Pinkie

Suddenly, there she stands - the glorious and exuberant “Pinkie.” And the longer I remain at the foot of her portrait, the lighter my heart becomes as I soak in the joy of the moment.

Here is the little girl on the verge of womanhood. Her lustrous shell-colored satin bonnet trails matching ribbons that fly in the wind. She is at once casual and elegant. Childlike and mature, as any 11 year-old might appear to be.

Even if you’ve seen a print of this oil you might not have caught the soft delicate shades the artist brushed into the original oil. Photos and color plates often show the clouds as menacing and dark – they’re not. Some prints show them tinged with red and orange – they are not that either. Instead, the fragile blue and frothy white clouds dance and shimmer in lively strokes that caress the canvass.

A bright breeze blows the diaphanous cream-colored fabric of her gown aside to expose the pointed toe of her little black shoe. The visual pun of her extended little “pinkie” finger is amusing but the gesture is a natural part of her casual pose.

This is a portrait of Sarah Barrett Moulton by Thomas Lawrence (1794). She was a member of the prosperous Barrett family from Jamaica. Did you know she is related to the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning? Her brother Edward was the poet’s father, and Sarah would have been Elizabeth’s aunt - had she lived. Sadly, she died within the year.

“Pinkie” is often thought of in tandem with Thomas Gainsborough’s “The Blue Boy”. Yet two different artists painted them some 24 years apart. For me “Pinkie” is the crown jewel of the vast collections of rare books, immense gardens and art at The Huntington in Pasadena, California.

Vibrant Las Vegas!

Stepping out of the terminal at McCarran airport in Las Vegas, the 110-degree June heat smacks you in the face like a hot iron.

Now that I’ve run the gauntlet of one-armed bandits and electronic billboards encircling the baggage carousels, I’m ready to head to the taxi line to pick up a ride to my hotel.

At Trump Tower there’s a corner room waiting for me on the 44^th floor. In the morning I can see The Strip set against a backdrop of pearl grey mountains fringing the Mojave Desert. At night it sparkles with countless lights. Did you know that seen from space Las Vegas is the brightest city on earth?

In the suite, the main bathroom (and there are 2) is larger than my apartment in Chicago. Soaking in the Jacuzzi-style tub, I can see the city, or watch the TV embedded in the oversized mirror over the sink. It’s off-season, so I can afford a really nice room at great rates.

There’s no smoking in the whole building, and no casino here at Trump. Best of all I can get a complimentary late check out ‘til 4 pm.

I personally don’t gamble but am always real happy to lose a bundle at the dining table. And there are lots of choices all over town. Just off the lobby of Trump, DJT restaurant serves a beautiful assortment of appetizers. One or two will make a perfect size meal. That leaves me enough room for dessert.

Strolling around town, you begin to realize that nobody is actually “from” here. Yet they all manage to find their way to this dazzling down. Where else can you meet a taxi driver from Haiti, a waiter from the Philippines and a bouncer from Bulgaria all in the space of 1 hour?

Most folks say that business is picking up; people are coming back for the fun and excitement to be found here. Just outside the window, I can see the Wynn and Encore. I think I'll head on over there for lunch.

The energy of this town resonates with me. Viva Las Vegas!

Medical Tourism Explained

My new book "Travelin' Trots" was just published as an ebook on Smashwords. In it I talk about some of the pitfalls and benefits of being an accidental medical tourist. I hope you'll take time to check it out at Smashwords, for free.

"35,000 feet over the Amazon jungle Mary Anne gets slammed with a debilitating gastrointestinal bug . Seven hours later she lands in a foreign country where she doesn't speak the language. Now she has to quickly find medical help. A travel writer and nurse, she documents the process and what it really feels like to be sick on the road ..."

Here's the link http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/15074

Won't you take a moment to spread the word about my book to everyone you know.

Thanks for your support. Mary Anne

Medical Resources On The Road

Where are you going on your next trip? I'd love to hear from you. Are you planning a medical tourism adventure? If so, here's a short list of medical resources to get you started planning for the big event:

American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (www.surgery.org)

American Society of Plastic Surgeons (www.plasticsurgery.org)

ASPA physician-finder (www1.plasticsurgery.org/ebusiness4/patientconsumers/findintsurgeon.aspx)

CDC (www.cdc.gov)

Deloitte. Medical Tourism: Update and Implications – 2009 Report (www.deloitte.com)

eMEDTV (www.emedtv.com)

Fodor’s (www.fodors.com)

Foreign Currency exchange (www.xe.com)

Frommers (www.frommers.com)

International ASPS member surgeons (www.isaps.org)

JCI accredited hospitals (www.jointcommissioninternational.org)

John Hopkins Hospital (www.jhintl.net)

Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com)

Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.com)

MedlinePlus (www.medlineplus.gov)

Quest Diagnostics (www.questdiagnostics.com)

Travel costs calculator (www.xe.com/tec/table.shtml)

Travellerspoint Travel Community (www.travellerspoint.com)

TSA guidelines (www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/index.shtm)

Urgent Care Association of America (www.ucaoa.org/buyers/ucaoa_orgs.php)

US Department of State (www.travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html)

WebMD (www.webmd.com)

Places I've Seen ...

Can you identify this location?

Dallas: Day 28

If it’s going to be this cold and snowy in Dallas, we might as well go home.

On the last days of the journey, we drove up to Dallas and saw their record snowfall. Schools closed and children were struggling to find makeshift sleds or build lopsided snowmen. This has the makings of tales they would tell their own grandchildren, decades from now.

Austin: Day 27

Forget the live music, the Governor’s Mansion, LBJ museum or the bats. We came to Austin for the wood-fire BBQ.

Some of the best of its kind can be found at a converted “speak-easy” with a panoramic view of Texas Hill Country, at the edge of the city.

This is the County Line restaurant (On the Hill location), one of 2 in Austin. There are 2 in San Antonio, and ones in Montgomery, Houston, Albuquerque and Oklahoma City.

The menu features bring a chuckle to the reader with such entries as “all you can stand” family size platters, Skeeter’s Caesar Salad and the Hippie Burger. The burgers come with a “heap of fries and a bowl of beans.”

Come hungry. This is real Texas-pit barbecue