Hey readers...
Blogger is being a bit odd and buggy so I'm moving over to WordPress.... All of my posts and everyone's comments have been moved as well.
If you'd like to continue following this blog, head over to http://farofftraveler.wordpress.com/
You can 'follow' the blog and it'll be emailed to you, just like this one was.
Now, someone go leave me a comment on my new site so I can tell if its working. :-)
High Rises to Hiking Boots
One woman's journey from city life to living in the wilderness, with all the misadventures that you might expect!
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Day #2
Freeman Tilden - the ultimate teacher of slowing down and enjoying every minute of every beautiful day!
Raised Beds!
So it all started with a hole dug with no real plan....
Then my dad visited and soon after, I got this in my inbox. It came after a lengthy trip to Lowe's to show me what bags of manure, peat, etc. to buy, and where the wood is, what wood to buy, etc. The Lowe's trip came with a $100 Lowe's Gift Card, which we just used up yesterday.
I also got a box of screws and brackets from the diagram. Awesome!
M and I got to work in the evening building the frame. (Actually, M did the work. I just held stuff together and listened to him cuss when he bloodied his hands. Whoever says gardening isn't hard hasn't tried to build a raised bed....) We got the frame laid out as the sun went down.
It seems that we were overzealous in our digging and only really needed half of the plot we dug up. Que sera, sera...
Luckily, we were working in the yard that day and noticed a pool of water in the corner by a faucet. A pool in the desert is always cause for concern so M went under the house to check for leaks. Yes, UNDER the HOUSE!
Last Tuesday morning I woke up to very cold weather, which in my mind was perfect for filling the bed in with all the displaced earth.
Oh! and the container herbs are doing good too!
Then my dad visited and soon after, I got this in my inbox. It came after a lengthy trip to Lowe's to show me what bags of manure, peat, etc. to buy, and where the wood is, what wood to buy, etc. The Lowe's trip came with a $100 Lowe's Gift Card, which we just used up yesterday.
I also got a box of screws and brackets from the diagram. Awesome!
M and I got to work in the evening building the frame. (Actually, M did the work. I just held stuff together and listened to him cuss when he bloodied his hands. Whoever says gardening isn't hard hasn't tried to build a raised bed....) We got the frame laid out as the sun went down.
It seems that we were overzealous in our digging and only really needed half of the plot we dug up. Que sera, sera...
Luckily, we were working in the yard that day and noticed a pool of water in the corner by a faucet. A pool in the desert is always cause for concern so M went under the house to check for leaks. Yes, UNDER the HOUSE!
There was no leak in the house and we discovered it was a hole in the pipe beneath the ground. So good news is we got it fixed. Bad news is there's a freaky crawl space beneath my house! This has the making of a great scary movie. (no worries though, my boobs aren't big enough to star in a scary movie so we're gonna be ok)
Last Tuesday morning I woke up to very cold weather, which in my mind was perfect for filling the bed in with all the displaced earth.
Bring it on, Cold Weather! |
Raised bed with a dad-approved ratio of soil-to-manure-to-peat moss mixture |
Oh! and the container herbs are doing good too!
From bottom to Top - Scallions, Garlic, Spinach, and Spinach... there's also a tiny wild cilantro in there somewhere |
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
100 Happy Days - Day #1
With all the changes in my life right now, and with the way our lives move so quickly, I sometimes feel very overwhelmed and disconnected. This is an unacceptable feeling so I've decided to join the 100 Happy Days campaign. Basically you submit a picture each day of something that makes you happy, using hashtags to follow along with everyone else.
I really don't like hashtags and only use them for my work FB page, BUT I'm gonna do this anyway #100HappyDays
Coffee! No explanation necessary....
Monday, March 10, 2014
Moving Furniture.... To Make Room for MORE Furniture
So this whole moving in thing is ramping up to full gear... or for my more geeky awesome friends... Warp Speed Ahead! M and I have officially started moving furniture around.
We have decided to move the office furniture into the dining area, splitting the dining area into a dining/office space, and leaving a room free for an awesome movie space! I guess if we were really rich we'd call it our "Media Room".
Somewhere between this....
So, in two weeks, I'll officially be living in Carlsbad!
We have decided to move the office furniture into the dining area, splitting the dining area into a dining/office space, and leaving a room free for an awesome movie space! I guess if we were really rich we'd call it our "Media Room".
Somewhere between this....
And this...
I'm also getting my Christmas present from my grandma and Pawpaw delivered tomorrow.... my own swivel chair where I can curl up, blog, internet, and crochet!
The movers will be arriving at my apartment in 2 weeks. I leave my job in one week. That gives me several days to frantically dump everything into boxes, cursing the fact that I own tons of books, and run to the liquor store, AGAIN, for more boxes. The bad news is this move will cost me almost $1000. The good news is I won't have to move any large furniture! That is for the movers to do :-)
Labels:
Carlsbad,
random movie reference
Location:
Carlsbad, NM 88220, USA
Friday, March 7, 2014
Kristi's Organic Garden
Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest of places... This was a drawing my dad posted last spring on Facebook. (note the hiking boots)
Slightly political, slightly sarcastic, totally awesome!
