The Further Adventures...

A Farewell Trip - Part IV

2011-01-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

Every year at year-end, Martha and I list our personal awards, in categories such as best book, best movie, best trip, best weekend, best new place, best new person, best new discovery, and most important goal accomplished. We usually do this in the course of a long phone conversation. This was a chance to do it in person! It was still a long conversation.

We then spent some time at LACMA (L.A. County Museum of Art); we had gone there two years ago and I wanted to see more of the permanent collection. It seemed fitting to see the Asian art! I was able to incorporate some of what I had learned the day before into the conversation, too. We also had manicures/pedicures, something that we often do when I visit.

That night, we went to the Bazaar, the site of Martha’s Best Dinner of 2010. I can see why; it’s a front-runner for 2011 for me! Jose Andres, the owner, was profiled on 60 Minutes earlier this year. He’s a practitioner of molecular gastronomy, also known as deconstruction, where the tastes of familiar things are duplicated in unusual form. It’s not your average Spanish tapas place. We had egg-and-potato tortillas that came in a glass, sweet potato chips, a caprese salad with infused tomatoes and liquid mozzarella, a Philly cheese steak with air bread and more liquid cheese, jicama-wrap guacamole, tuna ceviche in avocado roll and more – but just listing what we had doesn’t do justice to the bursts of flavor and texture that we had in every bite. It was exquisite. And of course there were some different mini-desserts to top it off.

When I made the plane reservations, my tentative departure date was January 17, and I thought I would like to have the better part of a week to pack and prepare. The departure date was pushed back to January 23, but I didn’t do any packing or preparing before I left for the farewell trip, so even though it’s never easy to sleep in a red-eye, I’m glad I took it; I felt I needed the time. I hadn’t taken a coast-to-coast red-eye in years. It’s not any more fun than it used to be! And this flight was full, with many people who moved up to take it because of the big storm forecast for the east coast for the next day. I didn’t get a lot of sleep, but I was able to bask not only in the Bazaar dinner but also in the time spent with several friends in several cities!

I went from the airport right to the jitney and spent the day catching up and also stocking up; this time the predictions were right and through the night and next day over a foot of snow fell. I’ve had a lot to do in Southampton, with Everywhere Exercise and packing and emails and phone calls to and from friends, but I’ve also had errands to do and even though I was able to get rides into town anytime, I would have liked the independence of coming and going as I pleased. I took some walks along the beach and on the unplowed, unshoveled property – I love seeing the footprints in the snow of birds, bunnies, deer and other unidentified critters. I went to a restorative yoga workshop – the one at the library had been an hour; this one (same teacher) was two and a half – very restorative! And then I was looking at the paper and I noticed that Rodney Yee, the star of the yoga DVDs that I do just about every day, was speaking at a luncheon in Sag Harbor this week. He’s been in Sag Harbor this whole time and I didn’t know?

I convinced Debbie to come out from New Jersey for the day. We went to the luncheon (at the fancy American Hotel); he really was inspiring, talking about the philosophy and practice of yoga and about his own history. The luncheon was for the League of Women Voters, which seems like an interesting organization and a nice group of people. Something to think about! Debbie also took me around to do errands, and we had time to play cards and watch the sunset.

I took one last farewell trip, to New York on Thursday. I made some appointments, saw a friend, saw my family, and went to the Morgan. The library at the Morgan reopened in late October and I have passed it several times, wanting to go in but never having the time. It’s beautiful, with paintings and books and items from the collections. I cruised through it, but was glad I went at all. Some highlights that had nice ties for me – a letter from Jefferson (I’ve just relived my Monticello trip), one of Lincoln’s writings (I’m still thinking about Gettysburg and have been reading Disunion, the Times on-line series about the Civil War’s 150th), a life mask of Washington used in the statue in the Virginia State Capitol (which I saw this summer), and ancient jewelry and other decorative items of Eurasia (so… where I’ve been and where I’m going). When I left, I felt lighter and happier than I think I’ve felt in a while. It was a nice farewell day!

A Farewell Trip - Part III

2011-01-22T09:01:00.000-08:00

Amelia is a Morocco RPCV from the stage after us; she was in the south and we were in the north, so we didn’t meet in Morocco. I went through her town on my post-COS southern swing and texted her, but she was away then – but at least we knew of each other. We’d been emailing over the course of the past few months for various reasons (Peace Corps Response, an artisan business idea, and more), so we had something of a relationship. She’s mid-career too. Her father’s a Princetonian and he read my article in the Princeton Alumni Weekly (http://paw.princeton.edu/issues/2010/12/08/pages/0713/); that inspired her to write an article for her alumni magazine. And, coincidentally, Linda had just been down from Seattle and seen her. So when she invited Rose and me to stay with her where she was housesitting in Sausalito, we said yes. Mind you, while in Morocco I had never stayed with a PCV I hadn’t met beforehand; I did it only once in the Philippines. But somehow it seemed okay to do it here!

She met us at the train and we went to Saigon Sandwich. Would it be as good if we weren’t really, really hungry – or even the least bit hungry? It was indeed good, and we did have to go. What next? I voted for crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and getting to Sausalito in the daylight. We hung out for a while, and then had the brilliant thought to go to a Moroccan restaurant! The food was great, and we had a chance to use our Moroccan Arabic. Pastilla (sweet chicken and nuts in pastry dough), zaalook (eggplant salad – I just talked about that too!), couscous, chicken tagine. And again, somehow we had the sense to go to bed early!

The next morning we had breakfast at Fred’s, a Sausalito old-time breakfast place. Three breakfasts cost the same amount as our split dinner of the night before. We took a scenic route through some neighborhoods begging for exploration, including a drive by Nancy Pelosi’s house (which reminds me, I may have failed to mention that this past spring, we passed Rahm Emanuel’s Washington, D.C. house!). Then we went – passing our favorite sculpture ever – to San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum. It has some great art, arranged according to the spread of Buddhism; that is, starting with India and branching north and east as you go through the rooms. We also saw a Japanese screen exhibit – part of which was in a room named for Amelia’s family! I had wanted to go there anyway, but that was a bonus, as is going to any museum with Rose.

And then it was time to go to the airport, where I waited out a flight delay. I was about to have a snack when Martha texted to come hungry – timing is everything! She and Susan picked me up and whisked me off to an Armenian-Lebanese restaurant. We had a bunch of appetizers so that we could try a bunch of things. Our Mexican waiter told us that all of the good things were Lebanese; Martha and Susan said that all of the restaurants they researched were Armenian-something rather than just Armenian – maybe to attract an audience outside the diaspora they need to add a more enticing cuisine! We had great hummus with fava, tabbouleh, aged cheese, a cheese-and-vegetable salad, cucumber and yogurt salad, and some other treats. Some of the dishes that were Armenian were a cheese pie, a meat pie, a spicy beef sausage and a red-pepper-and-nut dish. They were pretty good! We had enough leftovers to have some for breakfast the next day, too.

A Farewell Trip - Part II

2011-01-21T08:46:00.000-08:00

On to San Francisco! And as I got downstairs at the airport BART station, there were announcements that trains were delayed due to a recent earthquake in the area. I checked the internet while I waited and realized that recent meant minutes before! And the epicenter was near San Jose. The train arrived and while I was underground it stopped for a while; there was an announcement that there had been another earthquake. While I waited I read the signs about the evacuation procedures – not that I thought we would evacuate, but more because I was sitting right across from it. I didn’t feel anything. Even with the delays, I caught the next Caltrain down to Palo Alto. If you’re just reading this and you live in the Bay Area (and/or if you’re Amanda and Youssef) and I didn’t tell you I was coming, it’s not because I didn’t want to see you! I’ll just have to come back soon! Rose met me at the train and we went to downtown Palo Alto for a yummy Indian dinner. Back at her house, we made some brownies, and since I was still on Eastern/Central time, sensibly went to bed early (though before I drifted off to sleep, I did feel a second wind and almost suggested playing cards…).

On Saturday, Rose and I rode bikes to and across the Stanford campus to see the Hanna House, a Frank Lloyd Wright gem. Did I not know about it? Or when I was researching possible FLW houses to see, did I think I wouldn’t get to Palo Alto anytime soon? Rose had mentioned it offhandedly last time and I was determined to see it this time; it helped that it’s operated as part of the museum where she works, but the timing of tours helped me pick the day to visit. It’s a beautiful house, without a right angle in it. All hexagons – its nickname is the honeycomb house. It’s one of his more important works, leading to the geometry that then led him to the Guggenheim and other buildings. I’m so glad we went – and glad she hadn’t seen it yet! I realize that because of the way I’ve written these posts, I recently discussed the Pope-Leighey house – but that visit was almost two years ago! Well, I guess there are some themes in my life, and Frank Lloyd Wright is one of them.

We shared a sandwich at Ike’s Place, on the Stanford campus. It was an excellent sandwich. We’d been talking about Saigon Sandwich since August but we were too hungry to wait until we got all the way to San Francisco. We had to hustle to make the 2:31 train or wait another hour; on top of the bike riding, that was quite a workout! But after that we rode around in style, thanks to Amelia, who picked us up in a borrowed car.

A Farewell Trip - Part I

2011-01-20T08:41:00.000-08:00

Southwest announced a sale just before Thanksgiving; I thought it would be fun to have a quick visit to see a friend or two before departing for Armenia. I couldn’t decide among Chicago, the Bay Area and Los Angeles – so I did all three! And somehow I missed some major snowstorms and had all-but-one on-time flights.

