tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61796650401399201212024-03-13T09:33:37.357-07:00Point It HomeBecause the real world is overrated.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-14455996384091342682010-04-06T19:27:00.000-07:002010-04-06T21:59:16.026-07:00A week in the lifeEver wonder what a week looks like for Trevor & I? Here's a snapshot from a recent 5-day Outdoor Education stint with some 6th graders from a San Diego-area school.<br /><br />Step 1: With your fearless co-leader (In my case, this week it was Chris, or as we affectionately call her, "Grandpa"), develop a theme and overall plan for the week. Ours: The Hawk-Eyed Hippies, giving us an excuse to take slow hikes taking everything in, talk with a lot of "man"s and "peace"s, and give one another Hippie names based on beautiful natural things we love (Mine was Avocado; Chris's was Starlight. Kids in our group chose: Redwood, Stream, Peace and more.)<br /><br />Step 2: Give the 8 kids-turned-hippies in our group a chance to rid a "river" of "toxic waste" by swinging across it on a rope.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7vyYFtbkvI/AAAAAAAAA-A/1txv2ii-HZ0/s1600/IMG_3753.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7vyYFtbkvI/AAAAAAAAA-A/1txv2ii-HZ0/s320/IMG_3753.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457221869152998130" border="0" /></a><br />Step 3: Each morning, go over the day's topic. Here, Ben & Laura are talking Adaptation and Habitat. Did you know that ground squirrels chew up the shed skin of rattlesnakes and spread it on their tail to fool their predators?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7vy_zWpJhI/AAAAAAAAA-I/xjekSSIAoWg/s1600/IMG_3754.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7vy_zWpJhI/AAAAAAAAA-I/xjekSSIAoWg/s320/IMG_3754.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457222551420347922" border="0" /></a><br />Step 4: Spend the week exploring those daily themes in-depth. Here, the Hawk-Eyed Hippies explore our very own on-site Habitat, a pond, full of wildly exciting frogs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7v0JAPTQJI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/MwjuBb9CywE/s1600/IMG_3769.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7v0JAPTQJI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/MwjuBb9CywE/s320/IMG_3769.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457223809009664146" border="0" /></a><br />Step 5: Expose the children to our wild & crazy gardener, Ryan. Here, they're checking out the baby plants in the greenhouse, figuring out why our mountain environment needs one and learning how they might be able to use compost and grow seedlings of their very own. (Later, Ryan told all of them they don't need to go to college.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7v2LdBas8I/AAAAAAAAA-Y/2t19oXjn59M/s1600/IMG_3774.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7v2LdBas8I/AAAAAAAAA-Y/2t19oXjn59M/s320/IMG_3774.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457226050119054274" border="0" /></a><br />Step 6: Continue the daily lessons. Beyond Habitat and Adaptation, the other themes cover Life Components - that'd be energy, water & the life cycle - and the Human's Role about how we, even when we're not being hippies, can make little improvements to the Earth. Here, the whole 6th grade races to sort litter into their proper categories - Trash, Recycling, Compost, Re-Use (Guess which crate winds up empty!) <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7v4CsF5e0I/AAAAAAAAA-w/QOxPoZoM8lY/s1600/IMG_3785.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7v2MDcma-I/AAAAAAAAA-g/4d3JL499wLg/s1600/IMG_3781.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7v2MDcma-I/AAAAAAAAA-g/4d3JL499wLg/s320/IMG_3781.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457226060433615842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7v4CGBL4EI/AAAAAAAAA-o/xFhnZBdLyK4/s1600/IMG_3783.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7v4CGBL4EI/AAAAAAAAA-o/xFhnZBdLyK4/s320/IMG_3783.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457228088348500034" border="0" /></a><br />Step 7: Later, the Hawk-Eyed Hippies become superheroes. They've all decided what kind of environmental superpower they'd like to have, and gotten their faces all painted to reflect it. Then, they hike back to camp (we have 256 acres - at this point, we were about 25 minutes away from central camp's Dining Hall), sharing their Superhero backstories. (Me? I was The Conserver, capable of using only 50% what normal human beings think they need.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7v4CsF5e0I/AAAAAAAAA-w/QOxPoZoM8lY/s1600/IMG_3785.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7v4CsF5e0I/AAAAAAAAA-w/QOxPoZoM8lY/s320/IMG_3785.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457228098568813378" border="0" /></a><br />Step 8: Challenge the kids with dinner cooked over a campfire outside (Yikes! They have to help chop!). This night we had calzones, and they didn't turn out well at all. But the chimichangas - flour tortillas pan-fried with cinnamon sugar - those turned out juuuust fine. (During summer, cookouts are actually overnights, where the Outdoor challenge extends to sleeping outside, but we're still in too cool of weather to ask that of the city kids.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7v5byfeEiI/AAAAAAAAA-4/98sLg1gYCSk/s1600/IMG_3787.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7v5byfeEiI/AAAAAAAAA-4/98sLg1gYCSk/s320/IMG_3787.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457229629295039010" border="0" /></a><br />Step 8: On the final morning, get up at 5:15AM and hike to the highest point on camp property with all 30 kids to watch the sunrise. This morning, there was fog - but it cleared up just as Trevor got to the part of his Sunrise Story (passed onto him by his brother Nathan) to reveal a beautiful sun.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7v5cd7DX-I/AAAAAAAAA_A/8YEIcumWXag/s1600/IMG_3788.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S7v5cd7DX-I/AAAAAAAAA_A/8YEIcumWXag/s320/IMG_3788.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457229640953454562" border="0" /></a><br />So, there you have it: A week in the life of outdoor educators. We have three sessions left this spring, and I look forward to continuing to learn something new each hour of each one.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-73636490529448665562010-03-27T19:26:00.000-07:002010-03-27T22:28:40.090-07:00Playing Catch UpHello out there,<br /><br />It's been awhile! I would say that there's nothing much going on and that's why we've been so lazy about the updates, but it's been - yikes - 3 1/2 months, so we definitely have a few things to report on. Here's a little snapshot of what we've been up to since last we spoke:<br /><br />Ashley's sister got married, in a truly wonderful, love-filled, exuberant weekend of fun:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67ZAZevPTI/AAAAAAAAA84/YgGZjWHX_TA/s1600/IMG_2811.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67ZAZevPTI/AAAAAAAAA84/YgGZjWHX_TA/s320/IMG_2811.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453534799655288114" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67K984pC-I/AAAAAAAAA6w/eQinGr8lwEE/s1600/IMG_2933.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67K984pC-I/AAAAAAAAA6w/eQinGr8lwEE/s320/IMG_2933.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453519364456778722" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67aGfqwsZI/AAAAAAAAA9A/aGRsmMwJxEE/s1600/IMG_2918.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67aGfqwsZI/AAAAAAAAA9A/aGRsmMwJxEE/s320/IMG_2918.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453536003907170706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67K9Gz6NQI/AAAAAAAAA6o/3Up7sF1ogUI/s1600/IMG_2927.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67K9Gz6NQI/AAAAAAAAA6o/3Up7sF1ogUI/s320/IMG_2927.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453519349941417218" border="0" /></a><br />Christmas happened. Three times.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67MnQ1ecTI/AAAAAAAAA7I/Nd1ASz16Noo/s1600/IMG_3049.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67MnQ1ecTI/AAAAAAAAA7I/Nd1ASz16Noo/s320/IMG_3049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453521173698474290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67Mm4p2EjI/AAAAAAAAA7A/cED45-QIcGw/s1600/IMG_3040.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67Mm4p2EjI/AAAAAAAAA7A/cED45-QIcGw/s320/IMG_3040.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453521167207240242" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67MmQCVHaI/AAAAAAAAA64/uax19uryJE8/s1600/IMG_3017.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67MmQCVHaI/AAAAAAAAA64/uax19uryJE8/s320/IMG_3017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453521156304084386" border="0" /></a><br />We welcomed a new Resident Intern staff member, Sam, to join in on the themed parties, work projects and communal dinners.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67PoIHbaYI/AAAAAAAAA7w/r0n-lgTUQc0/s1600/IMG_3276.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67PoIHbaYI/AAAAAAAAA7w/r0n-lgTUQc0/s320/IMG_3276.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453524487072606594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67bwqGUMAI/AAAAAAAAA9I/3USwYFsjRSg/s1600/IMG_3099.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67bwqGUMAI/AAAAAAAAA9I/3USwYFsjRSg/s320/IMG_3099.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453537827773231106" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67bxrQDuZI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/OLBt_0_xT98/s1600/IMG_3175.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67bxrQDuZI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/OLBt_0_xT98/s320/IMG_3175.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453537845262399890" border="0" /></a><br />We moved houses, to a place that's a pretty serious space upgrade from anywhere we've lived before: Hello 2 bedrooms and washer/dryer!<br /><br />We've "joined" a Running Club - a group of 4-8 staff who go for desert runs 4-ish times a week - in preparation of a self-made half-marathon.