Although I do wonder what a 'non-vegan' garden would look like? Leatherface's backyard?
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Ground Has Been Broken....
So an update on moving in with M....
I've given my apartment complex notice and will officially be a non-El Paso resident as of the end of March! Yay!
Also - I've broken ground on our new in-the-ground garden. We will still use containers in winter and for big stuff like potatoes and tomatoes. But! The in-the-ground garden signifies me being in Carlsbad permanently as I've promised M he won't have to do any weeding.
Now - in my mind, I'd like my garden to be something similar to the White House Kitchen Garden and reading "American Grown" isn't helping.
I've given my apartment complex notice and will officially be a non-El Paso resident as of the end of March! Yay!
Also - I've broken ground on our new in-the-ground garden. We will still use containers in winter and for big stuff like potatoes and tomatoes. But! The in-the-ground garden signifies me being in Carlsbad permanently as I've promised M he won't have to do any weeding.
Now - in my mind, I'd like my garden to be something similar to the White House Kitchen Garden and reading "American Grown" isn't helping.
Caution! Contents cause serious garden envy |
Labels:
Carlsbad,
city life,
environmental ethics,
gardening
Location:
Carlsbad, NM 88220, USA
From Texas, and LouisianaMississippiAlabamaTennesseeKentuckyWestVirginiaMaryland, to Virginia! - Pt 2 AlabamaTennesseeKentuckyWestVirginia
Last time we talked about the beginning of the trip - Louisiana and Mississippi, leaving off with Moss Point, MS on the Gulf Coast...
We crossed through Mobile (which has the COOLEST tunnel under their port.... or so I thought until I drove under Baltimore's bay in the COOLEST tunnel ever!) and headed up to Montgomery, or Birmingham (i don't remember) to crash for the night at a campground. This was back in the day when I needed showers and flush toilets and was willing to pay for them, like a CHUMP, at a private campground. Nowadays I am willing to forgo those niceties for a FREE campground :-).
The next day we headed up to Lynchburg, TN to visit the Jack Daniels Distillery. Neither R or myself is in to whiskey but why not visit anyway. The distillery is set in the hills and is a gorgeous ride... much like the Maker's Mark Distillery visit of my youth. It was a great way to be introduced to the Appalachians. After that stop, we continued north to visit Mammoth Cave National Park. On a previous road trip, R and I went to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and we liked it so much, we decided to check out another one. This cave was very very different from Carlsbad. No huge rooms like "the Big Room", but with over 300 miles of underground riverway, there was plenty to explore.
We chose to hit a ranger-guided tour that involved a bus ride to a more remote part of the cave. There, in a wooded dirt parking lot, was a pad-locked metal doorway into the side of a small hill. Only slightly creepy. The guide warned us that there were over 100 metal steps to go down right at the beginning to get into the main chambers, and they were slippery. Slightly more creepy. He failed to mention the THOUSANDS of SPIDERS that were living at the entrance on the roof overhead, waiting for the door to open and admit the tiniest amount of light. Once they see the light, they begin to bounce. OMG way more creepy!
(If you need a refresher on my history with spiders.... here, and here.) And you can't run, NO, not with the slippery steps of death or the line of 30 people who all want to run with you. NO! I spent the whole walk down the steps alternatively pushing the old man in front of me and squealing "get them off of me!". In actuality, there were no spiders on me. It's a mind-fuck.
Once we got down to the bottom, everyone chilled out. The place was cool and damp, dark and long. Its not overly decorated like Carlsbad but it has some fantastic history. The locals used it as a tuberculosis ward back during the Civil War and up to the turn of the century. Awesome! Survive the spiders to die by TB...
We did survive, and drove on up to Louisville and headed west to West Virginia. In all honesty, I don't remember West Virginia on that trip.... sorry West Virginians. Here - interesting fact to make up for lack of being memorable - If you ironed West Virginia flat, it'd be larger than Texas.
Ok, moving on to Maryland and Baltimore next time!
*If you took nothing else away from this piece, remember to always ask if there will be spiders on your cave tours....
We crossed through Mobile (which has the COOLEST tunnel under their port.... or so I thought until I drove under Baltimore's bay in the COOLEST tunnel ever!) and headed up to Montgomery, or Birmingham (i don't remember) to crash for the night at a campground. This was back in the day when I needed showers and flush toilets and was willing to pay for them, like a CHUMP, at a private campground. Nowadays I am willing to forgo those niceties for a FREE campground :-).
The next day we headed up to Lynchburg, TN to visit the Jack Daniels Distillery. Neither R or myself is in to whiskey but why not visit anyway. The distillery is set in the hills and is a gorgeous ride... much like the Maker's Mark Distillery visit of my youth. It was a great way to be introduced to the Appalachians. After that stop, we continued north to visit Mammoth Cave National Park. On a previous road trip, R and I went to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and we liked it so much, we decided to check out another one. This cave was very very different from Carlsbad. No huge rooms like "the Big Room", but with over 300 miles of underground riverway, there was plenty to explore.
