, pointing out interesting historical information and stories as we walked. The tour took a varied route from the gate of our campsite through winding villages and up into woodland and out to the vast windy openness of the Plain.

Not only is the countryside in this area known for its historical sites of importance such as the Neolithic Stonehenge and surrounding monuments like woodhenge, but the area also has a fascinating background with the British armed forces. The area is still highly used today for military training when you’re walking you encounter some obvious signs of this, including tank-crossings.

To find out more about Guided Walks In Wiltshire and how to book a guided walk, visit their website here [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Visit Stonehenge

Even when you’re travelling consciously trying to avoid the big tourist traps in favour of experiencing somewhere like a local, there are always circumstances where it’s worth making an exception. When in Wiltshire it is definitely worth paying a visit to Stonehenge. Though this ancient monument lay shrouded in mystery it’s modernisation was front-page news, with English Heritage spending a whooping £27 Million renovating the sites visitors centre.

Learn more about Stonehenge on the English Heritage website

Kristi of Day Trip Tips has written an amazing blogpost detailing even more about visiting Stonehenge and Avebury. If you’re interested in visiting definitely give here blog post a read here. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Eat Like The Locals

Once you’re done with soaking up the historical landscapes and culture, you’ll probably have worked up quite an appetite. Food and culture are ingrained into one another so the best way to know somewhere is to eat what the locals eat. In England, this could be as simple as going to your local country pub. There are many small picturesque villages a short distance from the stones, meaning plenty of options for food lovers. I visited The Swan Inn at Stowford for a taste of the comfort food us British LOVE! There was plenty on the menu to choose from, I ordered the lamb shank with mint gravy, seasonal veg and mashed potato, which was cooked to perfection.

After dinner the local pub is also the best place to wind down, maybe have a drink with some locals. We did a bit of pub hopping and visited another small pub, The Boot Inn, that happened to be running a quiz that night. It was £2 entry per person, which included a surprisingly decadent half time snack of homemade pasty and roast potatoes. The pub had a very close-knit family vibe but was also exceedingly welcoming, which made for a very fun evening.

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Visiting Devizes, A Wiltshire Market Town

After spending the first day of our trip getting to know the outdoor landscapes, local history and small villages of Wiltshire, Day two meant it was time to discover a more urbanised area. Devizes is a market town with a rich medieval past and fascinating architectural history, with over 500 listed buildings in the area. Alongside its regular Thursday market, the town has some great places to visit and explore.

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Local business At Its Best: The Wadworth Brewery Tour

Located in Devizes since 1875, family-owned Wadwarth is a cornerstone of Devizes identity. Impressively, they have managed to keep up many of their traditions, which are now available for all to see during regular guided tours of the brewery. Walking around gives you a fascinating insight into the history of Wadworth and its production of typically British ales. Although some of the production has been modernised and changed with time (like the move away from coal power to greener alternatives) it is nice to see some firmly remain intact. Wadworth still uses traditional Shire horses to deliver casked ale to local pubs in Devizes. The three horses, Monty, Max and Archie, regularly attend local events and compete in shows. The brewery also has it’s own in house sign painters, creating traditional and personalised signs for its entire 200 plus partnership pubs. Prince Charles recently paid a visit to the brewery to honour its work in promoting the importance of community and local pubs across Britain.

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To find out more about Wadworth and the tours of the Brewery, visit their website.

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Learn About History On A Local Scale

Unlike national museums that encompassed broad subjects of wide international importance, small museums can provide significant context on the important historical events of a specific location, meaning a much more targeted and therefore encompassing approach. In the case of The Wiltshire Museum, it significantly covers the history of the counties story, including but not limited to Stonehenge. The museum allows you to pursue its range of award-winning displays at leisure, including treasures discovered inside the stone circle by various archaeologists. If you want to learn about Stonehenge and the regions wider history in a quiet, relaxed and knowledgeable setting this museum is the place to visit.

For more information about the Wiltshire museum, visit their website [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I hope you enjoyed reading my first Two Days To Do It Differently feature. Living on the Wiltshire border myself, it is an area I am very familiar with and one I know can easily be a tourist trap, what with having one of the most well-known attractions in England. I thought for the first feature, it’d be nice to start on a local scale and try and see somewhere close by a little differently. I have found it’s common to have the tendency to take places nearby for granted, instead favouring more far-flung and exotic destinations. Exploring Wiltshire showed me just how much potential lays right on your own doorstep.

*Disclaimer: Thank you to visit Wiltshire for partnering up with me and guiding me in finding some fantastic things to do across the county. They provided the accommodation and activities free of charge for this visit.

If you would like to learn more about what to do in Wiltshire, the best place to go is the Visit Wiltshire Website

Thanks for reading,

Rayner

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Two Day Wiltshire itinerary: visiting Stonehenge, brewery tour and Wiltshire walks Wiltshire is an English county bursting with history. Tales of medieval conquest and druid ceremonies resonate across the county, but these tales have subsequently become overshadowed by their more famous neighbour, the prehistoric Stonehenge.

[dccomicsnews]

It’s a celebration! The Amazing Amazon is entering a milestone and in the upcoming oversized WONDER WOMAN #750, there are revelations of her enduring legacy that will have a serious impact across the DC universe!

There is no DC comics character that has had a greater pop-culture influence over the last decade than Wonder Woman. Perhaps it was due to the success of the blockbuster motion picture which elevated Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins to the near-legendary status of the film’s “real” star — the Amazing Amazon, herself. Now as she prepares for the landmark release of Wonder Woman #750 the book will not only return to its legacy publishing numeration, it will also redefine the heroine’s legacy like never before!

The oversized 96-page giant is bringing together some of the greatest talents at DC, many of which have been associated with telling stories about Diana, the Princess of Paradise that is also a significant part of the great DC Comics trinity of heroes, alongside Superman and Batman, that provide the cornerstone for all the legends that have come after. Diana’s past and present will be closely examined in the special issue, along with “major implications” for the future of not only Wonder Woman but every superhero.

If you’ve been wondering, one of the major revelations of 2019 is that Wonder Woman’s legacy actually precedes all the other superheroes in the DC universe! This is a narrative that has been adopted and suggested, and will be even further explored, in the upcoming big-budget theatrical release of Wonder Woman 1984 coming to a multiplex soon!

Here is your “First Look” at the eight-page story “A Brave New World” by Scott Snyder and Bryan Hitch appearing in Wonder Woman #750:

#gallery-0-4 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-4 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

The cover to Wonder Woman #750.

First Look: “A Brave New World” by Scott Snyder and Bryan Hitch appearing in Wonder Woman #750:

First Look: “A Brave New World” by Scott Snyder and Bryan Hitch appearing in Wonder Woman #750

Wonder Woman #750 hits newsstands on Wed, Jan 22 and will feature mega-talents from across Diana’s publishing history including Gail Simone, Liam Sharp, Nicola Scott, and Greg Rucka; all have had an incredible impact working on Wonder Woman over the years. The issue will also feature spectacular pin-up artwork from some of DC’s greatest artists.

First Look | WONDER WOMAN #750 It’s a celebration! The Amazing Amazon is entering a milestone and in the upcoming oversized WONDER WOMAN #750, there are revelations of her enduring legacy that will have a serious impact across the DC universe!

[bardiclore]

Xymora

This is basically just a brief character sketch I may expand into a full chapter. The setting is Faerun but I’m not sure of the exact time and place yet, other than it being somewhere in the city of Waterdeep. Constructive criticisms welcome.

img: https://www.the-gothic-shop.co.uk/

She had only come here looking for a temporary hideout, a place out of sight of the City Watch, where she could take a short rest and lick her wounds before moving on. This narrow alleyway between a building that appeared to be under construction and another that had partially burned down seemed perfect, until she saw the lumbering shape at the end of it. She reached for her short sword as the figure shambled into view. Though the alley was almost pitch dark on this moonless night, she could clearly make out the features of a human face with her half-elven eyesight. A disheveled old man, shabbily dressed. Probably just some vagrant. Her hand rested on the pommel of her sword as he slowly shuffled toward her, and then, either not seeing her or not caring that she was there, turned and entered the construction site through a large gap between two of the unfinished walls which she hadn't noticed upon entering the alley.

“Well,” she muttered to herself, “if he thinks he can get away with that, I probably have nothing to worry about if I do the same.”

But before she followed him in blindly she decided it was best she have Whisper take a quick look around. So now from under her long dark cloak the large black bat came fluttering out, then flitted through the gap. As the young witch possessed her familiar she could instantly see everything it saw—and also perceived through echolocation, whereby the bat emitted sounds no human ear could detect, and then received information about its surroundings when its large sensitive ears picked up the echoes of those sounds, essentially mapping the terrain for her with pinpoint accuracy.

With just a few loops around the interior, the witch now had a pretty complete picture of the entire area. The partially constructed building was not empty of people. In fact, there were a number of humanoid figures gathered there, and they had even lit a fire. She had no way of knowing whether they were friend or foe, but it didn't seem likely that they were members of the City Watch at least. Nor did they appear to be masons and carpenters, who would not be working on the building this late at night in any case. With a silent command she summoned Whisper back to her side. Perhaps she could sneak in without any of them noticing and spy on them a bit before revealing herself—or if necessary, slinking away into the shadows again.

As she entered the building stealthily she could hear the low murmurings of the folk gathered around the fire, which looked to have been made from splintered beams and charcoal salvaged from the burnt out building next door. Light crossbow at the ready, she moved silently from shadow to shadow past crates and barrels, large bags of sand, piles of wooden beams, and wheelbarrows full of stones and mortar. She could smell the reek of the fire now, not altogether unpleasant, and could see clearly the group of seven who stood or sat around it.

In addition to the old fellow she had followed in, there were three other men and two women. All appeared to be human, and all young, except for one of the men whom she judged to be middle-aged. None of them were likely to be a threat. They wore no armor and bore no weapons—none visible, at least. She stepped out into the light.

“Greetings,” she said. ���I am Xymora. I mean you no harm. Just looking for a place to rest. If you'll welcome me, I have food and drink to share.”

To her surprise the others were neither startled by her sudden appearance, nor her somewhat grim apparel—for she was not only hooded and cloaked but clad in black from head to toe so as to merge more easily with the shadows—they merely looked at her with blank faces as their apparent leader, the middle-aged man, an ordinary looking fellow, addressed her with an amiable smile from where he sat upon the ground.

“Welcome, friend. Come sit beside our fire. You look like the sort who might benefit from our revelations.”

“Revelations?” She crossed the floor between them until she could feel the warmth of the flames, but did not sit. “What sort of revelations?”

The middle-aged man smiled again as he slowly stood and dusted himself off. “First things first, young lady. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Salanthar the Puppeteer, and you will make an excellent servant.”

At that very moment Xymora felt a pin prick in the back of her neck, at the base of her skull. She whirled around, but there was no one behind her. As she reached up a hand to the back of her neck she could feel a needle or pin piercing the skin. Her first thought as she grabbed hold of it was that she had been shot from afar, perhaps with a blowgun. But the straight piercing object now became limp in her hand, like a short piece of string—but strong as a fishing line—and immediately began worming itself deeper into her flesh!

TO BE CONTINUED...

[haveclotheswilltravel]

Ever since I posted the outfit above on my blog over 3 years ago I’ve been getting questions about shopping on Shein. “Is it safe to order from them? Are the clothes actually that good of quality? How long does shipping take? What is sizing like?” So, for today’s post, I thought it might be helpful to make a post featuring my tips for having a successful shopping experience on Shein, plus the clothes I’ve ordered from them over the years.

I started shopping on Shein over 4 years ago, after I noticed one of my favorite bloggers (A Clothes Horse) was featuring many items from them, and they were SUPER affordable. The skirt above was my first order from them and it was just over $20.

Full disclosure, the past couple years Shein has been a sponsor of mine and has sent me clothing at no cost to me. However, this post is in no way related to that. And as always, all opinions are my own.

What is Shein?

