Plymouth, MA Harbor

I was born and raised in Plymouth, MA. Like many other people, my favorite place in Plymouth is the waterfront.

The waterfront has many attractions and two wharfs. One wharf is named the Town Wharf and the other is named the State Pier.

The Town Wharf is where the boats of the Captain John Boats Inc. are docked.

Captain John Boats runs half day and day long deep sea fishing trips. They supply customers with rod and reels and with bait.

Captain John Boats also run whale watching trips with a naturalist on board. These trips go out to Stellwagon Bank where the whales feed.

The naturalist narrates the trip and gives many interesting facts about whales.

On the State Pier, the Pilgrim Belle is docked. She is a paddle wheel boat that does crises of Plymouth Harbor.

The Pilgrim Belle also does sunset cruises.

On of the best known restaurants on the waterfront is Isaac’s.

Isaac’s is particularly known for its seafood.

photo credit

One of the dishes on the menu is the Lobster Fantasy. It is a baked stuffed lobster topped with scallops and shrimps.

The Mayflower II is also docked at the State Pier. This ship is a replica of the original Mayflower and was brought to Plymouth from England in 1957.

photo source

What reviewers are saying...

As you probably have figured out by now, I love archaeology and historical places.  I have been on several trips with my nephew, Matt, where we have discovered many fun things that show up in my two books, The Hidden Chamber In The Great Sphinx and The Underwater Pyramid In the Bermuda Triangle.

I thought you might like to see what other people are saying about my books.

The Hidden Chamber In The Great Sphinx 
"This was a fun take on the mysteries of the Egyptian pyramids. While it is fiction, you can tell that the author did her research in the writing of the book. Seeing that this book was geared toward kids I shared this story with my eldest and she loved it. She wanted me to keep reading from beginning to end without pause." ~Dad

"This book is fascinating for any age, although it is written for young teens. I learned more facts from this than from a tour in Cairo, although the book is fiction." ~Bonnie

" I have always wanted to go Egypt to experience this wonder but it was enjoyable reading this author's spin about the Sphinx. It is also refreshing to see that people do research about what they write about because it helps make the story more believable  In Greek tradition, the Sphinx has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman." ~Carrie

"The book in an overview is about a man who moves and finds love with a widowed mother next door neighbor. He is a professor and joins in archaeological digs following in the footsteps of his dad with life long friend archaeologist. Searching out the hidden chamber in the Great Sphinx life takes so many interesting turns. Facts are sprinkled throughout and fiction." ~Life

The Underwater Pyramid In the Bermuda Triangle
"Cadose is a seasoned traveler that takes you on the adventure of a lifetime! In The Underwater Pyramid in the Bermuda Triangle, Cliff Post and a few other characters from her book, The Hidden Chamber in the Great Sphinx, return for a new adventure! I learned about so many new things while reading this book. I learned historical facts about pirates, the geography of Bimini, SCUBA diving (I'm already a certified diver and she was spot on with everything!) and I learned about ancient civilizations, new discoveries and theories. Written primarily for younger children in their middle school years (and older) this book will fascinate the minds of many and take them on an incredible journey." ~Book

"The story picked up with the main character of Dr. Cliff Post, the archaeologist, who along with his adopted son, Matt and marine archaeologist, Kyle Wilson, has just discovered an under water pyramid in the Bermuda triangle just off the coast of Cuba.

The discovery leads to many more finds including mummies in water tight coffins, walls with cryptic hieroglyphs and a treasure trove of other goodies.

The exploration of the pyramid also lead to a special item that proves Dr. Post's theory of aliens and the lost city of Atlantis. Of course that item gets stolen and cause a couple of twists in the story including someone getting shot! Whoa!" ~NM

Interesting Video On Marine Archaeology

This is an interesting video on marine archaeology. Enjoy.

A Review About My Book From An Away We Go Reading Club Ambassador

I want to share with you today what one of the Summer Reading Club Ambassadors from Away We Go Media had to say about my book, "The Hidden Chamber In The Great Sphinx".

"This is a good book about Egypt. It has interesting plot twists. It also has nice character development. This story is about Dr. Cliff Post who is an American Egyptologist. He has a friend in Egypt who found a chamber in the right paw of the great sphinx. That friend invited him on a dig in Egypt, but first they must obtain a digging permit. The only problem is that there is another archeologist trying to get the permit. This other archeologist hates American archeologists digging in Egypt. He will stop at nothing to get Cliff out of the way."

