Hotel Review – Hotel Executive (Arapongas, Parana, Brazil)

The Hotel Executive is centrally located in Arapongas and has a full service restaurant, a gym and pool. Rita and Alex spent a few nights here when first arriving in Brazil.

The rooms were comfortable and clean

Views of the city

Nice restaurant

Lunch

Overall the hotel was very serviceable if not spectacular 7 out of 10.

Coins and Currency Club – Tajikistan

Tajikistan is this month’s country from the Coin and Currency Club. Tajikistan is a land-locked country in Central Asia bordered by Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and China. It has an area of 54,952 square miles and a population of about 9.8 million people. Tajiks form the ethnic majority in the country and the historical Tajik homeland lies in present-day Tajikistan as well as parts of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.

We were able to guess Central Asia from the clues but missed the correct “stan”

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Whitlocks Mill Lighthouse – Calais, Maine

Whitlocks Mill Lighthouse in Calais is on private property but can be viewed from the rest area on US Route 1 south of the Calais city center. The port of Calais used to be surrounded by heavy forests making navigation up the Saint Croix river difficult. Lighthouses were erected on the Canadian side of the river in 1857 but this light on the American side was only established in 1909. Prior to this a series of lanterns were hung in nearby trees. The St. Croix Historical Society applied for and was awarded ownership of Whitlocks Mill Lighthouse in 1997, as part of the Maine Lights Program. The Coast Guard still maintains the tower’s flashing green light. The three-bedroom, 2,428-square-foot keeper’s house and other outbuildings are privately owned and closed to the public. The dwelling sold in 2004, with an asking price of $350,000.

View of the Saint Croix River looking towards Canada

Camp Lee-Stephenson Monument – Quoddy Village, Eastport, Maine

Camp Lee-Stephenson is located at Quoddy Village, Eastport, Maine. In 1943 the Navy took possession of Quoddy Village from the National Youth Administration. The camp was built in 1935 by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers to house workers for the world’s largest tidal dam project, the Passamaquoddy Dam. I have personal history with Quoddy Village when my father as part of the National Youth Administration during the Great Depression came to Eastport to work on the tidal dam project. It was here he first met my mother a native of Eastport. With the outbreak of World War II my father spent years in North Africa, India, Burma and China. After the war he returned to Eastport reconnected with Mom and eventually got married.

The post war camp was dedicated to two Naval officers who died during the war

Remnants of buildings left from the historic period

North Christian Church – Eastport, Maine

My mother was not religious but as a child growing up Eastport during the 1920s she attended this Baptist church. The North Church was built in 1819 for the Free Will Baptist Society. In 1916, during the 100th anniversary of the organization of the church society, a series of stained glass memorial windows created by the Boston studio glass firm of Spence, Bell & Company were installed in the main sanctuary and balcony spaces. For photographs and descriptions of the windows, click here: stained glass windows. With the waning of religion in the 21st century the church became abandoned, thankfully it is currently being repurposed as a function hall and hopefully will be fully restored.