We chose to hit a ranger-guided tour that involved a bus ride to a more remote part of the cave. There, in a wooded dirt parking lot, was a pad-locked metal doorway into the side of a small hill. Only slightly creepy. The guide warned us that there were over 100 metal steps to go down right at the beginning to get into the main chambers, and they were slippery. Slightly more creepy. He failed to mention the THOUSANDS of SPIDERS that were living at the entrance on the roof overhead, waiting for the door to open and admit the tiniest amount of light. Once they see the light, they begin to bounce. OMG way more creepy!
(If you need a refresher on my history with spiders.... here, and here.) And you can't run, NO, not with the slippery steps of death or the line of 30 people who all want to run with you. NO! I spent the whole walk down the steps alternatively pushing the old man in front of me and squealing "get them off of me!". In actuality, there were no spiders on me. It's a mind-fuck.
Once we got down to the bottom, everyone chilled out. The place was cool and damp, dark and long. Its not overly decorated like Carlsbad but it has some fantastic history. The locals used it as a tuberculosis ward back during the Civil War and up to the turn of the century. Awesome! Survive the spiders to die by TB...
We did survive, and drove on up to Louisville and headed west to West Virginia. In all honesty, I don't remember West Virginia on that trip.... sorry West Virginians. Here - interesting fact to make up for lack of being memorable - If you ironed West Virginia flat, it'd be larger than Texas.
Ok, moving on to Maryland and Baltimore next time!
*If you took nothing else away from this piece, remember to always ask if there will be spiders on your cave tours....
Thursday, December 19, 2013
My Happy Place
Whenever I'm stressed, sad, bored, or lonely, I think of my happy place. We all have one. That special place in the world - real or imaginary - where everything is right.
My happy place is southeast Utah. I spent many months living in SE Utah, at both Capitol Reef & Canyonlands national parks. This isn't my happy place because I was happiest there. No, in fact sometimes I was downright miserable & making the best of a poor situation. However, SE Utah was always there to soothe me, refresh me, & rejuvenate my soul.
When I think of SE Utah, I remember the following:
- the redness of the Wingate sandstone against the white Navajo sandstone & impossibly blue skies
- breath-taking vistas as far as the eye can see of mostly unpopulated areas
- the smell of pinion pine ( my soul aches every time I smell a pinion tree)
- the sound wind makes as it soars across, through, beneath, & between the fantastic rock formations of the region
- the feel of the sun soaking into my sink, just as it soaks it the rocks I walk upon
- the indescribable feeling of being alone & completely at home in the Utah wilderness
- canyon wrens
- the ability to 4-wheel drive & camp across most of the area & rarely see another vehicle
- 8 national park areas within a days drive. Yes- EIGHT!
- The ever- constant feeling of walking in an ancient civilizations' footsteps
- the tingly spidey- sense I get when petroglyphs & pictographs are near
I cannot wait to share my happy place with M. I know he'll love it as much as I do.
Where is your happy place? If you don't have one, feel free to share mine.
My happy place is southeast Utah. I spent many months living in SE Utah, at both Capitol Reef & Canyonlands national parks. This isn't my happy place because I was happiest there. No, in fact sometimes I was downright miserable & making the best of a poor situation. However, SE Utah was always there to soothe me, refresh me, & rejuvenate my soul.
When I think of SE Utah, I remember the following:
- the redness of the Wingate sandstone against the white Navajo sandstone & impossibly blue skies
- breath-taking vistas as far as the eye can see of mostly unpopulated areas
- the smell of pinion pine ( my soul aches every time I smell a pinion tree)
- the sound wind makes as it soars across, through, beneath, & between the fantastic rock formations of the region
- the feel of the sun soaking into my sink, just as it soaks it the rocks I walk upon
- the indescribable feeling of being alone & completely at home in the Utah wilderness
- canyon wrens
- the ability to 4-wheel drive & camp across most of the area & rarely see another vehicle
- 8 national park areas within a days drive. Yes- EIGHT!
- The ever- constant feeling of walking in an ancient civilizations' footsteps
- the tingly spidey- sense I get when petroglyphs & pictographs are near
I cannot wait to share my happy place with M. I know he'll love it as much as I do.
Where is your happy place? If you don't have one, feel free to share mine.
Monday, December 2, 2013
From Texas, and LouisianaMississippiAlabamaTennesseeKentuckyWestVirginiaMaryland, to Virginia! - Pt 1 Louisiana & Mississippi
Disclaimer - This trip is fuzzy in my memory... R and I were both under some stress from moving so far away for the first time... and its the ONE trip I didn't journal.
R and I had almost 2 weeks to report for work in Virginia... and many states to get through before then. We loaded up both of our vehicles to the brim and headed east. I had bought little walkie talkies for us to use on the road. (before great cell reception and waaaaaay before texting...) We very quickly learned that our walkies would pick up every vile foul thing truckers were saying to each other, and to the 'ladies' who worked the truck stops. Ew....