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67NuaOjkPI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/awtTexcnYRU/s1600/IMG_3183.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67NuaOjkPI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/awtTexcnYRU/s320/IMG_3183.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453522395990298866" border="0" /></a><br />We volunteered for a day at a nearby camp in order to acquire free tickets to Disneyland, a trip that took 12 of us on everything from Space Mountain to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and ended, as all good Southern California excursions should, with Mexican food:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67PmcauzcI/AAAAAAAAA7Y/Jua6gXT9ZPA/s1600/IMG_3218.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67PmcauzcI/AAAAAAAAA7Y/Jua6gXT9ZPA/s320/IMG_3218.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453524458162539970" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67RnMYY2mI/AAAAAAAAA74/MhCTtdmHVIA/s1600/IMG_3380.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67RnMYY2mI/AAAAAAAAA74/MhCTtdmHVIA/s320/IMG_3380.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453526670060870242" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67Rnm5HOEI/AAAAAAAAA8A/hek-Wi9xHc4/s1600/IMG_3404.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67Rnm5HOEI/AAAAAAAAA8A/hek-Wi9xHc4/s320/IMG_3404.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453526677177448514" border="0" /></a><br />Three of our best friends from Boston came to town and we tore it up all through San Diego County - I think the final tally was 19 new places visited over 2 days.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67U30XbbwI/AAAAAAAAA8w/Rrq8VV9skyw/s1600/IMG_3654.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67U30XbbwI/AAAAAAAAA8w/Rrq8VV9skyw/s320/IMG_3654.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453530254207053570" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67U3X6UK3I/AAAAAAAAA8o/q_8D5G1I8oQ/s1600/IMG_3626.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67U3X6UK3I/AAAAAAAAA8o/q_8D5G1I8oQ/s320/IMG_3626.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453530246568749938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67U2ymasnI/AAAAAAAAA8g/fnBk1yQNQ7I/s1600/IMG_3565.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67U2ymasnI/AAAAAAAAA8g/fnBk1yQNQ7I/s320/IMG_3565.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453530236553179762" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67U2iUjPvI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/5QeU9X67HvY/s1600/IMG_3541.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67U2iUjPvI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/5QeU9X67HvY/s320/IMG_3541.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453530232183275250" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67RoL0LocI/AAAAAAAAA8I/4qluvKWYCtQ/s1600/IMG_3503.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67RoL0LocI/AAAAAAAAA8I/4qluvKWYCtQ/s320/IMG_3503.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453526687088878018" border="0" /></a><br />We have taken up volleyball for the first time since, well, ever, as part of the Squirrels, Squirrels, Squirrels, an ever-rotating group of staff members that plays other teams from town in weekly volleyball matches. We're consistently bruised and attempting to pretend that we don't care about the outcome. Also, we won our first game (alas, not match) last week.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67Pm-FcNwI/AAAAAAAAA7g/NB8Z4ZyUIDs/s1600/IMG_3238.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67Pm-FcNwI/AAAAAAAAA7g/NB8Z4ZyUIDs/s320/IMG_3238.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453524467200046850" border="0" /></a><br />We complained a lot about the rain, except when it was giving us awesome animal tracks to share with kids or great snow conditions for ski trips to Big Bear.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67dQw6A-QI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/cfUIh0MxrJE/s1600/IMG_2483.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67dQw6A-QI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/cfUIh0MxrJE/s320/IMG_2483.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453539478868130050" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67PnYWU5NI/AAAAAAAAA7o/MNiYphLjOrM/s1600/IMG_3262.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/S67PnYWU5NI/AAAAAAAAA7o/MNiYphLjOrM/s320/IMG_3262.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453524474250192082" border="0" /></a><br />And, finally, Trevor was named Summer Camp Director for the upcoming all-important summer camp season!<br /><br />It's been a fun few months, and we'll try our very best to be better about keeping you informed about the next few!Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-29468362680177278402009-12-10T23:09:00.000-08:002009-12-10T23:38:49.697-08:00A new kind of multi-taskingToday I hiked to a farm, attempted to hike up a mountain (it was closed due to inclement weather), learned about triangular navigation, cooked lunch for 20 people with Abbey and Trevor (sweet potato, onion & cheese enchiladas), baked bread, had a meeting, built a wood storage building, designed Christmas cocktails, made egg nog and sang every Christmas carol ever written (No, seriously.).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SyHz6mOSoyI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/I-U1v9Rec74/s1600-h/IMG_2655.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SyHz6mOSoyI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/I-U1v9Rec74/s320/IMG_2655.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413876415094498082" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SyH0WWbUyMI/AAAAAAAAA4g/ATahI7-5czM/s1600-h/IMG_2658.JPG"><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SyH0WWbUyMI/AAAAAAAAA4g/ATahI7-5czM/s320/IMG_2658.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413876891890534594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SyH2nxciQ7I/AAAAAAAAA44/luFHSHUoX5M/s1600-h/IMG_2689.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SyH2nxciQ7I/AAAAAAAAA44/luFHSHUoX5M/s320/IMG_2689.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413879390224401330" border="0" /><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SyH1d95rA0I/AAAAAAAAA4w/ED66_-x_Noc/s1600-h/IMG_2721.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SyH1d95rA0I/AAAAAAAAA4w/ED66_-x_Noc/s320/IMG_2721.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413878122257515330" border="0" /></a><br />Yup, feeling pretty good about our decision to move here.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-6990171062751691932009-11-29T22:25:00.000-08:002009-11-29T22:41:17.590-08:00Big Thanks.Thanksgiving Camp was a lot of work - 120 people, tons of food and a whole bunch of program coordination. What could have been a huge amount of stress was levied by the attendance of our family. Trevor's parents, siblings, nieces and nephew were up here for the whole weekend, giving Trevor a chance to practice some time-honored child-rearing techniques:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SxNnVEo2EAI/AAAAAAAAA4A/IO_A_gmrsMk/s1600/IMG_2433.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SxNnVEo2EAI/AAAAAAAAA4A/IO_A_gmrsMk/s400/IMG_2433.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409781189122068482" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Not sure where Pippa got the beer...<br /></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SxNot9jqOAI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/B8lKHcrI8j8/s1600/IMG_2436.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SxNot9jqOAI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/B8lKHcrI8j8/s400/IMG_2436.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409782716229629954" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Donovan prepares to "pancake" catch the frisbee. </span><br /></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-86499545829183825302009-11-17T21:34:00.001-08:002009-11-17T22:01:10.067-08:00A sunset hikeToday we took advantage of our day off to go on a sunset hike. (Now that the sun sets around 4:45, you have to really plan a day around this kind of thing.). Before we even got to the trail, we'd had a good dose of nature:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SwOHyKZP8gI/AAAAAAAAA24/Ie0Obb1kuY4/s1600/IMG_2299.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SwOHyKZP8gI/AAAAAAAAA24/Ie0Obb1kuY4/s400/IMG_2299.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405313273628193282" border="0" /></a><br />And then we headed up the mountain. The best place to see the sunset at camp is from a place called Upper Meadow. As the name conveniently implies, it's the highest point in camp, and the trail that takes you there is a great tour of the land. These days, that land looks a little bit different, since, as many of you know, there was a fairly devastating fire here in September 2007.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SwOKGKJP7AI/AAAAAAAAA3I/_HjlZoG47Ko/s1600/IMG_2322.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SwOKGKJP7AI/AAAAAAAAA3I/_HjlZoG47Ko/s400/IMG_2322.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405315816181722114" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SwOIpuIOXGI/AAAAAAAAA3A/peFhVMClBF8/s1600/IMG_2317.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SwOIpuIOXGI/AAAAAAAAA3A/peFhVMClBF8/s400/IMG_2317.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405314228113267810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Though it looks a bit haunted, in many ways fire is healthy for land,<br />and the scorched landscape actually provides great learning opportunities for kids.</span> </div><br />The fire was started by some trespassers and their campfire in front of a mine below the trail to Upper Meadow. It mostly spread downhill from there, so there's no sign of anything fire damaged once you get to Upper Meadow.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SwOKupLxhfI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/yZpDz3K5o4I/s1600/IMG_2339.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SwOKupLxhfI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/yZpDz3K5o4I/s400/IMG_2339.