Before I get into my shopping tips, I should probably explain what kind of store Shein is in case you haven’t heard of them yet! Shein is an online women’s clothing store based out of China. They feature fast fashion pieces…meaning, many items will look similar to pricey designer pieces, but will be VERY inexpensive but also not as high of quality (obviously) as the original pieces. At first glance, Shein’s prices seem too good to be true, and there is always a negative stigma about ordering from online goods from overseas companies.

However, if you follow these tips, you can have a fabulous time shopping on Shein!

This skirt is from Shein!

6 Tips for Shopping on Shein

1.) Look at Sizes for EVERYTHING

The sizes on Shein’s website vary…A LOT. I am anywhere from an XSmall – XLarge, depending on the clothing item I’m ordering. It really does vary that much. So, know your measurements and look at every single item’s sizing guidelines.

This pullover is a small.

This dress is a large!

2.) When in Doubt, Size UP

If you’re in between sizes on an item and not sure what to order…always size up. I have yet to have this method fail me. The majority of items do seem to run on the small side. (They also just recently started carrying plus sizes!)

3.) Ignore Their “Promo Codes”

When you click on the item and see the price…that’s how much it’s going to be. The get “10% off with this code” or whatever, is misleading. These promo codes will take a percentage off “the original” price of the item. Not the “sale” price. Then, they’ll cancel out the sale price. So, you’re basically back at square one. And as you’ll notice, nothing on Shein is the “original price.” Everything is listed as a “sale price.”

4.) Order Several Weeks Before Any Event You’re Trying to Shop For

Shipping on average takes 2 weeks. I’ve ordered from them while in the US, Japan, Australia and Russia. No matter what country I was in my order took about 2 weeks. So, their shipping estimates are quite accurate. However, if you’re trying to dress for a specific event, don’t risk it! Order at least 3 weeks in advance! Also, shipping costs are quite reasonable. It’s free for US orders over $50 and only $3.99 for orders less than $50. Click here to see other country’s rates.

5.) For Best Results – Order Dresses, Skirts & Tops

I’ve had the best luck with dresses, skirts and tops. The quality seems to be higher in these items. They’re also not getting as much wear and tear as outerwear and shoes tend to get. I’ve always been underwhelmed with outerwear orders, and my friend Shannon has ordered their shoes. While they are nice looking shoes, she, unfortunately, had the heel snap off after a few months of wear. So, I have not been tempted to order their shoes yet for this reason.

Skirts & dresses are your best bet…

6.) Adjust Your Expectations

If you’re someone who normally spends $30+ on a top and then you order a $9 top from Shein…there’s going to be some noticeable differences in quality compared to what you’re used to. However, for $9, it’s going to be a quite nice top. Just don’t expect it to be on the same level as its designer counterpart or the $45 top you just bought from ModCloth. I’m 9 times out of 10 really happy with the quality of the product I get based on the price.

My Shein Orders Over the Years

Looking through my blog, I have A LOT more pieces by Shein..more than I realized. So, I’m only going to chat about my top 3 favorite pieces, and then I’ll make a gallery of all the items I have. I’m also going to show the one and only time I had an order not match the photo on the website. (I get questioned a lot about whether the items look like they do on the website, so I can definitely say yes, except for one time a couple years ago.) You can click here to see all my blog posts featuring Shein clothing.

1.) White Eyelet Midi Skirt

I’ve had this midi skirt for over 2 years now, and it gets A LOT of use. It’s versatile, it’s held up well in the wash and I am pleased with the quality…especially for the crazy low price tag.

Click here to shop it. Click here to see the outfit post featured above, and click here to see all the ways I’ve styled this skirt over the years.

2.) Color Block Shirt Dress

This shirt dress is honestly probably my most used Shein piece. I wear it for EVERYTHING. Corporate events, dinner dates, parties, exploring, everyday life, etc. I’ve had it for a couple years too, and it still looks like new, despite all the washing it’s gotten over the years.

Click here to shop this dress, and click here to see the outfit post pictured above.

3.) Bell Sleeved Top

I’ve only had this top for a little over a year now, but it’s become one of my favorites. It gets a lot of use and is holding up well. I like pairing it with chunky scarves for fall, and the sleeves are such a fun statement! It does wrinkle pretty easy, though…that’s my only complaint.

Click here to shop this top, and click here to see the outfit post pictured above.

My only item that didn’t match the website photo…

This dress looks A LOT longer on the website. In reality, it’s quite short. The material was also a lint magnet and always looked kind of wrinkled. This one I ended up donating to charity.

Click here to see it on the website, and click here to see the outfit post above.

Check out all my Shein pieces in the gallery you below! You can see all my Shein posts by clicking here and click here to shop Shein.

Have you ever tried shopping on Shein before? What was your experience like? And if not, would you consider trying this site? Let me know in the comments!

If you liked it – Pin it!

Have you always thought the prices on Shein were too good to be true & were worried about ordering from them? This post is featuring all my tips for having a successful shopping experience on Shein, plus the clothes I've ordered from them over the years... Ever since I posted the outfit above on my blog over 3 years ago I've been getting questions about shopping on…

[auburnfamilynews]

https://twitter.com/GaQMcK1/status/1194280687710482432

In today’s world, you can never have too many high quality cornerbacks and the Tigers are hoping to keep the backend of their defense well stocked.

Over the next 2 weeks 2-3ish indeterminate number of weeks, we will be taking a position by position look at the top targets on Auburn’s 2021 board. This is a first pass at who might be looking at Auburn the hardest this early in the cycle and whom Auburn might have the most interest in. However, recruiting is fluid and these lists will likely change.

It’s a new era for Auburn’s secondary. Gone are any DBs recruited by Will Muschamp. Stud recruiter Marcus Woodson is also no longer on the Plains meaning that moving forward the backend of Auburn’s defense is the sole property of Wesley McGriff. His DB class from his previous stint as Auburn’s DB coach hasn’t turned out great with Jordyn Peters the only member to see meaningful action to date. But last year’s class was outstanding and McGriff played a big role in Auburn’s ability to land blue chip DBs Chris Thompson and Marco Domio. The Tigers are likely to sign a large class given the departures from last season plus the expected ones to come over the next 2 seasons. Let’s see if Coach Crimedog can get it done in 2021.

5* Ga’Quincy McKinstry | 5’11” | 172 lbs | Pinson, AL

Recruitment

In the modern recruiting era, Auburn has never signed a 5* defensive back. They have come close a few times, specifically Andrew Booth just two cycles ago. But close doesn’t cut it in recruiting. With the proliferation of explosive passing attacks in the SEC, it’s important Auburn figures out a way to start landing some of the top DB talent in the country. The man they call Kool-Aid might be Auburn’s best chance to end that drought.

The Pinson Valley standout’s recruitment started when he was a freshman. He spent two years as Bo Nix’s teammate and last fall there was growing confidence Auburn could land the elite athlete. But as things typically do in recruiting, especially for elite instate DBs, things have begun to trend toward the Tide. A decision doesn’t appear to be coming in the near future which is probably good news for Auburn. Clemson, LSU and Tennessee are programs to keep an eye on as well.

Another interesting angle to this recruitment is McKinstry would like to also play basketball at the next level. Auburn, Florida and Kansas have not only offered him a football scholarship but a basketball one as well. I don’t believe Alabama has done the same so if that becomes an important part of McKinstry’s decision, the Tigers could have the edge there. Still, Alabama is likely the team in the best spot right now but Auburn will be in this until the end.

Scouting Report

The first thing that jumps out when watching McKinstry’s tape is his speed. An extremely fluid athlete in and out of his breaks, McKinstry has the top end speed to get past the defense as a wideout for big plays. On the defensive side, that translates into the ability to stay step for step with explosive wide receivers. He’s also got great ball skills undoubtedly helped by his time on the hardwood. He’s also not afraid of anyone and brings the swagger you want form your top cover corner. He will be day 1 impact player wherever he goes.

4* Nyland Green | 6’2” | 183 lbs | Covington, GA

Recruitment

Early on, Auburn looked to be a top choice for the Newton star but things have trended the wrong direction in recent months. UGA made a strong push but it’s actually Clemson right now that is likely the team to beat. Dabo’s squad has had tremendous success poaching the top DB prospects from the Peach State and are looking to do so again in 2021. The good news for Auburn is it doesn’t look like a decision is expected any time soon so if the good looking Tigers can get him back on campus this fall, they could get back into this race.

Scouting Report

It would not shock me if this kid ended up being the top rated CB of this 2021 class. A long athlete with elite burst, Green is everything you want in a shutdown corner. He’s got fluid hips, great length, outstanding instincts and the size to hang with any wideout. He’s versatile enough that he could play safety at the next level if needed but he strikes me as a future 1st round CB. Big time player.

4* Markevious Brown | 6’0” | 170 lbs | Bradenton, FL

Recruitment

This is a name to track in the coming months. Wesley McGriff is reportedly hard after the IMG standout and it seems the feelings are mutual. He dropped a top 7 a few months ago that did not include the Tigers but apparently that has changed. Auburn, Florida, Miami, Tennessee and Virginia Tech appear to be the top contenders at the moment but his list appears to be pretty fluid. But it’s clear he’s a top priority for the Tigers and they will work hard to get him on campus this fall.

Scouting Report

Brown transferred to IMG last season and didn’t get to see a ton of action so his tape is a bit limited. However, you can see from his sophomore film this kid is a baller. He excels in man coverage showing the ability to mirror the receiver, stay in phase and consistently make a play on the ball. I expect Brown to have a strong senior campaign and is a candidate to see his stock rise considerably this fall.

3* Kamari Lassiter | 5’11” | 165 lbs | Tuscaloosa, AL

Recruitment

Speaking of stock up, Lassiter’s recruitment has exploded this spring with offers coming fast and furious. Auburn, Georgia, LSU and Mississippi State have all offered in recent weeks adding to a list that already included Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss and plenty of others. The Tigers appear to be a major factor in this race but the competition is stiff. It’s not easy to pluck big time players out of Saban’s backyard but Auburn will try. I expect the Tigers to land an official visit when things open back up.

Scouting Report

A productive two way player, Lassiter is a big play waiting to happen. Versatile, Lassiter could get a look at the Nickel at the next level given his combination of speed and physicality. But personally I think his future is on the outside. He spends a lot of time on an island with little help but seems to consistently win those matchups. I fully expect Lassiter to be a 247 Composite 4* before it’s all said and done.

3* Tar’Varish Dawson | 5’10” | 175 lbs | Lehigh Acres, FL

Recruitment

Auburn looks to be a top contender for one of the fastest players in the 2021 class. He dropped a top 6 at the end of April consisting of Auburn, South Carolina, UCF, Miami, Minnesota and Louisville. I think of those six, the three teams to watch are the Tigers, Gamecocks and Canes. He will likely be on campus as soon as possible and the Tigers are reportedly recruiting him to play both WR and DB something he’s very interested in doing.

Scouting Report

You aren’t going to outrun Dawson. Clocking in a 10.58 100 meter last spring, that speed translates to the football field. As a receiver, he’s a threat to take it to the house after the catch. As a DB, he excels playing with outside leverage, eyes on the QB and attacking the ball in the air. Interestingly, 247’s comp for Dawson is Javaris Davis and I could see him playing the same role for the Tigers. Sliding inside sometimes at the Nickel then bouncing back outside at CB. While I know he wants to play some offense at the next level, I think his future is likely on the defensive side.

3* Javon Bullard | 6’0” | 183 lbs | Milledgeville, GA

Recruitment

Auburn was the first SEC program to offer Bullard. Tennessee and Vanderbilt quickly followed while South Carolina could be the next to jump into the race. It’s early so it’s hard to tell where Bullard is on AU’s board but if the Tigers decide they want him, I think chances are good they snag the Peach State’s 60th ranked prospect.

Scouting Report

Bullard plays both ways for Baldwin High School but is likely a defensive back at the next level. A long, lanky athlete with good top end speed, Bullard isn’t afraid to get his nose dirty in the run game. Possessing a high motor, you are gonna get the best out of Bullard most every snap.