I decided to rent a car in Chicago – I thought it might be cold and didn’t want to be walking a lot, and I thought I might be going back and forth a lot and wanted to make the most of my time. It was fun to drive while there! Last time I drove through I came from the west and traveled along the route of my old commute from Keebler; this time I came from Midway and traveled the route of my old commute from Paterno! I parked downtown and went to the new (I think) French Market at Ogilvie Station; my friend Ruth met me there and we had banh mi. Again, no Saigon Sandwich, but a pretty good one. We walked around the market for a bit and I drove her back to work. On to Edie’s; she was working from home that day, and we talked for what seemed like a few minutes but what I think was two hours! I went on to my storage space with ambitious goals – the picture frames, the mirrors and the books, the three things I would have done next had I had more time in my week there in 2009. I had a rough idea of where I had put those boxes, but it took a while to get to them. I then got started, and then it started getting dark – and I realized my storage space doesn’t have a light! It has windows with beautiful natural light. Now that I think of it, maybe it does have a light? Anyway, I couldn’t find one, and I’d had enough for that day anyway. I had thought about going to the Blackhawks game that night, but realized I wanted to spend more time with more friends! Saw a bunch of them for dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. Later, I gave Edie and Fred one of my rugs; they’ve now had boxes from Morocco in their basement for two years longer than I thought they’d have them. What a beautiful rug! I look forward to visiting it – and to seeing my other rugs someday!

The next day was sad – my friend Mike had been diagnosed with cancer a mere four weeks before, had been in the hospital for two weeks, and passed away, much too soon and much too young. Mike and Carol had been the first to RSVP for that night’s dinner; he had been fine when I sent out the invite. I had coffee with a friend to start the day and then headed for the storage space. Got through a box of picture frames (which I think was all of them) and a box of mirrors (which I don’t think was all of them) when Carol called with the news, and I decided not to start on any books. There are a lot more boxes of books than I remembered, anyway – it might be its own project. And there are a lot more boxes labeled “files” than I remembered – I had gotten rid of boxes and boxes of papers last time! Why are there are still so many? Definitely for another time. My friend Barb came to the neighborhood for lunch and coffee, I went back to Edie’s to do a little work on her computer, and then I met more friends at California Pizza Kitchen (yes, again!). This night it was all people who knew Carol and Mike, and I am glad I was in Chicago to share some grieving and some memories. I was able to see Carol for coffee the next morning; I’m really glad I could see her. It’s so sad. I met Mike’s sister, too, which was nice.

I had some time before returning the car and catching the next flight, so I stopped by the Lincoln Park Conservatory (I hadn’t been there on any of my trips in 2009) and the Lincoln Park Zoo. It was nice to walk around the heated greenhouse rooms and while the zoo was cold, it was pretty empty, so both gave me some place for contemplation, some beauty, some appreciation for life.

Retreat and Renewal

2011-01-19T08:24:00.000-08:00

Now I’ll close the book on 2010 – and at some point will reopen it to chronicle my Vietnam trip and Amtrak Across America! I’ll be starting another blog in the meantime. In the Philippines I just couldn’t write about being there and also my travels in the off-season. Will I be able to in Armenia?

A big highlight of December, though it doesn’t fall into the adventure or travel category, was the introduction of Everywhere Exercise, the smartphone app that my sister created and directed. I’ve been doing the marketing and social media for it and I am really proud of her and of it! I’ll direct you to www.evex.me and move on to other doings. Another highlight was a concert given by my brother-in-law, who rented a club in New York for it. I met friends for banh mi beforehand – not nearly as good as the one in San Francisco – and other friends came too, plus his siblings, whom I hadn’t seen in many years. He was great! Good old rock and roll.

I saw other friends for lunch, dinner and coffee in New York, and saw the Rockefeller Center tree and skated in Central Park. Hosted Steve, Elisa and family in Southampton for a couple of days of games, walks and more – it was nice to host them in style after all the times they have hosted me! A highlight was the building of a snowman on the beach, and also the sunset over the water. I hadn’t been out to the beach since it got cold – but since their visit I’ve been bundling up and going out. It’s so peaceful out there.

I went up to Kripalu, in Lenox, MA, for a weekend of retreat and renewal. There were catalogs for it at the restorative yoga class I took in November; I almost didn’t take one but then decided why not. And then I decided it might be a nice place to go for Christmas weekend. The retreat and renewal package means that you can take any optional classes that you want to; they also have weekend and week-long programs. The food is delicious and there’s a spa, a meditation room and many other spaces. I think my favorite part of the weekend was the guided hike I did each morning – maybe I should have just done a hiking weekend in the Berkshires! Though the hikes did have mindfulness and meditation that I might not have gotten otherwise. I did participate in several yoga classes and one on hooping. The ironic thing is that I had decided to come based on the restorative yoga workshop, and there was no restorative yoga that weekend!

I went to a couple of meditation classes and gained some new tools, and learned about lovingkindness meditation (just did a search, and beliefnet.com seems to describe it well), which I have embraced. I did some other classes and treated myself to things from the gift shop. If this sounds like a lot for two days it’s because I was snowed in and stayed two extra nights! The snow kept some people from arriving; the weekend was relatively quiet with only 300 people, but on Sunday it got much more crowded – fortunately, they were able to make room for me. The blizzard blizzed Sunday afternoon and all day Monday. There are only two buses per day; even though I could have stayed for lunch, yoga and workshops on Tuesday, I decided to take the first bus out. And I’m glad I did – I got one of the last few seats! People at later bus stops were told to wait for the next bus, six hours later – and there’s no saying they would have gotten a seat for that one! I didn’t leave Kripalu thinking that it was transformative, but in retrospect, it may turn out to have been! And while I am not set on doing it again, I am inclined to go there or elsewhere for more.

2010 ended and 2011 began with the Midnight Run in Central Park. I had heard about this for years and thought it would be fun to go one day, but I hadn’t planned to go. I was just in town to babysit! My sister was jet-lagged, though; they came home early and had walked through the park, where they saw people gathering for it. She told me to do it; at 43 degrees, this was the year for it (as it was the year for the Polar Bear Plunge, but that I didn’t do). So I speed-walked up to the New York Road Runners building and registered. My sister and I wear the same size sneakers, so she had shoes for me, and she lent me other clothes to wear. What fun it was! Fireworks at midnight and maybe 10,000 people (?) running four miles on the roads, with cheering bystanders at park entrances and a “champagne” sparkling apple cider water stop. I hadn’t run since the Flying Point 8K, so I took it slow and ran the whole way! Great way to start the year. Now that I would definitely do again!

Montpelier, Monticello and Norfolk

2011-01-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

When I went on my Lewis and Clark trip in 2001, the history professor asked us who had been to Monticello, where the Lewis and Clark story really begins. Almost everyone raised his or her hand (this was a bunch of Princeton alumni, after all!). I realized I had to go also. When it was Professor Billington’s turn to speak, he told us that when we visit Monticello we should visit Montpelier as well, and that Madison should be every Princetonian’s favorite founding father – he was a Princetonian, after all!

So my first stop was Montpelier; I arrived just in time for the last tour of the day. It’s not furnished – they’re working on it – but it interesting nonetheless, and an interesting contrast to Monticello. It’s a traditional colonial plantation house onto which Madison added wings; for a long time in this century, duPonts owned it. Madison is the Father of the Constitution, and there were good exhibits about him, the Constitution, and Dolley. I saw the temple that Madison built for contemplation, the garden put in by the duPonts, and the site of Madison’s birthplace and his grave. I’m glad I didn’t try to go Montpelier and Monticello in the same day – I could have done it, but it would have been information overload. Monroe’s house is nearby too – for another time!

My B&B for that night was the Acorn Inn, owned and run by friends of Bob and Linda’s. The husband had gone on a bicycle trip through Morocco with his brother while we were there. In fact, Youssef, Steve, Elisa and I passed them while we were going south and they north! It had to be them…. We also saw him briefly in Rabat when we arrived at the end of our trip/pre-mid-service-meds. So I felt like I was visiting an old friend! The again, maybe he treats all his guests like old friends. I saw his Morocco pictures – and then his Iceland pictures – and maybe more pictures…. And I slept in an old barn!

And didn’t get an early start the next day, but what’s the rush? I got to Monticello – big business compared to Montpelier. As expected, it looks like the building on the back of the nickel! Jefferson designed it and even though he had a lot of debts and they had to sell some of the belongings, I think they have most of them back. We toured the house, the slave quarters and the gardens and vineyards. And in the entryway, there are some relics that were sent from the Lewis and Clark expedition! I also had time for a little stop in Charlottesville – the University of Virginia was designed by Jefferson and, combined with Monticello, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; it was nice to be able to see the historic architecture and the rotunda.

Then I took the three-hour hop, skip and jump to see Linda; Bob was away in France. Linda had a job offer from her old employer and started right away, adding a data point to my theory that those who started jobs right away have the toughest time with readjustment, because they don’t have time to process their Peace Corps experience. It was wonderful to see her; we took a walk around her neighborhood and talked and talked. I enjoyed seeing how they incorporated their Moroccan rugs into their décor, too! We went out for Indian food. The next morning we had breakfast and I drove back to National Airport (passing through Richmond without stopping; glad I got there this year) and flew to Chicago for the visit that was scheduled before the class was cancelled!

