Chuck Climbs Great Wall of China (with a little help)

Visiting the Great Wall of China was not Chuck’s idea.
It was mine.
Chuck came to China to see the Panda Bear eat bamboo.
But since we were in Beijing, AND since the Great Wall is considered one of the Eight Wonders of the World AND since it’s been claimed that the Great Wall can be seen even from outer space (the moon, to be exact), I managed to convince Chuck the Castronaut that the Great Wall was worth seeing.
But was it true?  Can you see the Great Wall from the moon?
I digress, I know, but this claim was first made in 1754 and repeated several times over the years until in 1932 it even appeared in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not.  The truth is that--despite the immensity of the Great Wall--it cannot be seen from outer space.  According to Wikipedia,  trying to see the Great Wall from the moon would be like trying to see a single shaft of human hair from two miles away.
Not likely.
As we hike the stairs to reach the Great Wall, I share what I know about the Great Wall with my intrepid rascal traveler:
1.  The Great Wall was built to protect the Chinese Empire from invasions from nomadic tribes and military groups.
2.  Several walls were built as early as the 7th century and later joined together to form the Great Wall.
3.  The Great Wall stretches 3,889 miles long.
4.  Before the use of bricks, the Chinese used earth, stones and wood to construct the wall.
If you’ve ever been to the Great Wall, it’s like any other tourist attraction.  You have to buy a ticket.  And then walk, walk, walk to what appears to be a gigantic stone staircase where you have to begin to climb.  You notice that the place is mobbed.  There are people everywhere.  And basically what everyone is doing is climbing steps to reach the Wall, which is more steps.
There is more than one access point to reach the Wall.  When I was last in China, eight years ago without Chuck, I climbed and climbed steps and never technically made it to “the wall.”  This time I climbed for approximately an hour, with Chuck, of course, in my smart bag, peeking out, and did make it to the wall.
It wasn’t easy.  The steps are uneven.  It is hot.  You are part of a line of people all climbing upward.  It is very slow going.  Some people are climbing up the middle of the steps, attempting to move more quicky, but if you choose that path, you have nothing to hold onto.
The view is fantastic.  The wall was built along the highest ridge of mountains which is why you must climb upwards to reach it.
When we finally reach “the wall,” we come to a kind of landing with an enclosed building of sorts, with windows that look out over the magnificent views.  At least there’s some degree of shade.  We celebrate briefly and take photos.  We’re totally exhausted.  And people are pushing past us.  There is no place to sit and order a cool drink of anything.  The water I’m carrying is warm and almost depleted.
We have the option of continuing to walk along the wall, and I actually thought that once we reached the wall, it would even out and become like some fantastic walkway with lemonade stands and souvenir shops, etc.  But I’m wrong.
Perhaps, way far up, the stairs will even out to a walkway, but that is miles away.  Someone tells me that if I climb to the next landing, it will look exactly the same as this one.
I’m feeling exhilarated because I made it to “the wall,” but disheartened too.
Should I turn around and go back down?
Chuck is nodding “yes.”
Bob wants to continue onward.  His ego is at stake.
But, of course, with guys that is what it’s always all about--the competition.  I didn’t want it to be about that.
It’s then that something magical happens.
I spy a group of two couples posing for pictures on the landing where we’ve stopped.  The two women are obviously sisters, and they're standing together and posing in such a way that they lean into each other with their one arm reaching up to form half a heart.  Together the two arms, one from each sister, form a whole heart.
I’ve never seen that before.  It’s so sweet.
I speak no Chinese but I motion--asking if I can take their picture.
They nod.  Then Bob and I strike the same pose, and they take our photo.
They spy Chuck.  They are enthralled that we have our cat with us.
In China, each Chinese household is limited to only one dog.  Thankfully, there is no limit on cats.
We smile.   Then we all laugh together, start down the steps, and I know I’ll always remember the Great Wall, our trek up the stairs and the two sisters who made the heart with their arms entwined together.

         PS  That photo of Chuck--he was not posed on the Great Wall, but rather on our couch in the Great Room.  Ha. Ha.  Chuck is very vain and would allow no photos of himself on the wall.  Rather he needed to "over groom" as usual and look his best.  The handsome kid!

Paranormal Romance Wild Point Island Available June 15, 2012

        DEBUT NOVEL INSPIRED BY LOST COLONY OF ROANOKE MYSTERY

Wild Point Island, debut novel for New Jersey resident Kate Lutter, will be published by Crescent Moon Press and will be available for sale as of Friday, June 15, 2012, on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com.