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405316511708579314" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SwOLs4m7cMI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/eqnTLGJAEsw/s1600/IMG_2358.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SwOLs4m7cMI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/eqnTLGJAEsw/s400/IMG_2358.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405317581000896706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SwOL-JB8mBI/AAAAAAAAA3g/wYfXl_okVL0/s1600/IMG_2380.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SwOL-JB8mBI/AAAAAAAAA3g/wYfXl_okVL0/s400/IMG_2380.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405317877466961938" border="0" /></a><br />In fact, an unforeseen benefit of the fire is that – now that all those pesky trees are out of the way – you can see the sunrise from the same spot. So that's next. If only sunrises didn't require us to be, you know, up before the sun.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-48704747329491444552009-11-11T17:08:00.000-08:002009-11-11T20:37:49.814-08:0012The last two weeks have been pretty crazy. 12 days in a row of work at camp! Non-stop action! There was a lot of variety in what each work day looked like (ropes course stuff, polishing wine glasses for camp VIP weekend, working a regular summer camp-style week with kids), which kept it from getting tedious.<br /><br />Conveniently, the most stressful day of the 12 days just so happened to be Halloween. The weekend was jam-packed and Ashley was the ringmaster of the circus. But it is pretty hard to be stressed out when you are dressed in a lime green fat suit in order to represent a Black Eyed Pea.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SvuNqor_k0I/AAAAAAAAAFM/51x_5xqDdG8/s1600-h/IMG_2160.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SvuNqor_k0I/AAAAAAAAAFM/51x_5xqDdG8/s320/IMG_2160.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403067941577003842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">The Black-Eyed Peas after doing some dishes<br /></span></div><br />On the Sunday night of the crazy weekend, we somehow managed to make it to LA to go to a Kris Kristofferson concert with the Wilcox fam. We made it back to camp around midnight after the show and the next morning we were back to the grind for our first full week program for sixth-graders. To make things even more adventurous, Ashley and I worked together as a "duad," which was a first. So the two of us were leading around a group of 11-year olds around the forest for 6 days, helping them experience everything from making <a href="http://barbecue-picnic-foods.suite101.com/article.cfm/campfire_orange_cakes" target="new">orange cakes</a> to putting on a one-act play about habitats. I don't think the children knew that we were married to each other, but they knew that we were the best darn nature guides they'd ever met. Full success.<br /><br />By the time the 12 days were over, it was time to unwind and celebrate the birthdays of Ashley and Abbey. We did a bar crawl of San Diego's North Park area with an all-star group of current and former camp peeps. It was one of the better Monday nights we've been a part of, this is for sure. And we stayed at the W Hotel for the night -- the same place we were stationed the day after our wedding.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SvuNMtel4hI/AAAAAAAAAFE/6b_Y__UtMLg/s1600-h/IMG_2186.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SvuNMtel4hI/AAAAAAAAAFE/6b_Y__UtMLg/s320/IMG_2186.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403067427466895890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">A replication of a chalk board we did 2 years ago at the W Hotel in San Diego. That one read: Marriage: Day 1.<br /></span></div><br />So in conclusion, we are glad to be in a place where you can work 12 days in a row and not feel the least bit defeated.Trevorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10095762240115231531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-10993110788920942612009-09-22T14:04:00.000-07:002009-09-22T14:09:10.782-07:00Not as charming at Tom & JerryThe appearance of a mouse at 7 Vernon Street in Brookline, MA in late 2004 was the reason our cat Sadie came into our lives. The idea was to introduce a natural predator to eradicate the rodent(s). Since that point we had never seen another mouse. But we had also never seen our cat sitting triumphantly over the corpse of one of those little buggers…until now.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/Srk8mPtEgHI/AAAAAAAAAE8/Q4_pS7VyPCc/s1600-h/IMG_1894.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/Srk8mPtEgHI/AAAAAAAAAE8/Q4_pS7VyPCc/s320/IMG_1894.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384401457246404722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Sadie practices predatory behavior. <span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span></span></div><br />We were relaxing and watching a movie in our house when suddenly a game of cat-and-mouse developed (in the the most literal way) right at our feet. Sadie stalked and chased the mouse around the house for 15 minutes while Trevor pondered intervention and Ashley danced nervously on our bed. Eventually we looked over and saw the result of the battle: the overturned body of a titmouse in need of disposal. It may have been the greatest moment of Sadie's life, or just the most confusing. Regardless -- Sadie 1, Mice 0.Trevorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10095762240115231531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-4540583599259307562009-09-22T13:46:00.000-07:002009-09-22T14:01:52.375-07:00Off-campus adventuresI'll try not to start every blog entry this year with an explanation about how crazy things have been, but it just doesn't seem possible that we arrived at Camp for our year on winter staff just three weeks ago. (With up to three different groups of camp visitors here each week, each of those weeks seems like 4 weeks in itself!). Amongst the busyness, we've been lucky enough to enjoy the company and setting of camp itself, plus have two days off each week to enjoy our new Southern California location.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/Srk6noPCLoI/AAAAAAAAA1w/RvpB5Kn2-O4/s1600-h/Sunset.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/Srk6noPCLoI/AAAAAAAAA1w/RvpB5Kn2-O4/s320/Sunset.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384399281987923586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">A sunset in "Upper Meadow"</span><br /></div><br />Outing #1 took us along a winding Highway 79, through the beer-brewing town of Alpine (beers sampled at Alpine Brewing Company included: Pure Hoppiness, Mandarin Nectar Ale, Nelson New Zealand IPA, Wily Vanilly and Captain Stout) on our way to San Diego, where we spent an evening/morning celebrating the 95th birthday of Ashley's Grandma. After a celebratory bottle of champagne (oh right, and orange juice), we headed to La Mesa, California, where Trevor's brother and his family live. Being close to Nathan and Megan and their three kids, Nolia, Donovan & Pippa, was one of the big draws of relocating to Southern California. These pictures can barely even attest to their sweet adorableness:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/Srk5l8pdGoI/AAAAAAAAA1I/65zCEwrIikA/s1600-h/Donovan.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/Srk5l8pdGoI/AAAAAAAAA1I/65zCEwrIikA/s320/Donovan.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384398153596082818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Donovan shows us how high he can climb.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/Srk6lLPdWoI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/muzmK_TeSIg/s1600-h/IMG_1890.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/Srk6lLPdWoI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/muzmK_TeSIg/s320/IMG_1890.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384399239845337730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Pippa plays with some boats. </span><br /></div><br />Outing #2 was about 18 hours back in the California desert at Ashley's parents' house. Ashley's mom has recently started dog-sitting, and every other week or so, they have some pretty quirky 4-legged visitors (Sample: At Christmas, it was a Chihuaua, Cha-Cha and his Lhasa Apsa pal, Lulu.). This time around it was a beautiful Portuguese Waterdog named Sailor, and a truly ridiculous French Bulldog named Ruby. No, seriously. Truly ridiculous:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/Srk6nIiZc_I/AAAAAAAAA1o/MD8cWm2lm64/s1600-h/IMG_1901.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/Srk6nIiZc_I/AAAAAAAAA1o/MD8cWm2lm64/s320/IMG_1901.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384399273479205874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Ruby, a snorting, panting, altogether adorable French Bulldog. </span><br /><br /></div>We'll be out there even more, now that it's “cooling down” (read: barely cracking 100 degrees each day), and can hardly wait to meet some more of their furry houseguests.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-89683927733887141962009-09-09T06:56:00.000-07:002009-09-09T07:10:29.443-07:00Home sweet homeOur home at camp is St. Catherine's, affectionately known as St. Cat's. It is one of the oldest buildings on camp property, featuring a land line (key since our cell phones don't work), extensive wood paneling, and not one, not two, but three porches. Ashley lived in this house when she was on summer staff in 2001, as did her sister before her, and Trevor's brother and sister-in-law before that. Aside from all the Grahams, Wilcoxes and Graham-Wilcoxes, it's hard to imagine all the other residents this place has held. One from this summer left us Tupperware filled with cultured (pickled & spicy) vegetables, so Trevor's a fan.<br /><br />We've been at camp now for almost 2 weeks - and eventful ones they've been! With training and a 4-day wedding extravaganza to host, we're not 100% settled in, but our DVDs are in place, Sadie has her favorite spots, and the fridge is stocked with California beers, so we're certainly on our way.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/Sqe0zW_sXMI/AAAAAAAAA1A/tq1PbpoGvEI/s1600-h/IMG_1851.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/Sqe0zW_sXMI/AAAAAAAAA1A/tq1PbpoGvEI/s320/IMG_1851.