Just to close the book on 2009 – other adventures between my return and my departure included Reunions, a trip to Philadelphia for the Foreign Service written test (plus friends, the Franklin Institute, and a cheese steak), exhibits at the Cooper-Hewitt, Guggenheim, and Whitney, and baseball games at the brand-new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field! Plus reading, working on the non-profit certificate, biking, beach walking, seeing friends, and then it was on to the Philippines!

Frank Lloyd Wright and the Pentagon Memorial

2011-01-17T08:04:00.000-08:00

There’s a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Alexandria; it had been on my list for a while, and on Sunday morning Steve, Elisa and I headed over there! The Pope-Leighey house is one of his Usonian houses (the US is for United States). I think they’re all built with the same floor plan, to keep the cost down; the philosophy behind them was to make them affordable for regular citizens. I had seen drawings and models of them but had never toured one! As is often the case with Frank Lloyd Wright houses, we had an enthusiastic and knowledgeable tour guide.

I then met RPCV Rob for a drink; as with Frank, he was still adjusting to being back but close to getting something (as of this writing, both of them are on at least their third position and/or location since returning. I think it’s tough for us mid-career types!).

And then Elisa, Steve and I went to the Pentagon Memorial; they hadn’t been there yet, nor to Pope-Leighey. The memorial was very touching. There’s a bench for each person who died on September 11 (the benches are the same as those used in the High Line). Benches point in one direction if the person was on the plane, and in the other if the person was in the Pentagon. The benches appear to be randomly scattered, but they are organized by the month and year of the birthday of the person memorialized. It was really emotional to be there; good that we followed it with some cheer - a dinner out and yet more games.

And the next day Elisa took me to the airport, where I rented a car and drove south. What a wonderful visit!

Carry Me to Virginia and DC

2011-01-16T08:01:00.001-08:00

How long might I have wandered if I hadn’t had the Foreign Service Oral Assessment on my schedule for March 19? It gave me an endpoint; I had decided to get to Southampton about a week in advance to settle in. It helped me work backwards in planning the Drive Across America and the trip to Southeast Asia that preceded it. I was one of the last in my stage to get settled somewhere – a few of my stagemates went straight home. Most traveled but were home for the holidays. While in Asia I met some RPCVs who traveled for six months after COS – maybe if I had met them sooner I’d have done the same!

But I did have this on the schedule, and the day before, I took the Hampton Jitney into Manhattan, walked across town to Penn Station, and hopped on an Amtrak to DC. Had I not had this plan, I’d have somehow made it to the Washington area during the Drive Across America; I had friends to see! Elisa picked me up, we had a delicious dinner and played some games, and I organized myself for an early start the next day.

I’ve already talked about the Foreign Service Oral Assessment – have I talked about it twice now? I’ve taken it twice! Maybe third time will be a charm? Maybe the third time will be in a different city – perhaps if I change my city I will change my luck! Anyway, I wandered by the White House to see Obama’s current digs and decompress, and then went back to my friends’ house for more games! On the Amtrak the day before, I had learned that my class scheduled for the following week in Chicago had been cancelled; I spent some time making other arrangements.

The next day Elisa and I took a walk in the woods. And then we went to a career fair with a focus on international development. Ran into a fellow Morocco RPCV there (not a surprise). I went to another career fair on one of the Chicago trips in 2009, but I haven’t been to any since. Maybe in 2011! I did get some leads – and the companies who are there are hiring. In fact, I later had an interview with one, right around the time of my Peace Corps Response interview. But I sounded like a long shot, and I took the bird in the hand. Anyway, that night, back for more games!

The next day, I went into DC on my own and saw a couple of RPCVs. Cherry trees in bloom – beautiful! Frank and I went past the Capitol Building and the Supreme Court (I haven’t toured the former since maybe sixth grade and have never been to the latter! They go on the list!) and then went to the National Portrait Gallery (I had never been there either – I liked it and want to go back and see more! The beauty of the Smithsonian is that it’s all free!) and to tea. Then I met Jennifer in Chinatown (another part of DC I had never been to) for lunch; she is from the stage before mine, and it was good to see how settled in she was a little over a year later. There were more games played that night, and a home-cooked Moroccan dinner at Elisa’s – delicious zaalook (eggplant salad) and kefta (meat with tomatoes).

Eastward Ho - Part II

2011-01-10T09:12:00.000-08:00

I stopped in Harrisburg to see the State Capitol – hm, maybe I really should try to see them all! Or maybe not. This one was impressive, with a beautiful green roof. I did a self-guided tour. I like Pennsylvania! Got to Mike and Tobi’s house just as Mike did; I had seen them at Princeton during my service (plus I had a photo puzzle of them that they had sent me), so even though we didn’t have enough time together, we didn’t have two years to catch up on. I’d have stayed longer, but it was during the week and there was work and school for those who go to work and school. We had a nice dinner and time for games! And time for Starbucks in the morning before I left. 120 miles in all this day, with a long stop in Princeton. I visited my friend Lisa in her office, had lunch with Howie and Arlene, and then went to Howie’s house to say hello to my boxes and play some cribbage. When you take Amtrak from Philadelphia to Princeton, you can see Trenton’s State Capitol building and its golden dome. But I never drive past it when I drive that route – and with people to see, I didn’t detour to explore it. Some day! Now that one IS more accessible. Note – no Thomas Sweet ice cream on this trip, so I haven’t had it every time.

The day ended in Woodcliff Lake – so it took over two weeks to get to Chicago from California and two days to get from Chicago to the New York metropolitan area. Debbie had cleared her schedule, so I stayed for a few nights! More laundry, some planning of the next trip/s, a walk, some games, and generally seeing life in her world. It was particularly exciting to go to her post office; she had sent me articles every week and the postmen always asked about me, so it was nice to meet one of them!

And then on Saturday I drove the 25 miles to New York City, where I returned the car – six days, 1007 miles on this one. I didn’t feel all that well – maybe my travels were catching up to me – so I took it somewhat easy. Went with my sister and the family to Woodbury Common, a big outlet mall about an hour north of the city. Culture shock! Despite my sister telling me in no uncertain terms that I needed new clothes, I just wasn’t ready to shop (as I have said elsewhere, it was much easier in and after the Philippines, with my daily exposure to shopping malls). I had some appointments that my sister had set up for me, and I met my friends for the Annual Card Game.

On Tuesday, March 10 – after landing in Hawaii on January 15 and in Los Angeles on the 21st, after leaving LA on February 3, arriving in Chicago on February 19 and leaving Chicago on March 2 - I arrived in Southampton, my final resting place, at least for the time being. I consider this the beginning of the next chapter in the post-Peace Corps story. Then again, a week later I was off again, to DC and VA and Chicago and back to New York City, so I didn’t really settle in until the end of March. During that first week, I finally unpacked, did submit some applications for Peace Corps staff jobs to get something started, took walks and a bike ride, did homework for my Non-Profit Management course, and read more of Annals of the Former World – once I got to the friend part of the trip, I didn’t have much time for reading. I tried to find some balance between moving ahead and settling in, trying to get some focus and trying not to be overwhelmed, reintegrating into American culture and retaining some of the simple life I had in Morocco. But as I said, I didn’t have a lot of time to dwell on that, because soon I was traveling again.

And I didn’t spend a lot of 2009 in this transitional state, because a couple of weeks later, I noticed the Peace Corps Response opening in the Philippines and emailed to say I was interested. I had the interview on April 14 and the offer on the 15th. Even though it took a while to actually leave (from the original June 7 date to July 26), I knew I had a plan.

Eastward, Ho - Part I

2011-01-09T09:07:00.000-08:00

Back to the Drive Across America…February turned to March and it was time to proceed on. I rented a car in the morning and drove into the Eastern Time Zone, 450 miles from Chicago to Aurora, OH. I stopped in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where in October 1960, candidate John F. Kennedy stepped off a plane at a campaign stop and at 2:00 am proposed the idea of a Peace Corps. A plaque marks the spot in front of the Michigan Union where he stood, and I stood on the same spot! That was a nice capstone to the Peace Corps experience (of course, Peace Corps Response was yet to come, and there will always be Third Goal, so it’s not really a capstone, but I like the word).

I stopped in Toledo to see Rebecca, a Morocco RPCV (in environment, but she did a lot with the SIDA committee and is now going into public health) who, though we weren’t close, was persistent and nice about seeing me when I came through. We ate at a Waffle House – no fast-food qualms about going there; Waffle House may not be healthy but it is a fun treat. And then it was on to a Starbucks on the west side of Cleveland for a rendezvous with Jong, who came up from Columbus; my friend Tom had the local knowledge to suggest this location. So good to see her! Of course, an afternoon wasn’t enough. She wasn’t up for piffle (good thing I taught it to some friends along the way!) but we did play some rummy. And then it was on to the east side of Cleveland, to stay with Tom and his family. They were among the last people I saw in 2006, when I did a Midwest Farewell trip to Put-in-Bay and Cuyahoga National Park. As with my cousin’s family, the kids look two years older and the parents as young as ever! Amazing phenomenon! They made me a “welcome back” cake and we had a lovely dinner.

I didn’t plan any side trips between Chicago and New York – no Moab, no Lake Tahoe, no California coast. Just driving and friends. I guess the East seems more accessible, though I’m not sure that’s actually true. Gettysburg was on my wish list, but it wasn’t right off I-80, and there aren’t many national parks to visit. If I hadn’t been to Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob I might have done that. The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania is something I’d like to see (if only for the name!), but it’s nowhere near the route. And I guess I was ready to press on – as I mentioned, Chicago became the turning point where the vacation/touring part kind of ended anyway.

