Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

 Boat Show At Night.  Sailors' Delight.  Boat Show in the Day. Vendors Make Hay! Report from Annapolis By Pat Whetung Sailors be aware.  Each autumn boaters flock to historic Annapolis, Maryland trying to hang on to the last vestiages of fall. The port city, nestled on the banks of Spa Creek in Chesapeake Bay, hosts the annual United States Sailboat Show .   They come in cars. They come in inflatables.  Some sail in.  The common goal for all visiting sailors is to collect, connect and collaborate. The talk is all about boats, cruising, racing and significant events on and around the water.  There are hundreds of boats on display to tour and, if the price is right, buy.  On land there are scores of vendors hawking anything that might seperate a boater from his wallet! Lining up for tickets. Photo by Paul Horn In fact at this year's boat show, the vendors were  selling just about everythingboaters’ needs...

FISSURE FREEZING DIVING INLAND IN ICELAND Stephen Weir on the steps of Reykjavik's Sport Divers Club A cold clear rift river in the Thingvellir National Park It is cold. There is snow on the nearby mountain tops and  most days the moon is up longer than the sun.  It is late fall in Iceland and the fresh water dive season is still going strong! There are at least three dive operators  this time of year in Iceland offering guided scuba fresh water tours to rift valley river  in the Thingvellir National Park.  One shop offers a second safari to a geothermic lake near the capital city of Reykjavik.  There are ocean dives offered as well but are very much weather and sea condition dependent. Thingvellir Park is the most visited site in Iceland for three reasons.  It is a region where two tectonic plates  - the North American and Eurasian Plates all but  touch. It's a place where the continental plates have meet and are now drifting...

. At the chicheria in rural Peru - drink twice chewed and then brewed (from a series of Facebook postings that received strong readership and approval) . Chicha is a popular working class drink in Peru. Made from fermenting corn, the beer-like beverage can be made in just 3-days. It is cheap (about 60 cents a glass) and easy to drink. There are an estimated 2,000 chicherias in Peru. Most don't have signs, just look for the universal Chicheria sign - a red flag over the door.  I paid this woman 60 cents for a glass of chicha and strawberry juice. Drink was invented by the Incas. Back in those days the corn was chewed by women before being put in fermentation vats. Nowadays the kernels are boiled before being placed in the vats. Maria plays for drinks. She lost   How to find a chicherias in Peru. Look for a red flag over the door. Usually dirt floors and no electricity.  Corn drink is cheap and not all that alcholic (3%). Big attraction at many...

Crossing the street in Cusco Peru - One part art, One part danger, One part daring do! (from a series of Facebook postings that received strong readership and approval) Crossing the Street in Peru Part 1 In the city of Cusco the police use humour to fight jaywalkers on their main street. As mentioned previously, crossing any street, even with walk/don't walk lights is a life threatening experience. Most days during business hours the police dress up officers in Punch and Judy costumes, cucumber-nose masks and Peruvian sheep whips to confront people trying to jaywalk. It works (till they go home) Check out companion posts of a pair of buskers/breakdancers in the middle of a busy street! Crossing the Street in Peru Part 2: A different kind of breakdancing Busker/breakdancer performs in the middle of a busy Cusco street in Peru. I paid him $2.50 for letting me take a picture of his act. Does it when the light is red. Most drivers in Peru seem to ignore red lights, so his ...