I love me some handmade. ;)
http://www.derekandcatharineblog.com/
my sister-in-law, Delaney, was just recently featured on this site; that was the first time I learned about this site and I've kinda been in love with it since then. ;)
and Bird 'n Bloke is fantastic. ;)
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Thom and Sean
HELLO!
I have found the writings! So I am here again to finish this long un-fulfilled journey. yay! ;)
first I have to note from the previous post on Amsterdam:
the way they barter at the flea markets is really hilarious.
shopper: "how much is this?"
owner: "CAN'T YOU SEE? it says RIGHT there. put it down! can't you see?"
pretty funny, no? ;)
okie. so we get back into London in the early morning, get through customs, then we're off to sightsee until we meet up with our next couchsurfers, Thom and Sean, around 5.30pm.
we visited the British Museum and ate fish and chips. first time for Andy, second time for me. I really like it, I think it's pretty delicious, but Andy thought it was too greasy. mmmmm. ;)
the British Museum was never quite my favorite. it's HUGE. so much history, it's almost overwhelming. but I think Andy had a really great time seeing everything. so it was still enjoyable.
around 5.30, we were at one of the tube stations, waiting to meet up with Thom and Sean. I was pretty excited. they seemed so friendly online, and I was really looking forward to meeting them. we waited for about 30 minutes inside the station, wondering if we were going to recognize them if we saw them. after waiting for a while, we decided to go outside to see if they were waiting for us outside. and we saw them almost immediately. ;) turns out, Sean had actually walked inside to look for us just a few minutes before and had completely missed us. oh well. so we finally met them! and they were as fantastic as we thought they would be.
Sean works for the government, I'm not sure how...but I believe if I remember correctly, he's worked for them for quite some time. and Thom works for a theatre, which I think is pretty rad.
they had a lovely little apartment in Tooting, filled with Lost, Battlestar Galatica, and random religious memorabilia.
Thom had made us a delicious pork goulash for dinner, and we even had tea before bed!
the next day, Andy and I set out for London again. he ended up playing a $56 poker tournament while I watched the movie, I love you, man. Andy ended up going out pretty early, but I think he was so excited to actually play live, that it all ended up being okie.
alright, well this is a pretty long post, especially after not posting in so long, we don't want to overwhelm you with too much at a time. ;)
I'll let Andy right about our next experience: Counting Crows concert. oh. man. A.mazing. ;)
I have found the writings! So I am here again to finish this long un-fulfilled journey. yay! ;)
first I have to note from the previous post on Amsterdam:
the way they barter at the flea markets is really hilarious.
shopper: "how much is this?"
owner: "CAN'T YOU SEE? it says RIGHT there. put it down! can't you see?"
pretty funny, no? ;)
okie. so we get back into London in the early morning, get through customs, then we're off to sightsee until we meet up with our next couchsurfers, Thom and Sean, around 5.30pm.
we visited the British Museum and ate fish and chips. first time for Andy, second time for me. I really like it, I think it's pretty delicious, but Andy thought it was too greasy. mmmmm. ;)
the British Museum was never quite my favorite. it's HUGE. so much history, it's almost overwhelming. but I think Andy had a really great time seeing everything. so it was still enjoyable.
around 5.30, we were at one of the tube stations, waiting to meet up with Thom and Sean. I was pretty excited. they seemed so friendly online, and I was really looking forward to meeting them. we waited for about 30 minutes inside the station, wondering if we were going to recognize them if we saw them. after waiting for a while, we decided to go outside to see if they were waiting for us outside. and we saw them almost immediately. ;) turns out, Sean had actually walked inside to look for us just a few minutes before and had completely missed us. oh well. so we finally met them! and they were as fantastic as we thought they would be.
Sean works for the government, I'm not sure how...but I believe if I remember correctly, he's worked for them for quite some time. and Thom works for a theatre, which I think is pretty rad.
they had a lovely little apartment in Tooting, filled with Lost, Battlestar Galatica, and random religious memorabilia.
Thom had made us a delicious pork goulash for dinner, and we even had tea before bed!
the next day, Andy and I set out for London again. he ended up playing a $56 poker tournament while I watched the movie, I love you, man. Andy ended up going out pretty early, but I think he was so excited to actually play live, that it all ended up being okie.
alright, well this is a pretty long post, especially after not posting in so long, we don't want to overwhelm you with too much at a time. ;)
I'll let Andy right about our next experience: Counting Crows concert. oh. man. A.mazing. ;)
Friday, May 14, 2010
we have returned! sorta....
Hello to anyone who might still read this blog, hoping that one day we'll remember it, and finish posting about this trip. ;)
Well, I lost my journal that I had while on the trip. I'm on a search to find it and once I do, I'll finish posting. Until then...we'll go with what I remember. ;)
We arrived back in London around 8 or 9am, and we weren't scheduled to meet up with Thom and Sean until that afternoon, so we had time to kill. and what we did, I don't remember, so this blog entry will be quite short until I find that journal.
I'll be looking.....
Well, I lost my journal that I had while on the trip. I'm on a search to find it and once I do, I'll finish posting. Until then...we'll go with what I remember. ;)
We arrived back in London around 8 or 9am, and we weren't scheduled to meet up with Thom and Sean until that afternoon, so we had time to kill. and what we did, I don't remember, so this blog entry will be quite short until I find that journal.
I'll be looking.....
Sunday, June 21, 2009
My fav amsterdam photos
here are a few. appropriate or not, this first one happened to have ended up as photo #420 on the camera.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Amsterdam
it's been a few weeks since an update, and Mary-Beth has been on my case to write for some time. I've been kinda busy but here I am.
we spent the night on the ferry. there was engine noise but really it was quite comfortable. sometime in the morning, (7am or something,) the captain came over the intercom to wake everyone up. 30 minutes from docking or something. so we got up, and departed, and went through customs. I got a stamp on my passport and Mary-Beth did not. she was quite upset, and it caused quite a bit of confusion later on when we went to leave the Netherlands. idk what the first guy was thinking, he just glanced at the passport and handed it back. oh well.
from there was jumped on a train to Rotterdam, and another from there to Amsterdam. I don't remember what time we arrived, sometime before noon though. at this point we had no map, just a vague idea of where our hostel was. also, it was quite cold. very windy. and my jacket's zipper was broken, so I froze. we walked around Amsterdam for some hours, exploring. there are so so so many canals in Amsterdam. quite pretty. as it turns out, our hostel, (took most the day to find, without a map and all,) was very close to the red light district. (read: right in the middle of it.) you know, drunken, high, full-of-ladies-of-the-night type debauchery? yeah, that area. quite nice really. not was wild as your mother wants you to believe. especially not in the day time. just some bored women waiting for work to start. not really that bad at night either. unless you're mormon or something.
we did eat well in Amsterdam, mostly different hamburgers and such from little street shops. some chocolate covered waffles. those are quite tasty. get yourself one. some day.
we went to sleep in our hostel, in our nicely themed Star Wars Room. woke up in the morning and walked the whole of Amsterdam. we went to the outskirts and walked the outer circle, slowing working our way in. we found a windmill. not many of those left IN the city. and we went to a bunch of different street markets, picked up a few things. Mary-Beth get an awesome new hat for her collection. I'll see if I can find a picture.
that night, around 10pm or something, we headed back to Rotterdam, and then the Port of Holland, and back on the ferry for more sleep. and then back to London to meet our next Couchsurfers, Thom and Sean. Mary-Beth will take that assignment.
we spent the night on the ferry. there was engine noise but really it was quite comfortable. sometime in the morning, (7am or something,) the captain came over the intercom to wake everyone up. 30 minutes from docking or something. so we got up, and departed, and went through customs. I got a stamp on my passport and Mary-Beth did not. she was quite upset, and it caused quite a bit of confusion later on when we went to leave the Netherlands. idk what the first guy was thinking, he just glanced at the passport and handed it back. oh well.
from there was jumped on a train to Rotterdam, and another from there to Amsterdam. I don't remember what time we arrived, sometime before noon though. at this point we had no map, just a vague idea of where our hostel was. also, it was quite cold. very windy. and my jacket's zipper was broken, so I froze. we walked around Amsterdam for some hours, exploring. there are so so so many canals in Amsterdam. quite pretty. as it turns out, our hostel, (took most the day to find, without a map and all,) was very close to the red light district. (read: right in the middle of it.) you know, drunken, high, full-of-ladies-of-the-night type debauchery? yeah, that area. quite nice really. not was wild as your mother wants you to believe. especially not in the day time. just some bored women waiting for work to start. not really that bad at night either. unless you're mormon or something.
we did eat well in Amsterdam, mostly different hamburgers and such from little street shops. some chocolate covered waffles. those are quite tasty. get yourself one. some day.
we went to sleep in our hostel, in our nicely themed Star Wars Room. woke up in the morning and walked the whole of Amsterdam. we went to the outskirts and walked the outer circle, slowing working our way in. we found a windmill. not many of those left IN the city. and we went to a bunch of different street markets, picked up a few things. Mary-Beth get an awesome new hat for her collection. I'll see if I can find a picture.
that night, around 10pm or something, we headed back to Rotterdam, and then the Port of Holland, and back on the ferry for more sleep. and then back to London to meet our next Couchsurfers, Thom and Sean. Mary-Beth will take that assignment.