3* Kameron Grays | 6’1” | 194 lbs | Eight Mile, AL

Recruitment

When Grays landed an offer at Auburn’s Junior Day earlier this year, it looked like a commit could soon follow. The teammate of Auburn DT commit Lee Hunter, Grays never ended up pulling the trigger. Pretty soon after landing the offer, Marcus Woodson left for Tallahassee, FL and the Noles vaulted to the top of Grays list. Not much though has been reported on his recruitment since early April. If he pops in the near future, that’s likely good news for FSU but it doesn’t appear a decision is imminent.

Scouting Report

Grays is a big kid with nice speed and quickness. He plays both sides of the ball with a lot of his tape featuring his WR highlights. But he’s being recruited to play in the secondary at the next level. His offensive tape though shows a kid with the hip fluidity, ball skills and quickness to play cornerback at a high level in college.

3* Daniel Edwards | 5’11” | 155 lbs | Winter Park, FL

Recruitment

There was buzz a commit could be coming in early April. If so, it would likely had been good news for the Tigers but no announcement came. Still, Auburn is sitting pretty in this recruitment for the time being though I think there are questions over whether the man they call Snook is a take just yet. The DB board is hard to pin down at the moment but Edwards is definitely a prospect to keep an eye on in the coming months.

Scouting Report

One of the quicker players in this class, Edwards is Nickel or a corner at the next level. He will need to get bigger to play in the SEC but the frame is there to add muscle without losing his explosiveness. I think Edwards is someone that would have really benefited from the camp circuit in terms of his recruitment and evaluation. Don’t be surprised if his offer list blows up some later this fall.

War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2020/5/8/21244938/2021-class-preview-cornerback-gaquincy-mckinstry-nyland-green-markevious-brown-kamari-lassiter

[choclette8]

Individual cakes are always popular. Something to do with their cuteness and that the cake is just for you. There’s no need to share. They’re a good introduction to baking for kids and great for bake sales too.

#CookBlogShare

#CookBlogShare is a weekly linky party where the food love is liberally shared. We have a look, possibly a taster and comment on each other’s posts. If you have a recipe to share, this is the place to do it.

Yes, it’s me doing a round-up once again. I still miss those #WeShouldCocoa days. Thanks to everyone who shared recipes in last week’s linky. There’s plenty there to get my teeth into. But this week I’m highlighting individual cakes.

Recently on Tin and Thyme

With so many of us at home now, baking has never been so popular. I don’t know about you, but I’m finding it really hard to get hold of flour, yeast and eggs. With this in mind I recently posted thirty egg-free cake recipes that you might find useful.

There are other ingredients that are hard to get hold of at the moment too and lots of us are relying on store cupboard staples. My easy one pot ramen is not only tasty, but it’s really quick to make. Fifteen minutes from start to finish is pretty impressive for a delicious and nutritious home cooked meal.

Spring is a wonderful time. Thank goodness for the lovey sunshine we’ve been experiencing over these past few weeks. It does make staying at home a lot easier. As dandelions carpet the grass and fields, my recipe for dandelion honey has become very popular. It tastes just like honey, only it’s much cheaper. It’s a useful alternative for vegans too.

Finally, this time of year can’t go without a mention of one of my favourite spring crops, rhubarb. We recently harvested the first sticks from our new allotment. And really, there was only one thing to make with them – rhubarb crumble.

Easy To Make Individual Cakes

I’ve highlighted four individual cakes here which are perfect for all of the reasons mentioned at the top. All of them are super easy to make and ideal for both young and old.

Orange & Raspberry Friands

So lets start off with some fancy friands from Gluten Free Alchemist. These orange & raspberry friands may seem a bit posh, but they’re incredibly easy to make and taste delicious. They’re also great for using up any leftover egg whites.

Kate says they may “look like posh cupcakes cupcakes. Indeed, I have seen them described as such on other websites… But trust me. These are not cupcakes. Their texture and flavour is altogether different“. As they’re mostly made with ground almonds, it’s easy to make them gluten-free.

Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes

Vanilla cupcakes are a classic and every baker will have their favourite recipe. As Cat from Curly’s Kitchen says though, you don’t always want as many as twelve. “For those times when you don’t want to bake a full batch of twelve cupcakes, these small batch vanilla cupcakes are perfect”. 

Isn’t the swirly buttercream icing lovely?

Vanilla Butterfly Fairy Cakes

I said vanilla cakes were popular and here, just to prove the point, are some vanilla butterfly fairy cakes from Feast Glorious Feast. Chloe said butterfly cakes were the bake she most liked to make when she was a kid. “There was always something special about getting to cut the tops off little buns, add buttercream then create and stick the wings back on“.

Fairy cakes always make me feel nostalgic for days long gone. Days when the sun was always shining or there was enough snow around to make a proper snowman.

White Chocolate & Strawberry Flapjacks

OK, strictly speaking a flapjack isn’t a cake. But these white chocolate & strawberry flapjacks fit the bill in all other respects. They even have icing. As Kat from The Baking Explorer says, “the great things about flapjacks is that you don’t need flour or eggs to make them“. Now what was I just saying about hard to buy ingredients? 

The flapjacks are made with dried strawberries and topped with a layer of white chocolate. That’s fancy enough for anyone I reckon.

Bread and Soup

If after all this sweet stuff, you’re craving something savoury. How about homemade bread and soup for lunch? I’m massively tempted by the two recipes from Jo’s Kitchen Larder this week. Wild garlic soup and easy wholemeal bread. Both are vegan and the bread is a no knead one.

Easy To Make Individual Cakes

I hope you enjoy this week’s #CookBlogShare and that you feel inspired by one of these recipes for individual cakes. They’ve certainly made me want to head to the kitchen and indulge in some baking. 

For more delicious and nutritious recipes, follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.

Four Individual Cakes. PIN IT.

#CookBlogShare 2020 Week 16

How to join in

You can link up any foodie posts you have. Both old and new posts are welcome as long as they have not been linked to #CookBlogShare before.

Link up a recipe or foodie post by clicking the blue ‘add your link’ button below and following the instructions. You can link up to 4 posts, either old or new.

Add a link from your post back to this post. This helps everyone else find it and link up too.

Add the #CookBlogShare badge to your post (code below – for WordPress copy and paste the code below into the text view of your post).

Comment on some of the other recipes linked up here (at least 2 for each link you add but the more you can the better) and generally share the love with a bit of social media action.

Comment on either this post or one of the posts labelled HOST in the linky.

Have fun and get ready to Cook Blog Share.

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What you can expect

I will endeavour to visit every post that’s linked up this week and pin the recipes to the Pinterest #CookBlogshare board. I’ll try to comment on all of them too. You might even get some yums, flips or mixes.

If you tag me on Twitter at @choclette8 using the #CookBlogShare hashtag I’ll do my best to retweet.

I’m really looking forward to seeing all the recipes you share this week. Have fun and thank you for joining in with #CookBlogShare.

Share the love

By joining in you are giving the #CookBlogShare hosts permission to use your pictures in a round up and on social media, if your recipe is selected to be featured.

Please use #cookblogshare when sharing your recipes on Instagram. We could all do with some help there. Once you’ve posted, quickly hop over to the #CookBlogShare feed. Like as many as you can and comment on any that particularly catch your eye.

Do post your recipes on the Cook Blog Share Facebook Page if you’d like to.

Your host next week will be Jacqui at Recipes Made Easy.

  You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Individual Cakes + #CookBlogShare 2020 Week 16 Individual cakes are always popular. Something to do with their cuteness and that the cake is just for you.

[auberginehill]

Aka Fold

The Three Stairs

https://www.bows-n-ties.com/three-stairs-pocket-square-fold/

To make it easier in the beginning we suggest you start using a slightly starched pocket square in linen or cotton. The stiffer feel of this fabric will ensure your folds stay in place better. The three stairs fold is excellent for casual dress and an excellent pick for solid colored pocket squares that have a contrasting colored border. It is also a nice choice for pocket square featuring an intricate print of pin-dots, small geometric patterns, and fine paisleys.

Aka Fold

In essence, the Aka Fold is similar to The Three Stairs in every other aspect than the number of folds or steps or stairs visible in the triangle and the way the bottom corners are turned:

Feature The Three Stairs Aka Fold Number of folds or steps or stairs visible 3 4 or more Bottom corners are turned outside/front inside/back

In The Three Stairs there are, of course, three steps or stairs in the visible part of the pocket square, but in the Aka Fold the number is usually four, but five (or even six or even more) steps or stairs in the visible part of the pocket square is not unheard of. The exact number of steps or stairs will depend on the width of the pocket. The idea is to make small and nice folds (with reasonable similar width with each other) as many as the folding procedure at that particular occasion permits. It is essential to use an iron and a iron board to achieve the desired look. In the Aka Fold example below, one step is about 5 mm – 6 mm in width (0.197 – 0.236 inches), but the actual width may be slightly less or more depending on the mood and the circumstances during the folding procedure.

It should be noted, though, that the finished Aka Fold in situ always has a small distinct triangle on the left when viewed from the front – i.e. the vast number of folds is not an end in itself, but the steps or stairs only compliment the initial small triangle in a such way that is pleasing to the wearer.

The name itself, “Aka Fold“, is derived from the web domain of Academy of Finland whose logo is a triangle with a curved line, which resembles the original fold, The Three Stairs. As the creator of this fold, I’d spell the first part of the name letter by letter or would try to emulate, how the first part is pronounced in Finnish (short vowel a pronounced similarly (but shorter) as in gala or spa, voiceless velar stop k such as the k in bake and finally a short vowel a pronounced similarly (but shorter) as in gala or spa).

Step 1

Lay your pocket square flat with one corner facing up and one corner facing down.

Step 2

Fold the bottom corner up to meet the top corner. If you want to maximize the Aka effect, leave a slightly longer portion for the folds. With this extra fabric you will be able to include more steps, if that's what's desidered.

Step 3

Fold the front fold partially down so that it goes past the bottom of the pocket square.

Step 4

Now take the same fold and fold it back up towards the top of the pocket square.

Step 5

Now fold back towards the bottom of the pocket square. Be sure and keep your folds neat.

Step 6

Fold a small fold towards the top of the pocket square. You may want to gently press with an iron.

Step 7

Pause, and take a look at your pocket square folds so far. It should look basically like the illustration above. Continue the folding procedure with the remaining small flap. You should be able to make at least one more fold – these subsequent folds are the signature moves, which differentiate the Aka Fold from the other folds.

Step 8

Now this is a little tricky: fold the right half of the pocket square behind the left side. You will still see the folds if done correctly.

Step 9

Now rotate the righthand corner of the pocket square 135 (= 90 + 45) degrees. Then fold the left side behind the right (dissimilar as shown above).

Step 10

Fold the right side behind the left (dissimilar as shown above) and we are done. Tuck as needed and place your pocket square in your jacket pocket.

Source

Derived from The Three Stairs by Sam Hober (or archive.org).

Aka Fold

It seems that this particular pocket square fold doesn't fill the full width of the chest pocket. If that truly is the case, just remember the magic word, sprezzatura, or make make the last two folds at Step 9 and Step 10 straight and square.

Short URL: https://tinyurl.com/wyk4qml

[2traveldads-blog]

Most random place I’ve visited in a long while:  Mobile, Alabama.  When I first found out that I got to go I was neutral in my excitement.  And then I started researching; and then I got there; and then I fell in love.  Mobile, Alabama’s theme for the city is “Born to Celebrate” and really, that’s the vibe everywhere and I love it.

Being the birthplace of Mardi Gras in the South and founded by one of the brothers who also founded New Orleans, it’s already in position to be cool.  You don’t hear a lot about Mobile as a destination or a party city, but it is.  It’s not a party city like Las Vegas or the Daytona Beach of the 90s, but it’s a place full of fun and pride.  And it’s delightfully gay which added to how welcome I felt and how much I loved Mobile, Alabama.  Anyways, here’s the scoop on Mobile and why I can’t wait to return with my whole family.