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379467074356403394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Sadie keeps an eye on the wild turkeys. </span><br /></div><br />Thanks for keeping up with the blog - more pictures and details to follow shortly!Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-56246064743059817472009-08-29T17:12:00.000-07:002009-08-29T17:24:22.265-07:00We've got a panterAfter a couple weeks off, we loaded Sadie back into the car yesterday for the final leg of our Boston to California trip. We had a feeling she'd be a little antsy again, so I had the camera at the ready to capture her <a href="http://point-it-home.blogspot.com/2009/08/one-cool-cat.html" target="new">infamous panting face</a>.<br /><br />As a reminder, this is what our very sane, adorable, not evil cat actually looks like:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SpnGcpuy8jI/AAAAAAAAA04/8Q7tWKiPrg4/s1600-h/IMG_1167.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SpnGcpuy8jI/AAAAAAAAA04/8Q7tWKiPrg4/s400/IMG_1167.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375545825784164914" border="0" /></a><br />And, this is what she looks like when she's telling us how hot she is.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SpnFJWAUWfI/AAAAAAAAA0w/VUt-VqNDU2Y/s1600-h/IMG_1770.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SpnFJWAUWfI/AAAAAAAAA0w/VUt-VqNDU2Y/s400/IMG_1770.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375544394559805938" border="0" /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-8346642221920716982009-08-26T20:17:00.000-07:002009-08-26T21:42:49.686-07:00You like beisbol?<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SpYM7CKXpqI/AAAAAAAAAE0/aX2SFu0Cnv0/s1600-h/IMG_1682.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 161px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SpYM7CKXpqI/AAAAAAAAAE0/aX2SFu0Cnv0/s200/IMG_1682.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374497413645444770" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SpYMugDurWI/AAAAAAAAAEs/CC53Hj2jkRY/s1600-h/IMG_1703.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SpYMugDurWI/AAAAAAAAAEs/CC53Hj2jkRY/s200/IMG_1703.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374497198332357986" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span>Having lived a block from Fenway Park for the last three years, it became easy to forget that baseball is played outside of Red Sox "Nation." While the Red Sox will still own real estate in our hearts (unlike the Celtics, who are dead to us), we are more than ready to transfer our passions completely back to our real teams -- Dodgers for Trevor, Angels for Ashley. So, appropriately, during our free week in California, we were fortunate enough to visit our old friends in their lovely homes.<br /></div><br />A Friday night trip to Dodger Stadium is always an automotive challenge (thanks for driving, Dad!), but once you hit your seat and look out to the field and the mountains beyond centerfield, you are reminded that it is worth the trouble. The Dodgers' pitchers combined for a one-hitter as they topped the Cubs, 2-1. So the Blue Crew did not disappoint and neither did the fireworks (!!) after the game.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SpYJX1-M55I/AAAAAAAAAEk/wrOZftTPJDc/s1600-h/IMG_1685.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SpYJX1-M55I/AAAAAAAAAEk/wrOZftTPJDc/s320/IMG_1685.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374493510542878610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">@ Dodger Stadium</span><br /></div><br />A few days later we met up with Ashley's parents for the Angels v. Tigers at "The Big A." It was perfectly warm and clear as the two division-leading teams faced off at the beautiful Anaheim Stadium.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SpYGFDkzutI/AAAAAAAAAEc/GH3YrTVgvJQ/s1600-h/IMG_1708.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SpYGFDkzutI/AAAAAAAAAEc/GH3YrTVgvJQ/s320/IMG_1708.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374489889242069714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Doug, Ashley, and Anita at le big A<br /></span></div><br />We had great seats (Thanks Doug!) for a fantastic game, despite it ending as a 3-5 loss for the Halos. A man a couple rows in front of us got kicked out for saying certain visiting baseball professionals "suck!", but we controlled ourselves and stuck around long enough to take some nice action photos.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SpYFw_p_wSI/AAAAAAAAAEU/4vPHbBz7K3M/s1600-h/IMG_1758.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SpYFw_p_wSI/AAAAAAAAAEU/4vPHbBz7K3M/s320/IMG_1758.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374489544592703778" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Bobby Abreu evaluating a pitch</span><br /></div><br />Hopefully, we will continue to become fans of each other's teams. This was a step in the right direction (it's important to have equal representation) - but if it winds up as a Dodgers-Angels World Series, all progress on this matter will be erased.<br /><br />P.S.: Over the next month we might also investigate the alleged existence of a San Diego major league franchise.Trevorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10095762240115231531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-33209638490971820062009-08-22T20:59:00.000-07:002009-08-23T23:33:23.095-07:00Ch-ch-ch-changesBy leaving Boston behind and moving to Julian, CA, we're making some big life changes. We're trading skyline views from the roof deck for patio views into the forest, the Patriots for the Chargers (the jury's still out on Red Sox fandom), and "spring" for spring. But the biggest update we're making is becoming car owners. After 8+ years of relying on feet, subways, buses and, when necessary, the genius that is <a href="http://www.zipcar.com/" target="new">car-sharing Zipcar</a>, this is no small change. But life in rural California leaves us no choice: We are now the proud owners of a 1998 Toyota Camry.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SpIyR9A6N1I/AAAAAAAAA0g/BxitUHh123w/s1600-h/IMG_1680.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SpIyR9A6N1I/AAAAAAAAA0g/BxitUHh123w/s400/IMG_1680.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373412589423966034" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Never have we actually considered buying <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1251095097/ref=sr_kk_1?ie=UTF8&search-alias=aps&field-keywords=for%20dummies%20book%20series" target="new">a For Dummies book</a>, but this might be the occasion, because boy do we have questions: Should we have a gas credit card? Where does the windshield wiper fluid go? How, when it looks so much like so many others, are we ever going to find this car in parking lots? Do we have a spare tire? You need to do what every how many miles? Why does the California DMV make license transfer so difficult? Can you install an iPod-friendly auxiliary cable in a 10 year old car? What kind of bumper stickers are worthy?<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SpIy3NloiUI/AAAAAAAAA0o/l0cIfNdS79I/s1600-h/IMG_1686.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SpIy3NloiUI/AAAAAAAAA0o/l0cIfNdS79I/s400/IMG_1686.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373413229528123714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Our odometer on our first trip behind the wheel</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span>Despite these obstacles and our initial reluctance, these are exciting times. All of a sudden, we're equipped to do things that previously have been the enviable domain of only our car owning friends. I speak, of course, of long weekends at home, and trips to Target, farmers markets and soccer games. There will also be post-swine flu road trips to Mexico. Look out world!Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-3028018312098664622009-08-17T19:08:00.000-07:002009-08-17T19:26:50.147-07:00We're definitely in California now.What with the packing and the preparations and the road trip, it's been a crazy couple of weeks. We're not quite at our destination yet, as we're not due at camp until next Friday, August 28, but once we get there, there will once again be plenty to do. Until then, we don't have many plans: catch up with friends and family, catch up on sleep, run a few errands, maybe hit up Disneyland and, hopefully, a whole lot of this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SooNedOBtaI/AAAAAAAAAz4/pS76EiAwLFI/s1600-h/IMG_1573.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SooNedOBtaI/AAAAAAAAAz4/pS76EiAwLFI/s320/IMG_1573.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371120322483434914" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SooNkdFYHEI/AAAAAAAAA0A/XCKFZnbXGnU/s1600-h/IMG_1575.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SooNkdFYHEI/AAAAAAAAA0A/XCKFZnbXGnU/s320/IMG_1575.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371120425526369346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SooOpBzHkcI/AAAAAAAAA0I/pBJCbgy4XV4/s1600-h/IMG_1576.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SooOpBzHkcI/AAAAAAAAA0I/pBJCbgy4XV4/s320/IMG_1576.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371121603613004226" border="0" /></a><br />This new life of leisure ain't bad.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-28706934324178757412009-08-17T11:46:00.000-07:002009-08-17T15:35:56.115-07:00Day Seven: New Mexico, Arizona & California<div style="text-align: center;">Day 7 miles driven: 705 miles<br />Day 7 time on road: 13 hours and 25 minutes<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/Somo_bk6ZaI/AAAAAAAAAEM/extdML8PQZI/s1600-h/IMG_1486.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/Somo_bk6ZaI/AAAAAAAAAEM/extdML8PQZI/s320/IMG_1486.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371009838303831458" border="0" /></a><br />Our final day of driving would prove to be another long stretch of American road. First, we took scenic Route 60 (a two-lane desert offshoot of the old Route 66) from Albuquerque to Phoenix. Our goal was to stop in Pie Town, NM, a town totally dedicated to the idea of delicious road trip pie diners...but the town is apparently closed on Sundays. Fiddlesticks.