Tripometer: 3020.0
I am home.
Long, very productive trip. It was great. Very glad to be able to have the experience to go and discern many things. I am grateful to all the people who gave me housing (Terry, Tracy, Gary, Gayle, Susan, Ralph, Erik, Cat, Lynn, Judy) and food (David, Shirley) – grateful that I could stay in houses and not in hotels. It made my entire trip very pleasant.
Some last reflections on Random driving stuff:
So – I was really lucky to catch as much “color” as I did. The trees in Michigan were beautiful. Ohio was good, Pennsylvania was good and most of New York. New England had more leaves than I or my guests ever expected.
Exits are also a fun thing to watch. In most states, exits are numbered by miles, west to east. (Exit #34 is 34 miles from the western state line.) A few states used to just have each of the exits numbered – 1, 2, 3…even if exit 3 was 25 miles from the state line. It made it very hard to know where you were or how close to the desired exit. (Do we stop for the lunch break or do we only have 30 more miles to go?) Pennsylvania has changed their exit system, I was happy to see (since this is the one I was most familiar, and frustrated, with). Maine, it seems, also used to have that numbering. New York, New Hampshire, and Vermont STILL have that numbering. It will be interesting to see how long that lasts…
The other hard thing while driving is dealing with the towns who decide to only put the cross street name on the street signs. Like, if I’m driving down Main Street, the signs won’t list it – they will only list the intersecting streets (Maple, Oak, Elm). Now, if you live there, this makes total sense – why waste money on signs when you already know what street you’re on? Well, the problem comes for visitors – I don’t necessarily know which street I’m on. I think that I have it right, but might be wrong, and could check it out if you would only tell me what street I’m on!
Oh, the joys and trials of travel. Off to get ready for convention!
Tripometer: 2034.5
Hanover was fun. Got to hang out a bit and relax and read and catch up on email. Attended St. Thomas Sunday morning and The Edge Sunday night.
Then, visited with some friends in the Concord area that I hadn’t seen in 20 years. I didn’t realize how long it had been until we talked about it. Christmas letters and news through my mom helped me keep up on their lives.
Then, picked up Si from college and we went to the Ben and Jerry’s factory (great ice cream) and the Cold Hollow Cider Mill (great cider and donuts and pumpkin butter…) and tried to get up Mt. Mansfield (closed). Just dropped Si back at college and I’m headed to Ohio…
Tripometer: 1653.0
About 5 hours of driving today –through Maine on Route 5 and then to New Hampshire – went the long way between two points – and it took about 5 hours.
But it was a gorgeous drive, as everyone said that it would be. Through the mountains. My favorite part was getting to drive for a really long time – miles and miles – without a house or a building and very few other people. Now, of course, the drawback was actually driving it and not taking the time to, say, walk the whole thing. So, I know I lose some “green” points for that. But really, it was very nice. Maine is great – a few little towns scattered along. New Hampshire has Mount Washington that is now closed due to 6 feet of snow this last week. But I drove by and took pictures and drove down the Kangamagus Highway. I also stopped Christ Church, North Conway. (I’d link to it – but they don’t seem to have a web site…)
I’m now in Hanover visiting Erik (who also doesn’t have a web site) at Dartmouth.
Tripometer: 1408.4
I’m staying with Hope’s aunt and uncle. They have been wonderfully hospitable. I’m working on exploring some of the various areas – some because they’re pretty and a couple because they’re looking for a priest.
Wednesday: Saco and Trinity and some ocean areas along Route 9. Very nice. Ocean. I love the ocean.
Thursday: Diocese of Maine (thanks to Shirley for lunch!), poking around the cathedral, stopped off at St. Alban’s, and then the Portland Head Light and Two Lights. Did I mention that I love the ocean?
Tripometer: 1269.2
13 hours of driving in one day. Got all the way to Maine! (traveled through PA, a whole lot of NY, MA, NH.) It was a long travel day. Not the first time I’ve driven that far in one day. I did another trip 3 years ago where I drove 4 consecutive days – 8 hours, 12 hours, 15 hours, 3 hours. It got me to see several friends and make it to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
So, I drove. And drove. Took a nap 1/2 way through the day. It was all I needed to finish off the drive. If you’ve ever driven that far, you know that there’s just a mode that one gets into when driving. “I have to get there” is the mantra. Stop only as long as absolutely necessary.
Sleep last night was good. I’m now traveling around and taking a look at this place called Maine. Very pretty.
Tripometer: 527.2
Well – up late on Monday morning – made me late for the time to hang out with David in Toledo – especially after the silly road delays on I-75 South. It was crazy and nuts, but I got there and got to go to lunch.
Then, back in the car to head to Baldwin-Wallace College to see LeeAnne and then to Gayle’s. Tuesday is the big drive day – 12 hours to get to Maine. We’ll see if I find somewhere to post this or not…]
Tripometer: 331.2
I am not (make that "now") officially on vacation. Wow. Amazing. After 7 weeks of really long days (think: “every waking hour spent working”), I am off for 2 weeks. I am so excited. The board and students are supportive of my trip, but I have been surprised at the snarky responses that other people have had for me. Like, I’m not supposed to be going on vacation. Yes, I travel a lot. I know this. But I’ve found that I work really hard (too hard) when I’m in town, so then I have to leave to get a rest. So – I’ve left them behind to allow them to be jealous or whatever they are… I’m on vacation!