Locale of Mobile, Alabama

Mobile is at the very south of the Great State of Alabama on the Gulf of Mexico.  It’s located where five different rivers meet.  It’s surrounded by lush live oak forests and meandering waterways.  It’s a short drive to the beaches of the Gulf.  It’s a pocket of awesome in a place thought of as the Deep South.

Mobile has its own airport (MOB) and has two major interstates feeding into it.  You can arrive in Mobile, Alabama via cruise ship or private charter.  Basically, what’s stopping you from getting there and having an incredible time?

History of Mobile

It’s in Alabama.  That’s enough to make somebody who hasn’t been think about all they’ve heard, read or seen on TV about Alabama.  Just stop right there:  Mobile is completely different in nearly every way.  Yes, of course there are people who are stuck in the 1860s or the 1950s, but they’re not as common as you’d think.  Here are some interesting tidbits shared with me by Mobilians during my visit (but might not have factual backing):

Mobile was the first city in the south to elect an African-American mayor with a white majority vote.  

Mobile was the only major city in the South that didn’t have a civil rights march due to several very active public groups that worked to change local laws, including desegregating schools, prior to government mandate. They’ve had protests, but weren’t at the forefront of marches in the 60s.

Mobile has Gay Pride celebrations with lots of community involvement in addition to being involved in Mardi Gras activities.  

It’s the most progressive city I’ve been to south of the Mason-Dixon line.  Love it!

And Mobile, Alabama is an old city; it’s older than New Orleans.  Founded in 1702 Mobile has that same French influence you’ll see in NOLA, but it’s had it for longer.  And here’s a fun fact:  at one point Alabama was actually its own country (for a few days), and if you know where to look you can see references to it throughout Mobile.  And then there’s Mardi Gras… We’ll save that for last.

Top 5 things to do in Mobile, Alabama

Every city you’ll ever visit has a few super awesome things that will keep visitors coming back or talking about for a long time.  Mobile is for sure one of those places, but we’ll keep it short and sweet… like a beignet.

Exploring Mobile’s neighborhoods

Seattle, San Francisco, Portland… all three are great cities made of beautiful and fascinating neighborhoods.  And so is Mobile!!

Downtown Mobile

Downtown Mobile, Alabama is really nice.  The buildings aren’t too tall and there are countless sandwich and coffee shops giving it a quiet, small city feeling.   And downtown is right next to Dauphin Street, which is the main drag and is highly entertaining.  The people of Mobile have been exceptionally active in restoring their city since the 1960s so the whole area west of the financial district is charming, historic and full of fun.  At night, it’s lit up with twinkling lights, neon, marquees, glowing bar lights…. Strolling through downtown Mobile at night is a must.

Oakleigh Garden and DeTonti Square Historic Districts

Being such an old city, Mobile has some incredible residential neighborhoods including seven historic districts.  Just north of the downtown area is the DeTonti Square Historic District.  Some of the homes here are so old and ornate that they’ve each been under renovation for… well, forever.  Walking through the neighborhood you’ll find a combination of Gulf Cottages, Federal style and shotgun houses.  Each of the homes as it’s renovated is held to strict standard for color and outdoor features to keep the district as historically accurate as possible.  A homeowner can pop into the paint store in Mobile, say where they live, and leave with a color palate for the exterior of their house that is historically accurate and perfect.

Tip:  as you’re exploring the neighborhoods of Mobile, Alabama look at the historic markers and coats of arms on the restored houses.  You’ll learn all kinds of fun facts about the city and be able to impress all your friends when you bring them back!

Another beautiful neighborhood to wander through is the Oakleigh Garden Historic District.  Here, in addition to the beautiful and interesting homes, you’ll find some of the most impressive live oaks I’ve seen anywhere in the South.  And wandering the streets below the oaks and past the shotgun houses you’ll eventually get to the Church Street Graveyard.  It’s right by the old library so you can’t miss it.  This beautiful old cemetery has some of the oldest graves in Mobile, Alabama, including that of Joe Cain, the re-founder of Mardi Gras.

Photo tip:  photographing the live oak neighborhoods and cemeteries is best in the LATE afternoon.  The filtered light makes for interesting shots with much softer shadows.

The last neighborhood that I wanted to mention is the Church Street East Historic District.  This is actually where I stayed, at the Malaga Inn, and I loved it.  In the morning I could walk past wrought iron railings and find Mardi Gras beads in the bushes.  At night, there were gas lamps.  A few blocks away was Fort Conde and the Plaza for Mardi Gras events.  The historic charm is there along with bustling activity.  If you’re not staying in this neighborhood, as least pay it a visit.

Eat all of the deliciousness

Where to begin?!  Let’s just say that between blue crab legs and beignet sandwiches I was never hungry or bored with food. Here’s just a taste of what I found and no doubt anybody else could discover even more yum.  Here are three tasty beyond tasty ideas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Wintzell’s Oyster House – anything with the tiny crab legs or the shrimp in ANY of their sauces and styles.  And their Oysters Monterey were my favorite.

Panini Pete’s – so the beignets are amazing and much more dense and, dare I say it, more delicious than other’s I’ve add throughout the South.  And they’ll make you a bacon and egg sandwich on a beignet!

Noble South – this is where I learned the Southern cooking isn’t all butter and butter.  Even though there were some beautiful meat dishes being served, my vegetarian collection of courses was an unforgettable surprise.  Especially the squash blossoms.  Perfect.

I had all kinds of other great food, but these three hot spots rang the bell for me.  Each was delicious and totally unique to dining I’d find anywhere in the Pacific Northwest.

Gab with EVERY local Mobilian you meet

OMG, you don’t even have to try to do this.  I met so many great people just walking around Mobile.  Some of my favorite characters included I got to talk to were actually the many different servers in the restaurants I ate at.  Ms Pinky at Wintzell’s Oyster House had a new phrase for how delicious each dish was.  The gentleman at the Mardi Gras museum had amazing stories about festivities through the years and strength and presence of the LGBT population of Mobile, Alabama.  One of the four different servers I had when dining alone at a sidewalk cafe didn’t want to talk about Mobile, but about my kids and all the weird things about being a parent.  

And then Spring, our breakfast server one day.  She was a delight.  We chatted about food and Mobile and Mardi Gras, and then art.  She’s an artist whose medium is beads.  How perfect for being a Mobilian from the birthplace of Mardi Gras.  

Tip:  take a look at Mardi Gras bead art. It has got to be my new favorite medium and motif.  So intricate and takes much more patience than I’ll ever have.

Someday when I’m bored and just want to gab, I’m going to book a plane ticket to Mobile and just go cafe hopping inviting random people to sit with me and drink iced tea.  Or sweet tea.

…and sometimes the locals will dress up with you…

Airboating in the Mobile Delta

We got to take the kids on a airboat ride through the mangroves of the Everglades and it was awesome!  Here is Mobile I had another opportunity to do an airboat ride and it was just as fun but totally different.

We headed just out of town to the Spanish Fort area where we met Captain Geoff.  In addition to being an airboat captain, he’s also a naturalist, so boom, sold. We had three really unique ecotours in Florida and doing the airboat with Captain Geoff was equally thoughtful and educational.  Between the care he showed in his boating and the knowledge he imparted with great intent, Airboat Express is definitely in the top ecotours I’ve been a part of (including some amazing ones in Montana and Alaska).

The highlight of the Mobile Delta airboat tour was definitely the wildlife.  There were all kinds of fascinating birds and really unique vegetation, but this was the first ecotour I’d done that took us past alligator dens and nurseries.  We saw some enormous gators, yes, but getting to see baby alligators swimming or crawling all over each other was a real treat.

Tip:  if you have kids with you for an airboat tour, be sure they have sunglasses.  This helps keep the wind out of their eyes and they’ll have a much more enjoyable experience.

MARDI GRAS EVERYTHING

As I’ve mentioned several times Mobile, Alabama is the birthplace of Mardi Gras.  The city really is born to celebrate like their motto says.  So, for starters, the Mardi Gras museum is pretty darn cool and interesting. And weird.  If you happened into it without any preface you might think you stumbled into the Inauguration Gown gallery at the Smithsonian…but full of drag costumes.  I’ve never seen such lavish regalia.  So much embroidery and beadwork.

And then there are the strands of beads.  Everywhere.  On my first night in Mobile I went for a walk and my eyes kept darting around to find beads in the trees and on lamp posts left over from the recent Mardi Gras celebrations.  I went on a tour driving around the many historic neighborhoods and sights and was given my own strand of Mardi Gras beads. They’re now sparkling somewhere in Mobile, reminding somebody else that there’s another celebration around the corner.

When you spend your time talking with the locals and gabbing it up with your server you’ll see that everything is related to Mardi Gras.  

“What have you got going on this weekend?” “Oh, I have a meeting with my mystic society.”  

“Oh, when did you do X, Y and Z?” “Well, it was just after Mardi Gras and…”

“Any big plans coming up?”  “I know that there’s a ball I am attending at Thanksgiving… It’s the start of Mardi Gras.”

Seriously, you can’t escape it and that’s just fine.  Seeing how excited and how dedicated each person is to EVERYTHING Mardi Gras is bizarre and inspiring.  It is a complete sense of community. Hopefully we’ll get to experience Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama in the next few years. It’ll be amazing.

So I know Mobile might not have been on your radar before today, but doesn’t it sound fantastic and aren’t you ready to plan a trip? I can’t wait to return with my family and have an awesome time making Mardi Gras memories and more.

Want to pin it for your own travel planning to Mobile or the South in general? Go for it!!!

Mobile, Alabama: top 5 ways to celebrate a surprising gem of a city Most random place I’ve visited in a long while:  Mobile, Alabama.  When I first found out that I got to go I was neutral in my excitement.  

[comicsbeat]

§ Nice Art: Francesco Francavilla gave us the Thing vs Thing team-up we’ve all dreamed of on Twitter.

§ Nice art supplemental! Takashi Miike has made a movie based on the manga JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and it looks insane!

This is the guy who was somehow able to make us laugh at a scene depicting a hitman slicing off his own tongue in Ichi the Killer, after all. The JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure manga by Hirohiko Araki debuted in 1987 and chronicles the adventures of the Joestar family across several generations as they use their unusual powers to tackle a variety of supernatural threats. With around 100 million copies in print, it’s the bestelling horror manga of all time and also one of the bestselling manga series overall. Judging from the trailer, Miike’s adaptation will feature highly stylized visuals and colors, so we should be in for an incredible cinematic experience when Toho and Warner Bros. co-distribute the film in Japan on 4 August 2017. It stars Jun Kunimura, Nana Komatsu, Mackenyu, and Takayuki Yamada.

Bestselling horror manga? Whoa. Here’s the teaser trailer:

And the character posters! So manga!

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  § Alison Bechdel has drawn a few new Dykes to Watch Out For comic strips, and it might be about a certain orange toned president.

§ Tom Spurgeon interviewed Ron Wimberly about Prince of Cats and the rest:

It’s such a shit show, the human brain. We think the way we remember things, that’s how it truly happened. Photoshop has been great because we’re now even more aware how fake everything is. [laughter] It’s just perception. Now that it doesn’t require someone that’s great at gouging, or working on something with a knife, now that a teenager can put Hillary Clinton’s face on Snoop Dogg’s body, we know everything’s fake. Karen Green asked me something. She had read the book. When I’m thinking of names, I always give myself a game or a problem to solve to come up with answers. So the tape at the beginning, at first they were listening to the Stooges or something. Then I was like, “No that contextually doesn’t make any sense.” What would they be listening to? How is this tape a microcosm of the entire world? What if Milton, a contemporary of Shakespeare: he had written this poem about Shakespeare when he died. So Rammellzee and Milton, I mashed them together, and that’s what in the tape in the tape deck. But I totally forget about that! I had come up with a name pulled from one of the prior authors of a Romeo & Juliet. Karen, being the genius she is, is like, “Oh, that’s such a great thing you put in there. I can’t believe you did that.” And I was like, “Oh, yeah. Thanks.” [laughter] I totally forgot I had done that!