Pennsylvania always seemed like a long state, but compared to some of the other drives along the way, it wasn’t – Aurora, OH to Narberth, PA was 410 miles. It also has hills – mountains, even. And trees! So many trees! If you grow up with trees and hills, you never really get used to the Midwest. And then I was overcome with a wave of emotion – I realized that the last time I had done that drive was on the way to Chicago, when I moved there almost two decades ago. So I wasn’t just returning from 27 months in the Peace Corps, I was also returning from 19 years in Chicago. That doesn’t mean that the East is my last stop, but it did mean that a big chapter closed.

Welcome Back to Chicago

2011-01-08T08:56:00.000-08:00

I spent the next week in Chicago, and it was here that I felt the tough transition back to reality. Even though I wasn’t staying, it felt like coming home, no longer like traveling. It was a shift from seeing places and things and also seeing friends to seeing friends and also doing a few things. In retrospect, I may have overbooked myself, but I did have a lot of friends to see! And in the past I could see friends and then go to my own home; even though Edie’s is a home-away-from-home, I wanted to spend time with her and her family when I was at their house, not sequester myself upstairs, so I didn’t have much quiet time. I saw friends for breakfast, lunch, coffee, chats, dinner, and games.

I went ice skating in Millennium Park; I love ice skating and had missed it! I had a hair appointment and a massage appointment; after all those years the hair and massage people are my friends. I went with my friend Carol (with whom I had photographed Cows on Parade) to Obama’s house in Hyde Park, or as close as we could get to it. I went to a Blackhawks game and saw the transformation with new ownership – excitement in the building once again and a good team on the ice. Of course, the crowning achievement was their 2010 Stanley Cup, but you could see in 2009 that this team was something special! It was Hard Hat Night. When we got the hard hats, I said to my friend, “I want to see a hat trick, so we can see all of these hats on the ice.” And sure enough, there was a hat trick! I forget who had it, Kane or Toews, but it was one of the two young superstars. Then the third goal was recalled! So I said there had to be a fourth goal to justify the hat-tossing – and there was! How exciting! It was an overtime win for the Blackhawks. Welcome back! I had attended a lot of sad games there over the years.

I attended class for three days – it felt good to be back in a school environment. Somehow, that didn’t seem like culture shock. What did, though, was going to the dentist and the doctor. Just the act of getting out my insurance card and paying the co-pay – and thinking about the paperwork to come – made me realize that I was back. There was a lot of paperwork to get into the Peace Corps and a lot to get out, but not a lot during. Now there will be paperwork all the time. Welcome back!

I also visited Chicago in March – the class I was scheduled attend was cancelled after I had bought the plane tickets, but I went anyway. Had a medical procedure, saw the dentist and the hairdresser again, picked up new clip-on sunglasses I’d ordered the month before, and saw more friends. I replaced the class with an independent study on social media for non-profits – something more useful to me than the class might have been!

I went back to Chicago again in May, for almost two weeks (thanks, hosts!). I gave a “precept” on my Morocco experiences to the Princeton Club of Chicago, which is still my only official Third Goal presentation. It was fun sharing my experiences, especially with an audience of mostly friends. I had my last class, saw some theatre and a movie and a Cubs game and a White Sox game, checked out the new Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago, went to a job fair, and saw friends.

The driving reason for the May trip being so long was to go through my storage space with a professional organizer. Over the course of the week, we went through my wardrobe and donated of about a third of my clothes, threw away several boxes’ worth of papers, finally parted with the magazines I wasn’t ready to part with before I left, and loaded up a cart with other items for charity pickup. We also reorganized all the remaining boxes so I have a better handle on what I have. Of course, I sent several boxes to Edie and Howie from Morocco and my post-COS travels, but I would like to live a simpler life, and I will aim for that when I finally move my stuff to the imaginary studio or whatever my next home turns out to be. I’m posting this in advance of another Chicago trip that will go through the next things to go through – the books, picture frames and mirrors; they’ve been in the back of my mind for over a year, and maybe that will plant the seeds for the next storage-room priorities, or maybe I’ll have done all of the easy things. Still, I’m really happy I did as much as I did – I felt not only lighter in possessions, but also lighter in spirit.

Amtrak to Minnesota and Back

2011-01-07T08:28:00.000-08:00

Foreshadowing the 2010 Amtrak Across America trip, I boarded the Empire Builder for the eight-hour trip to the Twin Cities. Southwest hadn’t started flying Chicago to Minneapolis yet, so this was $112 round-trip vs. $400 round-trip by air. I had decided not to drive – too big a detour – and I still wanted to see my loved ones there. This way I had a chance to do some of the reading for my class! My friend Paul met me at the station, late at night. It was remarkable how many people were going all the way west on the multi-day train; at the time I thought maybe I too would take a long train ride someday, but I had no idea I would be doing it the very next year!

The next morning, I saw my cousin Alexander and his family! They had moved to the U.S. just before I moved to Morocco, and were about to move back to the Netherlands. So we weren’t on the same continent for very long – but at least we were able to see each other once! What a lovely family – my, how the kids have grown since I last saw them in 2001! And of course the adults remain as young and beautiful as ever. We got pastry from a nearby shop, and Alexander made a rusk-and-aged-Dutch-cheese treat (the secret – margarine!). We talked, looked at pictures, and all too soon it was time to go. It had snowed overnight, so I was glad other people were driving!

Paul and I then went to the State Capitol in St. Paul for a tour. Most of the other people on the tour were students for whom it must have been a class assignment and their parents, which added an element of fun to it. A classical white building with a tall dome, and again, some interesting tidbits of state history. We then went to a place called The Global Marketplace. I was particularly attracted to both the Tibetan and the Hmong hill tribe products – maybe I should have bought more in Thailand, but it’s nice to know I can get them here too.

We then went to the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts; I’ve been to visit Paul many times and there are still many things we haven’t done! This is a nice museum, with a permanent collection that has a little bit of everything. We weren’t there long, but saw some Asian, some Prairie School, some period rooms, some Impressionists, and other random things. We were on the way to Trader Joe’s to get stroopwafels (Alexander’s suggestion) when I spied a bus shelter ad and we had to go around the block to photograph it. The message – “Never have to start sentences with ‘I should’ve’ ” – rings true for me. Paul, Tom and I had dinner at their favorite local French bistro. What a wonderful day!

On Sunday morning, the scheduled 7:50 didn’t leave until about 9:00 am; none of my trains in 2010 was significantly delayed. We did make up some of the time, and since we were traveling during the day, I saw some beautiful snow-covered country on the way back. With the Mississippi River, lakes, and glacial hills, it was a very pretty ride. My dining-car lunch companions were band instrument repairmen – very fun! I dozed a little and continued reading the book for my class. Dinner was back in Chicago with my friend Karen (we had to finish our Friday conversation!) and then I watched the Oscars with Edie and family – something of a culture shock, since I hadn’t seen most of the movies and didn’t recognize many of the celebrities (they didn’t either, though…). I went through the big green suitcase and found more laundry to do and got some dry cleaning together.

And on to Chicago

2011-01-06T08:19:00.000-08:00

Iowa City to Chicago seems a far ride – until you’ve done 400-500 miles in a day, in which case 250 seems like a hop, skip and a jump. But it still seems far psychologically – and this is after living in Chicago for almost two decades and doing a lot of Midwest exploration from there.

I stopped in West Branch, Iowa at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and birthplace. The things that stuck with me from there were the depression and Hoover Dam. It had turned bitter cold the day before, so I didn’t walk around the grounds much. The birthplace was modest – similar to Nixon’s, but reflective of its earlier period.

I switched to I-88 (I-80 goes south of Chicago), skipping Reagan’s birthplace (as I had skipped his library in California) – the perspective of history may be enlightening, but I feel I know Reagan and his years well enough. Chicago’s outskirts are much more extensive than those of any city along the route since leaving the Bay Area. I knew that, but driving from so far away made the approach more dramatic. What sprawl! I took I-290, the route of my commute when I first lived in Chicago, and even though it wasn’t rush hour I felt the stress of that commute and that job at Keebler. I took the expressway all the way to Lake Shore Drive – the lake and the city looked beautiful. I had an unexpected wave of emotion when I passed my old apartment building; I do feel ready for a new place, but that was my home for many years, and I loved it there.

Coincidentally (well, while I still had the car), I saw one of my Keebler friends on the day I did the Keebler commute – met my friend Cynthia in Evanston at Ethel’s Chocolate Lounge. I guess the Ethelses have all closed, which is a pity – they were nice places to meet and chat, and the chocolate was good! We talked for hours. And then it was on to Edie’s, another home-away-from-home, for dinner and more talking and laundry (first since Lake Tahoe) and reorganizing my stuff for the weekend, leaving the big green suitcase and mail for my return….

The next morning, I returned the car - $1950 and 3490 miles later. Bye, Kia Spectra! It served me well for this part of the journey. My friend Helen met me at Budget and we had breakfast at Whole Foods. Then I took the bus (!) down Lake Shore Drive (!) to the University of Chicago’s Gleacher Center (seeing for myself the new Trump building at the old Sun-Times site across the river – what a change!). There, I met with the administrator of my non-profit certificate program, which had been discontinued in my absence, to discuss the classes I would do to complete my certificate. I continued downtown to have lunch at CPK ASAP with my friend Karen, and then it was on to Union Station.