But, beyond that – I have left the state of Illinois and am now in Michigan. I drove in my rented car – which might have been a Cavalier, but decided that I should have cruise control for the long hours in the car, so I went back and upgraded to a Sebring. (I drove a Cavalier without cruise across the country once – I was not looking forward to doing it again – even if this trip is the shorter “across the country”.)
Thanks to Terry and Tracy and Gary for their hospitality. I had a day to get focused and relaxed and out of the “work” mode. Now, I’m in Dearborn doing a bunch of geek stuff – announcements will be made as soon as we figure it all out…
Looking at the front window of an “L” train is a lot like riding a really slow roller coaster. Sometimes, REALLY slow…
But I had never ridden at the front until this morning. It was pretty darn cool.
My cousin Tina, 3 kids, and I went to Cedar Point yesterday. It was awesome! I haven’t been there in years (like 20-ish). We had a great time. The best ride was the Dragster. I stood in line for this with all of them because Tina decided that she wanted to go. I wasn’t so sure – but my job was to follow and help all day – so I did it. Now, I like speed (if I believed in reincarnation, I would say that I was a race car driver in a past life) so, that part wasn’t scary – it was the heights. 420 feet straight up. I got on with some trepidation and did it. 25 seconds later, I was saying, “That was AMAZING!” A very fun ride. Of course, at 120 miles an hour, I could not wear my glasses. Not seeing probably helped!
The other fun ride that we found at the end of the night was the Wicked Twister. We did have a slight delay with technical difficulties, but it was well worth the wait (and we know that the safety systems are working!) I’ll definitely be going there more next time. (If there’s a next time in fewer than 20 years.)
Well, I have almost completed my yearly pilgrimage to Coeur d’Alene (and area). I visited with friends and went to Art on the Green and watched Madagascar with my God-daughter. Entertaining and cute, especially for a cheap theater show, but nothing to run out and watch immediately. Visited with friends at St. Luke’s and got to meet a bunch new people.
I haven’t had enough time here. It’s been the first time that I didn’t seem to get everything in that I wanted to. Too many people to see. Too much fun to have.
But I’ll head back tomorrow to the work and fun of Chicago. We’ll see how that goes. I figure that I’ll spend all of Tuesday opening mail.
Well, the wedding has occurred. It was a great event. Nan had everything picked out the way that she wanted and it was beautiful. People cried and laughed and had a great time. I am now totally exhausted. I have been trying to catch up on sleep but have been unsuccessful.
Next stop: Spokane, Washington and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Hopefully, I’ll be able to sleep there. AND – I’m going to see Nan and Shawn this next week. (In case they haven’t seen me enough in the last 2.5 weeks.) They are driving across the country for their honeymoon. Should be fun to do lunch or something.
Well, we made it to Bodega Bay, California. The houses are beautiful. Nice, open layouts. Great architecture. All in the area are made by the same person, but each is unique. A great use of angles and space. We’re right on the ocean and it’s beautiful. No one warned me, however, that it is never sunny here. I was hoping to go for some nice walks on the beach and get a little sun, but it’s overcast and cloudy every day. We can go one mile inland and it’s beautiful and sunny. But right on the water is gray and cloudy.
Tonight is the bachelorette party. We will be going to dinner and then to The Mint. Should be a fun adventure filled with musical theater (my sis’ favorite thing).
Well, back to the travel journal. I’ve started my one month travels across the country. I’ve started in Sacramento, California at a Peer Ministry training. I now have a great new program to take back and train peer ministers at Northwestern. It’s been an intense week of work and will be ready for a break.
My sister will pick me up today at noon. That means that I get to drive back and hang out with her for a couple of weeks. I’m way so excited about that. Get to read some fiction (good thing she works at Borders!) and will even get to hang out at the Harry Potter party on Friday. I hope she remembers what happened in the last book – because I don’t. Need to catch up before midnight on Saturday!
Well, I was off to Michigan again for a few days.
CONGRATS to Susie, Judith, Shannon, Joyce, and Lisa! Great ordinations in the Diocese of Michigan. I almost missed it – but that involves a really long story about keys… But, I made it and it was great!
I was able to supply at St. Anne’s in Walled Lake. Great parish. I pray that they continue to discern a great vision for themselves. I think that they’re doing something fabulous with mutual ministry and can really do some great work in that place.
Camp Kidwell is doing well! They have a lot of campers this year and keep expanding their programming. If you have a child aged 8-14 who wants to do a summer camp, just contact them!
Saw lots of people and ran around and fireworks in several different cities. Saw Nick at dress rehearsal for Once Upon a Mattress. Fun show – great voices (cast) and the set was amazing! Go Nick!
Back home now and getting ready to go away for a long time – conference, wedding, and vacation.
I traveled to New Orleans last weekend. Well, a little further than that. But it was a great trip. Very nice to go somewhere warm and eat REALLY GOOD food and see great people. I flew into New Orleans and saw Georgia (thanks to her for a place to sleep!). I ate crawfish and other great seafood. And of course beignets!