~ Avery, age 12

My Cruise To Bermuda

In the summer of 2002, I took my favorite traveling companion, my nephew, Matt on a cruise to Bermuda.

I find him to be my most charming traveling companion because he sees the world through a child’s eyes.

For him, everything is an adventure.

We left Boston from Black Falcon Pier and sailed to Bermuda.

Once we docked in Bermuda, we booked many shore excursions.

The first shore excursion was to Hamilton by a horse and buggy. The town of Hamilton was beautiful with its pastel pink, green and yellow buildings.

Hamilton is spotlessly clean and has a cheerful ambiance.

A glass bottom boat trip was our second shore excursion. We could see the coral reefs through the glass bottom. We could also see many species of tropical fish.

Matt was very interested in everything and his enthusiasm never wavered throughout the trip.

Another shore excursion was to spend the day on a pink sand beach. These beaches are pristine. When you go swimming in them, you can see the bottom very clearly. There is no silt.

We also enjoyed exploring the ship. The ship had a casino, a theater, six restaurants and a 50′s diner.

My nephew was still animated on the way home.

Making your own cartouche

Yesterday I told you about the beautiful cartouches that have been destroyed.

Today I want to show you how to make your own cartouche. Sounds like fun!

Destroying Cartouches

When I toured the ancient sites in Egypt, I was struck by the amounts of cartouches that were destroyed and the amount of carvings that were scratched out of the stones they were drawn on.

When our group was on tour, we were told that it was not uncommon for a pharaoh to scratch out a prior pharaoh’s cartouche and to carve his own cartouche into a structure.

In this way, a pharaoh took over ownership of a prior pharaoh’s building.

In addition, another group of people who destroy a cartouche are the grave robbers.

The ancients believed that the spirits of the dead occupied stone carvings and cartouches.

They would scratch out the faces of the carvings to prevent the spirits from seeing who was robbing the graves and looting the buildings.

I was dismayed when I saw how many beautiful carvings had been destroyed.

All of the graves of the pharaohs had been robbed in antiquity except for King Tut’s.

The fact that makes King Tut’s so notable was the fact that his grave was found to be intact.

Historically, he was a minor figure.

The riches found in his grave gave archaeologists a yardstick, so to speak of how

vast the graves of other pharaoh’s must have been.

My Trip To Florida and the Bahamas

I took a cruise to Florida and the Bahamas with my favorite traveling companion, my nephew, Matt.

The trip originated in Boston where we took a bus to New York.

Our ship was the Norwegian Dawn. When I first saw the Dawn, I was struck by the immense size of the ship.

The first thing we did was to participate in the safely presentation which was held in the ship’s theater.

We took our life preservers with us to the lecture. After this safety presentation, we went on a self-directed tour of the ship.

There were many restaurants on the ship and a variety of kinds of restaurant. During the cruise, I became quite fond of cold fruit soups.

Our first port of call was Port Canaveral. I was surprised by the size of the port. I hadn’t realized that it was so large.

Many large ships were docked at the port.

When we went ashore, we visited an outdoor memorial to the Challenger crew. Seeing the memorial brought back the shock and profound sadness I felt when the tragedy occurred.

From Port Canaveral, we traveled to Miami.

In Miami, we went on a bus tour of the city. I was particularly interested in seeing the home of Gianni Versace.

From Miami, we sailed to the Bahamas.

Once there, we went on a tour of the island.

We were supposed to go to a cookout on an island the cruise company owns.

Hurricane Katrina was responsible for that part of the cruise being cancelled.

All too soon we were back in Boston. It was a wonderful trip.

Recipe for Key Lime Pie

In my second book, the characters eat Key Lime Pie.
I found a video on how to make it if you would like to try it out.

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Recipe for Marlin Cevice

Photo and recipe source

In my book, The Underwater Pyramid in the Bermuda Triangle, the character Lisa learns to cook marlin ceviche.  Although, a recipe for it is in my book, here is another recipe for you to try out.

12 ounces Marlin filet, skin and dark meat removed

1 cup Freshly squeezed lime juice, plus

1 tablespoon Freshly squeezed lime juice

1 small Red onion, diced

2 mediums Tomatoes, cored, seeded, diced

1/2 cup Freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup Tomato juice

2 Jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

2 bunches Oregano - leaves only, chopped

1 cup Olive oil

1 cup Small green olives

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper

3 Bay leaves

Lettuce leaves for serving, optional

Preparation

1

Cut Marlin into 1/2-inch squares. In non-metallic container combine the fish and 1 cup lime juice. Let marinate for 30 minutes in refrigerator.