Friday, May 22, 2009
after-blogging?
we are back home.
and now it comes to days upon days spent blogging about everything, every detail. no, not really.
hmmm. so. I am going to write about Bath, England today. we arrived there in the evening and checked into our hostel, the White Hart Inn/Pub. it was very nice and not to expensive, either. they had a nice garden...which we would call a...balcony or patio...with grass. :P
we were in a room with a double bed and one bunk, but we actually got the whole room to ourselves for the 2 nights we stayed, because noone else booked the room. that was very nice. ;)
the first night we were there, we didn't do much. we walked around for a little bit, saw an abbey, went to an internet cafe, then went to sleep quite early.
we had to get up very early the next day to catch the tour to Avebury and Stonehenge.
our tour guide's name was Gary and he was quite friendly and amusing.
first we went to Avebury, which is almost like Stonehenge, but there are ALOT more of these stones in a more spread out area. you can also go up to them and touch them and hug them. whereas at Stonehenge, the stones are roped off and you can only see them from afar.
there were alot of sheep at Avebury... and hence, alot of sheep poo. that was fun.
then we drove some more. went to a pub for lunch in Lacock. ate some food called cottage pie. which is pretty much just meat, pastry, mashed potatoes and gravy. it was delicious.
we also saw the abbey in Lacock. the courtyard there was where they had filmed quite a few scenes from the Harry Potter movies...that was really amazing to see.
we also walked around for a bit in...fields of garlic. garlic grew like everywhere all over there. it was crazy.
oh and then. it actually cost like $20 to get into the abbey to see it, but Andy and I found this one place where you could just walk right through and get to see it. of course, at the doors of the abbey, you had to show your ticket, but we didn't go in there...just walked around the grounds a bit...and saw the courtyard. but. when we told our tour guide, Gary, what we had done, he said, "well. you do know that illegal, don't you?" and we were like what? there were no signs, we didn't do anything wrong, we didn't jump any fences or such fun...but apparently. it's illegal regardless. just the thought of being able to see something without paying...that's terrible...
anyway, we got back to Bath that evening around 6pm. or 18:oo. sheesh. I hate how they do their time differently. took me lik 5 minutes to figure out what time it was every single time. lol. but that could just be me.
we did a load of much needed laundry, ate some delicious American bleu cheese burgers, then walked around the city of Bath a bit more. I think the next morning, we went to a park. and then saw this massive building that looked really cool as well. we thought about going to the Roman baths, which the city is known for, but it would have cost a pretty penny. so we did not.
I forgot to mention above our trip to Nottingham. we went from London to Nottingham, saw Andy's friend, met Robin Hood, then we went to Nottingham to Bath...
so leaving Bath...we took the train to London and the train and a bus from London to the port. which is where we took a ferry to Holland. we got there insanely early and had to wait about 6 hours before we boarded. we hadn't gotten tickets yet, so we wanted to be sure to get there early and for sure have a way to get to Holland. so after we purchased our tickets, we used the internet, ate, played a game or two, and then I tried to sleep (there's a picture of me sleeping somewhere on here-not very attractive at all, but Andy insisted).
there were so many Asians in that port waiting with us. it was kinda weird. they were all listening and watching people sing hymns on tv. kinda like a church service. that was weird.
and then we hopped on the ferry and had an amazing trip to Holland...where we took a few hour long trains to get to Amsterdam. but Andy gets to tell you about that. ;)
and now it comes to days upon days spent blogging about everything, every detail. no, not really.
hmmm. so. I am going to write about Bath, England today. we arrived there in the evening and checked into our hostel, the White Hart Inn/Pub. it was very nice and not to expensive, either. they had a nice garden...which we would call a...balcony or patio...with grass. :P
we were in a room with a double bed and one bunk, but we actually got the whole room to ourselves for the 2 nights we stayed, because noone else booked the room. that was very nice. ;)
the first night we were there, we didn't do much. we walked around for a little bit, saw an abbey, went to an internet cafe, then went to sleep quite early.
we had to get up very early the next day to catch the tour to Avebury and Stonehenge.
our tour guide's name was Gary and he was quite friendly and amusing.
first we went to Avebury, which is almost like Stonehenge, but there are ALOT more of these stones in a more spread out area. you can also go up to them and touch them and hug them. whereas at Stonehenge, the stones are roped off and you can only see them from afar.
there were alot of sheep at Avebury... and hence, alot of sheep poo. that was fun.
then we drove some more. went to a pub for lunch in Lacock. ate some food called cottage pie. which is pretty much just meat, pastry, mashed potatoes and gravy. it was delicious.
we also saw the abbey in Lacock. the courtyard there was where they had filmed quite a few scenes from the Harry Potter movies...that was really amazing to see.
we also walked around for a bit in...fields of garlic. garlic grew like everywhere all over there. it was crazy.
oh and then. it actually cost like $20 to get into the abbey to see it, but Andy and I found this one place where you could just walk right through and get to see it. of course, at the doors of the abbey, you had to show your ticket, but we didn't go in there...just walked around the grounds a bit...and saw the courtyard. but. when we told our tour guide, Gary, what we had done, he said, "well. you do know that illegal, don't you?" and we were like what? there were no signs, we didn't do anything wrong, we didn't jump any fences or such fun...but apparently. it's illegal regardless. just the thought of being able to see something without paying...that's terrible...
anyway, we got back to Bath that evening around 6pm. or 18:oo. sheesh. I hate how they do their time differently. took me lik 5 minutes to figure out what time it was every single time. lol. but that could just be me.
we did a load of much needed laundry, ate some delicious American bleu cheese burgers, then walked around the city of Bath a bit more. I think the next morning, we went to a park. and then saw this massive building that looked really cool as well. we thought about going to the Roman baths, which the city is known for, but it would have cost a pretty penny. so we did not.
I forgot to mention above our trip to Nottingham. we went from London to Nottingham, saw Andy's friend, met Robin Hood, then we went to Nottingham to Bath...
so leaving Bath...we took the train to London and the train and a bus from London to the port. which is where we took a ferry to Holland. we got there insanely early and had to wait about 6 hours before we boarded. we hadn't gotten tickets yet, so we wanted to be sure to get there early and for sure have a way to get to Holland. so after we purchased our tickets, we used the internet, ate, played a game or two, and then I tried to sleep (there's a picture of me sleeping somewhere on here-not very attractive at all, but Andy insisted).
there were so many Asians in that port waiting with us. it was kinda weird. they were all listening and watching people sing hymns on tv. kinda like a church service. that was weird.
and then we hopped on the ferry and had an amazing trip to Holland...where we took a few hour long trains to get to Amsterdam. but Andy gets to tell you about that. ;)
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
one photo
I'm back in Texas, will be blogging soon. right now I want to sleep, as I'm still on London time. first though, you get one picture. the first picture of Stonehenge.
taken at the grounds of Stonehenge. an artist's re-imagining if you like. ;)
taken at the grounds of Stonehenge. an artist's re-imagining if you like. ;)
Friday, May 15, 2009
...