I went to see some IMAX movies. It has been too long. I saw “Volcanoes of the Deep Sea” which is actually the second time that I saw it. It made more sense the second time around, but really not so much. I was really unhappy with how poorly it was edited. It had great information but all in the wrong order. It was too bad. Interesting information but not in an understandable order. I also saw “Under the Sea in 3D” which is a good flick. Very nice to just sit and watch cool animals swim around.
I got to see Bill and Susan which was awesome and then over to see Annie. Great to catch up with all of them. It was just marvelous to get out of town and rest and see something else. Thanks to everyone who gave me housing.
Well, I leave tomorrow for New Orleans. I will not be taking my computer with me. So, you all have fun and I'll see you next week.
Thanks to Laura, I found out about The Book Thing the other night. A few new people from the conference and I went and saw it. Russell was nice enough to let us come in on volunteer night. We found some fun books. He made us stamp them with “This is a free book. Not for resale. The Book Thing. Baltimore, MD.” It was a great place! I am totally inspired. Anyone interested in starting a free books store with me?
A billboard downtown said: “A baby costs $385/month. How much is your allowance?”
Wow. That’s pretty darn crazy. Very interesting ad. Pretty daring.
So – Ryan says that I should just call this “Travel Journal and Movie Reviews” but I’m awfully attached to my “Rambling.” Anyway…
I traveled to Muskegon, Michigan yesterday to baptize Wes and Nic’s daughter. (See also “niece of Wendy” and “niece of Shane”)
After several train trips (‘L’ to Metra to Amtrak), which were all on time and running well, I made it to Kalamazoo to get a vehicle from my family.
It was a great celebration. I was so happy that I was part of the celebration. It was truly an honor to be there and to get to do the baptizing. How cool is that? My first baptism ever! The Godparents (see also “Sky’s father, mother, and sister”) were excited to be part of it and I’ve already deemed that Patty will be the “Fairy Godmother” and she beamed at the thought.
In typical Heather fashion, I also worked in a stop at Allegan High School to see Ellen (my interpreter was I was working in the deaf/hard of hearing room) and lunch with Mike before getting on a train (which was late) back to Chicago. (Dad Rich is concerned about how much I try to fit into one day, but all was good.) Thanks to Dad for all the driving me around and the use of the truck!
So, I have a disk with all my pictures from Korea, but never really posted any. Here are Mark’s from the trip. There are lots. But pretty quick to flip through if you do the album part…
Well, I have arrived at Estes Park, CO for the National Gathering of Episcopal College Students. It should be a fun week. Lots of me hanging out and being supportive to people. Admiring mountains, drinking hot chocolate. All good things!
The best part - 2 free hours and free wireless!
Ok. Well, there is some more stuff.
The whole time that I was there, I admired the mountains. Because I'm a scientist at heart, Heather helped me find the Geology of Korea.
You can also look at some pictures. I know, you have to sign up for the service, but they are very cool photos of the stuff that I talked about.
Eating:
Eating traditional Korean style means sitting on the floor. This is something that I never did well – even in first and second grade. But I’m all about eating and therefore can usually survive pretty well. There are usually grills of some sort in the middle of the table. If you order the right thing (kalbi) then you get coals put under the grill and your meat cooked right in front of you. Of course, the eating with chopsticks things has been mentioned. And I’m MUCH better now that I was 1.5 weeks ago! Motivation is a wonderful thing! I still have a bastardized way of holding them, but it works for me, so I use it. And the food is all very cheap here. Traditional Korean is the cheapest way to eat. To visit the other “ethnic” places – Outback Steakhouse, Pizza Hut, an Italian restaurant – means paying 3-4 times what you’re paying at a Korean place.
Bathrooms:
My first problem here is that there aren’t many. For a person who drinks a gallon of water a day, this is a problem. I’ve had to be very careful about timing the liquid intake. However, they are also kinder about it when I finally find one. Since only a couple (or fewer) of stores on each street actually have one, they are not snotty if you come in and don’t really care about buying anything. The most interesting piece is in the women’s stalls. Traditional Korean toilets don’t look like Western toilets. It’s really just about imagining stopping in the woods. However, because they have a porcelain basin, you actually have to have better aim.
Language Barrier:
Since the only other country that I’ve visited is England (read: countries not on the N American continent), there are some comparisons that naturally occur. The first is that when I came to Korea, I expected to not understand. So, when I do, I’m pleasantly surprised. When traveling in England, there were several times that someone would say something to me and I would be like, “What?” I had expected to understand, and sometimes did not. I’ve learned some Korean while being here, but definitely not enough to function independently.
Geology:
And Heather was good enough to find the site about geology. Thanks!
Monday: I went to lunch with the priest from Sunday. It was a nice drive to an outer area of the city. We ate lunch and then wandered around a National Park. It was a beautiful day to do it. The country is just so gorgeous. The park has streams and mountains.
HOME: okay, I’m home now. It was a long trip. Tuesday went on forever. Though, I did take off on Tuesday at 2:15 pm and landed Tuesday at 3:45 pm. So just 1.5 hours to get 1/2 way around the world!