§ Someone PLEASE MUZZLE FINN JONES. The Iron Fist star just keeps digging a deeper and deeper grave with every interview where he attempts to explain why Iron Fist reviews are so awful and people don’t like the whitewashing. First it was “it’s for the fans” then he blamed Trump. Here’s his take in Vulture below. A couple of things: Jones is British and they have a slightly different approach to racial issues than we do in the US. No excuse, but probably why he keeps blabbing. Second, he’s an actor. A young actor. And not everyone can be Cole Sprouse. So please, someone…teach him how to listen and acknowledge. It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

There’s so much outrage in the internet these days, right? Why don’t people just — look, the issue is that people are judging before they’ve even seen the show. And that’s problematic. C’mon. Don’t get angry and start a mob when you don’t even — you haven’t even seen the show! You don’t even know what we’re doing with it. It’s unjust. It’s unfair. Whatever issues they have may be true of the comic books; it was written in the ’70s. It was a very different time to where we’re at now. Very, very different. I get it. There needs to be more diversity in film and television, in all fucking aspects of life. There needs to be more diversity, period. Unfortunately, this show was picked, for whatever reason. I don’t fully understand, really, but what I say is, Watch the show. Watch the show, then make your opinions.

  § Paste magazine has the picks for comics on sale tomorrow and it’s a good week!

§ Vanity Fair chatted with 96-year-old Al Jaffee who is still cartooning and still amazing.

§ Image is holding a Homecoming Dance at Rose City Comic Con again. Details below:

Back by popular demand, Image Comics is pleased to host a very special formal Fall Homecoming dance for the comics community during the Rose City Comic Con festivities. The dance will be held on Saturday, September 9th from 8:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. at The Evergreen. This event will be 21+ only. IDs will be checked at the door.

Tickets to the Image Comics Fall Homecoming Dance are on sale now.

Image Comics’ Fall Homecoming will be in the style and spirit of a traditional high school dance and all comics fans and industry members are encouraged to come mix, mingle, and dance the night away.

Image Comics Fall Homecoming ticket tiers: $20: Entry ticket $45: Add-on pack, including an Image t-shirt, variant cover comic, commemorative pint glass, and enamel pin $79: VIP pack—ticket to the party, add-on pack items, and access to special VIP area at the venue (limited quantity, only 100 VIP tickets available)

§ Britt Hayes reviewed Atomic Blonde, the new comic book movie and liked it:

In one of the most striking cinematic introductions in recent memory, we meet Theron’s Lorraine Broughton, covered in bruises and soaking in an ice bath. She sits on the edge of the tub and plunks ice cubes from her bath into a glass, filling it with Stoli and gulping it down without the slightest wince. If you’ve been waiting for a female 007, she’s here — and she might be even cooler than Bond with all his ridiculous gadgets.

§ But Valerie Complex of Nerd of Color saw a preview for Ghost in the Shell and it was Worse Than We Thought:

On February 28, I saw a 15-minute sneak peek of the Hollywood adaptation of Ghost in the Shell. From the announcement of the project, this has always been a bad idea. But the announcement of the cast and story has made things much worse. Most noticeably, Hollywood adaptations of Japanese anime have yet to be successful. Either their stories veer too far from the source material, the director isn’t a good fit or the casting makes no sense. You would think Hollywood would learn, yet here we are, on the precipice of another anime-adapted flop.

§ Good news for Valiant! The Russo Brothers (Civil War) have signed on to make a Quantum and Woody TV show .

The team behind “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “Captain America: Civil War” will develop “Quantum and Woody,” about the world’s worst super-duo, with Valiant Entertainment. Anthony and Joe Russo will be executive producers alongside Mike Larocca and Valiant’s Dinesh Shamdasani.

§ Another graphic novel is coming to the screen! Days of the Bagnold Summer was a hilarious and sad graphic novel about a 15 year old heavy metal music fan forced to spend the summer with him mum. Created by Joff Winterhart, it was shortlisted for the prestigious COsta Award in the UK, and now it’s going to be a movie, directed by Simon Bird, a well known Brit comic known for The Inbetweeners. Some good comic fodder there.

§ Vox runs down why people are so upset about Marvel, Magneto, and Nazis, explained:

For people who aren’t comic book readers or casual fans, the vocal fight over the origins of fictional characters can seem confusing, or even trivial, considering real life white supremacists have become fixtures in the current national political conversation, and bad fiction happens all the time. But the fight goes beyond the comic book history of Captain America and Magneto and deeper into the significance of art’s connection to morality. It’s an embodiment of how powerful fandom can be, and the ever-challenging question of who owns art: the artists creating it or the fans purchasing it.

I know Marvel got locked into this storyline long ago, thinking that the old good guy turns bad switcheroo was a comics book staple, but those days are over now.

§ Also over maybe, line wide events? This article at CBR suggests so.

We’ve come to expect that every year the seeds for an event will be planted to culminate in a crossover that summer. Now, it seems like the only thing that makes these stories different from one another are the principle cast members. It doesn’t help that Marvel touts each crossover as a universe-altering incident that will have repercussions for years to come. How can this be true if the following year’s incident will change the status quo that had been established just a year prior?

§ Finally, this photo from the set of Logan got punked on the internet and now Snopes had to explain that, no it isn’t a photo of a man who got mugged on his way to buy comics for his daughter. Fake news. It’s everywhere.

Kibbles ‘n’ Bits 3/15/17: Please muzzle Finn Jones § Nice Art: Francesco Francavilla gave us the Thing vs Thing team-up we've all dreamed of…

[theglobediary]

I can’t believe this past weekend was the first time we checked this Downtown Market out, but it could be my new favourite.

My favourite finds:

While I do admit, the majority of the below are gluten-free indulgences! But there are two healthier options that balance the yummy things out, right?

#1: Moonshine Doughnuts

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I was on a diet. I was kidding myself in thinking that I wouldn’t have tried all the yummy food I spotted at the Market. I did fail, every diet rule on this short visit to the Market. And it all started when I spotted these – gluten-free even! We grabbed a box of doughnuts (for $10) so quick that we didn’t even really take note of the flavours. BUT after trying them all (yup, all of them), I would say that creamed coconut is my favourite!

Btw, these doughnuts are so famous that everywhere we went in the city sporting this teeny box on our arm, people asked what today’s flavours were. Talk about causing a stir! These guys are also the creators of Doughnut Party, which we visited a few weeks ago here. Now, I just wish they’d bring the gluten-free doughnuts over there to that party too ;).

Website | Facebook | Twitter 

#2: Boocha’s Kombucha

This is my favourite tasting kombucha so far – the peach one is my favourite! But they also have blueberry and cherry flavours. Do try it next time you’re at the Market. It’s also packed full of probiotics so it’s healthy too.

Website | Instagram | Facebook

#3: Bloom Cookie Co.

The only thing we tried, was the gluten-free option and my word, was it heavenly. If you haven’t tried it yet, you should. Go get that Black Forest Macaroon. This chewy and rich coconut macaroon is stuffed with tart cranberries and dark chocolate. Those flavours were spot on!

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

#4: K & B Co.

So this is cheating. Kind of. Because this one merely happens to feature on the street, not specifically in the Market. But it’s one of my favourite places in the city and with summer coming up, it will probably be yours too. They make my favourite smoothies in the city and I’m there far too often!

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

#5: Meat Street Pies

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Website | Facebook | Twitter 

{PIN THIS FOR LATER}

Other Posts You Might Like: 

My list of foodie places to try in Edmonton.

#YEGweekly | Coffee Bureau

#YEGweekly | Cafe Linnea

#YEGweekly | Lock Stock Coffee

#YEGweekly | District Cafe & Bakery

#YEGweekly | Uccellino

#YEGweekly | Brunch at Canteen

Trying to get back on my diet after this,

Leigh 

x

Edmonton | 104th Street Downtown City Market I can't believe this past weekend was the first time we checked this Downtown Market out, but it could be my new favourite.

[watchilove]

Romain Gauthier manufacture surprises today with a spectacular version of its Insight – Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium ® Edition. The new piece is an exercise of craftsmanship and expertise, characteristics on which the Vallée de Joux independent brand excels. Please read below the official press release.

1 Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium Edition

Manufacture-Only Carbonium® Edition

Romain Gauthier always knew that if he was ever going to create a timepiece that collectors could purchase exclusively through Manufacture Romain Gauthier, it needed to be something special with a strong identity. And so, for his first ever Manufacture-Only edition, Romain has chosen to present probably his sportiest looking watch to date: An Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette with case, crown, dial and buckle made out of Carbonium®.

3 Carbonium parts of the Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium Edition

Carbonium® is a high-tech, high-performance, carbon fibre composite invented and produced by French company Lavoisier Composites. It is made by employing a special compression-moulding process to ‘upcycle’ the epoxy resin and carbon fibres found in prepreg tapes sourced from the aerospace industry – fibres once earmarked to form part of an airliner wing, fin or fuselage.

3 Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium Edition

Romain says: “I have been interested in presenting a watch in carbon fibre for some time, but I was always waiting to find the right material, one that is a bona fide, technical carbon composite. I found that material in Carbonium®. I was drawn to Carbonium® because not only does it possess excellent mechanical properties, but it also looks fabulous and wears light on the wrist.”

1 Uncased movement of the Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium Edition

To make each of the Carbonium® elements for this timepiece, Lavoisier Composites creates Carbonium® blocks which are then finely shaped on a 5-axis machining centre before being matte-finished for a slightly silky surface appearance. In accordance with Romain’s wishes, Lavoisier chose a long fibre length of 50mm, in their eyes the sweet spot between mouldability, aesthetics and mechanical properties.

3 Bridge on the left that has been bevelled by hand c.f. bridge on right that has been bevelled, softened, smoothed and polished by hand – Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium Edition

Indeed, the carbon fibre in Carbonium® is three times more rigid than titanium, yet twice as light. The fully assembled Carbonium® case for Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette weighs in at just 15.36g. So with the cased-up movement weighing 31.31g, it is fair to say this Carbonium® edition feels like a feather on the wrist.

2 Uncased movement of the Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium Edition

What is more, at 42mm in diameter, this case is larger than the Insight Micro-Rotor case in precious metal or titanium (39.5mm). That is because the rigid and fibre-rich nature of Carbonium® means localised increases in case dimensions needed to be made in order to machine it optimally. The extra couple of millimetres only serve to increase the assertive presence of the Carbonium® which bears a striking, organic-looking, veined pattern. As you turn the watch, the veins take it in turns to reflect the light, lending the case a real vivacity.

3 Uncased movement of the Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium Edition

With carbon fibre watches, often the movement is placed in a watertight cylinder within an unwaterproofed case. Romain was keen to avoid this ‘hack’ and instead wanted the skeletonised movement to be protected from humidity by the Carbonium® case itself. To that end, Lavoisier Composites performed a multi-step waterproofing process developed especially for this Romain Gauthier case, that saw resin injected into the micropores – invisible to the naked eye – on the inside of the case to prevent water from entering it.

2 Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium Edition

As for the “Manufacture Only” status of this edition, Romain Gauthier feels that this will enhance its appeal to collectors. “Purchasing this timepiece directly from us, our collectors will know that they are acquiring an exciting timepiece that they won’t find anywhere else,” says Romain. “Those who own it will, in a sense, become part of a club of owners who understand how this watch represents me in terms of the architectural movement, the extreme level of hand-finishing and the technical-yet-casual nature of the Carbonium® case. And they will know that they will have made a considerable contribution to supporting our watchmaking.”

1 Carbonium parts of the Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium Edition

Customisable elements include the final finishing to the bridges and mainplate (hand-polished or matte-finished bevels); colour of the steel hands, dial accents and plaquette engravings; and colour of the natural rubber strap. The example here features hand-polished bevels, Pacific blue and white dial accents, and Pacific blue steel hands and natural rubber strap.