Wild Point Island is a paranormal romance tied to the famous historic event—the Lost Colony of Roanoke—referred to by historians as one of the greatest American mysteries of all time.  The novel answers the question: What if the colonists survived by relocating to another island, and then their decision to eat the local plant life transformed them physiologically and granted them immortality, but at a price?

For the last 420 years most historians believed that the colonists who landed on the Island of Roanoke off the coast of North Carolina perished because of drought, starvation, or hostile native American attacks.  Recently, however, a closer examination of a 425 year-old map of the Roanoke Colony, housed in the British Museum for over 100 years, tells a different story.  The Huffington Post reports that two patches on the map were covering up symbols that indicate the colonists relocated, the first new clues in centuries. An investigation as to the fate of the Lost Colony is continuing.

Kate Lutter has been writing for ten years.  Wild Point Island is her first published novel.  “The timing of my novel Wild Point Island is ironic considering the events occurring at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill,” said Ms. Lutter.  “I always believed the colonists survived.”

Prior to writing full time, Ms. Lutter was the principal of an elementary school, and she taught English on the middle and high school levels.  Currently, she is writing the sequel to Wild Point Island and an exotic travel blog detailing her adventures with her rascal cat named Chuck called Hot Blogging with Chuck which can be found on her website: www.katelutter.com

Chuck Has Almost Meet with Chinese Panda Bear

I know what you’re thinking.

I’m sure that after you read the title--Chinese Panda Bear--you have to be asking yourself--did the Chinese Panda Bear fly here to the states or did Chuck fly to China??

This was not one of Chuck’s finer moments.

He did not enjoy being stuffed into my carryon for fifteen hours (all the air deflated out of him) as we flew non-stop across the oceans and over the top of the world to a place where people use chopsticks rather than forks and knives.

What induced Chuck to even consider the grueling journey was the thought of meeting what I would consider one of the great wonders of the world--at least of the animal world--the giant panda bear.

Chuck had only seen one panda before--at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. and if you remember that incident, he jumped into the panda’s den area and tried to instigate a show down. This time, we had a long talk before we arrived at the Beijing Zoo. There would be no jumping into the den area. Not at the Beijing Zoo. Not in China. Not in this particular tense political climate.

The Chuckster would have to be content with watching the panda bear from afar.

But that was okay with him.

The panda bear from any distance is mesmerizing.

At the Beijing Zoo, there are signs everywhere announcing the existence of the panda bear. When we first spot him, he is not doing much of anything, but we were warned he might be sleeping or resting.
I took this opportunity, as we were gazing at the panda through the glass, to tell Chuck the top five interesting facts about panda bears:

1. 99% of a panda’s diet is bamboo--a diet heavy in protein.
Pandas will also eat honey, eggs, fish, yams, shrub leaves, oranges, bananas, etc.

2. Panda bears live in the lowland areas of Sichuan Province in China. It is estimated that approximately 1590 pandas live in the wild as compared to 239 bears who live in captivity.

3. Male panda bears can weigh up to 350 pounds. Females can weigh up to 280 pounds. But when born, a baby panda weighs only 3 1/2 to 7 ounces.

4.  Pandas are solitary animals. After a baby is born, the father panda leaves the mother to raise the panda on her own.

5.  Panda bears live approximately 30 years in captivity and 20 years in the wild. Ming Ming, in captivity, lived to be 34 years old.

When I’m finished, I knew that I hadn’t answered the one question on Chuckie’s mind.

“No,” I said, “there is no record of a Panda ever attacking and eating a cat.”

Chuck sighed in relief.

“You don’t taste like bamboo,” I added to reassure him. “Plus panda bears are not aggressive by nature. They only attack someone or something who annoys them.”

At this time, the panda bear finally got up and went over to the door that led to the outside area. With his back to us, he stood there on his hind legs for at least ten minutes, facing outside. What was he thinking?

Finally, he wandered outside, and Chuck and I scooted out of the building so we could see what he was up to.

And I knew what Chuck was thinking. And hoping. He wanted to meet Mr. Panda. He wanted that panda bear to wander over to where we were standing. He wanted that bear to acknowledge us in some way. A friendly wave. A giant nod of his head. Something. Anything.

Chuck has no patience.

I was fascinated just watching the panda move.

Chuck was not.

Then it happened.

I had come to this exhibit with no expectations.

Chuck had come expecting everything.