I’m still working on getting cleaned up from the trip. A lot of stuff needs to be organized. Oh, well…I’ll work on that tomorrow.
Friday was a laid back day spent talking with Heather’s friends in town. It was all entertaining and nice to be a little relaxed.
Saturday was great. We traveled toward the center of the country to visit the Gosu caves. Once we got there, I realized that it has been a really long time since I’ve been to a cave – family vacation somewhere along the line. So, it’s beautiful and wonderful. It involved rocks and water – and for a geologist at heart – what else could you want??? The area driving there was also beautiful. The entire area is built up for tourists (not necessarily a good thing) but has some mountains to explore and a river to walk along (a good thing). We also walked up a really big hill (small mountain) to get to a pavilion overlooking the water and countryside. Then, we walked further up to see a natural bridge (the water has washed away the inside of the stone, so you can see through the middle). Some of the Koreans were brave enough to go up on top of the (what I considered thin) rock. I’m sure that the view was spectacular, but unprotected heights make me nervous. So, instead, I stayed on the path and just looked through the hole toward the water.
We drove home the back way and saw more stunning countryside. It’s just a great place to visit and drive around. I really like to explore places as I go. The earth is a great place to visit and I’m really not sure that I’ve been unhappy with many of the places that I visit.
On Sunday, I went to church. It’s the English speaking Anglicans in town. 6 of my new friends and I worshiped in a small chapel. The Korean Anglican congregation seems to be bigger. If I had been in town for another week, I would have visited them. But worship was nice and intimate. They use the 1979 BCP, so that was all familiar. The priest is a nice man (not a fabulous preacher) and I’ll have lunch with him Monday afternoon.
We then went shopping in the Daejeon markets again. I found a pair of sandals with reflexology points on them. We’ll see how much I can actually walk in them!
I can’t believe that I’m leaving here so soon. It’s been a great visit and I haven’t gotten done ½ of the stuff that I wanted to get done. My sister told me to only bring 2 books, and I didn’t listen to her. Oh, well. I have plenty to read on the plane ride home!
Sunday, we went up the Seoul Tower. Very nice view over the city, if a bit hazy. From there, we went to lunch (always an adventure) and then on to the Folk Museum. That was very cool. We were able to see some of the traditional houses and watched traditional dances. The folk dancing was my favorite. Beautiful outfits and careful choreography created a beautiful display of craft. A couple of the dances included fans, all with flowers and coordinating colors to dresses.
After that exciting afternoon, we got in the car and headed to Daejeon (where Heather and Chris live).
On Monday, we traveled from Daejeon to the West Sea (or Yellow Sea – depending on who you’re talking to). On the way, we stopped at a Temple called Muryangsa. There are Buddhist Temples all over the country and this was my first. Buildings and Temples scatter the hillside. The fall colors are at their peak, so much of the trip was spend admiring the colors – both at driving and walking speeds.
Water is fabulous! Definitely my favorite element. So, we spent some time looking at the water (in the rain) and watching some Korean teens play a game on the beach. Each player was holding a foot and they all bounced around and ran into each other. The exact rules are not clear to us, but we made some up for them anyway…very fun to watch.
Dinner was roast duck at a great restaurant on the way back to town. And I think that we all slept well after that.
Tuesday was a little more laid back. We traveled around Daejeon, went shopping at Carrefour (a French shopping center), and looked at the great variety of snacks available in Korea. They definitely like collecting other country’s snacks! No lack of American chocolate or candy selections here…
We ate lunch at the Korean fast food place called Lotteria. Crab sticks and shrimp burgers are on the menu. Not a bad way to spend lunch…but definitely different than the traditional Korean we had been doing.
Wednesday, Heather and I went to Origami class. The teacher was great. Very kind and giving. Then lunch and shopping at the downtown Daejeon market. It was a nice a relaxing time, which was the goal for the trip…
Thursday was busy again. This time, we went to the West Sea (or Sea of Japan). I’ve decided that I definitely need to start collecting bodies of water. I’m doing pretty well on getting them. A wonderful Korean American woman took us on a tour of the country. It takes about 4 hours to get all the way across to that side of the country. But I got to see the water and take some pictures and wander around in Sokch’o.
The big plan was lunch. We stopped at one place right on the water, looking for raw and cooked fish. The first place that we stopped was unlike anything I’ve seen before. A line of women with life fish in tanks stood along the aisle. If you choose their area, you purchased the fish and then sat at their tables behind them. They would cut it right there and serve it. (Not so much cooking, even…but they would have done a soup with the head.) While I’m all about some raw fish, I’m not sure that even I could have done a whole meal out of it. Some cooked was just fine with me. So, we left there and found another place. The trip to get there was the highlight of the day. We parked in the median of the road, across the wharf (channel?) from the line of restaurants. To get across the water, we took a ferry. This little ferry is connected by a cable from one side to the other. It is powered by the people taking a hook and pulling on the cable, beginning at the front and moving to the back. Being the obvious visitors, we got to participate. It was amazingly easy to move, but very fun that we got to help.