Nebraska to Iowa

2011-01-05T08:02:00.000-08:00

For years in Morocco, construction across the street started at 7:15 am, and I woke up at 7:15 every day, even on the days when it was quiet. Somehow I woke up at 7:15 this morning too – even though I was in a new time zone.

I looked at the map and realized that my route could take me right through Lincoln – another state capital! This was an interesting one. Nebraska has the only unicameral legislature in the country. The capitol building has a tall tower; it’s the third-tallest in the country. Murals, mosaics, stone, wood, symbols, pioneer stories and the love of the land and its labors. I took most of a tour, but was in one-hour parking so I had to leave early, but not before I saw some of the legislature in action, voting on a measure.

It was time to go, anyway – I had a lunch date at a Perkins just off the interstate outside of Omaha, with Rebecca, a Morocco YD RPCV from the stage before me who had extended and had just gotten home in December, and Jackie, the SBD from the stage behind me who had been med-sepped, thereby paving the way for me to work with the Ain Leuh women, which made my service more successful and rewarding! They hadn’t met, so now they have each other to talk to about Morocco. It was a nice lunch!

And then I drove 239 miles into Iowa (390 in all for the day; it had been 500 the day before), arriving in Iowa City just before dark. Passed some giant windmills and some rolling hills – well, rolling compared to Nebraska, that is. I had found an aviation-themed hotel on the internet; each room had different wallpaper, photographs and stories (and the hotel was right next to a small airstrip). I asked for the Flying Tigers suite but that was booked, so I was in the Barnstormers suite.

Iowa City is UNESCO’s third literary city, after Edinburgh and Melbourne – who knew? I had dinner on my own and then went to meet Jessica, a Morocco RPCV from my stage. I had school and other old friends in California and the Mountain West, but I didn’t have a lot of friends in the middle of the country until I met some through Peace Corps! Jessica and I had some hot chocolate and talked for hours. I also had a little chance to see downtown Iowa City (including the Old State Capitol). Quite charming! But if I were going to live in a literary city, I might prefer Edinburgh or Melbourne…

Crossing the Craton

2011-01-04T07:53:00.000-08:00

That’s the name of the new part of Annals of the Former World. A craton is defined as, “a large, stable block of the earth's crust forming the nucleus of a continent,” and it did seem large and stable. I was a little concerned about this part of the ride – everyone I know who has driven across the country says that Nebraska is deathly flat and boring. Cynthia, Bob and I had gone to Barnes and Noble, where I picked up the audio book of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” for the drive, and while at their house I researched the migration of the sandhill cranes. After two days of zero miles, I put on another 500. It took 200 miles just to get out of Colorado – maybe it looks more active in the spring and summer when there’s some farming, or maybe it always looks bleak. But it was interesting for its lack of interesting things. So, two weeks to the day when I left Los Angeles, I drove into the Central Time Zone. And back to I-80!

Before moving on to my new audio book, I had a Lewis and Clark audio book to listen to. I had it all through my time in Morocco but somehow it seemed too out of context to listen to it there. One of the things I noted is that when Lewis returned from his journey he experienced culture shock – although he didn’t call it that. I could relate! I stopped at another Taco Bell, this time in North Platte; still depressing. I thought about stopping at the nation’s largest rail yard, but since the drive was taking me longer than expected, I proceeded on. The stop I did make was one that intrigued me since I was first looking for things to do in Nebraska (my trip there at the time ended up being an overnight in Omaha, looking at the Missouri and thinking of Lewis and Clark, not realizing I would be learning more about them, and having an Omaha steak) – the migration of the sandhill cranes. This is supposed to be an amazing phenomenon, as thousands if not millions of them spend much of March on the Platte river. My internet research showed that the migration had just started that week – so I wouldn’t see anything amazing, but it was worth trying. Peak is mid-March. I went to a viewing area that had some trails and blinds. I saw some birds but I honestly can’t say if they were sandhhill cranes – they were a little too far away. Is it a case of if you’re not sure it’s them, then it’s not? I’m still glad I stopped, though I slipped and fell in the mud!

Then, it was on to Columbus, my longest driving detour of the trip. I thought that as long as I knew someone in Nebraska I would go out of my way to see her. Columbus was about halfway for me coming from I-80 and Ren coming from Norfolk. I hadn’t had a chance to see her to say goodbye before her medical separation from Peace Corps Morocco. Unfortunately, due to road construction, the detour involved a major detour (I might not have needed to go so far out of my way, but there was no way for me to know that). Ren got there even later; by the time she arrived, all of the restaurants in town were closed. We went to the supermarket and bought frozen pizza and cooked it in the kitchen of my B&B. I guess it was good that at least something was available! It was wonderful to see her, and the B&B in Columbus was very nice.

Boulder Days

2011-01-03T10:41:00.000-08:00

I’d been talking about visiting my friends Bob and Cynthia for years and was glad to finally make it happen. There are many things we didn’t get to do this time – skiing and climbing a 14-er most prominent among them – but it was nice to spend two full days there. Boulder definitely has a good vibe, with a mix of consciousness and affluence; it’s laid back yet thriving. If you don’t need an ocean, it might be the ideal place to live! I know that Bob and Cynthia looked at many places before deciding on this one; their embrace of Buddhism came after their move, and it turned out that Boulder is a great place for that.

Sunday was devoted to an overview of Boulder. We started with a hearty breakfast at a local place. We then went to a prairie dog community near Bob’s office – I can see why people consider them pests (they denude the landscape and create a bunch of holes) and also why people want to protect them (they’re cute and fun to watch). We passed the school of massage therapy that Cynthia attended and she pointed out her class’s gift to the school, a Peace Pole. This is what gave me the idea to donate one to Quadrangle Club for my 30th Princeton reunion – I had seen them in many places and admired them, but I had no idea that one could purchase or donate one!

We went to Celestial Seasonings, an iconic tour to take when in Boulder. After all of the Moroccan tea I wasn’t feeling the need for more tea, but I do like factory tours. The most interesting part was the mint room – the flavor is so strong that if it were in the room with the other herbs, everything would smell of mint! It was interesting to see where the various ingredients come from and of course to know that they are harvested with fair wages and sustainability – wouldn’t it be fun to travel the world and sustainably source something? Hm… It was also interesting to see the original art of all of the tea boxes; it makes you realize it IS art.

We went on to Pearl Street, the pedestrian-only main commercial street downtown. Very busy! Street performers and lots of people. We went into a few stores and then continued our tour, seeing some of the old Victorians of downtown and a teahouse sent over and built by a sister city in Tajikistan. We were just looking, but it would be fun to go to tea there sometime!

Next was Chautaqua, a conference center that had some nature paths – we took a little walk that to me seemed entirely uphill, but that’s what happens when you’re not used to the altitude! Boulder does seem full of healthy, active people! On to Flagstaff, further up, where we could see the Flatirons behind us and the prairie below, a good illustration of what I had just driven through and what driving was to come. A pretty stark contrast!

We had dinner at a Sherpa’s, a Tibetan/Nepalese place, run by the person who had led their life-changing Nepal trip a few years back. The food was delicious! More like Indian than anything else one might be familiar with, but with its own spice combinations. Back at their house, we looked at beautiful pictures of Nepal and Bhutan and talked about Buddhism.

The next day started with some great New York bagels – a definite tick in the plus column for Boulder. And then we went off to Estes Park. We stopped at the Stanley Hotel, a Grande Dame famed for its use in the movie, “The Shining.” There are “Shining” souvenirs in the gift shop. The hotel is also known to be haunted; we listened to part of a tour before realizing we were supposed to have paid for it – oops!

On to Rocky Mountain National Park (and perhaps the final passport stamp of the trip). Much of the park was closed for the winter but we did what we could – which is all we had time for anyway! We saw herds of elk in the meadows, evergreen trees, snow on the mountains. Longs Peak is the park’s 14-er, the northernmost and the closest one to Boulder. We went to Bear Lake, a pond with a Longs Peak view, and took a snowy trail around it – great with my new boots! We then drove Trail Ridge Road to the point where it was closed by snowpack – some great views of Rocky Mountain majesties.

We went back to downtown Boulder for dinner and then went to a meditation class at one of the Buddhist centers nearby - it’s something I’ve been wanting to learn about as well, so it was a good class for me. More pictures, more piffle, more talking, and another all-too-short visit came to a close

Moab to Boulder

2011-01-01T07:26:00.000-08:00

I knew from the day before that the B&B owner was a storyteller, so I let go of the notion of going on one last hike in Arches. I had a six-hour drive ahead of me anyway, with stops that I wanted to make. The first part of the drive was movie-set Colorado River – literally. This part of the river was filmed in several Westerns. When I got to I-70, the dramatic views continued, with the river to one side or the other and the red walls above. And the train on the same route - I started thinking it would be fun to take Amtrak Across America some day. But I get ahead of myself – first I stopped at Colorado National Monument!

National Monuments are different from National Parks in that they are designated by presidential proclamation rather than Acts of Congress (later, the CCC built the roads, an amazing engineering feat at the time). Colorado National Monument is high on the Colorado plateau, the same formation as the Grand Canyon, Arches and Bryce, and it too has a big canyon and red rock formations, semi-desert trees and awe-inspiring views. It might be just as well known as the others if it had Park status (my conjecture); it certainly has a lot to offer! I drove a few overlooks and did a teeny hike but didn’t have time for the entire Rim Rock Drive.