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SommmHfjM2I/AAAAAAAAADc/nYu4ABE_VOo/s1600-h/IMG_1480.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SommmHfjM2I/AAAAAAAAADc/nYu4ABE_VOo/s320/IMG_1480.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371007204392645474" border="0" /></a>So we settled on an early lunch at a dirty roadside diner in Quemado, NM, where we sat one booth over from the oldest people in North America. The Mexican food was acceptable, but the art on the wall was certainly questionable.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SommrjCC4WI/AAAAAAAAADk/dQMyovJABuY/s1600-h/IMG_1482.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SommrjCC4WI/AAAAAAAAADk/dQMyovJABuY/s320/IMG_1482.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371007297684431202" border="0" /></a><br />Through the arid landscaped we trekked, eventually crossing over into the green eastern mountains (?) of Arizona. The road took us up through the winding slopes of Salt River Canyon, where we got some intense vistas of this Grand Canyon Jr... We had truly reached the American west.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/Somm-3sgdHI/AAAAAAAAADs/RlpsDe5ejIY/s1600-h/IMG_1526.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/Somm-3sgdHI/AAAAAAAAADs/RlpsDe5ejIY/s320/IMG_1526.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371007629648753778" border="0" /></a><br />We then descended into the heart of Arizona, and FINALLY met face-to-face with our first cacti of the trip. This meant that we needed to blast the air conditioning because it was, oh, 110 degrees without a cloud in sight. Unsurprisingly, Sadie was unimpressed with the dramatic change in climate.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SomnOW6nq5I/AAAAAAAAAD0/8hja4pYj-To/s1600-h/IMG_1546.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SomnOW6nq5I/AAAAAAAAAD0/8hja4pYj-To/s320/IMG_1546.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371007895727483794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SomnXLMxx4I/AAAAAAAAAD8/YIyUurW8iCA/s1600-h/IMG_1550.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SomnXLMxx4I/AAAAAAAAAD8/YIyUurW8iCA/s320/IMG_1550.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371008047201240962" border="0" /></a><br />Road trip bliss was achieved near Phoenix as we passed one of our final Food Exit signs: Waffle House, Taco Bell and In 'n Out, all together, an immaculate bouquet of fast food roses. We popped into Mesa, AZ, to visit family friend Collette before our final push towards the Golden State. One more stop for gas, and one more regrettable drive-thru dining experience later, we had crossed the Colorado River and entered California. As the sun set over the San Jacinto Mountains, we high-fived and clinked our Carl's Jr. water cups to a beautiful and epic drive from the Massachusetts bay to the California desert.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SomnwBoehlI/AAAAAAAAAEE/-gVHMl5W8aM/s1600-h/IMG_1564.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SomnwBoehlI/AAAAAAAAAEE/-gVHMl5W8aM/s320/IMG_1564.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371008474129794642" border="0" /></a><br />We enjoyed every minute of this trip (Well, maybe except those first two hours with the baying cat in the back seat.) - looks like we're road trip people after all. We're supremely grateful to the farms we photographed, the towns that fed us and the people who shared their homes with us. Stay tuned for more news from the western front!Trevorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10095762240115231531noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-87266651557192213172009-08-16T21:40:00.000-07:002009-08-17T12:02:38.291-07:00Day Six: Colorado & New Mexico<div style="text-align: center;">Day 6 miles driven: 478 miles<br />Day 6 time on road: 9 hours and 45 minutes<br /><br />** We're posting this a day late, as our lodging last night didn't have internet. Apologies to those who've been waiting with baited breath. **<br /></div><br />We've really gotten into this road tripping thing. Case in point: Today, we decided our 7 hour / 1 highway drive just wasn't scenic enough – add in a few local routes, tons of scenic vistas, one black cat themed winery, and here we are in Albequerque.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the day that we took off from driving didn't coincide with the Longmont Fire Department Parade. Fortunately, it did coincide with a pre-parade party on Tyler & Dulcie's porch that involved donuts. We grabbed a couple for the road, and headed south through Denver.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SojlN7tFbVI/AAAAAAAAAyw/4r1yWc5aUL8/s1600-h/IMG_1377.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SojlN7tFbVI/AAAAAAAAAyw/4r1yWc5aUL8/s320/IMG_1377.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370794583167167826" border="0" /></a><br />Before the border to New Mexico, we ran into an adorable Coloradan town, Trinidad, where we ate lunch at a pizzeria on its Main Street, which was paved with bricks. Fruit salad was the special of the day – every ingredient (apples, pears, mandarin oranges, goat cheese, walnuts) was from the town's Farmer's Market that had been earlier that day. Colorado is awesome.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SojjCrPcjZI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/zEWIB0S_vic/s1600-h/IMG_1400.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SojjCrPcjZI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/zEWIB0S_vic/s320/IMG_1400.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370792190746070418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SojjLSyrSwI/AAAAAAAAAyY/ljPujov7Xm8/s1600-h/IMG_1401.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SojjLSyrSwI/AAAAAAAAAyY/ljPujov7Xm8/s320/IMG_1401.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370792338801773314" border="0" /></a><br />One of the best road trip decisions we've made this week was to detour off Highway 25 today – this would have taken us straight from Trinidad in Colorado to Albequerque in probably 2 fewer hours than what we did, but the route we took, along a windy mountain road, then a few miscellaneous ones South, took us through landscape that is the definition of the American Southwest – wide open plains, backed up along the Rocky Mountains.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/Sojjrxpa0QI/AAAAAAAAAyg/-1XgereVzec/s1600-h/IMG_1422.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/Sojjrxpa0QI/AAAAAAAAAyg/-1XgereVzec/s320/IMG_1422.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370792896840257794" border="0" /></a><br />On the windy mountain road, the official destination according to the highway signs was Taos, a New Mexico community renowned as an artist and hippie destination. We were actually disappointed in Taos – an elderly vacationer's destination if we've ever seen one – but beyond delighted with Eagle's Nest, a lakefront town about 15 miles north.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SojkTBkVI1I/AAAAAAAAAyo/QKVk73QKuWk/s1600-h/IMG_1436.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SojkTBkVI1I/AAAAAAAAAyo/QKVk73QKuWk/s320/IMG_1436.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370793571128779602" border="0" /></a><br />After Taos, we stumbled upon a winery, which made for the perfect mid-afternoon break. Then it was a straight shot down to Albequerque, which is just about 40 minutes away from the skyline-free Santa Fe, where we are staying at the empty house of one of Trevor's parents' friends. Despite the fact that all we had seen and read about New Mexico was about its Mexican food, when we went to find some place for dinner, we couldn't find a single Mexican restaurant. We did find a microbrewery (of course), and then a tapas place where we decidedly did not eat tapas (Trevor: Crawfish sandwich. Ashley: Grilled cheese.).<br /><br />We're calling it an early night to get on the road tomorrow morning for our final day - hard to believe that at this time tomorrow, we'll be at our final destination, at Ashley's parents in Indio, California.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-7796646602044883582009-08-16T21:39:00.001-07:002009-08-17T10:40:54.703-07:00A beer interludeYou might not think a road trip is conducive to beer tasting, but that's where you'd be wrong. Beer samplers – flights of 4-7 beers in 4 ounce tastes – are perfect for a pair of beer lovers traveling the country. You get to taste what the brewery has to offer in 20 minutes or less, without worrying about blindly ordering a bad pint, the cat in the car, or getting back behind the wheel. It's good for the road trip budget too – they typically cost $5 or $6.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />Great Lakes Brewing Company (Cleveland, OH) </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SomSMdvq9CI/AAAAAAAAAy4/SGubZcWy3xw/s1600-h/IMG_1096.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SomSMdvq9CI/AAAAAAAAAy4/SGubZcWy3xw/s320/IMG_1096.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370984773456688162" border="0" /></a><br />We stopped at Great Lakes because they're one of the country's most renowned breweries that doesn't distribute on the coasts. On our way to Michigan, we stopped in for a quick sample of 4 to see what all the fuss was about. At their downtown Cleveland location, they've got a full-on complex: Restaurant, brewery, tasting room, pub, patio, beer garden and gift shop. It's definitely a popular place for downtown professionals, for weekday lunch and after-work drinks. Somehow at around 3PM, we ran into both of these crowds. The bar has dark wood paneling, and decorations reminiscing about beers from yesteryear.<br /><br />Beers tasted:<br /><ul><li>Dortmunder Gold</li><li>Commodore Perry IPA</li><li>Edmond Fitzgerald Porter</li><li>Moondog ESB</li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SomSSOdOrSI/AAAAAAAAAzA/vKRO8txr6Ts/s1600-h/IMG_1098.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SomSSOdOrSI/AAAAAAAAAzA/vKRO8txr6Ts/s320/IMG_1098.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370984872432020770" border="0" /></a><br />Trevor's favorite: Dortmunder Gold<br />Ashley's favorite: Commodore Perry IPA<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Overall rating: B+</span>. We would definitely rate this higher if: We had been able to sample more beers, enjoy some of their outdoor seating (the bar area just wasn't our thang), or if they'd had branded bibs in the gift shop (Sorry Tyler & Dulcie!).