The restaurant was also great. We believe that the woman in charge gave us a little extra (again, that whole foreign thing) and we ended up with 7-8 fish. The fish were all thrown on a grill in front of us (the normal state of cooking here) and heads and tails removed after the cooking began. The abnormal part was the exhaust system. A retractable tube (picture a dryer tube) with a bowl shaped bottom (as big as the grill – about 10” across) came down to catch the fish smoke. Heather and Pat said that even this was unusual for Korea. All I could think was “Danger, Will Robinson.” I could not believe the amount of food. Then, I couldn’t believe that we actually finished it all. It was amazing fish and definitely fresh enough. We were all glad that we had left the first place and ran into this one.
We then drove up to the mountain peak called Misiryong. I’m still looking for the geologic history of Korea, but the east side definitely looks younger than the west. Some jagged peaks with not as much erosion. Beautiful, tall mountains.
Overall, a very good day.
Hello from the other side of the world! I arrived on Friday night and was met by Heather at the airport. We then traveled into Seoul (about an hour on the bus), and promtly (well, for me at least) went to bed. I was slightly worried (having been to England as my last overseas trip) that my room was not going to be warm enough. This fear was completely unwarranted, and kept debating over the warm room or the really loud traffic outside (open the window/close the window?)
On Saturday, we went on the DMZ tour. It was an amazing experience. For one, it still gives me a start every time i see an armed guard just randomly standing by razor wire along the highway. Then, to actually get to the area is an interesting adventure. Lots of checks to see who we are. A great tour guide with a strong accent (amplified by the echo over the loudspeaker). We had the chance to look out over the DMZ area - which is 4 km wide and a couple hundred long. The tourist information talked about all the wildlife that lived in that area. We also went into the tunnel that the North Koreans had been digging years ago to get into South Korea. Rumor is that at one point, we actually crossed into North Korea. There was a train station that we stopped at and got a commemorative stamp in our passports.
After that tour, we got some lunch. I'm basically counting on Chris to know the difference between good food and bad food. I'm not sure how to tell a better restaurant from a less desirable one. Also, I have never been stellar with chopsticks. Let me tell you, after 2 days, I'm much better now. Someone always said that if I needed to know for my survival, I'd be able to figure it out. Well, that has definitely been tested. (Though, the restaurant on Sunday night was nice enough to bring out forks...)
We visited the Deoksugung Palace next. A very interesting place to wander. There are 5 palaces in Seoul, and more than one person asked why we needed quite that many... The Royal Museum was also there. Interesting to see what things have been collected. Pretty artifacts. They seemed to frown on the idea that I wanted to take some of them home.
Though, the highlight was having a Korean girl (perhaps 11 or 12) come up to me and ask me questions in English. It was great! She would say "hello. how are you?" and then run away. She would then come back with another question. Obviously practicing. But it was wonderful.
Then, on to a couple of street (or under the street) markets. They are very entertaining. But at 11 million people in a city, pretty darn crowded. Dinner was Pizza Hut with a circle of sweet potato just inside of the crust.... So, like American, but not really...
I keep thinking that I'd be blogging...
but instead, I'm going to Seoul, South Korea tomorrow. So, perhaps I'll blog from there. Perhaps not.
But I will definitely let you know what fun I have there!
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Well, this last week, I got to visit the Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids. They are great. Very nice place and they have been doing a lot of work. They have just added a children’s section. Fun hands-on area. Lincoln Logs that are 6 inches in diameter and 1-5 feet long. How fun is that???? There is a lot of water to play in. One of the water things is a map of Great Lakes area. They have the lakes filled with water and fish and boats that you can play with. Of course, the gardens, trees, and sculptures are nice too…
So, the bonus of not having a job means that there is plenty of time to drive around. I’ve put lots of miles on the car since I graduated. But I’ve seen lots of ordinations. The first was Carol’s in Northern Indiana. It was an amazing service! It was at the church that she has been serving. They had a lot of great energy and they were very excited about the evening.
I then visited the cathedral in Chicago and saw Mary, Gwynne, Sandra, and Bob get ordained. It was great to see them!
The next weekend was the Diocese of Michigan’s priest ordinations. Heather, Nixon, Ann, and George. I was so happy that I got to be there. I was sorry that I couldn’t spend more time, but I had to get home to finish up the sermon….oh, well. Hopefully, I’ll see them all again soon.
I got a great break in New Jersey and New York. It was great. I was able to visit Red Bank and the Secret Stash store! Then, to the Quick Stop and the video store. How cool is that?????? (For further explanation, see ViewAskew, and any of Kevin Smith’s movies.)
We spent a day in New York. Visited Tavern on the Green for lunch. It was very nice. Great food in the middle of Central Park. We then visited the Museum of Natural History. It was beautiful. I would love to spend more time there. We didn’t get in to see the frog exhibit, but did see The Search for Life: Are We Alone? in the planetarium and an IMAX film about the life at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. They were both really fabulously done. The IMAX film was a little choppy – they jumped around a bit and at some points it was hard to follow – but really great information.
The previous post was written before I actually come home...Here's the rest of the story...