I know we're being horrible bloggers, not writing about adventures and such. I've got things to write about, just little time to write them. I'll get caught up when I get home, which I know is less exciting, but it'll have to do.
MB and I went and saw the Counting Crows in concert last night. amazing show, really really enjoyed it. we're currently staying with couchsurfers, Thom and Sean, who are so so awesome. we only have a few days left, and then we're heading home, to get caught up on sleep, on writing, and to get back to work. we have plenty more pictures and such, just nowhere to upload them. probably won't have time to blog again before we get home monday, so after that we'll write up some of what we did. later chaps.
MB and I went and saw the Counting Crows in concert last night. amazing show, really really enjoyed it. we're currently staying with couchsurfers, Thom and Sean, who are so so awesome. we only have a few days left, and then we're heading home, to get caught up on sleep, on writing, and to get back to work. we have plenty more pictures and such, just nowhere to upload them. probably won't have time to blog again before we get home monday, so after that we'll write up some of what we did. later chaps.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
from the other half...
quick quick update. yay!
check the flickr for pictures! yay!
there's a link on the right side of the screen. yay!
hmmm. that was all actually dictated to me by andrew. now...we arrived back in london this morning. Holland was pretty amazing. had alot of fun there. the weather was gorgeous...and. I don't think I've ever seen so many bicycles in my life. lol.
I got really sick on the ferry last night. that was loads of fun. but andy took good care of me.
I think we're off to the British Museum today. then to meet our second set of couchsurfers, thom and sean. ;) pretty excited about meeting them.
will try to blog again soon.
for now.
check the flickr for pictures! yay!
there's a link on the right side of the screen. yay!
hmmm. that was all actually dictated to me by andrew. now...we arrived back in london this morning. Holland was pretty amazing. had alot of fun there. the weather was gorgeous...and. I don't think I've ever seen so many bicycles in my life. lol.
I got really sick on the ferry last night. that was loads of fun. but andy took good care of me.
I think we're off to the British Museum today. then to meet our second set of couchsurfers, thom and sean. ;) pretty excited about meeting them.
will try to blog again soon.
for now.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
no title..that I can think of..
quick note, don't have much time. been traveling quite a bit, haven't stopped long in one place. my phone, which I was hoping to use to get online and blog won't charge, so not sure what that's about. only time we have to blog or email is paying for internet at internet cafes. right now we're at the Harwich International Port, having arrived a few minutes ago from Bath, England where we spent 2 nights. we showed up here on the bus, not knowing if they'd let us go anywhere. after much debate over whether or not they "have any room left" on a boat the size of a small city, they decided they could sell us a ticket. we're booked to leave in a few hours on an overnight ferry to Holland. there we'll try and find our way to Amsterdam for a couple of nights, and then back to the coast to ferry back here. then back to london for a few days, and then home. currently we don't know anything about where we're going. I know we're going to a port on the coast, we'll have to find our way to amsterdam by train or bus, and then find our hostel. then retrace our steps back. not sure if we'll have time get on the internet at all. hope to write more in a few days.
oh, and I'm hoping to get some pictures online soon. we'll see.
Andy
oh, and I'm hoping to get some pictures online soon. we'll see.
Andy
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Gap the Mind
First blog post from London. what to say, what to say... I don't really know if I have the energy to write a post..but I've been asked for an update, and so I will oblige. I think I can manage a brief rundown of the 3 days so far and perhaps a few pictures...
Mary-Beth and I flew out of houston at 4pm on Sunday. that went ok, although neither of us had slept much in 2 days. we had a 9 hour flight to get to London, upon which we tried to sleep, (no luck,) and watched a few movies. I watched Bedtime Stories with adam sandler, and thought it was a delight. oh and Valkyrie. wow. good movie. surprised I liked it but I did. very enjoyable.
we arrived in London at 8am on monday. London time. in other words, early. we found our hotel, left our luggage there, but obviously we couldn't check in at 8am. so we explored a bit, went to find Platform 9and3/4s from Harry Potter. idk why, just cause I felt like rubbing it in sarah's face that I'd been there...:P
then we went to a lovely place called Covent Garden, which was an outdoor mall/flea market/preformance square. and we walked around and watched ppl. it was fun, even though we were absolutely exhausted. we were falling asleep every time we sat down. eventually we went a took a wee nap in Hyde park, but it was quite cold, so we went back to our hotel. they let us check in early, so we went to our room, and fell straight asleep. and really didn't get up untill 8am the next morning. occasionally we'd be up for a bit, but there wasn't much to do besides watch british telly, which is rubbish, so we slept mostly.
tuesday morning we got up, and explored London more, hit some of the big tourist spots, Big Ben and so on. we were both still tired though, on the wrong time schedule, we hadn't yet met or heard from the person we were supposed to stay with, and we were a bit grouchy. I personally was feeling that London was a fairly unfriendly town, as we'd yet to talk to a single person. of course, I'm sure some of that was in us, not the fine people of London. so, we went and met Maria, our host for a few nights. she's from Greece, though she's lived in London for a few years now. she was very nice. awesome in fact. I can give more details later, but she took us to dinner for amazing jamaican food, and then to a pub to talk. it was a blast. today, we are back on the town, just visiting various sites we wanted to see. in a few days we plan to leave London, and see a few other places in England. I'll try and find time to write more later.
ps. feel free to email, we do check when we get a chance. laters
Mary-Beth and I flew out of houston at 4pm on Sunday. that went ok, although neither of us had slept much in 2 days. we had a 9 hour flight to get to London, upon which we tried to sleep, (no luck,) and watched a few movies. I watched Bedtime Stories with adam sandler, and thought it was a delight. oh and Valkyrie. wow. good movie. surprised I liked it but I did. very enjoyable.
we arrived in London at 8am on monday. London time. in other words, early. we found our hotel, left our luggage there, but obviously we couldn't check in at 8am. so we explored a bit, went to find Platform 9and3/4s from Harry Potter. idk why, just cause I felt like rubbing it in sarah's face that I'd been there...:P
then we went to a lovely place called Covent Garden, which was an outdoor mall/flea market/preformance square. and we walked around and watched ppl. it was fun, even though we were absolutely exhausted. we were falling asleep every time we sat down. eventually we went a took a wee nap in Hyde park, but it was quite cold, so we went back to our hotel. they let us check in early, so we went to our room, and fell straight asleep. and really didn't get up untill 8am the next morning. occasionally we'd be up for a bit, but there wasn't much to do besides watch british telly, which is rubbish, so we slept mostly.
tuesday morning we got up, and explored London more, hit some of the big tourist spots, Big Ben and so on. we were both still tired though, on the wrong time schedule, we hadn't yet met or heard from the person we were supposed to stay with, and we were a bit grouchy. I personally was feeling that London was a fairly unfriendly town, as we'd yet to talk to a single person. of course, I'm sure some of that was in us, not the fine people of London. so, we went and met Maria, our host for a few nights. she's from Greece, though she's lived in London for a few years now. she was very nice. awesome in fact. I can give more details later, but she took us to dinner for amazing jamaican food, and then to a pub to talk. it was a blast. today, we are back on the town, just visiting various sites we wanted to see. in a few days we plan to leave London, and see a few other places in England. I'll try and find time to write more later.
ps. feel free to email, we do check when we get a chance. laters
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
On the road again...
For you that don't know. I moved to California. And am now in Canada for a bit.
Let us recap for a moment... 'us' meaning me. Hmm.. the TV just flashed a strange white light at me. what does this mean? i dont know. moving on...
Got up around 0430 monday. Headed to the airport via Sbux. Realized at the metal detectors that I had retardly packed all my toiletries in my carryon. Why are they called toiletries? My toothpaste has nothing to do with the toilet!
Anyway. So I lost my shaving cream, hair gel, and toothpaste.
But I got to keep my razor.
Hmmmm. Strange rules, these. oh well.
Flight was nice. 1.75 hours. not bad. The lady doing the annoucements inflight was hilarious! I dont think most ppl were paying attention but it was quite funny. Harbuck kind of humor.
I like early morning flights. They're on time. My luggage was already at the baggage claim by the time I got there. sweeeet. I then grabbed a taxi to the Ferry Terminal. I was really hoping for a taxi driver that wasn't middle eastern just so I could say I met one that wasn't. Alas, no luck there.