There wasn’t an obvious place for lunch. Well, there was, actually – Taco Bell. I had avoided chains so far, but I needed a quick lunch and Taco Bell fulfilled some of that desire for Mexican. I felt so depressed – here I had been cooking for myself with fresh ingredients, and Taco Bell was filled with Americans who regularly eat fast food. Never mind that in Manila, Julie and I went out of our way to go to Taco Bell and that I had mall food almost every night – that was different. This Taco Bell was a depressing welcome back. But it was practical, and sometimes that’s what you get on a cross-country trip.

On a suggestion from my replacement PCV in Azrou, who is from Colorado (though I might have thought of it anyway), I then stopped in Glenwood Springs (which is an Amtrak stop, too….). There are hot springs right off the road, which you enter after going through a classic building. I may not have had ski clothes, but I had a bathing suit with me, and I spent some time in the hot springs. Very relaxing – but not so much that I felt sleepy in the car; still had several hours to go!

The next part of the drive was a little challenging, the wiper fluid wasn’t working for a while and the windshield was streaked. I got to Boulder after dark, but not too much after dark. 375 miles today – and friends, wine and stew were waiting! Plus, the friends were interested in learning piffle!

Arches and Canyonlands

2010-12-31T07:06:00.000-08:00

The B at the B&B was great – pancakes filled with cream cheese blended with strawberry juice and topped with strawberries. Between that and a chatty owner, I didn’t get an early start, but that’s part of the charm of staying in B&Bs.

And then it was on to Arches National Park! This is a great National Park – five stars! I drove a lot of it, stopping at several overlooks. The arches form when softer rock erodes more quickly than harder rock – and for whatever reason, there are a lot of them here! And other interesting formations. I took a hike to Delicate Arch, the symbol of the park and indeed of the National Park system. It was about an hour up and half an hour down (plus time spent at the top); slightly slippery where the sun hadn’t hit yet, but other than that, the weather was crisp but not too cold. I did a short hike by the Windows, and then decided I should see some of Canyonlands National Park as well.

Canyonlands has a totally different feel, so I’m glad I went to see it (not to mention getting another passport stamp…). This one has dramatic canyon vistas. From road level, one can look down at mesas and then see canyons where the rivers eroded everything even deeper. I drove to several places and looked at the vast distances, but there weren’t any hikes to be had. So I decided I had a feel for it and I went back to Arches, where the formations were right in front of you and you could hike closer to or even through them.

I went back to the Windows section for a hike to the Double Arch, and then I drove to the farthest point of the park. At this point it was getting a little dark, so no more hikes, but I covered quite a bit in less than a day. Put 150 miles on the car, too!

Park City to Moab

2010-12-30T07:02:00.000-08:00

I have good friends in Park City, but it really has been a while – I was there in 2002 for the Olympics, but my friends left town for it. I’ve seen them in Illinois; I know I haven’t skied since my accident but have I also not visited them in Park City since then? If so, that’s way too long – must return soon!

I’m mentally ready to ski again, and to ski out west again, but I didn’t have the right clothes, and with just one day, I didn’t want to go through the production. Another reason to return soon! It was more important to spend time with friends anyway. Catherine made French toast and then she, Don and I went for a walk in the snow; there’s a walking trail (with sculpture) near their house. It was good to get some exercise after sitting in the room and sitting in the car! We looked at videos and pictures and home renovations and caught up in general. Going zero miles made up for 650 the day before!

Don and I went downtown while his son had a class; we went to a coffee shop and played one of my life’s more memorable games of Scrabble (I also played Scrabble with him in Central Park this past summer, though I didn’t note it in my New York Stories). Back at their home, we had a wonderful dinner and played more Scrabble.

Since I thought I would get here mid-day on Tuesday and didn’t, I thought I would stay through mid-day Thursday and get the full amount of planned time. What a nice visit! Too short, though (as I said, a recurring theme). In the morning, we had time for one more game of Scrabble. Then I went to Park City’s Main Street for lunch with Katie, the RPCV from the year ahead of me who was in Timhadite and whom I saw a lot of in my first year in Morocco. She’s doing great! I wondered if I would be that removed and yet still attached in a year (answer – my feelings are skewed by additional feelings for the Philippines!).

And then it was back on the road. I passed the area used for the biathlon in 2002 – the surprise fun event of the Olympics for Beth and me. From throwaway ticket in our package to drama and joy! 250 miles later, I was in Moab. I’ve been wanting to go to Bryce and Zion for a long time now – but those are far away. Arches and Canyonlands, on the other hand, were more or less on the way. Not on I-80, mind you, but I was planning to dip down to I-70 to visit friends in Boulder anyway, and that made Moab kind of on the way. It was a beautiful drive! For the first half, there was snow all around (to the point where all I saw was the black road and white everything else – no land, no sky), and then I went over a pass and there was no snow.

I had a nice conversation with the owner of the B&B where I stayed; this one too is one of the legacies of the trip. He told me that he and his wife used to come down to Moab and they just knew that was where they wanted to be. I told him I have never felt that way about a place, and I’ve been waiting for a place to say this is it. He said, “maybe you’re just meant to be a nomad.” Hm – he might be right. And my other line that came out of this – “ epiphanies don’t happen on demand.”

Moab has a nice tourist infrastructure, and I ate at a great pasta place recommended by the B&B owner. It would be interesting to come back in the summer and perhaps go rafting! Don and Catherine have often mentioned how nice Park City is in the summer, too. But the National Parks near Moab are beautiful in the winter too, and much less crowded.

Basin and Range - Nevada to Utah

2010-12-29T06:46:00.000-08:00

The sun came out, the roads were reported clear, and off I went. Back across the Nevada border, past the CalNeva hotel, and then down, out of the Sierras I wound, out of John McPhee’s Assembling California and into Basin and Range. Out of the snow and into the dry rain shadow behind the mountains.

On my planning day I decided that I would shoot to make it all the way to Park City that night – a long day of driving, 650 miles, eleven hours. It’s possible I’ve never driven that far in one day. The ranch/B&B was more a place to break up the trip than a stop I really wanted to make. So it was okay to miss it. It was also okay to miss I-80 – I saw a dotted line on the map and followed some advice to take I-50, which is supposed to be a more scenic way across the state. It’s also nicknamed “the loneliest road in America.” My mantra was “Basin and Range, Basin and Range, Basin…….and Range” – I was so excited about it that I wrote a fan letter to John McPhee. And got an answer once I got to Chicago! He noted that it came from off I-80 – oops. But it did come from Basin and Range!

There was some snow on the mountaintops and occasionally a dusting on the ground. The road was smooth, the land I was going through unpopulated. I stopped at a park to see some petroglyphs – so someone used to live here. They just don’t now. There was an occasional ranch and an occasional small town – but thrilled with going through basin and range, I never felt overwhelmed or isolated. I’d go through a basin, then I’d cut through a range. This is a part of the continent that is young, with mountains coming up, and ranges spreading out between them.

I made good time, but it was still a long day, and it was late afternoon when I headed north and rejoined I-80. And around Ely, which is the nearest city to the B&B/ranch where I would have stayed, I got pulled over for speeding. I hadn’t been gunning it; was it a speed trap? It doesn’t matter. I suspect that every cross-country trip includes a speeding ticket, breakdown or the like – this was my ticket of the trip. I determined not to get another. I decided not to stop in Ely though – no dinner break. So on my longest day of driving I snacked in the car instead. Well, another element of a cross-country road trip, right? I was glad I planned to stop driving before dark for the other days, and that I had destinations and friends a day apart for the rest of the way. I still don’t regret the snow day in Lake Tahoe – it was a peaceful day, and I hadn’t seen snow like that in a while!

It was dark when I got to Winnemucca, on the border with Utah – and another place with the incongruous sight of border casinos and big hotels. Not much more to the town! What would Nevada be without casino gambling? Or if casino gambling were as readily available in every state? Las Vegas by now is probably enough of an entertainment, warm-weather and dining attraction that tourists would still come, and maybe they would go to Reno too, if only to go to Lake Tahoe, but Winnemucca wouldn’t be much if Utah had casinos. Then again, Utah is unlikely to get casinos.

Welcome to Mountain Time! I still had several hours of driving to go. I don’t feel I missed out on that much by skipping the B&B/ranch, but I did miss something that I would have loved to have seen in the light of day – the Bonneville Salt Flats. I went right by them, in the dark. They’re just far enough away from my friends in Park City that unless I do this drive again I’m unlikely to get back there to see them. But you never know. I picture the ultimate in flatness and a brilliant white. I don’t know that I would have tried for any speed records, though…. I also might have stopped to see the Great Salt Lake. I have to check my journals – I feel I have seen it, but maybe I just think I’ve seen it. It’s not that close to Salt Lake City, and it’s in the other direction from the mountains where I usually go when I visit. It’s a good thing I keep my calendars and take so many pictures – and have a good memory. But things do sometimes run together, and impressions can be blurry. So I’m not sure if I’ve seen it; I know I would have stopped this time. Well, maybe I just have to build the Great Salt Lake and the Bonneville Salt Flats into the next Utah trip and remove all doubt!

Salt Lake City was the biggest city in a while – I suppose the biggest since leaving the Bay Area, so the biggest in days – and approaching at night meant lots of lights, which felt welcoming. Also welcoming was the stretch from the city to Park City – it’s been a while, but I’ve been there several times, and it felt familiar. I’ve not done a whole lot of mountain driving, but I have driven that stretch, and I’ve driven it at night – with snow on the mountains and enough moonglow (or city-light glow), seeing the shapes of the mountains as you wind through them is quite romantic. And arriving at the home of friends meant I was energized, not tired – we talked until late!