Our first stop was in New Orleans. I'd been there several times before but never without family, making my own decisions on what to do and where to go. We stayed in a nice high rise hotel on Canal, at the intersection of the French Quarter and the medical district. Basically tourist central... I remember our hotel had no 13th floor.... if you didn't know, they're pretty superstitious down in the Big Easy.
After a good night's sleep, we set out to explore the town. We took the Saint Charles streetcar all the way to the levy where it turns around. Its open air and slow moving, so its a great way to get a look at the city. One of the most notable things about the streetcar system is that the drivers are extremely friendly with each other. Imagine taking a cab ride in NYC, only to have the cabbie stop the car everytime he passed a cabbie friend. This is what happens in New Orleans. Our operator woman stopped the streetcar at least twice when a passing streetcar was driven by a friend. Their conversation was what you might hear in a hair salon... A five minute discussion of who's doing what, with who, and when. Very much a laissez les bontemps roulez attitude. (translation: Let the Good Times Roll). I have a feeling that Mexican time can't compete with New Orleans time... R and I didn't mind the stopping. It was a great taste of the local culture, and gave us time to take a better look at the surroundings.
At the end of the line, the streetcar literally turns around. Everyone on had to get off and stand to the side as the track spun in a circle, then they let us back on and off we went. R and I got off at the garden district and walked to Garden District Book Shop. I'd read online that there were free walking tours given by local old men most mornings. This was intriguing, and in hindsight I wish every city on the planet would do this! The book store was this cute little shop directly across from Lafayette Cemetery #1. Our guide was an old creole man that I can only describe as "jolly and also a bit curmudgeony". He took us and 5ish others out to walk the Garden District. We wandered through the cemetery and learned the history and culture of the Lafayette cemeteries.
none of these are my photos...
In Mississippi we stopped at Gulf Islands National Seashore for a quick visit... Its RIGHT off the highway. We didn't have time for a hike or beach visit. We simply stopped at the visitor center at the Davis Bayou section of the park. Gotta get that park stamp!
We also detoured down to Pascagoula and Moss Point. I'd spent a Thanksgiving holiday there one year and fell in love with the drapey Spanish Moss that is everywhere! One road in particular that we needed to go back and photograph. (and of course I don't have the photographs anymore. boo)
Onward to Alabama and Tennessee to the Jack Daniels Distillery!
To Be Continued....
R and I had almost 2 weeks to report for work in Virginia... and many states to get through before then. We loaded up both of our vehicles to the brim and headed east. I had bought little walkie talkies for us to use on the road. (before great cell reception and waaaaaay before texting...) We very quickly learned that our walkies would pick up every vile foul thing truckers were saying to each other, and to the 'ladies' who worked the truck stops. Ew....
Our first stop was in New Orleans. I'd been there several times before but never without family, making my own decisions on what to do and where to go. We stayed in a nice high rise hotel on Canal, at the intersection of the French Quarter and the medical district. Basically tourist central... I remember our hotel had no 13th floor.... if you didn't know, they're pretty superstitious down in the Big Easy.
After a good night's sleep, we set out to explore the town. We took the Saint Charles streetcar all the way to the levy where it turns around. Its open air and slow moving, so its a great way to get a look at the city. One of the most notable things about the streetcar system is that the drivers are extremely friendly with each other. Imagine taking a cab ride in NYC, only to have the cabbie stop the car everytime he passed a cabbie friend. This is what happens in New Orleans. Our operator woman stopped the streetcar at least twice when a passing streetcar was driven by a friend. Their conversation was what you might hear in a hair salon... A five minute discussion of who's doing what, with who, and when. Very much a laissez les bontemps roulez attitude. (translation: Let the Good Times Roll). I have a feeling that Mexican time can't compete with New Orleans time... R and I didn't mind the stopping. It was a great taste of the local culture, and gave us time to take a better look at the surroundings.
Tracks are spaced close enough for streetcar operators to discuss their day as passengers wait, and wait, and overhear intimate details of these strangers lives. Fun! - ummm not my image... |
Inside of streetcar - again, not my image. I can only hope that this is during Marde Gras and this person is heading for a truly good time! |
At the end of the line, the streetcar literally turns around. Everyone on had to get off and stand to the side as the track spun in a circle, then they let us back on and off we went. R and I got off at the garden district and walked to Garden District Book Shop. I'd read online that there were free walking tours given by local old men most mornings. This was intriguing, and in hindsight I wish every city on the planet would do this! The book store was this cute little shop directly across from Lafayette Cemetery #1. Our guide was an old creole man that I can only describe as "jolly and also a bit curmudgeony". He took us and 5ish others out to walk the Garden District. We wandered through the cemetery and learned the history and culture of the Lafayette cemeteries.
none of these are my photos...