Made it to the ferry on time. Which was good cuz if i missed it i would have never made it to the final ferry for canada. They even had wireless onboard.
Ferry took about an hour. Then I went looking for the bus. No bus but there were a bunch of people standing around looking bored, so I joined them. Yay, a bus came. Glory be.
Bus #1. not much to tell. At least the driver annouced the stops so I sorta knew were I was... when I could understand him, that is. rode for about 30 min. jumped off. immediately got on next bus.
Bus #2. took about an hour. this driver did not announce ANY stops. So i had no idea where I was. but as it turns out the lady in front of me was going the same place I was... and asked the driver about it. So I found out.
Bus #3. This bus stop was in the middle of nowhere. well not nowhere.. just the middle of backcountry redneckville. I was afraid for my life.
Bus #4. Ah, good times. The man across from me had just gotten out of jail a few minutes before. For beating a man. At this point I was even more afraid for my life. Him and the fellow next to him had a lengthy conversations about their run-ins with the law, time served, and such pleasantries. I attempted to avoid direct eye contact just for good measure. meanwhile, this bus driver also did not announce stops. But luckily the good Lord saw fit to grace me with a keen eye, and I happened to notice the small sign for the black ball ferry line.
Getting on the ferry was quite simple. Guy barely looked at my passport.
I forgot to mention earlier that I was 2 seals in the lake from a bridge we went over earlier. I think thats the first time I'd ever saw a seal. Unless Andy and I saw one on our east coast trip and I've forgotten it.
Anyway. Ferry took about an hour and a half. Now rememeber, that I'm carring a laptop bag, a backpack, and a heavy duffle bag. So anywhere I go, I have to carry all these around. Even the bathroom. I cant set them down and go look around the ferry. I have to lug them around with me. By the end of the day I was quite fatigued. mostly my shoulders. took about 90 minutes to get to Victoria.
Customs.
good times.
Sooo, I showed my passport. answered the man's questions. why i was here, where i was going and such. Of course I can't tell him I'm coming to work. Then he asks how I know the guy im going to see. Which of course I've never even met the guy and i dont know where he lives. So... i make up something. my brains going at the speed of light here trying to make up something that sounds plausible and halfway true if possible and also remember what i'm not suppose to tell him and try to anticipate what's coming next. He just nods and says ok. Hands me back my passport.
Whew. I'm through.
"Sir, you've been randomly selected by the computer for.... blah blah blah"
Translation: little interrogation room
"Randomly selected" my foot.
*le sigh* (to borrow from the master)
So, I get all my bags searched.. guy's asking me about all my stuff. I really should have prepared for something like this. But who cares. Im winging it.
And the questions just start coming rapid fire. about everything. Who I am. Where I come from. What my job is. Where I'm going. Why I'm going. Who Im going to see. I stupidly put down 21 days as my length of visit. Which is a long time to just visit, i guess. Then he asks me how I know the guy i'm going to see. Truthfully, I DON'T know the guy. never met him and only talked like twice on the phone. But of course I can't say that. So I sorta made up something. It was almost the truth... but not really. Close enough I think. And about halfway through my explanation I realize I told the other guy something totally different about how I knew the guy. Crap. Too late to change now. Let's hope they don't talk to each other. Then he starts asking me how much cash I brought. And how much I could get my hands on. What? why does he need to know how much cash I can get my hands on? I sorta made up something there too. I wasnt gonna tell him how much money i had. Then he starts asking about my credit cards.. debit cards.. blah blah.... meanwhile asking me about all the stuff in my bags.
but eventually I got out. I guess I wasn't suspicious enough.
Got out. Met Dave. Went to Red Robins for a burger. DELICIOUS. Left my bags and laptop in the back of his truck to see if anyone would take them. I actually remembered shortly after we went in. And I thought about for at least 10 minutes. And finally I decided not to go back out there. If all my stuff gets stolen.... well then maybe I'm not supposed to have it.
Yes I know its weird. But I was strangely ok with it.
No one stole anything. So I guess I'm supposed to have my stuff for awhile longer.
Drove around the city a bit. sorta took the scenic route to Dave's place. really nice place. tons of people out walking and biking. everywhere.
Got to the house. met the peeps. went to walmart. replaced my toiletries. and pickup up a webcam so i can talk to the folks back home. As using my cell phone up here is like 80cent/minute. Which is RETARDED.
Not much else. Worked today. I'm exhausted.
Canada's cool. I give it a thumbs up. May have to stay if US's economy crashes.
here's to new adventures.
Let us recap for a moment... 'us' meaning me. Hmm.. the TV just flashed a strange white light at me. what does this mean? i dont know. moving on...
Got up around 0430 monday. Headed to the airport via Sbux. Realized at the metal detectors that I had retardly packed all my toiletries in my carryon. Why are they called toiletries? My toothpaste has nothing to do with the toilet!
Anyway. So I lost my shaving cream, hair gel, and toothpaste.
But I got to keep my razor.
Hmmmm. Strange rules, these. oh well.
Flight was nice. 1.75 hours. not bad. The lady doing the annoucements inflight was hilarious! I dont think most ppl were paying attention but it was quite funny. Harbuck kind of humor.
I like early morning flights. They're on time. My luggage was already at the baggage claim by the time I got there. sweeeet. I then grabbed a taxi to the Ferry Terminal. I was really hoping for a taxi driver that wasn't middle eastern just so I could say I met one that wasn't. Alas, no luck there.
Made it to the ferry on time. Which was good cuz if i missed it i would have never made it to the final ferry for canada. They even had wireless onboard.
Ferry took about an hour. Then I went looking for the bus. No bus but there were a bunch of people standing around looking bored, so I joined them. Yay, a bus came. Glory be.
Bus #1. not much to tell. At least the driver annouced the stops so I sorta knew were I was... when I could understand him, that is. rode for about 30 min. jumped off. immediately got on next bus.
Bus #2. took about an hour. this driver did not announce ANY stops. So i had no idea where I was. but as it turns out the lady in front of me was going the same place I was... and asked the driver about it. So I found out.
Bus #3. This bus stop was in the middle of nowhere. well not nowhere.. just the middle of backcountry redneckville. I was afraid for my life.
Bus #4. Ah, good times. The man across from me had just gotten out of jail a few minutes before. For beating a man. At this point I was even more afraid for my life. Him and the fellow next to him had a lengthy conversations about their run-ins with the law, time served, and such pleasantries. I attempted to avoid direct eye contact just for good measure. meanwhile, this bus driver also did not announce stops. But luckily the good Lord saw fit to grace me with a keen eye, and I happened to notice the small sign for the black ball ferry line.
Getting on the ferry was quite simple. Guy barely looked at my passport.
I forgot to mention earlier that I was 2 seals in the lake from a bridge we went over earlier. I think thats the first time I'd ever saw a seal. Unless Andy and I saw one on our east coast trip and I've forgotten it.
Anyway. Ferry took about an hour and a half. Now rememeber, that I'm carring a laptop bag, a backpack, and a heavy duffle bag. So anywhere I go, I have to carry all these around. Even the bathroom. I cant set them down and go look around the ferry. I have to lug them around with me. By the end of the day I was quite fatigued. mostly my shoulders. took about 90 minutes to get to Victoria.
Customs.
good times.
Sooo, I showed my passport. answered the man's questions. why i was here, where i was going and such. Of course I can't tell him I'm coming to work. Then he asks how I know the guy im going to see. Which of course I've never even met the guy and i dont know where he lives. So... i make up something. my brains going at the speed of light here trying to make up something that sounds plausible and halfway true if possible and also remember what i'm not suppose to tell him and try to anticipate what's coming next. He just nods and says ok. Hands me back my passport.
Whew. I'm through.
"Sir, you've been randomly selected by the computer for.... blah blah blah"
Translation: little interrogation room
"Randomly selected" my foot.
*le sigh* (to borrow from the master)
So, I get all my bags searched.. guy's asking me about all my stuff. I really should have prepared for something like this. But who cares. Im winging it.