So - I was stupid, I know. The wallet was on the outside of the backpack. I didn't turn around when I perceived someone behind me. I was carrying a really heavy suitcase up the 'L' stairs. But, stealing is wrong (says the moral deacon!). But it happens - especially to wallets. Especially at 'L' stops.
Driver's license, 3 credit cards, SS card, no cash. Thanks to Si's help, the credit cards were cancelled within 30 minutes.
The saddest part - 10 library cards. My whole collection, gone... Darn it! What would the thief do with those???? Check out books???? Most of them wouldn't even work for him! Or, he would have to travel very long distances to check anything out. "Road trip to Metairie anyone?"
Oh - wait, even better - 7 frequent flyer cards. Maybe he'll give me some points as he flies to check out books!
So - on that note, I end my travels. Tomorrow, I call the credit bureaus and the Secretary of State's office.
Then, back to the books and papers and reflections...
Let’s be clear on one thing: I do not like the desert. I only appreciate that it was a warm get away. I liked to come down and not question what to wear. (“Hmm…it’s May – do I wear a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, or a turtleneck sweater??????”) It’s hot and dry (also not my favorite). I’m not staying here, but am glad that I visited.
In many respect, Arizona is home for me. I was born here. There is something in my core that connects to the mountain areas. Don’t get me wrong, I love Michigan and I’ll always call my 90 acre farm home. But to drive up into the mountains and visit with my “grandparents” (the people who babysat me when I was little) brings back a core connection.
I spent some time in the valley – Phoenix. My aunt, uncle, and grandparents. It was fun to hang with the cousins and the kids. My aunt was amazingly generous and doubled the number of suits in my closet. This will be helpful when I get a job.
Then, the big drive up the mountain, which always takes longer than I think that it should. Driving up I found that the gas was cheaper up than in the valley (not a normal state of affairs). Then, the dreaded sight – the broken guard rails along the windy mountain roads. Someone said that it was a cement truck that fell over the edge.
Now, remember, when I was little going up the mountain – there were no guardrails. It used to scare me to death as I looked over the edge of the cliff. Once on the mountain, there were no Wal-Marts, movie theaters, or, well, pretty much anything. I stayed with “grandparents” played in the creek, played with “cousins”. I suppose that there must have been a grocery store – but it wasn’t a Safeway. It was an undiscovered mountain town. That was before the ski lodges… I think that I used to like it better.
The best part of part of the drive up the mountain is seeing the breathtaking views – that have been static in my eyes. It has always looked like that with the cacti and the shrubs, and the pine trees. No houses in some of the forest area (yet) or any other human interference except for the road.
This trip has revived my soul and made me ready to start working again. I’m all ready to return to school and work and get ready for graduation.
100 degrees here! HA! ha ha ha!
I mean - I really hope that it's as nice where you are. All those in the north, did it ever warm up?
Arizona is great. I love to visit this state. I don't really like how dry it is, but with as cold as it has been in Chicago, I'm happy to finally be warm.
So – the trip was great! Gary thought that I might actually blog while I was there, and so did I, but well, it didn’t happen… so here are the highlights.
I flew over on Air India. Some people expressed concern, but they were great! They had great food, unlimited orange juice and WATER (she handed me a 1.5 litre container). Flying over, I had 4 seats all to myself…good for night sleeping. Coming back was cramped, but that was fine, I needed to study. A very cute 1 year old Indian girl – she was not very happy, but I talked with her and played with her and she stopped crying. I don’t sit very well for 8.5 hours, so I would often walk back to where she was to talk to her. She was really cute.
Cambridge was good – all my friends were good. It was great to hang out with my sister for the week. The vacation was all about her. We stayed at Westcott House. Dinners with friends, the end of term “disco”. It was an almost perfect week. We slept a lot and did fun things – Grantchester, crumpets and lemon curd, penguins, jaffa cakes, tea (of course). We also ate bananas. They’re better there. Really. Audrey says that they’re going extinct. And that’s very sad. Because I like them lots.
We spent some time in London. We visited The London Dungeon. It was fun. We decided that Nick and Kenny should work there – or open their own. Unfortunately, the boat ride was closed. But I’d definitely go back again to see it.
We then saw Anthony (Stewart) Head in “The Pirates of Penzance” at the Savoy Theatre. It was great. We waited outside and my sis has an autograph from Anthony Head and we met the guy who played Frederick.
My sister and I also went to Oxford to visit our friend Matt. That was very cool.
So – that was my trip. A near perfect trip in England. And it was warmer there than here. Which is the best part. And didn’t rain until I was leaving (I think that it was sad..)
Now – time for lunch. And class this afternoon! What a change that will be…
It’s time for England again!!!!! My sister and I will be traveling to Cambridge, London, and Oxford for our spring breaks. I am excited. But, contact will be slower for the next week. I hope that if you are blessed to be on spring break right now that you are having a great time. And if you are working – take some time off - you deserve it!
Thinking of the UK (well, look back to Dec. 31...), I gathered a piece of trivia while I was in England. Someone told me that the North Sea used to be called the German Ocean – until WWI. The name was then changed. To figure out a more detailed history to this, I tried to do some research. However, nothing seemed to explain it. Wikipedia mentions the change, but doesn’t give the same reasoning. I do think that this is an interesting piece.