2

Drain and discard lime juice. Transfer the fish to a mixing bowl. In bowl combine Marlin with 1 tablespoon lime juice and the remaining ingredients. Toss well and chill for at least an hour or as long as overnight. Remove bay leaves. Serve cold in chilled glasses or on lettuce lined plates.

My Cruise To Hawaii

In 2008, I took my favorite traveling companion, my nephew, Matt on a cruise to the Hawaiian Islands. Getting there was not easy. We flew from Boston to Chicago. Our connecting flight was to fly from Chicago to Honolulu. We nearly missed the connection. Our Boston to Chicago flight was delayed landing in Chicago. As a result, my nephew and I had to run through O’Hare terminal to get to our connecting flight. It was a wild run. It reminded me of the old O.J. Simpson commercial where he runs through an airport terminal. When we landed in Honolulu, we were transported by bus to the dock where we boarded the Pride of America. Once on the ship we were escorted to the Presidential Suite and introduced to our butler. It was wonderful to have a butler; he booked all of our shore excursions. The room had a large living room, a bedroom, a full bathroom and a balcony with a hot tub on it. The ship was spectacular with many different restaurants serving many different kinds of cuisine. The ship also had a casino, swimming pools and a theater. We went on many different shore excursions. One was to the Botanical gardens. There were many exotic flowers there including the lobster claw. The most memorable shore excursion was the trip to Volcano National Park on the big island of Hawaii. There live volcanoes spew molten lava from their craters.

Giveaway;Bed and Breakfast $500 Gift Certificate

Welcome to the $500 BedAndBreakfast.com Gift Certificate Giveaway!

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Sponsored by Michael Phillip Cash.

Michael Phillip Cash recently released his second book, Stillwell: A Haunting On Long Island.

Paul Russo’s wife just died. While trying to get his family’s life back in order, Paul is being tormented by a demon who is holding his wife's spirit hostage on the other side.

His fate is intertwined with an old haunted mansion on the north shore of Long Island called Stillwell Manor. Paul must find clues dating back hundreds of years to set his wife's soul free.

To celebrate the release of Stillwell: A Haunting On Long Island, Michael is giving away a $500 gift card to BedAndBreakfast.com.

Use this gift card to plan a romantic getaway for two. Who knows, maybe you'll even find a few spirits when you stay at one of the nearly 4,000 participating inns across the US and Canada.

Pack your bags and enjoy your stay. Be sure to pick up a copy of Stillwell and enjoy!

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Awe Describes Egypt Perfectly

The Nile River-Photo source

If I had to choose one word to describe Egypt, it would be awe.

When you visit Egypt, it has a surreal quality because all the ancient monuments, temples and pyramid are so awesome.

I can remember the entire time I was in Egypt having a difficult time believing that I was really there.

I can remember standing on the banks of the Nile exclaiming, “That’s the Nile.” I can remember pinching myself; thinking That’s the Nile. It’s not the Mississippi or the Missouri; it’s the Nile.

The shear size of everything is overwhelming. The Great Pyramid is over 400+ feet that is more than 40 stories high.

The four statues that frame the entrance to Abu Simbel are 65 feet tall. The statues at the entrance of the Valley of the Kings are 65 feet tall.

Then there is the awe that the buildings are thousands of years old. How many buildings last that long?

Then there is the awe that the ancients were able to build such structures. Even with our modern technology we could not build the Great Pyramid today.

Finally, there is the awe that that ancient Egyptians had such an advanced culture.

The ancients had advanced medicine, advanced technology magnificent paintings, carvings and statues

A Big Thank You!

I just wanted to thank everyone who entered my giveaway. You are very much appreciated.

The winners have been picked and e-mailed. I am just waiting for confirmation from them.

Congratulations to those three winners!

My Most Memorable Patient

Before I became a children’s book author, I was a Registered Respiratory Therapist. My most memorable patient was Shelley Clarkson (name changed for privacy).

Shelley was a 20 year old cystic fibrosis patient.

Cystic fibrosis causes the patient to have thick, tenacious secretions in the lungs.

These secretions are infected and must be removed using aerosol treatments and vigorous chest physical therapy.

Most of my C.F. (cystic fibrosis) were admitted 2-3 times a year for pulmonary toilet.

During the course of her admissions, Shelley and I became close friends. When I had a break, I would visit her and we would talk about the future.

During one visit, Shelley confided in me that the doctors have told her that she only had six months to a year to live.

She asked me if I thought her life was over.