And the questions just start coming rapid fire. about everything. Who I am. Where I come from. What my job is. Where I'm going. Why I'm going. Who Im going to see. I stupidly put down 21 days as my length of visit. Which is a long time to just visit, i guess. Then he asks me how I know the guy i'm going to see. Truthfully, I DON'T know the guy. never met him and only talked like twice on the phone. But of course I can't say that. So I sorta made up something. It was almost the truth... but not really. Close enough I think. And about halfway through my explanation I realize I told the other guy something totally different about how I knew the guy. Crap. Too late to change now. Let's hope they don't talk to each other. Then he starts asking me how much cash I brought. And how much I could get my hands on. What? why does he need to know how much cash I can get my hands on? I sorta made up something there too. I wasnt gonna tell him how much money i had. Then he starts asking about my credit cards.. debit cards.. blah blah.... meanwhile asking me about all the stuff in my bags.
but eventually I got out. I guess I wasn't suspicious enough.
Got out. Met Dave. Went to Red Robins for a burger. DELICIOUS. Left my bags and laptop in the back of his truck to see if anyone would take them. I actually remembered shortly after we went in. And I thought about for at least 10 minutes. And finally I decided not to go back out there. If all my stuff gets stolen.... well then maybe I'm not supposed to have it.
Yes I know its weird. But I was strangely ok with it.
No one stole anything. So I guess I'm supposed to have my stuff for awhile longer.
Drove around the city a bit. sorta took the scenic route to Dave's place. really nice place. tons of people out walking and biking. everywhere.
Got to the house. met the peeps. went to walmart. replaced my toiletries. and pickup up a webcam so i can talk to the folks back home. As using my cell phone up here is like 80cent/minute. Which is RETARDED.
Not much else. Worked today. I'm exhausted.
Canada's cool. I give it a thumbs up. May have to stay if US's economy crashes.
here's to new adventures.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Street Rider
A few days ago, someone walked up to me on the street and asked me this question: "What's the sexiest mode of transportation?" I told him and I'll tell you. Scooter. I think I know a little bit about this. In march of this year, I moved back from Austin to Lufkin, and since that time, I've traveled almost exclusively by scooter. sure, every once in a while I borrow a car from Philip or Sam, and run downtown to go to the bank or something. However, it's rare. I work 5-6 days of the week, (still at Blockbuster, just a different store) and I get there and back riding a scooter. Check out me in action.
Try to tell me that's not sexy. actually, don't. if you don't think that scooter is sexy, just stop reading. never come back to this blog. I have logged your IP address, and if you ever come back here I will know. Not only will I know, I will tell other people, so everyone knows, and we will share a hearty laugh at your expense. so yeah... probably best if you didn't come back....
Back to the topic. scooting saves me quite a bit of time. I've walked to work, and scootered to work. scootering gets me there in anywhere from 1/2 to 1/3rd the time it takes to walk. it's quite fast, and that time adds up. I do get stopped on a fairly regular basis by "fans" who want to ask me questions about scootering. often they try to sell me a bicycle. It's my impression these people actually believe that I have never considered a bike before. While it's thoughtful of them to try and help, I have considered a bike. it's impractical for 2 reasons. #1. I don't have a convenient place to keep it at home. I could, in theory, carry it up the stairs every day, and through the apartment, and on to the balcony. however, that reeks of effort. I routinely sling my scooter on my back, and it will fit in the corner of the room and not bother anyone. Reason #2. I have no place to put a bike at work. there's no place to chain it outside, and I'd have to wheel it through the entire store to get it back to the storage room. Reason #3, the bonus reason, is that scootering is just so damn sexy. biking is just nerdy.
Now of course, scootering isn't for everyone. Indeed, it can be quite dangerous at times. in the past 2 weeks, I've had eggs thrown at me, water balloons hit me, run off the road by a car trying to hit me, and pulled over. by the cops. real cops. with uniforms and badges and everything. all of these events happened on the way home from work, scooting at 12:30 am, in the middle of the night. so maybe it's understandable. none of them bothered me too much. the getting pulled over actually amused me quite a bit. the cops were fairly friendly, just stopped the car, and when I went by, got out and asked me to come over. I was worried for a minute, as I'm slightly unsure of which roads I can legally scoot on. Fortunately, this wasn't why they were pulling me over. they said "we see you around this time of night a lot, and we just wanted to make sure you don't have any murder warrants out." I swear, that is an exact quote the senior of the two officers made. murder warrant. as I said, the whole episode was quite amusing to me.
Anyway, I'll leave you with that. if anyone is up to the challenge, borrow some kids scooter and scoot around for the day. let me know how it goes.
When I was looking for a blog title, I googled "street rider", and came across this picture. it's perfect. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohcaptain/2138758011/
Try to tell me that's not sexy. actually, don't. if you don't think that scooter is sexy, just stop reading. never come back to this blog. I have logged your IP address, and if you ever come back here I will know. Not only will I know, I will tell other people, so everyone knows, and we will share a hearty laugh at your expense. so yeah... probably best if you didn't come back....
Back to the topic. scooting saves me quite a bit of time. I've walked to work, and scootered to work. scootering gets me there in anywhere from 1/2 to 1/3rd the time it takes to walk. it's quite fast, and that time adds up. I do get stopped on a fairly regular basis by "fans" who want to ask me questions about scootering. often they try to sell me a bicycle. It's my impression these people actually believe that I have never considered a bike before. While it's thoughtful of them to try and help, I have considered a bike. it's impractical for 2 reasons. #1. I don't have a convenient place to keep it at home. I could, in theory, carry it up the stairs every day, and through the apartment, and on to the balcony. however, that reeks of effort. I routinely sling my scooter on my back, and it will fit in the corner of the room and not bother anyone. Reason #2. I have no place to put a bike at work. there's no place to chain it outside, and I'd have to wheel it through the entire store to get it back to the storage room. Reason #3, the bonus reason, is that scootering is just so damn sexy. biking is just nerdy.
Now of course, scootering isn't for everyone. Indeed, it can be quite dangerous at times. in the past 2 weeks, I've had eggs thrown at me, water balloons hit me, run off the road by a car trying to hit me, and pulled over. by the cops. real cops. with uniforms and badges and everything. all of these events happened on the way home from work, scooting at 12:30 am, in the middle of the night. so maybe it's understandable. none of them bothered me too much. the getting pulled over actually amused me quite a bit. the cops were fairly friendly, just stopped the car, and when I went by, got out and asked me to come over. I was worried for a minute, as I'm slightly unsure of which roads I can legally scoot on. Fortunately, this wasn't why they were pulling me over. they said "we see you around this time of night a lot, and we just wanted to make sure you don't have any murder warrants out." I swear, that is an exact quote the senior of the two officers made. murder warrant. as I said, the whole episode was quite amusing to me.
Anyway, I'll leave you with that. if anyone is up to the challenge, borrow some kids scooter and scoot around for the day. let me know how it goes.
When I was looking for a blog title, I googled "street rider", and came across this picture. it's perfect. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohcaptain/2138758011/
Friday, June 20, 2008
WherethehellisMatt?
hey guys, I know I posted about this here, when it first happened, but I figured I'd do a recap. Here's Matt's new video, which I participated in when he stopped in Santa Monica, CA.
and afterwards, just Matt and I.
and afterwards, just Matt and I.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
final days
today was my last day at work. and tomorrow is my last day in austin. for a while anyway. here's a summary of my time here.
I arrived in Austin mid-November. Ben W, a friend of the family had offered to let me live with him in his apartment for a few months, and I have a very hard time turning down any place that doesn't charge me rent. :D
my place of residence was North Austin, on Hwy 183. I had/have no transportation.