<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Grizzly Peak (Ann Arbor, MI)</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SomTB3vY7iI/AAAAAAAAAzI/Lbx37vsiHxo/s1600-h/IMG_1127.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SomTB3vY7iI/AAAAAAAAAzI/Lbx37vsiHxo/s320/IMG_1127.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370985690967895586" border="0" /></a>We hit up Grizzly Peak primarily for dinner with our friends/hosts, Emily and Nathan. As soon as we heard it was a brewpub, visions of sampler glasses started dancing in our heads. Its one location is a downtown Ann Arbor hotspot. The digs were pretty standard brewpub – same kind of pre-prohibition décor as Great Lakes – with a good amount of space for both eating and drinking. Before we get into the beer, it's important to note that Ashley's mac and cheese was among the best ever tasted – creamy and herby and sharp and delicious.<br /><br />Beers tasted:<br /><ul><li>Bear Paw Porter</li><li>Pale Ale</li><li>Steelhead Red Ale</li><li>Anniversary ESB</li><li>American IPA (On cask)</li></ul>Trevor's favorite: Steelhead Red Ale<br />Ashley's favorite: Pale Ale<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Overall rating: A-. </span>With their rotating beer list and seasonally appropriate food menu, we would be definite regulars at this bar/restaurant.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Katie & Jason's (Pacific, MO)<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SomTxkzaHUI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/F16HqSTB7QA/s1600-h/IMG_1235.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SomTxkzaHUI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/F16HqSTB7QA/s320/IMG_1235.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370986510518197570" border="0" /></a><br />Who knew that a residence in Pacific, Missouri was greater St. Louis's official tasting station? Aside from the amazing St. Louis-style, white and traditional pizzas that Katie prepared, we sampled some Missouri-made suds, some of which were brewed on the premises.<br /><br />Beers tasted:<br /><ul><li>Schlafly's Summer Lager</li><li>Schlafly's Raspberry Hefeweizen</li><li>Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat Beer</li><li>Homebrewed Tripel</li><li>Homebrewed English Brown Ale</li><li>O'Fallon 5 Day IPA</li></ul>Trevor's favorite: Homebrewed Tripel<br />Ashley's favorite: Schlafly's Raspberry Hefeweizen<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Overall rating: A+</span>. We're moving in.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Left Hand Brewing Company (Longmont, CO)<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SomUu7VlIBI/AAAAAAAAAzY/aBJQDP6566M/s1600-h/IMG_1345.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SomUu7VlIBI/AAAAAAAAAzY/aBJQDP6566M/s320/IMG_1345.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370987564539125778" border="0" /></a><br />We'd had – and loved – Left Hand's Milk Stout before, so we were anxious to see what else they have to offer. Colorado knows how to make consuming local beer awfully convenient: The tasting room serves as a bar, gift shop and package store. The bar is unpretentious and bright, and the barkeep, friendly and Austrian. We paid for a sampler of 6, but wound up tasting 8, either because it was our first time, she likes the beers so much, or because she was flirting with us. 2 freebies? We're fine with any reason. We were there on the release day of their Oktoberfest – is it that time of year already?<br /><br />Beers tasted:<br /><ul><li>Pro Am Brown</li><li>Pro Am Brown (Cask)</li><li>Juju Ginger</li><li>Deep Cover Brown</li><li>Imperial Stout</li><li>Black Jack Porter</li><li>Oktoberfest</li><li>Jackman's Pale Ale</li></ul>Trevor's favorite: Juju Ginger<br />Ashley's favorite: Oktoberfest<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Overall rating: A</span>. The fact that Trevor's choosing a spiced beer as his favorite, and that we didn't even miss tasting an IPA, speaks to the non-wavering quality of their catalogue. Translation: We liked it.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Oskar Blues Brewery (Longmont, CO)<br /></span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SomVbh8X9eI/AAAAAAAAAzg/Ieh7obpWUIU/s1600-h/IMG_1354.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SomVbh8X9eI/AAAAAAAAAzg/Ieh7obpWUIU/s320/IMG_1354.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370988330816632290" border="0" /></a><br />We're longtime fans of Oskar Blues's well-distributed offerings, Dale's Pale Ale & Old Chub. You know them – they're the ones in the can. We hesitated to enter the tasting room, because it looked like a door to their factory – and it was. The neat juxtaposition of their brewing and canning facilities with their tasting room made for the hippest atmosphere yet, which made up for the fact that, after the Left Hand tasting and a large lunch of Mexican food, our appetite wasn't quite as fierce as it had been earlier that day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SomVhaCs1DI/AAAAAAAAAzo/cdGWrLEhSXQ/s1600-h/IMG_1357.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SomVhaCs1DI/AAAAAAAAAzo/cdGWrLEhSXQ/s320/IMG_1357.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370988431774897202" border="0" /></a><br />Beers tasted:<br /><ul><li>Dale's Pale Ale</li><li>Gordon (Imperial IPA)</li><li>Old Chub (Scottish Ale)</li><li>Whiskey barrel aged Old Chub</li><li>Doppelbock</li><li>Mama's Little Yella Pils</li><li>Bonus: Oskar Blues Root Beer</li></ul>Trevor's favorite: Dale's Pale Ale<br />Ashley's favorite: Gordon<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Overall rating: B+.</span> Had we not tasted four of these beers before, we may have been more blown away. As is, we were expecting quality, and they delivered. If we lived in the area, we would frequent the room, because its quirky atmosphere is right up our alley. And Trevor would like a job driving their bus:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SomVmvesSpI/AAAAAAAAAzw/q3rdwMTZ7GA/s1600-h/IMG_1362.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SomVmvesSpI/AAAAAAAAAzw/q3rdwMTZ7GA/s320/IMG_1362.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370988523428792978" border="0" /></a><br />In addition to these samplers, we did have a few regular-sized beers, including an Illinois-brewed Goose Island Honkers Ale and three local New Mexico brews (Santa Fe Brewing Company's 94 Rock Dirty Blonde and Chama River's Rio Lodo Brown & Jackelope IPA). Ashley also sampled a new Midwest beer you might not have heard of: Budweiser. The start-up operation is trying, but the quality just isn't there yet. Oh, and we also did a wine tasting. Chilled red dessert wine infused with bittersweet chocolate? Actually very good.<br /><br />This will likely become a regular feature on the blog – 5 beer samplers in a week, imagine what we could do in a year!Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-43064809540457544922009-08-14T08:46:00.000-07:002009-08-14T09:25:38.341-07:00Day Four: Missouri, Kansas, Kansas, Kansas, and Colorado<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SoWNpxgtl1I/AAAAAAAAACM/OKzGv4bsjCM/s1600-h/IMG_1256.JPG"><br /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Day 4 miles driven: 860 miles<br />Day 4 time on road: 13 hours and 45 minutes<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SoWODLKohBI/AAAAAAAAACU/QUhyEiNLbvI/s1600-h/IMG_1281.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SoWODLKohBI/AAAAAAAAACU/QUhyEiNLbvI/s320/IMG_1281.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369854315897324562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Hot and long: Interstate 70<br /></span></div><br />Day four was a long one, that's for sure.<br /><br />We left Katie, Jason & James hopped up on coffee and a breakfast of homemade bread and zoomed straight through Missouri, with a brief stop outside of Kansas City in Independence, Harry Truman's hometown (Also exciting: Just before Independence is a town called Blue Springs, hometown of American Idol David Cook.) A definite trend is emerging on this road trip, where we'll see signs for something we'd like to check out, get off the highway, and realize it's much too far off our route. Sorry Truman (and Eisenhower, Earhart, Hayes, Boone & Garfield) - we just can't afford an hour long detour!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SoWNBI2bgPI/AAAAAAAAACE/km_dPs2aKsk/s1600-h/IMG_1246.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SoWNBI2bgPI/AAAAAAAAACE/km_dPs2aKsk/s320/IMG_1246.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369853181404348658" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">The Missouri River around 9 AM<br /></span></div><br />Over 750 miles of the trip went straight across Interstate 70 (this is why we need no GPS), mostly through Kansas. We'd been warned about Kansas, and its overwhelming flatness and boring landscape, so maybe we just had low expectations, but we actually enjoyed the views: not-that-flat pastures, windmills, cows, sunflower fields, and awesome advertisements for things like the World's Largest Prairie Dog.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SoWOZLOrHlI/AAAAAAAAACc/a-fpcSfBRHo/s1600-h/IMG_1315.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SoWOZLOrHlI/AAAAAAAAACc/a-fpcSfBRHo/s320/IMG_1315.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369854693871394386" border="0" /></a><br />We looped around Topeka for some driveby views of the capitol (and "something real"), and grabbed lunch from a chain named Taco John's. It is much like Taco Bell, but they have tater tots called "Potatoes Ole" which are amazing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SoWOq-4DELI/AAAAAAAAACk/usbtrji1cUM/s1600-h/IMG_1266.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SoWOq-4DELI/AAAAAAAAACk/usbtrji1cUM/s320/IMG_1266.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369854999792914610" border="0" /></a><br />After lunch we toughened up and drove 400 miles of the Sunflower State without stopping. Although we would have like to have stopped by Oz (museum and winery), we settled for some ice cream at our first-ever Sonic drive-thru instead. Thanks for that experience, Russell, KS!