Welcome to Leslie Turek's Home Page


In Memoriam
Walter Peter Turek
November 13, 1922 - April 14, 2008

Read about my Dad 
For the latest news, visit my weblog
Contact me at leslie.turek@gmail.com 

❄ ❄ ❄ 2010 Holiday Letter ❄ ❄ ❄

Over the years, between this web page and my weblogs, I've accumulated a variety of stuff which is scattered in different places on the web. So I'm working on building an index to everything here. Here's what I've assembled so far.

Informational Articles
    Tips on Choosing a Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan

    Losing Weight in the DPP
    Easy Healthy Recipes
    Slovak Keyboard for MacOS

Travel - Slovakia
    Journey to Slovakia 1999
    Return to Slovakia 2001

Videos of Slovakia
    Driving to Levoca
    Visiting Torysky
    Easter Sunday in Torysky
    Wooden Churches of Slovakia
    Dancing in Torysky

Photos of my May/June 2002 trip to England
Note: The site originally hosting these photos went out of business in 2007. Happily, though, a site called Winkflash managed to retrieve most of the photos and they are now available on the Winkflash site. My only regret is that I had originally put in text commentary on many of the photos, and all of that text was lost in the transfer, but at least the pictures are back again. 
   
First Days
   Hidcote and a walk to Stanton
   Winchcombe, steam trains, and Sudeley
   Cotswold Farm Park, an evening walk to Stanton, Chedworth Roman Villa, and horseback riding
   Buscot Park and Bourton House
   Warwick Castle, Cheltenham, and a hot-air balloon
   Snowshill Manor, Golden Jubilee, and farewells

Other Photo Albums

Gardening:
   Turning Toward the Light (my garden weblog)
   In the Garden
(photos of my garden from 2000)
   Index to Landscape Design Papers

Nostalgia:
    Letter from J.R.R.Tolkien (from Radcliffe, 1963)
    My Year in Duluth, Minnesota

Fannish Articles:
   First Night Debriefing Report (from Noreascon IV, 2004)
   How Louisville Changed My Life (August, 1991)
   My Life as a Faned (March, 1990) 

Old Holiday Letters:
   2009 Holiday Letter




Journey to Slovakia

This is the story of a trip I took with my father to find my family roots in the hill villages of eastern Slovakia.
 
1. Getting There
2. Levoca
3. Torysky - Saturday
4. Torysky - Sunday
5. At the Archives
6. Kosice
7. My Cousin, the 'Boss'
8. Kyjov
9. Slovinky and Torysky
10. Books, Babeys, and Bardejov
11. Poprad and the High Tatras
12. Farewell to Slovakia
13. The Spanish Riding School
14. Touring Vienna by Bus
15. Two Lofty Buildings
16. Strolling Through Vienna

Map of Slovakia
History of Torysky
Comments from readers

The High Tatras

In the Garden


Some pictures from my garden, taken during the 2000 season.
January - March
April
May - Part 1
May - Part 2
June
July
October


Losing Weight in the DPP

(Written in 2000) For the past year and a half, I have been a research subject in a long-term study aimed at preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes. As a member of the "Lifestyle" group, I have been encouraged to exercise and lose weight, and have lost over 50 pounds so far. In this section, I'll tell you about the diabetes study, and about the techniques I have used to successfully lose weight.


 Losing Weight in the DPP
 What is Type 2 Diabetes?
 The Diabetes Prevention Program
 How I Got Involved
 Why I Decided to Sign Up
 Being in the Lifestyle Group
 Good Things about Losing Weight
 Bad Things about Losing Weight
 Tips for Losing Weight
 An Update
 The Obligatory Before and After Photos
My weight loss


Photo Albums


11/01 Machinka

I don't have many pictures of Machinka because it was hard to get here to hold still long enough! (And because she's jet black, it's hard to get a clear one.) The picture on the left was taken at 10 months and here are some of her baby pictures


10/01 Prospect Hill in the Fall

In June 2001 I went back to work at Vignette Corporation. They had moved from Reading to Waltham, right next to the Prospect Hill Park, so I tried to walk in the park every day. Here are some pictures I took when the fall colors were at their peak. (Be sure to scroll down to the fantastic view of downtown Boston!)


05/01 Camden Maine

Here are a few pictures from my trip with Alex to Camden, Maine, in May, 2001.


10/00 Lake Quannapowitt in the Fall

In 2000 I worked near Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, and I frequently walked along or around the lake for my daily exercise. It's a beutiful spot, and particularly lovely in the fall, as these pictures will attest.

Building a wall
10/99 Building a Wall

For many years I've been worried about my front retaining wall, which has slowly been tipping over towards the driveway. This year I found Enzo, an excellent stone mason who built me a beautiful stone wall. These pictures start with 2 tons of stone piled in my driveway and end with the completed wall.

Becky and Leslie in the Tufts 10K
10/99 Running in the Tufts 10K

I capped off a year off healthy eating and exercise by running in the Tufts 10K race for women with my friend Becky. Here are some pictures taken at the 2-mile and 4-mile marks by my friend Alexis Layton.


Magic the Gathering

I enjoy playing the card game, Magic the Gathering. I have been playing seriously for about 3 years, and have competed in a number of tournaments. Here are reports of some tournaments I've participated in, written for people who also play Magic. (If you don't play the game, be warned - these articles will make no sense whatsoever.)
 
Magic card Sacred Mesa 04/00 Photographs of the first Women's Invitational
12/99 PTQ - Mercadian Masques Sealed Deck
09/99 Mercadian Masques Pre-Release
09/98 Urza's Saga Pre-Release
09/98 Rome PTQ - Tempest Block Constructed
03/98 New York PTQ - Tempest Sealed Deck
07/97 Chicago PTQ - Mirage Block Constructed
05/97 Your Move Games Sealed Deck Tournament
01/97 PTQ - Mirage Sealed Deck