I've worked at Blockbuster, specifically located at the intersection of 183 and Anderson Mill Rd. it was a great job. very relaxed, and pretty easy. I avoid having jobs because I find I have to spend part of my time at them, instead of out doing what I'd want. maybe you've noticed a similar effect in your job. or maybe it's just me.
this one paid well, and the store manager, Ed, was pretty laid back. the best part of all, it was less then a 5 minute walk from home. I can honestly say right now, if I come back to N Austin, I'll reapply for this job.
speaking of no transportation, I spent some time on the bus system here, and my opinion has slowly changed of it. as far as public transportation goes, I much prefer trains any day. everyone does. trains and subways. often cheaper, always faster, and many times more convenient then buses. Austin does have have a train line starting operations later in 2008, or early 2009, but I don't know if the one line would have been useful to me or not.
back to the bus system, when I first rode it I hated it. I rode it on a crowded weekend, and I wasn't quite sure of where I was going. this was complicated as the Austin bus system does not announce bus stops. (I'm not sure if bus systems usually do or not, my only experience with public transportation before now has always been trains, subways, trolleys and the like.) this proved to be a problem, as I had no idea where I was. with as crowded as the bus was, I couldn't ask the driver either. I ended up getting off the bus 1 stop too late, and walking back. obviously this first trip caused me to dislike taking the bus.
however, there are many cool things going on in Austin, and I wasn't going to give up. so back on the bus I went, this time with my stops written down, and the number of stops between them memorized. this trip went much better, and I now have no problem with the Austin bus system. it's a pretty good way to see the city, especially without a car. my only complaint is often the last bus is around 11, and with Austin, the things you want to do are never over by that time.
things I recommend about Austin:
Kerby Lane Cafe.
Kerby Lane has 4 locations around Austin, so it shouldn't be too hard to find one if you're passing through. it's a 24/7 cafe with pretty good food, and great prices. also it shows you an.... interesting side of Austin. the people working at Kerby Lane are most often pretty odd looking, whether it be the hats, tattoos, piercings, hair styles, clothes, or any number of other factors that are often... different on the staff there. plus they have a bar as well. for those that were wondering.
UT, 4-6pm, on a weekday.
take the bus or drive, and explore Austin. I've done it multiple times, and have usually had a good time. it's kinda fun to be on the UT campus in the evening when everyone gets out of classes.
Alamo Drafthouse Theater.
they have one or two of these in Houston, and maybe one in San Antonio as well, but of course they started in Austin. it's a theater, with tables, and waiters, and pretty good food, tho overpriced of course. even of you're not planning on eating, (not required,) I suggest going to one. I realize many cities have such theaters, but the Alamo Drafthouse has a pretty cool vibe going with it. the only theater I liked as much as the Alamos was the small theater in McMinnville, OR. that one had couches, and a pizza parlor in the lobby.
things I wish I could recommend:
the bats. Austin is well known for its bat population, which swarm out at dusk, and are apparently pretty incredible to see. somehow, I never got around to seeing them, though I am interested in doing it. next time for sure.
as far as my explorations of downtown went, here's how I saw it.
*North-East downtown: UT. the boring side. not much to see in the North-East part of downtown Austin. I walked it, and can't think of anything worth seeing there.
*North-West: the interesting side of UT. this side is the edge of campus, and has interesting bookstores, and shops, and housing projects, etc. right between the North-East and South-East parts of downtown there's a theater, on edge of campus, called the Dobie Theatre, in the Dobie Mall. it's obviously a campus theater, with very small room, holding maybe 50-75 people. if you think about theaters, that's pretty small. the screen is small as well. the tickets aren't cheaper then normal theater tickets, but the awesome part is the movies they show. usually mostly independent films, and fairly interesting ones. this is the theater where I saw "I'm not there" the movie about Bob Dylan. at the time I went, they were also showing "Into the Wild," and "Juno."
back on topic, South-West is an odd part of town, and I don't really have much to say one it. shops, places to eat. a mix.
*South-East: in the day time, this part of town is pretty dead. but at night, this is what everyone talks about. bars, clubs, restaurants, everything.
now that's what I saw downtown, but it's good to remember that many people love the south parts of Austin, and I never crossed the river. I saw downtown, and North Austin, that's all.
anyways, tomorrow I'm off to San Antonio for a few days, and then back home to Lufkin.
I arrived in Austin mid-November. Ben W, a friend of the family had offered to let me live with him in his apartment for a few months, and I have a very hard time turning down any place that doesn't charge me rent. :D
my place of residence was North Austin, on Hwy 183. I had/have no transportation.
I've worked at Blockbuster, specifically located at the intersection of 183 and Anderson Mill Rd. it was a great job. very relaxed, and pretty easy. I avoid having jobs because I find I have to spend part of my time at them, instead of out doing what I'd want. maybe you've noticed a similar effect in your job. or maybe it's just me.
this one paid well, and the store manager, Ed, was pretty laid back. the best part of all, it was less then a 5 minute walk from home. I can honestly say right now, if I come back to N Austin, I'll reapply for this job.
speaking of no transportation, I spent some time on the bus system here, and my opinion has slowly changed of it. as far as public transportation goes, I much prefer trains any day. everyone does. trains and subways. often cheaper, always faster, and many times more convenient then buses. Austin does have have a train line starting operations later in 2008, or early 2009, but I don't know if the one line would have been useful to me or not.
back to the bus system, when I first rode it I hated it. I rode it on a crowded weekend, and I wasn't quite sure of where I was going. this was complicated as the Austin bus system does not announce bus stops. (I'm not sure if bus systems usually do or not, my only experience with public transportation before now has always been trains, subways, trolleys and the like.) this proved to be a problem, as I had no idea where I was. with as crowded as the bus was, I couldn't ask the driver either. I ended up getting off the bus 1 stop too late, and walking back. obviously this first trip caused me to dislike taking the bus.
however, there are many cool things going on in Austin, and I wasn't going to give up. so back on the bus I went, this time with my stops written down, and the number of stops between them memorized. this trip went much better, and I now have no problem with the Austin bus system. it's a pretty good way to see the city, especially without a car. my only complaint is often the last bus is around 11, and with Austin, the things you want to do are never over by that time.
things I recommend about Austin:
Kerby Lane Cafe.
Kerby Lane has 4 locations around Austin, so it shouldn't be too hard to find one if you're passing through. it's a 24/7 cafe with pretty good food, and great prices. also it shows you an.... interesting side of Austin. the people working at Kerby Lane are most often pretty odd looking, whether it be the hats, tattoos, piercings, hair styles, clothes, or any number of other factors that are often... different on the staff there. plus they have a bar as well. for those that were wondering.
UT, 4-6pm, on a weekday.
take the bus or drive, and explore Austin. I've done it multiple times, and have usually had a good time. it's kinda fun to be on the UT campus in the evening when everyone gets out of classes.
Alamo Drafthouse Theater.
they have one or two of these in Houston, and maybe one in San Antonio as well, but of course they started in Austin. it's a theater, with tables, and waiters, and pretty good food, tho overpriced of course. even of you're not planning on eating, (not required,) I suggest going to one. I realize many cities have such theaters, but the Alamo Drafthouse has a pretty cool vibe going with it. the only theater I liked as much as the Alamos was the small theater in McMinnville, OR. that one had couches, and a pizza parlor in the lobby.
things I wish I could recommend:
the bats. Austin is well known for its bat population, which swarm out at dusk, and are apparently pretty incredible to see. somehow, I never got around to seeing them, though I am interested in doing it. next time for sure.
as far as my explorations of downtown went, here's how I saw it.
*North-East downtown: UT. the boring side. not much to see in the North-East part of downtown Austin. I walked it, and can't think of anything worth seeing there.
*North-West: the interesting side of UT. this side is the edge of campus, and has interesting bookstores, and shops, and housing projects, etc. right between the North-East and South-East parts of downtown there's a theater, on edge of campus, called the Dobie Theatre, in the Dobie Mall. it's obviously a campus theater, with very small room, holding maybe 50-75 people. if you think about theaters, that's pretty small. the screen is small as well. the tickets aren't cheaper then normal theater tickets, but the awesome part is the movies they show. usually mostly independent films, and fairly interesting ones. this is the theater where I saw "I'm not there" the movie about Bob Dylan. at the time I went, they were also showing "Into the Wild," and "Juno."
back on topic, South-West is an odd part of town, and I don't really have much to say one it. shops, places to eat. a mix.
*South-East: in the day time, this part of town is pretty dead. but at night, this is what everyone talks about. bars, clubs, restaurants, everything.
now that's what I saw downtown, but it's good to remember that many people love the south parts of Austin, and I never crossed the river. I saw downtown, and North Austin, that's all.
anyways, tomorrow I'm off to San Antonio for a few days, and then back home to Lufkin.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
shapshots
Friday, November 9, 2007
the end
So here I am...finishing the story of our roadtrip.