Suddenly, the panda grabbed a bamboo branch and started eating it.

And eating it. And eating it.

I guess when pandas weigh hundreds of pounds, they need a lot of bamboo to feel satisfied. It takes them a long time to eat enough bamboo to fill their bellies.

I pulled out my iphone and started videotaping the panda eating the bamboo.
What a wonderful thing to watch.

Chuck began to get restless.

“Can you wait?” I shouted out.

But Chuck figured that panda could be sitting there for hours eating that bamboo.

I clicked off my iphone, ended the videotape, and glared at Chuck.

“You are the biggest baby.”

He glared back at me, impatience all over his face.

I mean it.

It was time to leave. I took one last look at the panda eating the bamboo. WOW. You don’t see this in the states everyday. WOW.

To see some remarkable video of the panda eating bamboo, log onto www.katelutter.com and click on the link on my homepage that will take you to my You Tube video. Enjoy!

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Chuck Almost Meets Cat Daddy Jackson Galaxy

    This story does not have a happy ending.
    The Chuckster does not watch a lot of TV but he has two favorite shows, and both involve cats.
    One is called Must Love Cats.  And the other -- My Cat From Hell.
    Both star cats, of course, and both look at the world of cats from totally different perspectives.
    If you want drama, My Cat From Hell is your obvious choice.
    Cats who seriously misbehave play the starring role.  They are the terror of the household and their owners are desperate for help.  That’s where Jackson Galaxy comes in.  Not your typical cat whisperer.  Tattooed, he arrives with his guitar case filled with cat toys and treats and before the half hour episode is finished, the cat or the guardians of the cat -- as Jackson calls them -- are transformed and peace reigns once again.
    Chuckie remains glued to the set during the entire show.  And when he learned that Jackson Galaxy was on a ten day tour of the United States, promoting his new book Cat Daddy and that he would be appearing within driving distance from our house in Clinton, New Jersey, at the Clinton Book Shop, well, Chuckie was beside himself to meet his hero.
    Now Jackson Galaxy is a star.  Even to the small town of Clinton, New Jersey, he attracted over a hundred people on a late Tuesday afternoon.  Somehow he lured way too many people into a vintage-style book shop, forced them to cram themselves into a tiny space, which was way too hot, even with the fans whirling away, to hear him speak.
    It was magical.
    No one brought their cat.
    Even though the entire show My Cat From Hell revolves around cats, CATS WERE NOT INVITED.
    Chuck did not think that was fair.
    And, as usual, he put on his chuck face and that face can be persuasive.  He went so far as to hide out in my smart bag, in a vain attempt to smuggle his way into the book shop.
    My husband Bob felt sorry for him.  “Give the kid a break.  Let’s take him with us.”
    “There’s no way I can get that cat into the book shop.  The place is going to be mobbed.”
    “You can try.”
    Now, usually, I’m the optimistic, against all odds, kind of person.  I tried my best to reason with the belly boy.  “Chuck, it’s going to be hot as blazes in there.  But if you insist on going, I don’t want to hear a meow out of you.  I mean it.  Not a sound.  If you’re lucky, you’ll catch a glimpse of him.  But that’s it.  He will not be able to pet you.”
    What was I thinking?
    When we arrived, we were way in the back.  The microphone was not state of the art.  It was HOT and STUFFY.  But there was magic in the air.  Plus, I volunteer for a local cat shelter Tabby’s Place, and the book shop was taking up donations for Tabby’s Place, so that was a big plus.
    Jackson Galaxy was cool and funny and just like the way he appears on TV.  He spoke for a few minutes before he sat down and began signing books.  Despite the fact that Chuck was squished into my smart bag, and sweating, the belly boy listened to his every word and then waited patiently as we inched closer and closer to the front.
    Finally, we were the next ones to get our book signed and meet the one and only Jackson Galaxy.  My smart bag was opened, and I had a kind of scarf stretched across the top to disguise the fact that Chuck was hiding inside.  The plan would have worked if Chuck had kept to his side of the bargain.
    He didn’t.
    I guess that’s why he’s got this reputation for being a rascal cat.
    It dawned on Bob and me at about the same time that Chuck had no intention of remaining in the smart bag while I got my autograph and met the great Jackson Galaxy.  Chuck began to squirm big time.  He was literally planning to claw his way out.  Maybe hop onto the table and plop himself, belly and all, right in front of the cat whisperer.  Surprise the hell out of him.
    Harvey, the owner, pointed to me.  “Okay,” he said.  “You’re next.”
    Bob was supposed to stand there with my iphone and take the photo.
    Now we had to think fast.
    Bob handed me the iphone, grabbed the smart bag off my shoulder, and ran toward the front door of the book shop.  Now, luckily, it was so hot inside that the owners had opened the double doors in front, so escape outside, through the front, was easy peasy.
    Although, I’m sure everyone wondered why the hell my husband was suddenly rushing to stand near the front door.
    I, pretending not to notice that my husband was acting crazy, waltzed up calm as could be, holding my Cat Daddy book in one arm and my iphone in the other, and asked Jackson--in a cool twist of irony--to autograph the book to “Kate, Bob and CHUCK.”  
    Then I shook Jackson Galaxy’s hand and told him how much I enjoyed his show.  Of course, I told him ABOUT CHUCK.  His biggest fan.
    Harvey offered to take our photo.  I smiled.  I would deal with Chuck later.  For now--My Cat From Hell--would just have to get over it.