there are 5 or 6 Lafayette Cemeteries spread around New Orleans |
Crypts are above ground due to the low lying land, beneath the water table. Galveston Island does the same thing... |
The idea behind the crypts is that each one is owned by a family. When someone dies, there body is placed in the crypt, either in the center slab or off to a side slab. Nowadays coffins are used but before the 1940s, the bodies were simply placed on the slabs. Its so very Buffy the Vampire Slayer in there. Once a family dies out, the crypt is put on the market and a new family will take over. I have no idea what the new family does with the old families remains....
cheaper crypts... not family owned |
These 'condo-style' crypts are usually owned by the city or a mortuary. These are much more interesting. Our guide told us that they don't use coffins. The interred body is allowed to stay there for at least 366 days, or a year and a day, to rest. Then if the crypt needs to be used again, the body is pushed to the back where there is a large enclosed hole that goes down to the ground. There would be piles of bones 8 feet high as more and more people are 'buried' here. Super interesting!
Walking through the cemetery was a bit unsettling. An underground burial is so easy to dismiss and these crypts are so visual, so many of them are beautiful, and you realize that you're looking at, what is essentially, a house of bodies. LC#1 is the most famous, being the oldest, and has been the setting for many books and movies. We were there in 2002, so a lot of talk revolved around Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire.
After leaving the cemetery, we walked into a neighborhood of Garden District homes. These gorgeous homes have survived centuries, first built as home, slave quarters, and stables on each block. As we evolved and no longer used slaves, those grounds were filled with more homes and stables, doubling the population density. Then as cars took over and the stables weren't needed anymore, these stables became smaller garage apartments, increasing the population density even more. An aerial view of the district now would show a haphazard, scrambled collection of properties. An urban planner's nightmare.
Every house that we walked by was gorgeous! Most were painted white, all were surrounded by picturesque Live Oaks, the air was humid and quiet, with birds chirping everywhere. Our guide took us by Trent Reznor's house (frontman for Nine Inch Nails) and the home that Anne Rice lived in while writing her Vampire books. We also learned that most Garden District homes have the ceilings of their porches (big glorious wrap-around porches!) painted a pale blue to keep bees and wasps away. An old antebellum trick that really works!
Before leaving our tour, we asked for a restaurant recommendation in the French Quarter. Our guide gave us a name of a restaurant and the owner's name, saying 'he'll hook you up'.
The next day R and I hit the French Quarter and Jackson Square. Now I remember Jackson Square from when I was a kid. There are face painters, sidewalk painters, buskers, etc. My parents had friends in New Orleans so we went there often. I even have vague memories of the 'family' Mardi Gras parade. I say 'family' because the French Quarter will forever smell of stale beer and pee, and the exotic bars all advertise with pictures of each of their dancers. I spent a lot of time asking my parents why the women had black bars of areas of their bodies... hmmmm.
Jackson Square was gorgeous the day R and I went there. The square was built in 1815 and named after future President Andrew Jackson for his heroism during the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. We visited St. Louis Cathedral and Cafe du Monde. We walked down Bourbon Street and I was able to reminisce about my childhood thanks to the stale beer/pee smell. :-) The architecture of the buildings is pure French and gorgeous. We found the recommended restaurant and had a great meal - I don't remember the place or the dish, but I remember it was great!
not my image... but everyone who visits takes this same shot... |
After visiting the Garden District and the French Quarter, we'd seen what we wanted of the Big Easy and so we took off towards Mississippi for more adventures. But first we had to cross Lake Ponchartrain. I remember a huge traffic jam that caused us to sit on the bridge for an hour. Fine by us - great views and the feeling of the bridge swaying were enough to keep us occupied. (I remember later telling my parents about this and making my dad very uneasy... he hates big bridge, especially if they sway!)
We also detoured down to Pascagoula and Moss Point. I'd spent a Thanksgiving holiday there one year and fell in love with the drapey Spanish Moss that is everywhere! One road in particular that we needed to go back and photograph. (and of course I don't have the photographs anymore. boo)
Onward to Alabama and Tennessee to the Jack Daniels Distillery!
To Be Continued....
Friday, November 29, 2013
The Messed Up Decision that Changed My Life Forever... In a Good Way
Ok - lets go back to the beginning. I've discussed my childhood spent driving the highways of the US, my parents instilling in me the deep desire for frequent road trips. I've also discussed many of my more recent adventures. But how did I get from there to here? Good question...
Like most messed up decisions, this one started the spring before I graduated college. I was graduating soon, didn't really know what career path I wanted, wasn't really getting anywhere with interviews, and didn't want to be one of those people who stayed around my college town long after graduation. So I did what any recent graduate would do - no, not move back home with mom and dad. I ran away to the east coast - to live and work at a resort in a national park. (Listen up, recent graduates! Super-cheap rent, interesting coworkers, good money.) This decision wouldn't have been possible without the support and accompaniment of my roommate and bestie, R. She was in the same predicament as me and therefore, ready to hit the road!
The plan was to go as far north along the east coast as possible - to Acadia National Park!