<br /><br />Things that helped us through the long journey through Kansas: "Route 66" by Natalie Cole; AAA guidebooks that taught us about towns that we passed (so that we didn't have to stop and visit); terrible modern rock DJs that we could yell at; the classic driving sing-along "Bohemian Rhapsody".<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SoWPixUdTMI/AAAAAAAAAC0/LvpNsiim0os/s1600-h/IMG_1280.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SoWPixUdTMI/AAAAAAAAAC0/LvpNsiim0os/s320/IMG_1280.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369855958226652354" border="0" /></a><br />The Sunflower farms were quite scenic right as we entered Rocky Mountain Time and crossed the border to Colorado. Gaining an hour was a nice surprise because it meant we wouldn't be too late to our destination. The clouds in eastern Colorado ruined our potential sunset vista, but we made it through the last hours of the drive despite the darkness and rain. We were not in Kansas anymore (I apologize).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SoWPN6YfEYI/AAAAAAAAACs/VPhvT2J4WQY/s1600-h/IMG_1326.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k9X7HOZJ_EM/SoWPN6YfEYI/AAAAAAAAACs/VPhvT2J4WQY/s320/IMG_1326.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369855599882211714" border="0" /></a><br />We've landed in Longmont, Colorado (near Boulder), where we're taking a day off from driving to hang with family - Trevor's brother Tyler, his wife Dulcie and their cat Tac. Beer tasting will continue.Trevorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10095762240115231531noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-22335378737287568792009-08-14T08:30:00.000-07:002009-08-14T08:32:18.197-07:00One cool catFour days into our cross country road trip, and there's a battle raging in the car. It's not exactly Man vs. Wild, but it's getting pretty heated. Actually, it's not heated at all - and that's the problem. Our cat Sadie, has turned out to be quite the intrepid traveler - she's largely quiet and spending most of her time sleeping. The problem is that she's covered with black fur and requires a car temperature far below what we would prefer. <br /><br />When it gets too warm - as in, the humans aren't covered in goose bumps - there are three ways she'll react: 1) She'll move to the console between the driver & passenger, and turn around, so that any air coming out of the vents goes over her whole body. 2) If this doesn't work, she will start meowing. Loudly. 3) If relief still hasn't come, she'll start panting. This panting thing is truly the weirdest thing we've ever seen - she opens her mouth and sticks her tongue out as if she's a dog, but it also weirdly looks like she's smiling. Have you ever seen a smiling cat? It's actually pretty creepy. Then we feel guilty. So, most of the time, we wind up trying to keep the peace and the AC flowing - meaning we wind up wearing sweatshirts on 93 degree days. I think it's safe to say we've lost this battle.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-29623127196470159872009-08-12T21:58:00.000-07:002009-08-12T22:16:16.952-07:00When music dorks road tripOne of our favorite bands is a group from California called Limbeck. They write some awesome songs - a ton of which happen to be about cars and parking lots and traveling. Translation: We've been thinking about blasting them on our road trip since we started planning it. This song is called "Ohio" - you'll never guess where it was "filmed"!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx41DWd9VllH11r647UNjVcQYA9p3DJUah9To6JQhibIuNSAn5XIF-x_YZ0LJ_Q4qm0KW6OkPcZjUc-7wEdPw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-48151360668268862602009-08-12T21:11:00.001-07:002009-08-13T05:02:40.549-07:00Day Three: Michigan, Indiana, Springfield, IL & St. Louis, MO<div style="text-align: center;">Day 3 miles driven: 563<br />Day 3 time on road: 12 hours and 10 minutes<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">It certainly doesn't seem like we spent over 12 hours in the car today! This bodes well for our monster drive tomorrow, from Pacific, MO (about 30 miles southwest of St. Louis) to Longmont, CO (about 30 miles north of Denver).<br /><br />We left Emily & Nathan's in Ann Arbor, grateful for a good night's sleep, and took a quick loop around the University of Michigan's football stadium (having seen WVU's the day before, it seemed to make sense) and grabbed coffee and a bearclaw from a placed called Bearclaw's before getting on the road and heading South.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoOdEs-ZvyI/AAAAAAAAAxw/wevZ0AkF5Jg/s1600-h/IMG_1134.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoOdEs-ZvyI/AAAAAAAAAxw/wevZ0AkF5Jg/s320/IMG_1134.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369307884873695010" border="0" /></a><br />Pretty much all of our driving to this point had been on main highways, and since we had *only* 8 hours today, we decided to take at least one scenic route. Route 51 took us through farm-laden townships (tomorrow we are definitely stopping for fruit at a farm stand) and one particularly cute Main Street USA, in Dowagiac, Michigan.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoOb7ZE4PuI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/1RqgSEOF3L4/s1600-h/IMG_1147.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoOb7ZE4PuI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/1RqgSEOF3L4/s320/IMG_1147.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369306625401700066" border="0" /></a><br />South Bend, just over the border into Indiana, beckoned, but we resisted the urge to detour and keep up the blue and gold college tour so we could stay on the road. We were in Indiana for a long time, and didn't stop. Let's just leave it at that, so we don't get hate comments from any Indiana residents out there. After Indiana, we got into Illinois and corn country. And corn country's where we'll stay! Well, through tomorrow anyway.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoOcRL2yL9I/AAAAAAAAAxg/XJpeJ6-QtBU/s1600-h/IMG_1174.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoOcRL2yL9I/AAAAAAAAAxg/XJpeJ6-QtBU/s320/IMG_1174.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369306999810043858" border="0" /></a><br />At this point we were driving along what used to be Route 66. So, just like Jack Kerouac before us, we stopped at an "authentic" "rock 'n roll" restaurant called "That 50s Place" for lunch. Okay, it wasn't exactly 'On the Road,' or even 'American Graffiti,' but it did have some awesome decor.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoOcIYRVMqI/AAAAAAAAAxY/nQIpyIYtQC0/s1600-h/IMG_1171.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoOcIYRVMqI/AAAAAAAAAxY/nQIpyIYtQC0/s320/IMG_1171.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369306848523793058" border="0" /></a><br />Having entered the central time zone, we were pleased (and, embarrassingly, pretty surprised) to find out we'd gained an hour, so we used the time to head into Springfield. We did a quick loop around the downtown and Capitol area, where Lincoln was mentioned approximately every 5 feet, but Obama wasn't mentioned once (yet). Some quick Midwestern brews at a sports bar, and then we were back in the car for the final sprint into<br /><br />We crossed the Mississippi River and before we'd even passed the sign at the Missouri state line, we'd seen the Arch and Busch Stadium - this state really knows how to show itself! (Get it? Because it's the "Show Me" state? Sorry, I just couldn't help it.).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoOcgjd_PAI/AAAAAAAAAxo/yb7vZa0mYfQ/s1600-h/IMG_1218.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoOcgjd_PAI/AAAAAAAAAxo/yb7vZa0mYfQ/s320/IMG_1218.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369307263846530050" border="0" /></a><br />We are staying the night with Ashley's high school friend Katie, her husband Jason, their incredibly sweet 2 1/2 year old James and 2 very cute cats. It's been an evening of homemade pizza (did you know that St. Louis-style pizza is made with a special cheese called Provelle, which is a combination of - we think - Provolone and Mozzarella and sold in slices, developed to be melty but not stringy?), a variety of St. Louis area beers and homebrew, and before we knew it, it's time to once again call it a night.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoQALL0FBZI/AAAAAAAAAyA/fSz1jikgaUI/s1600-h/IMG_1238.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoQALL0FBZI/AAAAAAAAAyA/fSz1jikgaUI/s320/IMG_1238.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369416847882257810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Not St. Louis pizza, but also delicious.<br /><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoP_tCzsuUI/AAAAAAAAAx4/fFUfpuRtKvY/s1600-h/IMG_1235.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoP_tCzsuUI/AAAAAAAAAx4/fFUfpuRtKvY/s320/IMG_1235.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369416330068670786" border="0" /></a><br />Tomorrow we do Kansas. It'll be long, and there will be corn, but this is why coffee, mixed CDs and drive-thrus were invented. Catch you again, from Mountain time!<br /><br /></div></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-25840308233376229052009-08-11T20:19:00.000-07:002009-08-11T21:21:11.016-07:00Day Two: Morgantown - Northeast Ohio - Ann Arbor<div style="text-align: center;">Day 2 miles driven: 415<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Day 2 time on road: 8 hours and 20 minutes<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Well here we are in Ann Arbor at the end of our second day of travel. Ashley and Sadie are fast asleep, dreaming of the potential that Day 3 holds, while I reflect on the majesty of Day 2. The drive today was not quite as long as the first, but that didn't prevent us from some intense bonding with our rental car. We named him Chipper (for some reason)!<br /><br />The morning found us touring and breakfasting in Morgantown. We saw the WVU campus and ate at Eat 'n Park where we had our first smiley faced food of the trip. Ashley spilled her cup of syrup on the table to ensure that we made our imprint on the town.