I replied that it is never over until a doctor signs your death certificate. So enjoy your life and live every day like it is your last day.

Shortly thereafter, Shelley met a handsome young blond man. They began dating and soon fell in love.

She built her circle of friends and started going to more social gatherings.

Then one day when I was out of town, I received word that she was admitted.

Shortly thereafter, I received word that see had died on Labor Day Weekend.

When I attend her wake, her mother handed me a note.

I opened the thank you card; she hadn’t signed it.

Instead, she had written: “September came too soon.”

Happy 4th of July!

Interesting Pyramids in other places

The Pyramid of the Sun is the third largest pyramid in the world.

It was constructed between 1 A.D. and 250 A.D.

It is located next to the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacan, Mexico.

The location of the two pyramids was considered a holy place, where the ancients believed the universe was created.

There is a cave under the Pyramid of the Sun, which was the site of religious ceremonies.

The Pyramid was discovered shortly after 1900, but the cave wasn't found until the 1970′s.

The pyramid is 200 feet tall. The foundation is a square and each side of the square is 730 feet long.

The perimeter of the Pyramid of the Sun is exactly equal to the perimeter of the Great Pyramid in Giza.

This begs the question, were the designers of the Pyramid of the Sun the same beings as the designers of the Great Pyramid?

Oceanographer Paulina Zelitsky discovered a sunken city on the Cuban shelf in 2000.

This city contains three underwater pyramids, buildings and roads.

It was discovered using side scanning sonar. This type of sonar uses sound waves to image the ocean floor.

Researchers theorize that the city sunk after an earthquake 2000 years ago.

The discovery proves that North Americans arrived earlier than thought and that they did not arrive via the Bering Strait.

This agrees with the findings of British archaeologists who discovered human tracks that were 40,000 years old.

The pyramids in the sunken city are 8000 to 10000 years old which predates the Egyptian pyramids which are 3000 to 5000 years old.

The city is located at a depth of 2200 feet, which is too deep for scuba divers to explore. The sunken city is being explored by Remote Operated Video (ROV).

An expedition is being planned which will be funded by National Geographic.

Off the coast of Japan, there is an ancient city which covers 311 miles. This city has been dated to 8000 B.C.

The oldest pyramid in Egypt, which the Step Pyramid is dated to 3000 B.C.

The interesting thing about this find is that it appears to be as old as the underwater city off Cuba, which was discovered by Paulina Zelitsky.

Near the Island of Yonaguni, scuba divers found an underwater pyramid in 100 feet of water.

The building is 240 feet long.

The archaeological find covers eight separate locations.

The archaeological record for Japan is traced back to the Neolithic period 9000 years ago.. Nothing in that time frame suggests the the Japanese of the period had the technology to build the structures such as the ones in the underwater pyramid.

Jim Mower, an archaeologist at University College, London, said, “If it is confirmed that the site is as old as 10000 years and is man-made, then this is going to change an awful lot of the previous thinking on southeast Asian history. It would put the people on a par with the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.”

The Blizzard of '78

Before I became a children’s book author, I was a Registered Respiratory Therapist. When the Blizzard of 78 struck, I was on duty at the Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Boston.

The Blizzard was supposed to be a six inch snowfall. Instead, it was a winter hurricane that dropped more than 25 inches of snow on the Boston area.

When I was on duty, my Medical Director asked me to retrieve some articles in the basement.

When I came back to the eighth floor of the Farley building which was where the Respiratory Department was located, there was a total whiteout.

Normally, when someone looked out the windows of the department, he/she could see Fenway Park and the Green Monster.

Looking to the left, one could see the Citgo sign in Kenmore Square.

On that day, you couldn't see anything. I was frightened.

The city was paralyzed for an entire week. On the following Saturday, Governor Mike Dukakasis gave everyone with a suburban address on their driver’s license permission to go home.

The week was surreal. If you looked out the windows when the snow finally stopped, it looked like a scene from a World War II movie on the late show.

Two troop carriers were parked on Longwood Avenue. A military helicopter flew overhead.

National Guard troops were in the cafeteria ready to assist us.

Luckily, two of the nurses that I worked with had apartments around the corner. Respiratory therapists staked out a section of the living room floor to sleep on.

We staffed the department by having one therapist work the night shift for the week. One therapist worked the day and evening shifts for the week. The third therapist stayed in the department to wash and sterilize the equipment.

Family members were stranded and the hospital put them up. Food in the cafeteria was free.

I was a respiratory therapist for many years; thank God this was my first and last experience with a disaster.