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Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium® Edition Technical Specifications and Price

Features and indications

Off-centre hours, minutes and small seconds

In-house, automatic movement

Superlatively hand-finished, skeletonised mainplate and bridges in natural titanium

22k gold bidirectional micro-rotor

Double mainspring barrel in series giving 80-hour power reserve

42mm Carbonium® case

Available exclusively through Manufacture Romain Gauthier

Dial and hands

Carbonium® hour-minute dial and small seconds dial (monobloc)

Skeletonised hour and minute hands in matte-finished steel

Solid small seconds hand in matte-finished steel

Colour of hands and dial accents customisable

Movement and finishing

Dimensions: 32.1mm x 6.8mm

Power reserve: 80 hours

Number of jewels: 33

Number of components: 206

Balance frequency: 28,800 vph / 4Hz

Components in: 22k gold micro-rotor, titanium, steel, stainless steel, beryllium copper, brass and German silver

Choice of final finishing to the bridges and mainplate (hand-polished or matte-finished bevels)

Colour of plaquette engravings customisable

Case

Material: Carbonium®

Dimensions: 42mm x 12.9mm at highest point

Water resistance: 50m/5atm/170ft

Sapphire crystal with interior anti-reflection coating, front and display back

Carbonium® crown for manual winding and time-setting at 2 o’clock

Strap and buckle

Natural rubber strap, colour customisable

Carbonium® pin buckle

Price

Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium® Edition with hand-polished bevels on the bridges: CHF 155,000 excluding taxes

1 Polishing bevels on a bridge from the Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium Edition with gentian and diamond paste

2 A bridge from the Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium Edition bevelled, softened, smoothed and polished by hand

3 Bridge on the left that has been bevelled by hand c.f. bridge on right that has been bevelled, softened, smoothed and polished by hand – Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium Edition

1 Watchmaker’s assembly of the Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium Edition

2 Watchmaker’s assembly of the Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium Edition

3 Watchmaker’s assembly of the Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium Edition

Uncased movement of the Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium Edition.jpg

Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium ® Edition Romain Gauthier manufacture surprises today with a spectacular version of its Insight - Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium ® Edition.

[pctestbench]

Intel’s new Core i9-10900K CPU is an interesting product. While some of the more vocal fans of a certain red competitor may give Intel some flak about reusing their 14nm node yet again, Intel has learned how to really polish a product and extract every bit of benefit from the silicon. This is Intel’s first 10-core mainstream product, with previous 10+ core chips locked entirely in the server and HEDT realm. The i9-10900K also boasts the highest stock Turbo clocks ever released at 5.2Ghz. If that wasn’t enough speed, the new Thermal Velocity Boost can kick the clocks up a bit higher yet to 5.3Ghz, pending your cooler can handle it. All this speed did require a small boost in TDP, up to 125W from the past ~95W ceiling the previous gens have tried to stay at. With more core, more clock speed, and more power, you would think this chip is destined to melt right? No. To help with cooling such concentrated performance, Intel took a page out of “I-void-warranties” extreme over-clockers book of tricks and shaved the actual silicon die down about as thin as it can go. With less physical silicon between the actual transistors and the heat spreader, every watt can get out as fast as possible. A new socket, LGA 1200, houses Intel 10th gen chips and paves the way for some exciting things slated for the next generation. Even though there are few more pins, all of your existing coolers will work with the new socket, which is great news to anyone with a beefy aftermarket cooler.

We want to thank Intel for sending us over the new Core i9-10900K to test out!

Intel’s take on the Core i9-10900K:

The new 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10900K leads our new family of processors and takes the crown as the world’s fastest gaming processor, delivering speeds of up to 5.3GHz. New overclocking controls allow gamers to get more from their unlocked 10th Gen Intel® Core processor and get the best overclocking experience.

Built for serious gamers, 10th Gen Intel Core desktop processors bring the right balance of frequency, cores, and threads, plus support for the latest technologies and advanced tuning flexibility to help put users in control of the real-world gaming experiences that matter most to them.

Obligatory Die Shot:

Important features:

Intel Thermal Velocity Boost: Gamers and creators get an opportunistic and automatic boost across single-core and multi-core workloads, up to a blazing 5.3GHz, right out of the box.

Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0: Get an automatic performance boost on lightly threaded applications with Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0.

Intel Hyperthreading Technology: Do more simultaneously across 10th Gen Intel Core i9, i7, i5, and i3 processors.

Intel Quick Sync Video: Uses integrated processor graphics to optimize gameplay while gamers stream and record and provides creators with the hardware acceleration they need for the latest video codecs.

Memory Support up to DDR4-2933 Memory Speeds: For smooth gameplay, immersive realism, faster multitasking, and productivity when creating.

Intel Graphics Command Center: Optimizes your Intel® graphics experience.6

Enhanced Core & Memory Overclocking: Gain ultimate control when overclocking your processor and key system components with features enabled by new unlocked and overclockable 10th Gen Intel® Core™ processors.7

Per-Core Hyperthreading Control for Overclocking: allows experienced overclockers to decide which hyper threads to turn on or off on a per-core basis.

Intel Ethernet Connection I225: Now available on the 10th Gen platform, 2.5G Intel Ethernet Connector I225 delivers greater than 2X the network speeds of 1GB Ethernet on existing cabling.

Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201: Now integrated into 10th Gen Intel Core desktop processors, Intel Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) delivers responsive gameplay, nearly 3X faster downloads and more reliable connections. Delivers best-in-class wireless experiences with the freedom and flexibility to game or create anywhere throughout the home or office.

Intel Performance Maximizer: Offers an active core group tuning feature that overclocks each core group tuning feature that overclocks each core group, increasing their performance potential, for maximum gaming performance.

Intel Extreme Tuning Utility: Push performance desktops in new and innovative ways with a new Intel® Extreme Tuning Utility benchmark targeted for experienced overclockers. Now with the Intel Speed Optimizer that is a one-click overclocking feature within Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU). Intel Speed Optimizer will be new for 10th Gen processors and takes advantage of power delivery and thermal headroom within a given chassis or design. Intel Speed Optimizer helps more an unlocked processor’s cores reach nearer to the single-core turbo boost frequency.

Intel Smart Cache: Up to 20M of shared lowest level cache allowing faster access to your data by enabling dynamic and efficient allocation of the cache to match the needs of each core, significantly reducing latency to frequently used data and improving performance.

Thunderbolt 3 support: Thunderbolt 3 ports are the fastest USB-C available, so you can take Thunderbolt 3 SSDs to LAN parties and play games with lightning-fast data transfers.

Intel Optane Memory H10 with SSD Support: Launch apps, games, and project files faster, and stay productive while multitasking.

  Quick Specs:

# of Cores – 10

# of Threads – 20

Processor Base Frequency – 3.70 GHz

Max Turbo Boost 3.0 Frequency – 5.20 GHz

Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost Frequency – 5.30 GHz

Cache – 20 MB Intel Smart Cache

TDP – 125 W

Max Memory Size – 128 GB

Memory Speed – DDR4-2933

Max # of Memory Channels – 2

Processor Graphics – Intel UHD Graphics 630

Scalability – 1S Only

PCI Express Revision – 3.0

Max # of PCI Express Lanes – 16

Sockets Supported – FCLGA1200

TJUNCTION – 100°C

  For full features and specs, click here: 

  Intel 10th Gen SKU Table

  A Closer Look

Our review samples showed up in a special box that retail chips won’t be in.

It opens up to reveal a blue acrylic sheet with the Intel logo. You can see two smaller boxes under it.

A finger hole lets you pop the clear cover off.

Inside are two smaller boxes, one contains a Core i5-10600K and the other, the new flagship Core i9-10900K.

Today we’ll be focusing on the i9-10900K.

The new LGA1200 based CPU’s look very similar to the former LGA1151 chips at first glance.

They are the same size, the only difference is the key notches are now about a quarter way up from the bottom instead of very near the top.

The bottom itself is also very similar, with a ton of micro-sized SMT components in the middle, and a grid of gold contacts around it. Let’s strap it in the test bench and move on to testing!

  Synthetic Testing

Test Platform:

CPU – Intel Core i9-10900K Mobo – Aorus Z490 Master RAM – 32GB (4x8GB) HyperX Fury RGB 3200MHz C16 GPU – Nvidia RTX 2080 Founders Edition SSD – Kingston KC1000 1TB PSU – Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB Gold 750W Chassis – Open BenchTable Cooling – Custom Liquid Loop (EKWB Velocity CPU Block, EKWB PE240 Rad, 1x DDC Pump)

  All testing is performed at stock settings except for enabling XMP (Profile 1: 3200MHz 16-18-18-38 1.35V) and Aorus’s Multicore Enhancement disabled in the BIOS.

  Super PI Modded 1.5

“In August 1995, the calculation of pi up to 4,294,960,000 decimal digits was succeeded by using a supercomputer at the University of Tokyo. The program was written by D.Takahashi in collaboration with Dr.Y.Kanada at the computer center. This record should be the current world record. (Details are shown in the windows help.) This record-breaking program was ported to personal computer environments such as Windows NT and Windows 95. In order to calculate 33.55 million digits, it takes within 3 days with a Pentium 90 MHz, 40 MB main memory, and 340 MB available storage.”

As this test is entirely single-threaded, it’s no surprise the Core i9-10900K lands a win here with single thread clock speeds able to hit a staggering 5.3GHz.

  CINEBENCH R15

“CINEBENCH is a real-world cross-platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s performance capabilities. CINEBENCH is based on MAXON’s award-winning animation software CINEMA 4D, which is used extensively by studios and production houses worldwide for 3D content creation. MAXON software has been used in blockbuster movies such as Iron Man 3, Oblivion, Life of Pi or Prometheus, and much more.

CINEBENCH is the perfect tool to compare CPU and graphics performance across various systems and platforms (Windows and OS X). And best of all: It’s completely free.”

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Again we see single thread speeds pull in a decent win here with multi-core testing only loosing out to the 12-core Ryzen 9 3900X as expected.

  CINEBENCH R20

Cinebench is a real-world cross-platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s hardware capabilities. Improvements to Cinebench Release 20 reflect the overall advancements to CPU and rendering technology in recent years, providing a more accurate measurement of Cinema 4D’s ability to take advantage of multiple CPU cores and modern processor features available to the average user. Best of all: It’s free.

In the newer Cinebench R20, we see a similar pattern with the 10-core i9-10900K only falling behind the 12 and 16-core chips in our testing.

  Passmark Performance Test – CPU Mark

“Fast, easy to use, PC speed testing, and benchmarking. PassMark Performance Test ™ allows you to objectively benchmark a PC using a variety of different speed tests and compare the results to other computers.”

Passmark’s Performance Test 10 really scales with thread count rather than raw clock speed, so you see almost perfect scaling from 6 to 8 to 10 to 12 cores here with the i9-10900K almost reaching 25K points.

  SiSoft Sandra – Cryptographic Bandwidth

“SiSoftware Sandra provides a robust package of diagnostic tools for testing your system and teasing out its problems–or potential headaches.”

SiSoft’s CPU Cryptographic Bandwidth really favors team red’s architecture here but some of Intel’s HEDT chips hold the top spot. We do see a pretty significant increase over the last gen’s 8-core parts.

  Y-Cruncher

Written by Alexander J. Lee “From a high-school project that went a little too far…” y-cruncher, (y for gamma) is a number-crunching program that can compute various mathematical constants.

It was originally a small program specialized for computing the Euler-Mascheroni Constant. (Which uses gamma as its symbol, hence the name). It has since gained the ability to compute other constants.

It is the first of its kind that is multi-threaded and scalable to multi-core systems. Ever since its launch in 2009, it has become a common benchmarking and stress-testing application for overclockers and hardware enthusiasts.

We tested using the built-in benchmarks to compute Pi to 1 Billion Digits in both single and multi-threaded mode and recorded the Total Computation time at the end of the run. Y-Cruncher is also able to take advantage of AVX512 instructions in compatible CPU’s.

Core counts matter here and the i9-10900K only falls behind the mainstream 3900X and HEDT parts that sport AVX512 support in multi-threaded. The new chip lands the fastest non-AVX512 single-threaded speed in our lineup by a fair margin though.