As Andy mentioned in our last post, we were heading out of Portland, stopped and saw Multnomah Falls, which was gorgeous. Then...we got pulled over. the maximum speed limit in Portland is 65mph. when you're driving an 8hr. trip to your next stop, you do not want to be going freakin' 65mph. so we didn't. and we got punished for it. The cop said Andy was going 81. she checked out his record and for some reason decided to just give him a warning...which was quite relieving. :) we slowed down after that...for a bit. :P
We had arranged to stay with a guy in SLC, Utah, that night but it turned out that we got into Utah really late...too late for him. So that night Andy drove until he was too tired, then we stopped around 4am and slept in the car. It was the only night we had to sleep in the car, thank God. besides being uncomfortable, it was FREEZING. I think I remember wearing a sweater, Andy's jacket, and a blanket, and I was still cold.
We woke up the next morning to the sunrise and started driving again. That day we drove all the way to Denver, CO. We stayed with my Uncle that night *there was snow on the ground! so exciting since it was the first time I'd really seen snow* and then drove all the way to Dallas the next day to stay with Andy's aunt. We stayed with Janet a couple of nights. She made us a wonderful breakfast the next morning and then took us to go see an art museum...which was AMAZING. :) I'll go to any modern art museum anywhere anytime, but the main reason Janet and Andy wanted to go was to see the Ron Mueck exhibition. It was awesome.
We walked around downtown Fort Worth for a bit that day and went and saw a really cool fountain (pics on flickr). After that, we went and saw Granny Craft, who also lives in FW. she lives in the cutest little house...perfect for just one person. we told her all about our travels, she showed us around the house, and also showed us all the sewing she had been doing lately. she was really sweet...I loved meeting her.
The next morning, we slept in again, and then drove the four hours or so it was to Lufkin. that day, driving was pretty crazy. we got lost quite a bit trying to get out of town and the other drivers were pretty crazy, too. We were really eager to get home and as it seemed like it was taking forever, we passed the time by singing in really high or low voices to the ipod. it was awesome fun.
We arrived in Lufkin and stayed there for a few days. played soccer, slept, ate actual food...:P then I took a bus home to San Antonio. I really hated buses after that trip. my bus was like 5 hours late and it was like a freezer in there. oh well. finally home.
I don't know if I forgot anything or not, so I'll let Andy fill you in on anything important I might have forgotten. :) goodbye.
As Andy mentioned in our last post, we were heading out of Portland, stopped and saw Multnomah Falls, which was gorgeous. Then...we got pulled over. the maximum speed limit in Portland is 65mph. when you're driving an 8hr. trip to your next stop, you do not want to be going freakin' 65mph. so we didn't. and we got punished for it. The cop said Andy was going 81. she checked out his record and for some reason decided to just give him a warning...which was quite relieving. :) we slowed down after that...for a bit. :P
We had arranged to stay with a guy in SLC, Utah, that night but it turned out that we got into Utah really late...too late for him. So that night Andy drove until he was too tired, then we stopped around 4am and slept in the car. It was the only night we had to sleep in the car, thank God. besides being uncomfortable, it was FREEZING. I think I remember wearing a sweater, Andy's jacket, and a blanket, and I was still cold.
We woke up the next morning to the sunrise and started driving again. That day we drove all the way to Denver, CO. We stayed with my Uncle that night *there was snow on the ground! so exciting since it was the first time I'd really seen snow* and then drove all the way to Dallas the next day to stay with Andy's aunt. We stayed with Janet a couple of nights. She made us a wonderful breakfast the next morning and then took us to go see an art museum...which was AMAZING. :) I'll go to any modern art museum anywhere anytime, but the main reason Janet and Andy wanted to go was to see the Ron Mueck exhibition. It was awesome.
We walked around downtown Fort Worth for a bit that day and went and saw a really cool fountain (pics on flickr). After that, we went and saw Granny Craft, who also lives in FW. she lives in the cutest little house...perfect for just one person. we told her all about our travels, she showed us around the house, and also showed us all the sewing she had been doing lately. she was really sweet...I loved meeting her.
The next morning, we slept in again, and then drove the four hours or so it was to Lufkin. that day, driving was pretty crazy. we got lost quite a bit trying to get out of town and the other drivers were pretty crazy, too. We were really eager to get home and as it seemed like it was taking forever, we passed the time by singing in really high or low voices to the ipod. it was awesome fun.
We arrived in Lufkin and stayed there for a few days. played soccer, slept, ate actual food...:P then I took a bus home to San Antonio. I really hated buses after that trip. my bus was like 5 hours late and it was like a freezer in there. oh well. finally home.
I don't know if I forgot anything or not, so I'll let Andy fill you in on anything important I might have forgotten. :) goodbye.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Portland and Couchsurfers
so, Mary-Beth wrote about McMinnville. be sure y'all check out the flickr for picture from there. it was my favorite stop on the whole trip. or at least in the top 2. I really enjoyed it.
next stop, Portland.
in Portland we stayed with people I knew from online. Ben, Jenni, and Taylor. they had a 3 bedroom house in North-East Portland, and were very hospitable. we got there thursday evening, after leaving McMinnville. not too long of a drive, which was good, as we left McMinnville around 4. we got to the house, only Taylor was home, he gave us the grand tour, and then Jenni and Ben arrived later. Jenni and Taylor are an awesome couple, and alot of fun to be around. Ben, on the other hand, is crazy. well, maybe not quite. crazyawesomefun maybe. Ben was our main host, he invited us, and gave us some direction on where to go in Portland. before I forget, that night we also met a friend of their's, Brian. he'd be around the whole weekend.
that night we didn't do too much, just ate some dinner with them, and went to sleep. the next day, friday, well.... hmm....I don't quite know. I get my days mixed up.
I think friday we stayed inside most the day. everyone ended up going to work, and we explored some of the area close by, but didn't go downtown or anything.
that night, or another night, who knows, we went to The Kennedy School, which is run by the same company that runs Hotel Oregon. they run quite a few hotels/bars/restaurants/ and they all look awesome. we were going out for fun, but mostly to celebrate Ben's birthday. the celebration lasted all weekend, and huge amounts of fun.
that night at dinner, we met a bunch of Ben's friends, all from the website CouchSurfing. pretty cool website, and pretty cool people. I don't remember all the names, but there are pics of them on our flickr. all very friendly people.
then, we went back home, more partaying.
next day, we went downtown, and visited the famous Powell's City of Books. you could easily get lost in there. pretty dang awesome. books everywhere. yay for books.
then, more partying that night. Ben had a bunch of people come over to make costumes for a party they were going too. so we watched them do that, and watched tv, and talked with Bryan.
then....on monday morning, we headed out, back to texas. (I know, I skipped a day. maybe. I don't remember if there was another day or not. and what we did on it.)
on our way out, we stopped by the cafe Ben runs. nice little place, quiet neighbor hood. the food was a tad too nice for my taste, I would have been fine with eggs and bacon, but instead we were treated to the most delicious crepes I've ever heard. now, I'll be the first to confess, I've never had a crepe before. but this was AMAZING. and best of all, when I say we were treated to them, we were. Ben wouldn't let me pay. yet another thing in a long list of why Ben was a great host.
after we got through with that, we headed east out of Portland, only to stop 30 minutes later, to see Multnomah Falls. very very cool. awesome pictures on flickr.
then, back on the road. only to get pulled over. more on that later. stay tuned.
next stop, Portland.
in Portland we stayed with people I knew from online. Ben, Jenni, and Taylor. they had a 3 bedroom house in North-East Portland, and were very hospitable. we got there thursday evening, after leaving McMinnville. not too long of a drive, which was good, as we left McMinnville around 4. we got to the house, only Taylor was home, he gave us the grand tour, and then Jenni and Ben arrived later. Jenni and Taylor are an awesome couple, and alot of fun to be around. Ben, on the other hand, is crazy. well, maybe not quite. crazyawesomefun maybe. Ben was our main host, he invited us, and gave us some direction on where to go in Portland. before I forget, that night we also met a friend of their's, Brian. he'd be around the whole weekend.
that night we didn't do too much, just ate some dinner with them, and went to sleep. the next day, friday, well.... hmm....I don't quite know. I get my days mixed up.