NEWSFLASH:  THERE WILL BE NO NEW WEEKLY BLOG FOR THE MEMORIAL DAY. HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY!

To read more about Chuck and his adventures, log onto my website: www.katelutter.com
 
 Wild Point Island, my paranormal romance, is available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com.  Recently it was rated 5 Stars by The E Book Reviewers, who said, "At the very core . . . is a multi-level mystery, with plot twists and turns that you never expected. And there is a deep touching love story that grasped my heart and never let go.  This is one book you must go buy now; once you start reading, you won’t be able to put it back down."  
         
 
   
     

Chuck Salutes the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

         Chuck, the rascal cat, did not grow up wanting to be a soldier cat.
      He does not know that much about history.
      But every night when we’re home, he plasters himself on the rug in front of the television and watches the news.
      He knows about Arlington National Cemetery and the eternal flame that burns for President John F. Kennedy.  
      I shouldn’t have been surprised when one day he pointed with his paw to an article about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  
     That is how Chuckie usually communicates with us.
     He wanted to see the ceremony. 
     And with Armed Forces Day coming up, and Memorial Day just around the corner, I thought what better way to honor our soldiers and pay tribute, than to visit this special place.
    From our hotel in Washington, D.C., we took the subway and then walked the rest of the way to Arlington National Cemetery.   At the cemetery we purchased a ticket for the shuttle bus service that rides you around to all the key sights, otherwise it would take hours to walk from sight to sight. 
    On our way to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, I told Chuck that other countries in the world have their own Tomb of the Unknown Soldier  as a way to honor all the soldiers who fight in battle and yet cannot be identified when the war is over.  In fact, it’s key to the concept of this monument that the body buried within the tomb be unidentifiable so that the tomb can maintain its symbolic meaning.  
    The soldier buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is there to represent all the soldiers who fought and were never found after the war was over.  
    “Did you get that, Chuck?”
    I can never be sure, but he tilted his head in his usual Chuck fashion and we moved closer to the area where the soldiers go through the ceremony.  
    There is always a crowd.
    On the day we were there, a small group of high school students presented the uniformed soldiers with a wreath to be laid on the tomb.  Approximately eighty tourists stood in respectful silence, watching, as the soldiers followed a very precise pattern of marching back and forth in front of the tomb.  It was both elegant and precise.   
    My usually antsy Chuck went perfectly still as he peeked out of my smart bag.  He watched the soldiers perform their set maneuvers.  The entire ceremony lasted only a few minutes, but it was filled with emotion.  
    Maybe, as you stand there in the cemetery, surrounded by thousands of gravestones, the reality gets to you.
    Each gravestone represents a wounded warrior.  
    A man and woman who gave his or her life selflessly for their country.  
    For our country.   
    To maintain our way of life.  
    For us. 
    When the ceremony was over, I showed Chuck how to salute the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 
    “It is a sign of respect,” I said.
    Although Chuck usually hates to be told what to do, he didn’t fight me this time.  
    The rascal cat saluted the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.    


          TO READ MORE ABOUT CHUCK AND HIS ADVENTURES, LOG ONTO
             
                                     www.katelutter.com

Wild Point Island, my paranormal romance, is available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com.  Recently it was rated 5 Stars by The E Book Reviewers, who said, "At the very core . . . is a multi-level mystery, with plot twists and turns that you never expected. And there is a deep touching love story that grasped my heart and never let go.  This is one book you must go buy now; once you start reading, you won’t be able to put it back down."  