  Black Hole 4.2

Let the beast run and benchmark your system in three different tests (Multithreaded, Single-threaded & 4-Threaded) that will test your CPU to the very limit, and score you among hundreds of other systems that have tested.

Multithreaded will test your CPU’s efficiency of running more than one thread without major system lag. The higher you score on this one, the more threads your CPU can handle with a comfortable speed. High multithreaded scores generally mean you can render things faster.

4-Threaded tests your CPU’s performance in games since most games currently run on 4 threads.

Single-threaded evaluates how fast the CPU can handle a single, dedicated thread for processing.

This is another test that shows decent scaling from prior 8-core parts, but again see’s AMD’s architecture holding a pretty noticeable advantage, even with fewer cores.

  Workstation & Productivity Testing

Blender Benchmark 2.82 – BMW27

A new platform to collect and display the results of hardware and software performance tests. Aimed at an optimal comparison between system hardware and installations using open source software and testing content in the public domain.

In something a little more real-world, the Core i9-10900K smokes through the BMW benchmark render in a touch over 2 minutes, nearly matching the 12-core Ryzen 9 3900X, dusting the 10-core HEDT segmented i9-7900X and laying waste to every other lower core count chip from both teams.

  POV-Ray 3.7 Standard Benchmark – CPU

The POV-Ray standard benchmark shows similar results with the i9-10900K more than able to hold its own in workstation tasks

  x265 HD Benchmark A benchmark that measures how fast your computer can encode HD (1080p) video in the new H.265 / HEVC format.

Encoding video to HEVC is not that uncommon these days, and the i9-10900K just screams through it, even whipping the 12-core 3900X by a fair margin.

  7-Zip

The benchmark shows a rating in MIPS (million instructions per second). The rating value is calculated from the measured speed, and it is normalized with the results of the Intel Core 2 CPU with a multi-threading option switched off. So if you have modern CPU from Intel or AMD, rating values in single-thread mode must be close to real CPU frequency. There are two tests, compression with the LZMA method and decompression with the LZMA method. Once the total passes reach 50, the score is taken

Zipping and unzipping files to send is another frequent task that is even more common in this ‘work-from-home’ world this year. The 10900K handles this readily and leaves even last-gen HEDT chips in the dust.

    Memory & Cache Testing

AIDA64 Engineer Edition

“FinalWire Ltd. today announced the immediate availability of AIDA64 Extreme Edition 1.50 software, a streamlined diagnostic and benchmarking tool for home users; and the immediate availability of AIDA64 Business Edition 1.50 software, an essential network management solution for small and medium scale enterprises. The new AIDA64 update implements AVX-optimized benchmarks for the upcoming Intel Sandy Bridge processors, adds a brand-new video encoding benchmark, and supports the latest AMD and NVIDIA graphics processors.”

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Part of the success story of the 10900K is the 20MB of Intel’s smart cache. Not only is it flexible, but it is extremely fast, clearing the 3TB/s mark on L1 cache reads.

Actual memory bandwidth to the system ram is largely the same with most Dual-channel setups running this speed and latency. Nothing really stands out here, good or bad.

Interestingly, we see the new Core -5-10600K has a little bit lower latency overall to system memory. How boards handle XMP sub timings can affect this, so we are more looking for something that stands out, which nothing does here.

  Passmark Performance Test – Memory Mark – Threaded

“Fast, easy to use, PC speed testing, and benchmarking. PassMark Performance Test ™ allows you to objectively benchmark a PC using a variety of different speed tests and compare the results to other computers.”

Passmark again shows us with the i5-holding a slight performance advantage over the new i9.

  SiSoft Sandra – Memory Bandwidth – Aggregate.

“SiSoftware Sandra provides a robust package of diagnostic tools for testing your system and teasing out its problems–or potential headaches.”

While we expect quad-channel enabled HEDT chips to score higher as we see, most of the Dual-channel parts here all stack up within margin of error.

    Synthetic Game Testing

3DMark – Fire Strike

“Fire Strike is a showcase DirectX 11 benchmark designed for today’s high-performance gaming PCs. It is our most ambitious and technical benchmark ever, featuring real-time graphics rendered with detail and complexity far beyond what is found in other benchmarks and games today”

In this synthetic physics test, we see the extra few cores and increased clock speed hold a solid lead here, even against team red’s 12-core part.

  3DMark – Time Spy

“3Dmark Time Spy is a new DirectX 12 benchmark test for Windows 10 gaming PCs. Time Spay is one of the first DirectX 12 apps to be built “the right way” from the ground up to fully realize the performance gains that the new API offers. With DirectX 12 engine, which supports new API features like asynchronous compute, explicit multi-adapter, and multi-threading, Time Spy is the ideal test for benchmarking the latest graphics cards.”

  The more modern Time Spy test shows the same trend with an even wider lead on the 10900K.

    Game Testing

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI

Originally created by legendary game designer Sid Meier, Civilization is a turn-based strategy game in which you attempt to build an empire to stand the test of time. Become Ruler of the World by establishing and leading a civilization from the Stone Age to the Information Age. Wage war, conduct diplomacy, advance your culture, and go head-to-head with history’s greatest leaders as you attempt to build the greatest civilization the world has ever known.

Civilization VI offers new ways to engage with your world: cities now physically expand across the map, active research in technology and culture unlocks new potential, and competing leaders will pursue their own agendas based on their historical traits as you race for one of five ways to achieve victory in the game.

Intel bills the new Core i9-10900K as the world’s fastest gaming processor, and that appears to hold true right out of the gate with Civilization 6’s Ai test completing rounds in just under 6.7ms.

  Far Cry 5

Anything can happen. Everything will.

Welcome to Hope County, Montana, land of the free and the brave, but also home to a fanatical doomsday cult—known as The Project at Eden’s Gate—that is threatening the community’s freedom. Stand up to the cult’s leaders, Joseph Seed, and the Heralds, as you spark the fires of resistance that will liberate the besieged community.

Far Cry 5 hits modern multi-core CPU’s pretty hard, and can take advantage of more than a couple of cores. Here we see the 10900K pull the crown off the special edition 9900KS’ head. The new i5-10600K is hot on its heels here as well.

  Shadow of the Tomb Raider Experience Lara Croft’s defining moment as she becomes the Tomb Raider. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Lara must master a deadly jungle, overcome terrifying tombs, and persevere through her darkest hour. As she races to save the world from a Maya apocalypse, Lara will ultimately be forged into the Tomb Raider she is destined to be.

The latest Tomb Raider also sees a benefit from more CPU power and the 10900K delivers the best experience out of the box of anything on the market, albeit only a fraction of an FPS ahead of the former champion.

  Ashes of the Singularity

Planet by planet, a war is raging across the galaxy. The technological singularity has given humanity the power to expand further than they ever have before. Now, they compete with each other and their sentient artificial intelligence adversaries for control of newfound worlds.

Ashes of the Singularity is more of a playable benchmark, but the Core i9-10900K holds a commanding lead here. If you scrolled past everything to here, the i9-10900K took 1st place in every gaming test we put it against.

    Overclocking, Power & Thermals

For Power usage, we will be using a FLIR CM78 DC Amp clamp directly monitoring the 12V EPS connections to the motherboard. This gives us a real-world accuracy of +/- 2 Watts across our entire measuring range from 0W to more than enough to melt both 8-pin EPS plugs.

Out of the box, the Core i9-10900K runs at up to 5.2Ghz on 2 cores, or up to 5.3Ghz if cooling permits via Thermal Velocity Boost.

Thermal Velocity Boost ONLY applies these increased clocks to the two best cores, selected by Intel at the factory and denoted in red in CPUID’s latest CPU-Z tool. In our case, this happens to be Core 8 and Core 9 (or 9 and 10 if you start counting at 1 instead of zero).

From there, we see 5100Mhz with 3 cores active, 5GHz with 4 or 5 cores active, and a still impressive 4900MHz with 6 to 10 cores active.

  At stock, we see temps hit a tepid 68C on the hottest core. This is 10 cores, at 4.9Ghz folks. Less than 70C! the new thin die and Solder Thermal Interface Material is doing its job and doing it well. When we first tested the i9-9900K, we were in the mid to upper 80C range here. More cores, more threads, faster clocks, and significantly cooler temps. We’ll take that any day of the week!

  Voltage is reading about 1.224V here, so that has a fair amount to do with it. You can try to bash Intel for re-using the 14nm node yet again, but it is WELL refined at this point. Power usage lands at a pretty hefty 246W though. Remember that TDP is THERMAL Design Power, NOT actual power usage.

From here, we’ll bump the multiplier up to 51 on all cores. We get a nice jump in performance, with a modest jump in voltage to 2.84V which gives us temps landing around 80C on average with the hottest hitting 84C. You can clearly see our two good cores here sitting at 71C and 75C. Power draw jumps to 308.4W under load.

At 5.2Ghz on all cores, we are starting to bump thermal limits, with the hottest core hitting 96C and the package bumping the 100C limit. Power jumps to nearly 380W at this point and the voltage has to come up quite a bit to keep it stable under AVX loads. With a little lengthier fine-tuning, this can probably be trimmed back, but 5.1Ghz on 10 cores is a pretty killer system as it is and 5.2Ghz is certainly doable.

    Conclusion

Intel bills the new Core i9-10900K as the ‘Worlds Fastest Gaming Processor’ and we have to say, it’s not a tall tale. The crown did indeed transfer from the retiring champion i9-9900K. The 10900K just pwned every gaming benchmark we threw at it, synthetic or real world. As far as productivity, well, it does a sporting job there as well. While it’s hard to argue against raw core count in productivity, something team red is currently maintaining the lead on, Intel is able to make up a fair amount of that core count discrepancy with raw clock speed. It wasn’t very many years ago that 4Ghz was a hard mountain to summit. More recently overclocking to 5Ghz took some effort. Now, it’s hard to get this chip to run UNDER 5GHz.

While we all want to see that new node, that new 10nm process, it’s hard to argue with the results of a well-refined product. Give the core count, the stock clock speeds, and the raw power on tap, we have to say we are VERY impressed with what Intel has done for keeping this monster cool. Given today’s use cases are pretty much guaranteed to include heavy multitasking with more than one heavy-hitting application, a few more cores are always welcome. Especially when it doesn’t come at the cost of clock speeds.

If you are purely a gamer looking for the absolute best, the roughly $500 price tag is pretty fair, even more so when you can throw a few cores at streaming your rounds and still have the best experience money can buy. If you work and play, the Core i9-10900K is still a very compelling option in most use cases. Its gaming performance is epic and edges out the closest red chip, the 3900X in many real-world productive use cases.

If you purely work and can saturate every core you can find, you may be better off with a red product given the core count per price that side offers. Gone are the days of black and white ‘product X is better than product Y’. That grey line is rather blurry. Can we recommend this? For the serious gamer, 100%. For gaming and streaming, that’s still a yes. If you get things done and only play here and there, well, then your specific use case and budget are going to have to guide you.

Great job Intel!

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  Intel Core i9-10900K CPU Review Intel’s new Core i9-10900K CPU is an interesting product. While some of the more vocal fans of a certain red competitor may give Intel some flak about reusing their 14nm node yet again, Intel has learned how to really polish a product and extract every bit of benefit from the silicon.

[haveclotheswilltravel]

Now that I’ve had a chance to wear my Megan dress by Karina Dresses in both winter and summer, I’m going to do a thorough review of it in today’s post. I’ll be reviewing the fit, the quality and my overall opinion of this particular style of dress.

Click here to shop the Megan dress.

If you’re new to my blog, I want to start this post out with a little background on Karina Dresses. They’re a small US-based dress company that specializes in making dresses that are comfortable and can easily go from day to night. (I can attest that my dress is all of these things!) They are also very size-inclusive and their dresses range in size from XS-4X. I also love that their dresses are all made in the US. The best part, though, is that their dresses do NOT wrinkle!

If you would like to read my full review of Karina Dresses in general, click here. 