Lake Tahoe and... Lake Tahoe

2010-12-28T06:13:00.000-08:00

Lake Tahoe is another place that had been on my list for a while. I don’t think I appreciated how close it is to the Bay Area – hm, if I lived in the area I could get to a ski area pretty easily. My inn was on the north shore of the lake, on the California side, and the next day I circumnavigated the lake! It’s about 72 miles around, with beautiful views from many vista points, though many of them are summer-only. I stopped at a couple of parks, including one with an old Swiss chalet on its own little island in a pocket of the lake. I stopped at Heavenly, a ski resort on the south side. The top of the gondola there was also in a cloud, but this time I didn’t go up; I just walked around the shopping area.

You can tell where the Nevada border is – there are casinos right across the line. South Lake Tahoe seemed unattractive, with large tourist hotels, chain restaurants and no real charm. Onward! Somehow the undeveloped Nevada side seemed different too – maybe there were more parks and open space on the California side? I raced (at the speed limit, that is) on up the Nevada side, whereas I had meandered down the California side.

With fewer stops than I expected, I had time to go over the mountains and down into Carson City, Nevada – and see another State Capitol! There I took a self-guided tour; it hadn’t occurred to me before then that the Silver State is right next to the Golden State. Carson City is an Old West town, with long blocks and low buildings – and more casinos. A quiet town, too. The state line on the north side of the lake was more interesting – only a few hotel/casinos, and they looked to be of Frank Sinatra vintage (in fact, I think one of them may have been owned by him). Kind of a Palm-Springs-in-the-Pine-Trees vibe. One hotel, the CalNeva. straddled the border – the casino was on the Nevada side of the building and the rest of the facilities were on the California side. Pretty cool! I put a quarter in a slot machine, but didn’t win enough to offset any trip expenses. I thought about cross-country skiing, but didn’t really have the right clothes for it. With my side trip, the total for the day was 110 miles.

That night it snowed – it seemed charming and picturesque– and by the next day about eight inches were on the ground. Great if you are in a ski area and can get to the slopes. Not so good if you don’t have chains (you need them on both sides of Lake Tahoe). Not only that, but I realized that when you rent a car in Southern California, they don’t put a snow brush in the car! Who needs one in Southern California? Fortunately, the inn manager lent me his – which was fine in Lake Tahoe, but how likely was it that I wouldn’t encounter snow for the rest of the trip?

I had a couple of days of leeway in my schedule, but I did have a plan to stay in a ranch in Nevada that night – I had to call them and tell them I wasn’t coming. And then I spent the day inside my room, catching up on email and researching the next legs of the trip. Nothing else I could do about it! Zero miles. What made the travel in Thailand and Indonesia work was that about once a week I took a day to catch up and plan ahead. I did a lot of planning at Martha’s, but I hadn’t scheduled more planning days. This was an enforced one! I also worked on a Morocco slide show to show along the route, and I read some of Annals of the Former World. Good thing I had those new boots – I went for a little walk in the fresh, deep snow – it gave the lake a sapphire-blue color. I went to a laundromat and washed a small load. I even had another job interview! Kind of. Anyway, the sky cleared, and at night I was treated to the sight of the full moon over the lake.

Right Turn onto I-80 - Sacramento and Lake Tahoe

2010-12-27T06:06:00.000-08:00

First stop – Sacramento. Another short day – 130 miles. I had been told to look out for the wetlands along the way, and I passed agricultural fields associated with UC Davis. My friend Terry once spent a vacation in Sacramento and Gold Country, and ever since she told me about it, I wanted to see it for myself. Not to mention that I was going to another state capital. I want to see every state and every major league baseball stadium and after that - ? I don’t want to have a particular quest, though when I’m in the neighborhood, I’ll see a state capital, and I’m always up for a National Parks passport stamp (I wrote those sentences before deciding to write up all of my post-Amtrak 2010 doings first – at least I’m consistent, with baseball stadia, state capitals and NPS passport stamps all in the mix!).

I arrived just before dark – even though I was no longer in Morocco and could travel at night, it’s always nice to arrive in a new place before dark. I had time to see the State Capitol. This one had dioramas from each of California’s counties, and I took a picture of the door to Governor Schwartzenegger’s office. The capitol grounds also had a tree tour and some peaceful gardens. I went to my inn; there was a nice place to eat nearby, and then I reorganized and repacked my stuff. With a chill in the air, and winter destinations to come, it was time to take out some of the winter clothes, time to start wearing a coat.

Sacramento is a historic town as well – this is where the four railroad barons (Crocker, Stanford, Hopkins and Huntington) got together. The next morning, I went to the Crocker Art Museum – a nice little collection in a fine old mansion, including portraits of the barons and other historical context, and also a special exhibit of Buddhas to bring me back to the Southeast Asia part of the trip. Down by the river there’s old Sacramento, with a mini-Golden Gate bridge (this one is painted gold!), a railroad museum and a historic park (both are now on a list for another time… I had time for one thing, and it was the art museum). There was also an Indonesian restaurant there (who could have guessed?) and I had some nasi goreng – had only a month gone by since I had Indonesian food in Indonesia? It seemed longer ago.

On to Lake Tahoe! When I had lunch with Paul in Oakland he asked me if I had chains for my tires – I didn’t realize people still use chains! Or snow tires! I thought everyone had all-season radials. I’ve driven in the mountains in the snow before, but on interstates that were plowed. So it was with some trepidation that I approached. It turns out that when chains are called for, there are people who will put chains on for you and take them off for you. There was snow on the ground, but no call for chains. Whew! I stopped at the Donner Pass, where there was a statue of the Donner party at the height where the snow was the winter they tried to cross, and a rest stop with more information. Beautiful mountains, those Sierras.

I stopped at Squaw Valley. My sister had sent me winter Merrells in Morocco, one shoe at a time. I guess I hadn’t worn them much, or I wouldn’t have sent them back (again, one shoe at a time). They were a tad tight! So at a swanky shop at the base of the ski lift, I bought some boots. Fortunately, ski areas sell boots! I took the gondola up into a cloud; so I missed the spectacular view, but at the top there was an exhibit about the 1960 Olympics (a far cry from 2002 at Salt Lake) and a skating rink (not the 1960 skating rink, but I didn’t find that out until later). I rented some skates, but the rink was a bit too choppy for me – still, it was nice to be on an outdoor rink part of the way up a mountain, with snow falling. On to the town of Tahoe City, where I found yet more Mexican food (interestingly, I have had it perhaps once since the Philippines…) and my inn for the night. 115 miles this day.

Cambria to the Bay Area

2010-12-26T06:01:00.000-08:00

The next day I had to rush past such a beautiful stretch of coastline that it made me wish I had decided to spend another night – but it’s a Drive Across America, not a drive up the California coast. I did make a couple of stops, first at a beach known for elephant seals. I don’t remember this from my 1982 drive down the coast – I guess it was the wrong season. Well, this was the right season and elephant seals are amazing creatures! They’re big and they’re called that because of the noise they make, and they sure are noisy! Mostly they were lying on the beach, but occasionally they would bark, and even more occasionally they would move.

Time for San Simeon? I had been there in 1982. No, no time, though I did go to the visitor center. I stopped at an all-yurt resort that the Cambria B&B proprietor had told me about. Cool to think about sleeping in a yurt (and, just to give you a preview of what is coming, I did have my chance, in the post-Philippines pre-Amtrak Across America drive up the coast).

And then up the Big Sur-proper coast – not realizing how long it would take! I stopped for some vistas, especially at the famed Bixby Bridge (always a student of my favorite civil engineering professor, David Billington, at heart) and at Julia Pfeffer Burns State Park, but at this point I was hustling (within the speed limit on the twisty-turny roads, of course) to get to the Monterey Peninsula for lunch with my friend Jeff.

Jeff lives in Pacific Grove, a very nice place to live. He grew up there and knows everyone. We went to a coffee shop down the street from where he lives, and he knew everyone. Good old American fare. Welcome back! Pacific Grove is known as a resting stop for migrating monarch butterflies, and I had never visited him in the right season – until now! We walked over to the grove, where the trees had lots of butterflies on them. I will admit I expected more – he’s sent me pictures of more – but it was still an impressive sight to see and more impressive to think about how far these butterflies have come and how they know to come back to these very trees. Not sure how well they photographed….

On, on up the coast to the East Bay, where I went to the office of my friend David. I watched him in action for a few minutes, and then we drove to his car and then I followed him to his home. His wife had just gotten a new job and I was there for the celebration. They are both up on the hot issues of the day and both very policy-oriented, so an evening with them is both interesting and educational. And they have a nice family with nice family dinners – I feel warm and fuzzy and full of love after being in their home, which is so full of love. Actually, this could be said for many of my friends, which makes it great to be a friend and house guest. The wine from Solvang was a big hit, too. Drove 230 miles this day.

I could have spent days in Big Sur, and I could have spent days in the Bay Area – but this wasn’t the Drive in California – this was the Drive Across America! The next morning, I went to my friend Leesy’s house for coffee – she always has words of wisdom, combined with a wonderful dose of spirituality. Then I had lunch in Oakland with my friend Paul and learned about some interesting things he is working on. How good to be with old friends! And then it was time to head east. I-80!