       

Chuck POSES at the Museum of Natural History

       My rascal cat Chuckster is an anomaly.

       He likes to meet other animals.

       When we were in France, I suspect he fell in love with a French cow.

       And in Vienna, Austria, he gave me no peace until he’d stared into the eyes of an orangutan.  

       Once we arrived back in the states, we took a quick jaunt to Washington, D.C., and ever mindful of Chuck’s education, I was eager to take the kid to the National Museum of Natural History.

       Yes, this was my idea because I’d been there before and I thought that Chuckie would get the biggest kick out of their stuffed animal exhibit.

       What was I thinking?

       But I’m getting ahead of myself because this adventure was fraught with challenges.

       If you’ve ever been there, you know it’s a gigantic place--two floors filled with 124 million objects.  Everywhere you’re surrounded by eager tourists struggling to get somewhere else or see something else.  Bodies push and shove their way past you.  There are food lines.  There are lines to get into the the various exhibits, and even though the museum itself is free, there is usually a line to enter into the place past security. 

       Mad house?

       But, of course, it’s worth every aggravating minute.  

       And I was determined to smuggle Chuckie into the museum and show him this exhibit which I’d seen for the first time myself the year before.  

       The animals look so real.  They are coifed and posed.  Magnificent.  

       As we walked to the museum from our hotel, I tried to explain the concept to my rascal cat.  “These animals look real but they aren’t.  Not like you.  They are fake.  So there’s no need to be afraid.”

       When Chuck is trying to figure something out, his cat eyes become enlarged, and he tends to tilt his head sideways.  I could only imagine what he was thinking.

       And, yes, I do believe that cats can think.  Or plot and scheme.

       He had that very expression on his face.  

       “No, there aren’t any cats on exhibit.  We’re talking big game animals here.  For example, the giraffe.  The monkey.  Safari animals.” 

       I had his attention all right.  

       But the kid looked nervous.

       And he’s not a fan of having to stay all scrunched up in my smart bag.

       Chuckie likes to go places where he can pop out of my bag and run around. 

       Let’s face it, his Top Ten List of places to go does not include--M-U-S-E-U-M-S.  But, I figured, this place was special and not at all typical. 

       We snuck into the place.  Surprisingly, that wasn’t a problem.  (I can’t explain why Chuckie glided through the metal detector and the scanner and wasn’t detected. Or, maybe he was, and the guys that do the detecting couldn’t believe what they were seeing--an orange and white overweight cat stuffed into someone’s smart bag?)

       Rather than press our luck, we scooted to the stuffed animal exhibit.  

       Then I figured our success lay in the timing.  Wait until the exhibit was near deserted then I would let Chuck out to see “up close and personal” the animals on display.  

       Bob volunteered to be the “look out,” and he stood at the end of the long hallway that stretches through the exhibit with the animals.   

       Finally Bob gave the signal, and out popped Chuck.  And he stopped.  Clearly mesmerized, he scanned the animals on display.  

       And this is where the “belly boy” surprised me.

       Chuck wasn’t interested in the elephant or the giraffe, or even the leopard who was posed near his prey. Oh, no.  Without hesitation, Chuck did his best imitation of a moonwalk toward the bat.  Which means--he walked very slowly.  And he proceeded to stare at him.  

       Now, you don’t see bats on display everyday, I grant you that. 

       Then Chuck did something even more amazing.  

       Taking his cue from the animals around him, he POSED.

       He stuck his nose forward.  His tail went rigid.  He put himself into a kind of hunting pose.  Very focused.  As if he were competing.  

       I reached into my smart bag for my camera.  

       This was just too good to be true.

       Chuck POSING at the National Museum of Natural History.

       I aimed my camera and was about to click when . . .

       Bob let out a whistle.

       Chuck heard the signal.

       I, of course, was too enticed with the idea of capturing the rascal cat on my digital camera to display for the rest of the world . . . for my blog . . .to even think about what Bob was trying to tell me . . . warn me about . . .

       But, unfortunately, there wasn’t time to even click the shot.   

       “Kate, c’mon.  People are coming,” Bob shouted down the hallway at the very moment that Chuck dropped the POSE.  

       Gosh darn.

       I whipped open my smart bag as lots of voices resounded in the hallway.

       Chuck hopped back in.

       The moment was forever lost. 

       Gee, but the memory was sweet.

       TO READ MORE CHUCK, LOG ONTO WWW.KATELUTTER.COM