The Megan Dress (in Serendipity)

The Megan Dress comes in a variety of prints and also comes in both short and 3/4 length sleeves. The print I own is Serendipity – which has a charcoal background with ivory ginkgo leaves. It features a cross-over V neck bodice, a waistband that lies just below the bustline, a knee-length full skirt and the sleeves are slightly ruched at the shoulders. (This one does NOT have pockets.) 

The Fit

I had initially been a little concerned about how this dress fits through the bust area, as it’s lower cut than I normally wear. However, it stays right where it should and never is too terribly revealing. I have also paired it with a cami for when I want to be extra modest.

That being said, if you’re hoping to not draw attention to your chest area, this may not be the dress for you. In my opinion, and my husband’s, this dress calls attention to the gals!

The print, though, does help soften the silhouette, so this dress doesn’t end up looking “too busty,” though. (I mention this because I’ve had readers reach out to me about this concern in the past with this dress.) 

I am wearing the Megan dress in a size S/M. I had sized up one size so it wouldn’t be as tight through the bust area. Looking at the measurements for this dress, I could have also gone with an XS, but it would have been a tight fit across the chest – which I wanted to avoid. 

In my opinion, the fit is very comfortable and flattering for a variety of sizes and body shapes. (Check out all of Karina Dresses models wearing it, here.) 

The Quality

I have had this dress since December 2019 and started wearing it immediately after it arrived in the mail. I’ve worn and washed it about 12 times now. It still looks brand new. (The sunflower photos with it were taken just a couple days ago.) 

My first outing with my Megan dress was to Hotel Retlaw back in December.

As is the case with all the dresses from Karina Dresses, the Megan dress is made with a wrinkle-free micro-fiber that is incredibly breathable and comfortable. It also is absolutely wrinkle-free. This dress is worth every penny, in my opinion!

Miss Kitty in her Pusheen bow tie!

Now that we have Miss Kitty, I also take into consideration whether or not cat hair gets stuck to my clothing. All of my Karina Dresses are also cat-hair resistant! It’s fantastic. I can snuggle Miss Kitty all day long and not have to worry about lint rolling myself. 

Any Negatives About The Megan Dress?

The only thing that would make this dress even more perfect, in my opinion, is if it had pockets. I’ve gotten rather used to having my dresses have pockets, but the Megan dress does not. I do also understand, though, that not everyone wants pockets with their dresses, as it can add unnecessary bulk to the fit of it. 

I do also understand that the cost of this dress is higher than many I feature on my blog. However, I do 100% believe that Karina Dresses are worth their price tags. They last forever and look like brand new even after nonstop wear for years. (I’ve tested this out in this here post.) Paying extra for a high-quality, wrinkle-free, cat-hair-free, made in the USA dress is absolutely worth, it in my opinion.

Overall Opinion of The Megan Dress

I love how versatile the Megan dress is. I especially love this color combo and print. I can easily pair it with tights and heels in the winter for a dressy and warm look…or sneakers and sandals in the summer for a casual and comfortable look. I wear this dress for business meetings, date nights and strolls through sunflower fields!

I adore this dress as I do all of my Karina Dresses. They haven’t disappointed me yet! 

Click here to shop the Megan dress.

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Quick note about my recent photos with my Megan dress in a sunflower field! These photos were taken this week at Bergsbaken Farms in Cecil, Wisconsin. While this particular sunflower field is just about done flowering, Bergsbaken Farms does have one more field that just began blooming a few days ago that now has walking trails for the public. They suggest leaving a $2 donation for walking the trails and using the photo areas. The trails are open daily from dusk to dawn. 

Has anyone else visited a sunflower field this summer? And have you ever tried the Megan dress by Karina Dresses? Let me know in the comments!

Where to find it:

Dress: Karina Dresses Earrings: Kelley Hollis Jewelry Sneakers: Keds Sunglasses: Old (Similar here)

*Disclosure: some of these links are affiliate links. Meaning, if you click a link and make a purchase, Have Clothes, Will Travel gets a very small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible! I am also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Karina Megan Dress Review – Worn in Summer & Winter Now that I've had a chance to wear my Megan dress by Karina Dresses in both winter and summer, I'm going to do a thorough review of it in today's post.

[runawaywidow]

The Uber drivers were plentiful, but not always well marked.  The friendly fellow working in the median near the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg helped us find a black car.  The driver quoted us a fair price to our desired location and we all hopped in.  He took us safely to our location and advised us that we would be safe if we stayed on the main block in Maboneng Precinct.  We paid him and thanked him, and imagined how shocked our husbands would be over our inhibitions!

When the four of us from our book club decided to travel to Africa to go on safari, we wanted to make the most of the trip.  We googled, pinned blogs and borrowed library books about Africa.  After several dinner meetings, and communications with a travel agent, our itinerary was settled.

Two nights in Johannesburg.  Six nights on safari and 3 nights in Capetown.

We flew from New York to Johannesburg on British Airlines with a 2 hour layover in London.  The long flight in coach was bearable with friends, and movies and wine and my butt pillow.  Really, the butt pillow was key on this trip.  We tried to sleep a little on the 11 hour flight from London to Johannesburg.  We had a busy day ahead of us.

We arrived in the morning and were met by our driver that had been arranged in advance by our travel agent.  Some people avoid visiting Jo’burg due to poverty and crime.  We avoided those areas and did not go out late at night and were just fine.  Should you visit Johannesburg? YES!

Our driver took us to The Winston Hotel in Melrose Estate, Johannesburg.  A small boutique style hotel with a pool, bar and restaurant.  The service was friendly and although the rooms weren’t ready, we enjoyed lunch by the pool upon arrival and soon checked into the spacious rooms.

Our hotel called for a taxi to take us to the Apartheid museum   We felt being in South Africa we should get some background information on the history of the country.  Apartheid was designed to segregate people of different races: white, black colored (mix of black and white) and Asian. Upon entering the museum, you must enter through a randomly generated admission ticket: white or non-white.  It gives you a sense of the era.

After our visit we were stumped with how to get to the next place.  One of us had the Uber app but cell service was not so good, the sun was setting and we needed help.  The friendly valet hailed us a ride to Maboneng Precinct where we enjoyed strolling the street looking at hand made crafts. We dined in a crowded restaurant featuring live music and African cuisine called Pata Pata. After dinner, the restaurant manager called an Uber for us and went out to the street to talk to our driver to be sure we made it back to our hotel safely.  We felt safe and full of adventure after our first day in Africa.

Our car was waiting in the hotel parking lot at 4:30 am.  The hotel packed us breakfast for the ride as we started our hour journey to Bill Harrop’s Original Balloon Safari.  Three balloon were impressively inflated and we climbed into a basket holding 12 adults.  We took amazing photos and were awed by the quiet being thousands of feet about the ground.  Upon landing we toasted with a champagne breakfast.

Our private car was waiting after the flight and took us to the nearby Cradle of Humankind.  We took a guided tour of the Sterkfontein Caves were the discovery of a 2.3 million year old human fossil (Mrs. Ples) was found in 1947.  The museum detailed archaeological developments throughout history. After we had our fill of history, our driver took us back to the hotel where we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing poolside and enjoying dinner at the on site restaurant.

Day 3 the Uber driver picked us up early and we headed to the airport for a flight to Durban King Shaka International airport.  The one hour flight is relatively inexpensive with over 150 flights from Jo’burg per day.  Our flight was uneventful and we were met by a van from the Zulu Nyala Heritage Safari Lodge where we planned to spend the next 6 nights.

We arrived after the 3:00 safari had already left so we were unable to take a drive on the first day.  The property was pleasantly designed with 2 outdoor pools, a large restaurant, spacious rooms with updated bathrooms, a lobby with WiFi, a shop and even a Zulu Cultural Village with daily tribal reenactments.

Day 4 in Africa we started with a 6:00 am drive to the nearby fenced in Zulu Nyala Game Reserve.  The reserve is small at seven square miles.  It has 4 of the big 5 – Leopard, rhino, elephant and cape buffalo – no lions but we did see a very relaxed cheetah.  Our guide planned to be with the 4 of us and 6 other guests for each drive during the week. He let us know about different excursions available and we made arrangements to take advantage of those as well.

Each day we had a morning and late afternoon safari drive. Our guide would communicate with the other trucks who were also in the reserve and bring us to the areas where animals had been sighted.  We saw giraffes walking beside our truck at sunrise, hippos swimming in a waterhole, a cheetah sunning herself on the road, elephants drinking from the river, cape buffalo and a variety of deer.

We planned a visit to a nearby residence to have a close encounter with 2 beautiful, tame older elephants.  They had been orphaned and hand reared and now wandered free at this private reserve.  They seemed to enjoy visiting with us as we fed them and posed for photos during our visit.

Another afternoon we took advantage of a different game park that had lions.  We were in for a thrill when our tour guide brought the truck not 10 feet away from 2 lionesses and 2 cubs lounging in the sun.  We watched for over an hour as the cubs nursed, napped, played and then mom pounced but missed a clueless warthog who wandered too close to the family. Lion Safari in South Africa

Not being ones to lounge around on this trip, we decided to head to the Indian Ocean with our guide one day.  Feet in the ocean is always a fun goal on any trip!  Our excursion this day also included a boat ride on the St. Lucia River to see hippos, birds and crocodiles.  We had lunch in a little beach town that warned people of hippo crossings – the most dangerous animals in Africa that cause more deaths than any other animal.

Our time on safari ended too soon but we had one more exciting part of our journey to go: Capetown.

The people at Zulu Nyala Heritage Safari Lodge arranged for our transportation back to Durban for our two hour flight to Capetown.  Upon arrival taxis were available, however our travel agent had once again booked a car service for us to our hotel.  We had researched hotels and decided that The Portswood Hotel near the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront would best suit our needs.

We settled into our hotel rooms then quickly took an Uber to Table Mountain.  The cable car is accessible from the bottom in town and brings a group of about 60 up to the top.  The views were amazing and we stayed to watch the sunsetting.  One of the best sunsets ever.

We called for another Uber back to our hotel, freshened up and walked over to the lively waterfront area.  Lots of shops, restaurants and tourists walked happily beside the ferris wheel, street musicians and boats along the harbor.  We had arranged with a native South African who had visited the States to give us a private tour during our time in Capetown.  We met him during our breakfast, which of course was included with the hotel room as had been every morning of our trip so far.

We packed a bag and piled into his car for our wine tasting tour day which started at a local farm.  Then onto the Stellenbosch vineyards and some sight seeing at Boland Mountain Complex Park.  Dinner that night was at the hotel and we turned in early.

Day 11 we met at breakfast and started our trip down the coast of Capetown.  We went as far south as we could get at the Cape Point National Park. We drove past a wild ostrich and then onto Boulders Beach where we walked along a board walk and saw then happy little penguins on the beach. After a lovely lunch at Fish Hoek in Kalk Bay where we saw seals and sea lions on the dock we headed to Muizenberg to see the surfers and the colorful beach cabanas.

Our day trip was amazing as always and we felt the urge to shop and bring home souvenirs that evening.  Plenty of shops had stuff to buy right there at the waterfront (although we could have gotten the same thing if we waited until we got to the airport)

The last day, we had an afternoon flight.  Our tour guide picked us up after breakfast and took us through the colorful streets in town called Bo-Kaap. After taking a few fun photos, we drove up Signal Hill to see Table Mountain from another angle as well as Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years.  After that we went to the beautiful Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden where we ate lunch and saw the most interesting flowers and birds.

Each day of our visit we were more in awe of what we experienced.  From the people we met, to the animals we saw to the places we visited it was indeed the trip of a life time.  Some of the trip was done with our own research.  Some was supported with the help of our wonderful travel agent, Rosemary Martinek.  Some was provided by the safari we went on.  Some with a little help from a friend.

If it is on your bucket list, do it.  You will not be disappointed!   amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "runawaywidow-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "My Amazon Picks"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "4855e4af5258f3292f5186fb8dfc125c"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B01AITOZSA,B07CVG467T,B07RXW9J75,1492620599";

Best 12 days in South Africa without renting a car The Uber drivers were plentiful, but not always well marked.  The friendly fellow working in the median near the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg helped us find a black car.