The other interesting information has to do with student statistics. There are 18,000 students at the Cambridge University. Kind of weird to think that I did my undergraduate degree at MSU with 40,000 other undergrads! A totally different outlook on “big” universities.
So, back in Michigan now. I drove around today – and only drove on the wrong side of the road once… and I was only a little confused about which way to look when crossing the street. Sam’s Club is really big…
Lots of time getting ready for my ordination and General Ordination Exams (GOEs).
Well, coming to the end of the term here. It’s been a great experience. I have been challenged in my understanding of church – especially when it comes to music. I have struggled with not have the words and music together (if I had any music at all). However, we have now reached the time of Christmas Lesson and Carol services. Last week, we visited Jesus College. I thought that I was going to be a little cynical about the whole idea of Christmas now, but actually, I was really excited to sing the hymns. (This may have to do with that I already knew the tunes and it was easy for me to participate.) Sunday night was another service at Selwyn College. Also a fun evening. There was one carol with which I was unfamiliar.
The best part about the Christmas carols here are the descants. I have used these at various services, but find that many people in the states don’t know about them. They come from this fabulous book. My mother now owns a copy, so we have some new and interesting ones. It’s all very exciting to me that I can sing and enjoy the music!
After sending my mother off to the airport, Audrey and I then traveled on to Oxford. We had a great time wandering around the town and the many colleges of the university. We enjoyed Magdalen, the 600 year old tree at New, and the gardens at St. John’s.
We also visited the Oxford Story, the Oxford Museum where they had information about all of the movies filmed in Oxford, and The Ashmolean.
We also had a great time walking around Blackwell’s and while it’s not as good as Powell’s, it’s the best bookstore I’ve seen in the UK.
This weekend was full of another bunch of wandering aimlessly around England. Mom and I wandered around Picadilly Circus. At some points, it looks like New York. We wandered around St. James’ Park and Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, Big Ben and the Parliament buildings. We also went to Westminster Abbey for Evensong. Dinner was at a great Thai restaurant.
Evening entertainment was The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Abrdiged). Some very funny parts. The beginning was one of the men singing a song, dressed in a beard. A audience member walked in late and he worked it into the song. One of the cast members always played the women. He decided at one point that it was obvious that he was supposed to play God. Then, at the baptism scene, “John” pulled out a squirt “bottle” to do the baptism. “Jesus” seemed a little shocked at the force and level of water. We figure that it was an upgraded prop (the old one not being as efficient at making him wet…) because of “Jesus’” reaction.
The Eaton House was the Bed and Breakfast that we stayed in. Very nice, but the bathroom reminded us of living in a motor home. (It gets extra points, however, for having a shower and toilet.)
My mom, Audrey and I went to Grantchester. It’s near Cambridge. You can see what people say about it at Project Galactic Guide or Wikipedia. There’s a very cute place there called The Orchard. It’s a tea room. It’s where Virginia Woolf and Rupert Brooke used to hang out. We felt very scholarly as we sat outside and at scones and chocolate cake.
My mom and I went to Ely yesterday. Doesn’t quite win as my favorite cathedral, but is definitely second. The service had children in the congregation. The choir (men and boys) was fabulous! The signage in the building was superb. If you’re ever looking for signs in a church that has a lot of visitors, definitely visit to figure out how to do it well. They had an area that outlined the Christian Faith – baptism, Bible, Jesus, church, the people, ministry. They had another area with the church system – the workers of the parish, the clergy, the bishops, the Anglican Church. They had little signs for all of the crypts and chapels. It was great! (I understand not all of these things are needed in the “basic” parish church – but I learned a lot about what might work in settings where people might want more information.
Gary was here visiting for a few days (November 6-12). Check out pictures of our trip. We went to Stonehenge and Avebury. We stayed in Salibury at the Old Rectory Bed and Breakfast. It was great. Definitely my new favorite B and B and Cathedral. The 10 am service on Sunday was beautiful. A great mix of choir and congregational singing. There were no rood screens blocking us (as we sat in the nave) from the presider.
mid Oct...
Laurie and I went to Dover this weekend! It was great. Though all of the English scoffed at us for going, we decided that we really needed to see the white cliffs. We also discovered that the resale and thrift shops carried fabulous clothing options. Laurie bought a skirt for £3.50. I purchased a skirt for £2.50 and a pair of jeans for £3.50. How’s that for shopping for deals?
We then went to Canterbury. We did a city tour. The woman who led the tour was very kind and answered all kinds of our random questions. For the evening entertainment, we went on a ghost tour which was led by a man who had many stories, though only a couple of ghost stories. I do rate this much higher than the one previously mentioned on this blog.
We attended church at the cathedral (of course). Though also containing an awful lot of “choir only” selections, it was nice to have free run of the building afterwards. Beautiful place. See the beautiful pictures Laurie and I took! (For copyright law, I’m sure that I have to add “just kidding” to the end of that sentence.)
I really wish that I could link you to the St. John's Guest House, but unfortunately, there is no page. Liz and Nigel are fabulous hosts and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with them. If you're ever in Canterbury, be sure to stay there.