Like most messed up decisions, this one started the spring before I graduated college. I was graduating soon, didn't really know what career path I wanted, wasn't really getting anywhere with interviews, and didn't want to be one of those people who stayed around my college town long after graduation. So I did what any recent graduate would do - no, not move back home with mom and dad. I ran away to the east coast - to live and work at a resort in a national park. (Listen up, recent graduates! Super-cheap rent, interesting coworkers, good money.) This decision wouldn't have been possible without the support and accompaniment of my roommate and bestie, R. She was in the same predicament as me and therefore, ready to hit the road!
The plan was to go as far north along the east coast as possible - to Acadia National Park!
Gorgeous, right? Yes it is. I STILL haven't been there.
Acadia was quickly pulled as a possibility due to the lack of housing in the park for workers at the concessions. (Quick note - most national park sites have different kinds of workers - National Park Rangers mostly wear badges, get paid by your tax dollars, and must be US citizens - Concession workers are the people who work at the resorts, the campgrounds, the camp stores, the restaurants, etc, - no badges, get paid by a private company, and are mostly NOT US citizens.) So R and I quickly pulled out the US map and searched for the next northernmost national park that may have housing... This is how we ended up with Shenandoah National Park.
Just as gorgeous as Acadia, but in a very different way.
No R and I were not hikers or outdoorsy. That bears repeating. R AND I WERE NOT OUTDOORSY! Ok, keep that in mind over the next few posts as I describe our new-found lifestyle.
But first, we had to road trip our way up to Virginia.
to be continued.....
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
McKittrick Canyon in Fall Color; a Texas Tradition
I spent my Veteran's Day hiking in Guadalupe Mountains NP with M and his two boys. The weather was absolutely perfect! 70 degrees, sunny, slight breeze.... Amazing day. The fall colors were too beautiful for words, so here's a photo essay.
And then it got amazing!!!!
I tested out my new waterproof trail-rated camera. Look at the tiny fish!
End of the line - Hunters Cabin just past the Grotto!
Fantastic, highly recommended hike!
For more info on Guadalupe Mtns NP, check out their website!
View of McKittrick from the visitor center |
The big rock on top-right is the ancient reef, the cliffs to the left are part of the back reef |
1st sight of COLOR! |
And then it got amazing!!!!
E poses on a rock... This happened alot. |
The ever-necessary selfie |
The canyon flooded in September. The trail crew spent a month busting ass to get it into great shape! |
Tarantula! So cute! |
Pratt Cabin is a perfect summer home |
The Texas Madrones are huge in here! |
I love the madrone bark. It looks like dripping paint |
I tested out my new waterproof trail-rated camera. Look at the tiny fish!
Video of the camera's first dunking - sorry its sideways... cold water!
Look at the flood debris! This was at least 2.5 miles up the canyon |
The most fantastic lighting is fall color lighting |
More rocks to climb.... |
A doesn't climb rocks; he sleeps on them |
Fantastic, highly recommended hike!
For more info on Guadalupe Mtns NP, check out their website!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
How I Spent My Unplanned Furlough (or What I Did While the Government Sucked) - Week 2
So there was a week 2.... That pretty much sucks (almost as much as Capitol Hill right now)
Day 7 - After the boys went to school, M and I decided to tidy up the house some. I installed a new rack for pans in the cabinet. We needed something to hold pans upright, as M has tall narrow cabinets in the kitchen. It was a birthday gift from my parents.
We also took several walks in the nice autumn weather - one with the dogs, and one with the boys and the dogs.
Day 8 - Today was the day we tidied up the house. Lots of recycling was done, some sorting, and then on to American Horror Story! It had just come in that morning, so we gorged on all 3 episodes on the first disc.
Also, after trying for over a week, and waiting on hold for many minutes, I was able to file for unemployment... yuck.
Day 9 - We drove BACK to El Paso because I have a cat to feed. We spent most of Wednesday evening watching Parks and Recreation or playing Champions of Norrath while I baked multiple loaves of banana bread. I had 11 or so bananas in the freezer and we are trying to eat what we have and not hit the grocery store.
Day 10 - So yeah - today was mostly Champions of Norrath day. We ran a few errands and in the evening we went to A's house to hang with her and the kids for dinner and a movie.
Day 11 - While my car was in the shop with routine maintenance, we went to see Gravity on the big screen. Go See This Movie! It was awesome and if there is one movie to waste money on while not receiving a paycheck, this is it!
Day 12 - Drove BACK to Carlsbad because M has kids to feed :-) Continued our spooky movie nights with 3 episodes of Ghost Hunters International. Did you know they have that one on Netflix Instant?! It definitely freaked me and the boys out. M was unimpressed.
Day 13 - It rained most of the day so we all stayed indoors... Magic was played, Ghostbusters was watched, dance music was played over and over again... and M and I are starting to get sick. Fun...
This furlough-with-unscheduled-return-time thing sucks for one big reason.... we can't go anywhere! We have this time off and I'd love to do some traveling with it, but each day we have to check the news, Facebook, and the DOI website to see if the government has decided to reopen us. If they do, we report back to work the very next day. That blows!