I think friday we stayed inside most the day. everyone ended up going to work, and we explored some of the area close by, but didn't go downtown or anything.
that night, or another night, who knows, we went to The Kennedy School, which is run by the same company that runs Hotel Oregon. they run quite a few hotels/bars/restaurants/ and they all look awesome. we were going out for fun, but mostly to celebrate Ben's birthday. the celebration lasted all weekend, and huge amounts of fun.
that night at dinner, we met a bunch of Ben's friends, all from the website CouchSurfing. pretty cool website, and pretty cool people. I don't remember all the names, but there are pics of them on our flickr. all very friendly people.
then, we went back home, more partaying.
next day, we went downtown, and visited the famous Powell's City of Books. you could easily get lost in there. pretty dang awesome. books everywhere. yay for books.
then, more partying that night. Ben had a bunch of people come over to make costumes for a party they were going too. so we watched them do that, and watched tv, and talked with Bryan.
then....on monday morning, we headed out, back to texas. (I know, I skipped a day. maybe. I don't remember if there was another day or not. and what we did on it.)
on our way out, we stopped by the cafe Ben runs. nice little place, quiet neighbor hood. the food was a tad too nice for my taste, I would have been fine with eggs and bacon, but instead we were treated to the most delicious crepes I've ever heard. now, I'll be the first to confess, I've never had a crepe before. but this was AMAZING. and best of all, when I say we were treated to them, we were. Ben wouldn't let me pay. yet another thing in a long list of why Ben was a great host.
after we got through with that, we headed east out of Portland, only to stop 30 minutes later, to see Multnomah Falls. very very cool. awesome pictures on flickr.
then, back on the road. only to get pulled over. more on that later. stay tuned.
Friday, October 26, 2007
McMinnville
McMinnville.
we arrived in McMinnville Wednesday night. pretty small town about an hour outside of Portland. when Andy called to make our reservation at the hotel earlier that day, the lady said that there should be someone to check us in at the desk, but if there wasn't, then we could check in at the pub next door. thought that was pretty weird...until we got there. the hotel was called Hotel Oregon and was very unique. it's not only a hotel, but a restaurant and pub as well. so that explains the weird check-in places. most of the inside, the doors and some of the walls, where all made of heavy wood and some were decorated with writing on the wall. all the writing told stories about wine or famous people in the town, etc, etc.
so we checked in and our room was awesome. we got the room pretty cheap because...it wasn't actually a hotel room. it was more like a hostel in that the bathroom was not inside our room. we had to walk down the hall to use the bathroom. although we did have a sink in our room...which was handy. all of the rooms were named after people and on the walls inside the room was the stories of the people. our room was named Chef Wayne if I remember correctly and inside on the wall it told the story of how he progressed from a singer/entertainer in the hotel to the chef.
that night Andy wanted to see a movie...had been wanting to see Transformers for a while. so we asked if it was playing in any of the theaters in town...and it was. a theater right across the street from the hotel. so we grabbed our jackets and ran over there. the theater was actually *inside a pizzeria. there were tables in front of the chairs in the theater and there were several huge couches, too. so Andy and I got delicious pizza and then sat on the comfy couch in the back and ate. it was so awesome...I'd never seen a theater like that before and I loved it. I wish all theaters were like it.
the next morning, Andy had to get up early and take the car to the shop. thankfully it wasn't too far away because he had to walk back. on the way back, he picked up breakfast at a cafe and brought me breakfast in bed. :) then we explored the town. there were several things going on that day. there was a farmer's market in the middle of town...and homecoming later that day. we walked around the market and got samples of almost everything...it was pretty good. hey, we couldn't be picky. we were broke. :P we also spent a good bit of time in a bookstore and an antique store. oh and we went to an amazing toy store. Andy bought a toy. its basically a propeller on a stick, and when you spin it in between your hands it flies up into the air. I'd never played with one before but it was so much fun. we went into an empty parking lot and had a blast trying to catch it after we spun it up. here's what it looks like:
and again we come back to how awesome the hotel was. even though we had checked out at 11am, we could still go in and do pretty much what we wanted. so we went to the second floor to the balcony there. that's where we watched the homecoming parade. another cool thing was that there were electric outlets there...so we could plug in our computers and get online.
the parade was cool...very small town so not very big but it was fun to watch. and I got this one kid riding by to throw candy up to me. I think he was the only one who saw me. he made one piece of candy up to where I was. the rest fell on the ground. not to worry though, Andy got them later. :P
the trees in McMinnville *and really in Oregon everywhere* were amazing. the most brilliant fall colors I have ever seen. almost every other tree in the town was a bright red, or orange, or a really bright green, or a mixture of them all. it was gorgeous.
later at around 4pm the shop called us and told us the car was ready. so we walked there and picked it up. fairly long walk which only seemed longer because we had alot of our stuff with us, but it was okie. we hopped in the car and headed towards our next stop, Portland.
we arrived in McMinnville Wednesday night. pretty small town about an hour outside of Portland. when Andy called to make our reservation at the hotel earlier that day, the lady said that there should be someone to check us in at the desk, but if there wasn't, then we could check in at the pub next door. thought that was pretty weird...until we got there. the hotel was called Hotel Oregon and was very unique. it's not only a hotel, but a restaurant and pub as well. so that explains the weird check-in places. most of the inside, the doors and some of the walls, where all made of heavy wood and some were decorated with writing on the wall. all the writing told stories about wine or famous people in the town, etc, etc.
so we checked in and our room was awesome. we got the room pretty cheap because...it wasn't actually a hotel room. it was more like a hostel in that the bathroom was not inside our room. we had to walk down the hall to use the bathroom. although we did have a sink in our room...which was handy. all of the rooms were named after people and on the walls inside the room was the stories of the people. our room was named Chef Wayne if I remember correctly and inside on the wall it told the story of how he progressed from a singer/entertainer in the hotel to the chef.
that night Andy wanted to see a movie...had been wanting to see Transformers for a while. so we asked if it was playing in any of the theaters in town...and it was. a theater right across the street from the hotel. so we grabbed our jackets and ran over there. the theater was actually *inside a pizzeria. there were tables in front of the chairs in the theater and there were several huge couches, too. so Andy and I got delicious pizza and then sat on the comfy couch in the back and ate. it was so awesome...I'd never seen a theater like that before and I loved it. I wish all theaters were like it.
the next morning, Andy had to get up early and take the car to the shop. thankfully it wasn't too far away because he had to walk back. on the way back, he picked up breakfast at a cafe and brought me breakfast in bed. :) then we explored the town. there were several things going on that day. there was a farmer's market in the middle of town...and homecoming later that day. we walked around the market and got samples of almost everything...it was pretty good. hey, we couldn't be picky. we were broke. :P we also spent a good bit of time in a bookstore and an antique store. oh and we went to an amazing toy store. Andy bought a toy. its basically a propeller on a stick, and when you spin it in between your hands it flies up into the air. I'd never played with one before but it was so much fun. we went into an empty parking lot and had a blast trying to catch it after we spun it up. here's what it looks like:
and again we come back to how awesome the hotel was. even though we had checked out at 11am, we could still go in and do pretty much what we wanted. so we went to the second floor to the balcony there. that's where we watched the homecoming parade. another cool thing was that there were electric outlets there...so we could plug in our computers and get online.
the parade was cool...very small town so not very big but it was fun to watch. and I got this one kid riding by to throw candy up to me. I think he was the only one who saw me. he made one piece of candy up to where I was. the rest fell on the ground. not to worry though, Andy got them later. :P
the trees in McMinnville *and really in Oregon everywhere* were amazing. the most brilliant fall colors I have ever seen. almost every other tree in the town was a bright red, or orange, or a really bright green, or a mixture of them all. it was gorgeous.
later at around 4pm the shop called us and told us the car was ready. so we walked there and picked it up. fairly long walk which only seemed longer because we had alot of our stuff with us, but it was okie. we hopped in the car and headed towards our next stop, Portland.
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