Oh, the places I’ve been…
So, I know that I should have done this before. Jane’s comment to Great Yarmouth motivated me. If you’d like to see more pictures of where I’ve been, use these sites. I didn’t take them, but it may be better that way.
York, England
Edinburgh, Scotland,
Rhos-on-Sea, Wales
St. Bene’t’s Church, Cambridge
I will try to keep up on the other pictures as they come. Unfortunately, I don’t have the digital camera. I will try to get my hands on one for some of the pictures of Cambridge, but otherwise, you’ll all have to show up for a picture display party!
From Oct. 5
I went to Great Yarmouth for the weekend (well, one night). It took a lot longer to get there than I thought it would. But, I did eventually arrive. It’s an interesting, flashy light kind of place. BUT it is right on the water.
I love water. Really, it’s my favorite. So, I got to see the North Sea yet again. And listen to it. And eat fish and chips. And I stayed in the Bromley Hotel – B and B – 16 pounds and it came with a full English breakfast. Not darn bad. So, I wandered around last night. This morning I got up again to wander. Got caught in the rain while walking along the beach path. But did see a double rainbow which was fabulous!
I went to church at St. Nicolas’ Church today. It seems that they are 4’ short of a cathedral – a bribe on someone’s part to make sure that they didn’t make it to cathedral length (as was in the original plan). You can see a picture.
Then, because of the quality public transportation here (please note sarcasm), I spent an hour and 20 minutes waiting for a bus in Norwich. So I walked to the cathedral. I do believe that it is my favorite cathedral so far. So, it was worth the wait to catch the bus to catch the next train.
For new visitors to the site, I will be posting some old information. This will give you some idea (a very brief sketch) of what I've done while in England.
A long, long trip
Well, it’s been a while…and so much has happened.
I’ll give you the highlights. If you have questions about specific things, please ask, but I didn’t want to bore people with a long, rambling story.
18 September
- day of flying. Awful movie choices. “Italian Job” – I’ve already seen it. Watched 2 hours (5 episodes) of Spin City. Fun to see Michael J. Fox…even in re-run.
- Always make sure that you know which airport you are flying into. Gatwick is no where near Heathrow.
- some marvelous people helped me get to St. Alban’s and set up a hotel room (thanks to Lisa, Mary, and Gene.
19 September
- St. Alban’s Cathedral - nice
- a used/new bookstore – very cute – so many books, so little time
- to Cambridge – met some other students. They were very kind and hospitable and fed me before I started on my journey (thanks to Will, Heidi, and Eddie).
- stayed in Peterborough – overall, unimpressed – though it could have just been the area I was in…
20 September
- Cathedral Church of St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. Andrew
- my first experience with the fact that many of the cathedrals here have fill glass because the original stained glass was broken through battles (as opposed to the people never had the money to put it in…)
- blew out a tire (tyre) on the way to York – holy cow. But I changed it and continued on.
- leaving the car at the service station meant free parking, a good thing
- another note: almost impossible to find housing in York or Leeds on a weekend. One should book the room before hand. Finally found a B and B 1/2 way in between
21 September
- LOVED York. Would definitely like to spend some more time there.
- York Minster for church – 10 am. Then there was a special service for the Rededication of the Minster on Battle of Britain Day
- “The Ghost Hunt” ghost tour – I was unimpressed, but did meet Kirk, Mike, and Kate – definitely worth the 2.50 (pounds)
- “Reflex” – the 80’s dance bar – much fun!
- hostels are definitely the places to stay. Way cheap. And who cares what they have when I’m only spending like 9.5 hours there (I’m sleeping 9 of those).
22 September
- York to Edinburgh – the long way
- Berwick-upon-Tweed – what a great name! Bought a rain coat and 2 sweaters for 18 pounds (consignment shop)
- Spittal – what a name – Saw the North Sea (how cool is that?????)
- wandered along the east coast, following the sea up
- into Edinburgh – met up with Kirk again
- the hostel used to be a church. Very nice conversion. Very weird the number of churches that are now something else. I’m still no sure how I feel about that
23 September
- complete wandering around Edinburgh
- castle was awesome, the observatory was great – nice view of the city
- best free place: the Museum of Scotland. It had a great display of the geologic history of the island. Did you know that England a Scotland used to be different pieces of land and ran into each other (hence, mountains between them…).
- pool at a “dodgy” bar with Kirk and his friend Matt. Learned some new rules; lost some pool. It was great.
- definitely didn’t have enough time to do the whole travel around Edinburgh. Something to put on the trip for next time.
24 September
- the Lake District
- very nice area – I took the long way around. It looks like the western United States – mountains and lakes and it’s just beautiful
- another hostel
25 September
- I went to Wales today. Why? Because I could! How great is that? I saw the Irish Sea. Also very beautiful. Welsh and English on all the signs. That was weird. And I walked into a place and the guy spoke Welsh to me. Also an interesting experience. I was a little dazed from the driving (total of 7.5 hours or so today).
- Nottingham – Sherwood Forest. I actually stayed in Edwinstowe. I saw the forest and “The Major Tree” and the chapel where Robin Hood and Maid Marion got married.
26 September
- back to Cambridge