Oh and now we are heading into Week 3!
Day 7 - After the boys went to school, M and I decided to tidy up the house some. I installed a new rack for pans in the cabinet. We needed something to hold pans upright, as M has tall narrow cabinets in the kitchen. It was a birthday gift from my parents.
We also took several walks in the nice autumn weather - one with the dogs, and one with the boys and the dogs.
Day 8 - Today was the day we tidied up the house. Lots of recycling was done, some sorting, and then on to American Horror Story! It had just come in that morning, so we gorged on all 3 episodes on the first disc.
Also, after trying for over a week, and waiting on hold for many minutes, I was able to file for unemployment... yuck.
Day 9 - We drove BACK to El Paso because I have a cat to feed. We spent most of Wednesday evening watching Parks and Recreation or playing Champions of Norrath while I baked multiple loaves of banana bread. I had 11 or so bananas in the freezer and we are trying to eat what we have and not hit the grocery store.
Day 10 - So yeah - today was mostly Champions of Norrath day. We ran a few errands and in the evening we went to A's house to hang with her and the kids for dinner and a movie.
Day 11 - While my car was in the shop with routine maintenance, we went to see Gravity on the big screen. Go See This Movie! It was awesome and if there is one movie to waste money on while not receiving a paycheck, this is it!
Day 12 - Drove BACK to Carlsbad because M has kids to feed :-) Continued our spooky movie nights with 3 episodes of Ghost Hunters International. Did you know they have that one on Netflix Instant?! It definitely freaked me and the boys out. M was unimpressed.
Day 13 - It rained most of the day so we all stayed indoors... Magic was played, Ghostbusters was watched, dance music was played over and over again... and M and I are starting to get sick. Fun...
This furlough-with-unscheduled-return-time thing sucks for one big reason.... we can't go anywhere! We have this time off and I'd love to do some traveling with it, but each day we have to check the news, Facebook, and the DOI website to see if the government has decided to reopen us. If they do, we report back to work the very next day. That blows!
Oh and now we are heading into Week 3!
Monday, October 14, 2013
Our Fall Garden
I've learned a few lessons from gardening this summer... Apparently, summers in southern New Mexico are just too damned hot and sunny for most of the plants.
- Potatoes won't grow if its above 85 degrees.... shocking for a crop that notoriously grows in Ireland (and of course, down here it doesn't go below 85 until mid-September)
- Tomatoes also don't like the heat and won't flower - now that the temps have dropped, they're flowering like crazy and hopefully we'll get some tomatoes before the first frost
- My shade structure is NO MATCH for the monsoon winds that whip across the Guadalupes
- All of our herbs prefer the shady area beneath the overhanging vines on the fence... Less sun means cooler, happier herbs
- Apparently, starting seeds in the spring around here means January/February...
- People who plant their gardens in the front yard are just showing off
- Mint spreads and can eventually take over the earth....
- Cilantro loves to be neglected and left alone... possibly an introvert plant?
- If you plant a container garden, you MUST make sure there are holes for drainage. Things die and get stinky quick!
So far this fall I've planted scallions, which are coming up quickly, and broccoli, which will need some sort of cover to protect it from the evil white cutworm moth.
I've also been testing a few different gardening apps -
web-based Sprout It wins... It keeps track of my garden, when I plant things, when they pass a growing phase, when to harvest, and the daily weather. It only gives you garden options that "should" grow in your climate so if you're growing something else, it won't show up.
iphone-based Garden Tracker is ok - you make your own plots, plant whatever you want, and keep track of when you water, feed, etc. Its cool for help when something is sick or dying, but that's about it. If it would send you reminders of what to do and when, like Sprout It, it would rule!
Monday, October 7, 2013
How I Spent My Unplanned Furlough (or What I Did While the Government Sucked) - Week 1
Week 1 (let's hope there's no Week 2...)
Day 1 - spent most of the morning kinda freaking out with M, thought a lot about money and missing paychecks, etc. I then made mental lists of all the places we should go since we now 'have the time'. Thank you Congress :-(
Oh, then crossed off half the places in my mental list because they've got the word "National" in their name and that means they're CLOSED! Then made mental list of all the things that needed to be done at home (cheap and/or free).
Day 2 - Marathoned Parks and Recreation, Season 5 - Thank you Netflix for releasing this on October 1st. I totally feel that it was done to help all of us in the NPS... I might be overthinking that but whatever. Oh! I also spent some time cleaning the house... Maybe if I had a furlough once a year, the house would be cleaned once a year? M came in late in the evening and was wrecked from a long day. To end our first official "furlough day" (yesterday was technically our day off), we watched some stand-up comedy and fell into blissful, allergy-pill enhanced sleep.