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoI5G2ziTbI/AAAAAAAAAwg/1h_7CM16tLI/s1600-h/IMG_1071.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoI5G2ziTbI/AAAAAAAAAwg/1h_7CM16tLI/s320/IMG_1071.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368916495732723122" border="0" /></a><br />A West Virginian at the diner even called Trevor "buddy" after he held the door open for him. First new friend made on the trip! We said goodbye to the generous Orndorff family, but not before a scholarly review of the family photos. I think they are wearing doilies, but I digress.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoI6b8OXspI/AAAAAAAAAww/Eqel9E68zAY/s1600-h/IMG_1068.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoI6b8OXspI/AAAAAAAAAww/Eqel9E68zAY/s320/IMG_1068.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368917957476332178" border="0" /></a><br />We traveled northwest, past Pittsburgh and into Ohio. After a comedic five minutes of torrential rain, it cleared up and we made our way to Ashley's dad's hometown (Medina, OH) for a quick stop. It is true Americana with corn fields, general stores, and a million churchs. Ashley was upset that no souvenir was purchased. The idyllic images of the farmland will have to suffice as memories.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoI9dLc-l2I/AAAAAAAAAxA/oHLqRm14o0Q/s1600-h/IMG_1087.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoI9dLc-l2I/AAAAAAAAAxA/oHLqRm14o0Q/s320/IMG_1087.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368921277278885730" border="0" /></a><br />A quick jog up to Cleveland allowed us a short lunch at Great Lakes Brewing. First brewery of the trip! Good mushroom pizza.<br /><br />We arrived at Emily (Ashley's former Tech Target buddy) and her boyfriend Nathan's apartment and immediately starting talking about cats (they have two, including an energetic ninja kitten) before going to a nice brewpub called Grizzly Peak for dinner.<br /><br />Speaking of cats, Sadie had a great day -- bitchy for the first hour, adorable for the next 7. She enjoys punishing our road maps.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoI-rcb-S3I/AAAAAAAAAxI/6T-57izz-2c/s1600-h/IMG_1119.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoI-rcb-S3I/AAAAAAAAAxI/6T-57izz-2c/s320/IMG_1119.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368922621867871090" border="0" /></a>Ashley has admitted that she has an obsession with water towers and how they are a source of municipal pride in the midwest. Trevor is wondering where in this steamy center of America he can locate a White Castle restaurant (still haven't seen <span style="font-style: italic;">one</span>).<br /><br />Anyway, Emily and Nathan have been very very kind to us here in Michigan and we hope to see a bit more of Ann Arbor before heading southwest towards Missouri tomorrow.<br /><br />Stay tuned webosphere!!<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-56355753918852974902009-08-11T04:57:00.000-07:002009-08-11T05:53:05.628-07:00Not a bad way to leave BostonCourtesy of a cranky cat who didn't understand where all her scratching and sleeping stations had gone, we were up at 5:30AM on the day of our departure. Hard to be upset about it when we woke up to this:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoFjhUP6mlI/AAAAAAAAAvw/wfQ2f1WPcnE/s1600-h/IMG_1017.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoFjhUP6mlI/AAAAAAAAAvw/wfQ2f1WPcnE/s400/IMG_1017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368681654824639058" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoFkDULVb7I/AAAAAAAAAv4/d7mIzVkMy0k/s1600-h/IMG_1019.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoFkDULVb7I/AAAAAAAAAv4/d7mIzVkMy0k/s400/IMG_1019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368682238920978354" border="0" /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-41794819599048701652009-08-11T04:31:00.001-07:002009-08-11T05:52:20.816-07:00Day One: Scranton, PA & Morgantown, WV<div style="text-align: center;">Miles driven: 619<br />Car time: 10 hours, 50 minutes<br /></div><br />Day one of our cross country road trip took us from Boston, through Connecticut, Pennsylvania (with a stop in Scranton, PA) and Maryland, before we pulled into Morgantown, West Virginia at about 8:30PM last night.<br /><br />Sadie proved that she is smarter than her cat carrier (and possibly her owners), by using the zipper to bust free of it about 2 hours into the trip. We've learned our lesson: the pathetic meowing immediately ceased and she spent the rest of the drive in her cardboard massage box the back seat, on passenger Ashley's lap, trying to figure out a way to get over driver Trevor's left shoulder into his lap (an impossibility we hope), or balanced surprisingly-not-that-precariously on the center console.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoFmBJ3jmgI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/0qcF4TbN_m8/s1600-h/IMG_1047.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoFmBJ3jmgI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/0qcF4TbN_m8/s320/IMG_1047.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368684400817183234" border="0" /></a><br />We saw the first cows of the trip (think there'll be any more of those in the Midwest?), and listened to the first of our road trip mix CDs, made for us by some lovely friends - strangely enough, Sadie appears to be really into Spanish music (Thanks Aaron!). Trevor lasted 6 hours into the trip before mentioning Dwight Eisenhower, and we can now say we've seen James Buchanan's birthplace (Hey, we saw the sign for it. We'll add it to the list with JFK's birthplace - we haven't been to the specific house, but it's on a street in Massachusetts that we've walked by a million times.).<br /><br />Our one stop for the day was in Scranton, PA. Yes, we stopped there solely because that is the setting for 'The Office,' one of favorite television shows. We had directions to Poor Richards Pub, a bar that the show's characters frequent, where we thought we could have lunch. But, once we found it (it's inside a bowling alley!) and got out of the car, we realized it was much too hot and muggy to leave Sadie in the car for longer than a few minutes. Good thing we'd already decided that, because when we went in for the requisite tourist photos, it was closed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoFk7LZWOUI/AAAAAAAAAwA/-VYUl1vcgMo/s1600-h/IMG_1036.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoFk7LZWOUI/AAAAAAAAAwA/-VYUl1vcgMo/s320/IMG_1036.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368683198636505410" border="0" /></a><br />Other Office sites that we passed: Alfredo's Pizza Cafe & Steamtown Mall.<br /><br />With a pub lunch having been a bust, we grabbed our first road trip food - veggie hoagies - and ate them on the road.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoFlcUhO0-I/AAAAAAAAAwI/48cRtOODAmk/s1600-h/IMG_1038.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoFlcUhO0-I/AAAAAAAAAwI/48cRtOODAmk/s320/IMG_1038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368683768021177314" border="0" /></a><br />One traffic jam and five hours later, the sun was setting and we were winding our way through the mountains of Maryland and West Virginia.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoFmg4Qs1YI/AAAAAAAAAwY/RiJYIRjEEjM/s1600-h/IMG_1060.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/SoFmg4Qs1YI/AAAAAAAAAwY/RiJYIRjEEjM/s320/IMG_1060.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368684945846621570" border="0" /></a><br />We arrived at Jessica's parents' house to a delicious late stirfry dinner and cheesecake dessert. Massive thanks to Cathy and Jeff for hosting us, cat allergies and all!<br /><br />And with that, day one is complete. Today, we explore Morgantown a bit in the morning and will have breakfast with Jessica's mom, Cathy, before heading north to Michigan, with a brief stop in Cleveland at the Great Lakes Brewing Company. Over and out.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6179665040139920121.post-25737125382995842722009-08-09T15:56:00.000-07:002009-08-09T20:13:55.166-07:00And away we go.It became official in May that we'd be moving to San Diego - and the last couple months have seriously flown by. We've left our jobs, found tenants for our condo, and made a few dozen to-do lists.<br /><br />Our stuff has been divided into a few camps: We got rid of a lot through Craigslist, Goodwill and the Boston Sanitation Department; one truckload went to Ashley's sister's in upstate New York (Thanks Meredith & Jay!) and another load is on its way to California in a shared moving truck (we got 4 feet of a big ol' 74-foot tractor trailer. And yes, 4 feet is just as small as it sounds.).<br /><br />Our 6-year old tuxedo cat has been on two practice car rides (Not quite sure that the 10 minutes to and from Jessica's house will prepare her for 6 days of 10 hours in the car, but, hey, she meowed way less the second time?).<br /><br />And now we're really on our way, picking up our rental car tomorrow morning at 8AM. Our road trip will look like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/Sn-PqIyWc7I/AAAAAAAAAvI/vyrA2s09vOM/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 446px; height: 224px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BplZ6nMr5cI/Sn-PqIyWc7I/AAAAAAAAAvI/vyrA2s09vOM/s400/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368167234924868530" border="0" /></a><br />Our route will take us first to Morgantown, West Virginia, where we will be hosted by the family of our closest friend, Jessica. This is a girl who insisted on throwing us a [truly amazing] goodbye party, took in Sadie for days despite a solid cat allergy, and came over on our final day in Boston to help us clean just so we could spend time together. So, yeah, she's a pretty good friend. After Morgantown, we'll hit Michigan, Missouri, Colorado and New Mexico before landing at Ashley's parents in Indio (near Palm Springs), California. We'll have a week to rock Southern California, land of In 'n Out, fro yo and Mexican food (possibly some other things that aren't food) before we move in at camp. <br /><br />Looking forward to reporting from the road!Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06194111529854341842noreply@blogger.com2