Day 3 - M worked on his book, so I Facebooked. Reading all the NPS friends and family posts about whats happening to them kinda got me down, and pissed. So M and I went for a nice long walk by the Rio Grande with Lennox. The sounds of the riparian area, mixed with the crisp fall breeze really helped. Later, after a lot of Champions of Norrath, we cooked a nice fall dinner of lemon risotto and champagne, and settled into a romantic evening with 28 Days Later. (Fall is the perfect time for scary movies!)
Day 4 - Went hiking in a STATE PARK! Franklin Mountains State Park encompasses the whole mountain that splits El Paso into East and West sides.
Thank you state parks for not shutting down at the same time as our federal parks did... that would incite a riot among hikers. Afterwards, we decided to hit a cheap date spot and went mini-golfing :-)
Day 5 - Woke up early (8am, but for the first time in 7 days) to hit the Saturday Arts & Farmers Market in downtown El Paso. I ALWAYS miss this market. Every Saturday there are posts all over Facebook taunting me about the fun being had at the market while I'm at work. Later that afternoon, M and I caravaned out to Carlsbad to spend the weekend. Driving through Guadalupe Mountains NP during the shut-down is bittersweet. I know the natural forces aren't shut-down, the indigenous animals don't listen well to our federal government. I'm sure they're enjoying the quiet, peaceful void of humans. I want to be out there with them.
We went to a going away party for a co-worker... of course, she can't move to her new job until the govt reopens...
We closed the day with The Omen. (we're doing all scary movies for October)
Day 6 - Woke up realizing that the boys don't have winter jeans that fit them... Hit Walmart before the church crowd showed up. (i seriously had to remember what day it was. this no-work thing messes up your internal calendar) Played Words with Friends for the first time in several days. I now realize that I mostly play this at work... sorry WWF friends. We went for a family+dogs walk to enjoy the early fall afternoon and play at the playground.
The scary October movie of the evening was Insidious, which scared the crap outta me. I may have hidden my face in a pillow for over half the movie, but that just tells you how scary it was. Fantastic evening flick! (Can't wait for the second one!) We also watched a family-friendly Percy Jackson and the Olympians with the boys. It was pretty good too. :-)
Day 1 - spent most of the morning kinda freaking out with M, thought a lot about money and missing paychecks, etc. I then made mental lists of all the places we should go since we now 'have the time'. Thank you Congress :-(
Oh, then crossed off half the places in my mental list because they've got the word "National" in their name and that means they're CLOSED! Then made mental list of all the things that needed to be done at home (cheap and/or free).
Day 2 - Marathoned Parks and Recreation, Season 5 - Thank you Netflix for releasing this on October 1st. I totally feel that it was done to help all of us in the NPS... I might be overthinking that but whatever. Oh! I also spent some time cleaning the house... Maybe if I had a furlough once a year, the house would be cleaned once a year? M came in late in the evening and was wrecked from a long day. To end our first official "furlough day" (yesterday was technically our day off), we watched some stand-up comedy and fell into blissful, allergy-pill enhanced sleep.
Day 3 - M worked on his book, so I Facebooked. Reading all the NPS friends and family posts about whats happening to them kinda got me down, and pissed. So M and I went for a nice long walk by the Rio Grande with Lennox. The sounds of the riparian area, mixed with the crisp fall breeze really helped. Later, after a lot of Champions of Norrath, we cooked a nice fall dinner of lemon risotto and champagne, and settled into a romantic evening with 28 Days Later. (Fall is the perfect time for scary movies!)
Day 4 - Went hiking in a STATE PARK! Franklin Mountains State Park encompasses the whole mountain that splits El Paso into East and West sides.
Thank you state parks for not shutting down at the same time as our federal parks did... that would incite a riot among hikers. Afterwards, we decided to hit a cheap date spot and went mini-golfing :-)
Day 5 - Woke up early (8am, but for the first time in 7 days) to hit the Saturday Arts & Farmers Market in downtown El Paso. I ALWAYS miss this market. Every Saturday there are posts all over Facebook taunting me about the fun being had at the market while I'm at work. Later that afternoon, M and I caravaned out to Carlsbad to spend the weekend. Driving through Guadalupe Mountains NP during the shut-down is bittersweet. I know the natural forces aren't shut-down, the indigenous animals don't listen well to our federal government. I'm sure they're enjoying the quiet, peaceful void of humans. I want to be out there with them.
We went to a going away party for a co-worker... of course, she can't move to her new job until the govt reopens...
We closed the day with The Omen. (we're doing all scary movies for October)
Day 6 - Woke up realizing that the boys don't have winter jeans that fit them... Hit Walmart before the church crowd showed up. (i seriously had to remember what day it was. this no-work thing messes up your internal calendar) Played Words with Friends for the first time in several days. I now realize that I mostly play this at work... sorry WWF friends. We went for a family+dogs walk to enjoy the early fall afternoon and play at the playground.
The scary October movie of the evening was Insidious, which scared the crap outta me. I may have hidden my face in a pillow for over half the movie, but that just tells you how scary it was. Fantastic evening flick! (Can't wait for the second one!) We also watched a family-friendly Percy Jackson and the Olympians with the boys. It was pretty good too. :-)
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