Santa Barbara to Cambria

2010-12-25T05:58:00.000-08:00

I stopped for lunch in Solvang, a town made famous by the movie “Sideways.” It’s known for its wines, especially its Pinot Noir. I saw a couple of locations I remembered from the movie, most notably a restaurant with a yellow sign in the front. Before the wines put it on the map, it was known for being a little slice of Denmark, complete with Danish bakeries and a windmill. The town had the signs of a bad economy though – stores shuttered and not a lot of tourists. Maybe “Sideways” generated some overbuilding? Or was this just the beginning and I would see the effects of the recession everywhere I went? I had planned to eat lunch in one of the bakeries, thinking that they might serve lunch and then I would get something sweet as a treat. Turned out all that they served were sweets – so I had some florentine cookies for lunch. Wasn’t the first time, wouldn’t be the last – though I did want something more fortifying. I walked around for a bit and thought what the heck, when in Rome – so I went into one of the tasting rooms and tried some of the wines. To cleanse the palate between wines, the tasting room offered some crackers – the combination of wine and crackers balanced out the sweet lunch. I had less than a glass total and more than enough crackers and water to feel not the least bit impaired, but for good measure I walked around a bit more before getting back in the car – after all, I don’t drink a lot, had not had a lot to drink in Morocco, and hadn’t driven a car in two years! I also bought wine to deliver to everyone I was going to stay with until I got to Chicago and would turn in the car. On the way out of town, I drove past vineyards far and wide.

Time to move on! I stopped at Pismo Beach, which is one of the few (if not the only) spots on the California coast where you can drive on the beach. I expected Bugs Bunny to climb out of a hole with a carrot, but didn’t see him. I stopped in San Luis Obispo for a little walk/drive around the historic area. I went past Morro Bay and was drawn to Morro Rock, a volcanic cone that reminded me of the little mountain on the way to Timhadite. It’s probably more closely related to the outcroppings at Cannon Beach, Oregon, but it’s all by itself here in the middle of the California coast. It would be fun to walk out to the rock…sometime when there’s more time? The destination for the evening, on Martha’s recommendation, was Cambria, a little seaside artist’s colony south of Big Sur. There, I had booked a lovely B&B that was connected to a store selling Shaker furniture, and I decided that if there’s room for it in my future home, I’d like a Shaker dining set. I spent a good portion of my Morocco years sitting at a plastic dining table in a plastic chair – it actually wasn’t that bad, but these Shaker ones were beautiful.

Cambria has some very cute gift shops, and after I got settled in my room, I took a walk. I passed a rock/crystal store and did a double-take – in the window there was a large black-and-white fossil of the kind found in Erfoud, the orthoceras. I walked in and asked where it was from and then said, “don’t tell me, I’ll tell you – Erfoud, Morocco; right?” I asked her if she had any bowls. Martha and Susan had bought a bowl in the Azrou Artisana and put it in the box that has yet to arrive. All right, it is never going to arrive. I had bought them a couple of things to replace what was never going to arrive, and if I could get them an Erfoud bowl….then they’d have one! I bought it and had it sent! Turns out my brother-in-law has some of those fossils too, out here in Southampton. I think they are beautiful. As to whether I should have gotten more in Morocco – well, now I know they can be found here too. I went to the beach for sunset and then out to dinner. So far, two days, about 150 miles each – not a lot of driving, but the days were full!

Driving up California - LAX to Santa Barbara

2010-12-24T05:53:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, the Drive Across America began! Martha dropped me off at the Budget Rental Car near the airport. I think the first car they gave me did not have room in the trunk for the big green suitcase – or was it one of those cars without a real trunk? Either way, I requested a different one, and eventually I was on my way! Not on my way across, though – up instead, seeing some of California on the way to I-80.

First stop – Channel Islands National Park. I love islands and have suggested this as a destination for years. It’s not that close to Los Angeles though – to get out to the islands, you really have to get to Ventura the night before. Or you have to leave early in the morning. Neither of which I did, of course. There’s a visitor center on the mainland, so I did get a National Parks Passport stamp. And I saw the exhibits about the formation of the islands and the unique wildlife there. There was also a movie – next best thing to seeing it for myself. There was an observation deck upstairs with a good view of the islands; I went up there. I’d still like to take a day trip out there (not only do I love islands, but I love boat rides), but for now, the visitor center alone was worth the trip.

On to Santa Barbara! Martha and I had come this way many moons ago, and it too was a place I’d wanted to go back to. I’d arranged for a night in a little inn; when I told the proprietor where I’d been and what might be next, she said there were several non-profits in Santa Barbara that could use my help – and then said I probably wanted a place with more problems. Actually, Santa Barbara might be kind of nice! I’m still looking – I should check into it. I went to the Mission – I’ve been to a few of the old Spanish missions now, and each one is a little different; this one was small, with a little museum and a garden and that was about it. Then it was up into the mountains to see some cave paintings - this is what you see if you look through a locked gate; it’s too bad, but at least vandals can’t get to it that way. The drive into the mountains was nice, at any rate, with a view from there of Santa Barbara, the ocean, and the Channel Islands beyond. I went downtown to the main shopping/restaurant district and walked around. It was still a little bit of culture shock – I certainly wasn’t ready to buy anything – but it was a pleasant place to window-shop. I was tired – glad I didn’t plan to get any farther on my first day.

This is one of the stories from the Drive that I have told the most often. In the morning, I was parking the car, and I lightly touched the car behind me. That’s what bumpers are for, right? You know when you’ve gotten too close… (no, I don’t touch the car behind me every time I park, and it was pointed out to me that many cars don’t have bumpers any more). Then someone came up to me and screamed, “do you know you just hit my car?” Stunned, I think I said that I just tapped it. He said, “this isn’t France; that’s not all right.” I meekly apologized, but I had two other responses in my head – 1) “I haven’t driven in two years; give me a break” didn’t seem like a winner. And 2) “You live in Santa Barbara; why aren’t you happy?” I walked along the beach, which was quite peaceful, with a great view of the mountains I had been up in the day before. Then I went to the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, a landmark of mission-style architecture. It had a great self-guided tour, and must-see views from its tower.

More Southern California Fun

2010-12-23T05:51:00.000-08:00

The next day, Amanda and I walked around Encinitas in the morning while Youssef worked. We met up with Orianna, who was one of the first in my stage to ET (early termination) following a family tragedy. We walked past and into cute shops, had muffins at a cute bakery, saw the ocean from a pretty garden. I had also had a tour of Amanda’s garden – she was resourceful in Morocco because she had been so before, and this was an illustration – lots of food plants, egg-laying chickens, rabbits for meat. Another way of life! But Youssef was always resourceful too, and they make a good pair. We watched the inauguration speech, which Amanda had recorded – again, it seemed so important at the time.

He was off buying ingredients, but he and I had alone-time for an ice cream and a sunset walk on the beach, and then he made a delicious pastilla dinner for me – and also Martha and Susan, who came down. They had seen Youssef and met Amanda following Youssef’s arrival in the U.S. (they also helped with the almost-surprise by having Martha’s nephew pick him up at the airport and deliver him to Amanda…but she was so confused and distraught about getting the complete information that I had to spill the beans), but hadn’t seen him in about a year. It was a joyous reunion of those who traveled the north of Morocco, and the pastilla was better than I can ever make it! I went home with Martha and Susan.

The next day, they slept in and I read some guidebooks – all set for the California portion of the trip. We went to Marina del Rey and took a walk by the ocean, leaving sailing for another time. We ordered to-go food at a bar on Venice Beach, and I saw some of the Super Bowl pregame. The Super Bowl – it was 27 months without football, too! Then, joined by a friend of Susan’s, we went to LACMA – an impressive museum! We concentrated on modern/contemporary, which had lots of iconic paintings and many that I had never seen. There’s so much more to see there – another trip is warranted!

On Monday, I finalized my arrangements for the following ten days or so, printed out confirmations and directions, and sketched out a plan for the Chicago-and-east portion of the Drive. I made the chocolate bread pudding, took a walk and shopped for dinner-at-home ingredients. We had a quiet night at home and I got ready for the next stage of the adventure. For those keeping track – I arrived on the mainland on the night of Wednesday, January 21. LA, LA, LA, OR, OR, OR, LA, LA, SF, SD, LA, and Monday was February 2.

San Clemente, San Francisco, San Diego

2010-12-22T11:40:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, Martha had business in Orange County and asked if I wanted to do anything in particular there. My stock answer is always Disneyland (as if I had just won the Super Bowl), but I looked at her tour book and chose the Nixon Presidential Home and Library. As I went to Laos and Cambodia, I said them to myself in a Nixon voice…”Laos and Cambodia.” I remember him giving a speech about the bombing there, but not much else, and I wanted to see how the museum told the story. Plus, after seeing Obama’s boyhood homes, why not see Nixon’s?

It’s in Yorba Linda, but if I said that in the title of this post, it wouldn’t be as alliterative. The home was modest, reflecting his Quaker upbringing. I learned about his early career in California politics and watched a speech he gave that, given the timing of it, had to be the Checkers speech, but wasn’t referred to as that. The Vietnam war was given its due (complete with map showing Laos and Cambodia), and a room was devoted to his foreign policy achievements, including the opening of China and détente with the Soviet Union. Those were different times…. Perhaps more remarkable was a room devoted to his domestic achievements – such as the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. Would a Republican administration of today have enacted those? Sadly, the Watergate exhibit was under construction, so I didn’t get to test my memories against the way they chose to depict it. Outside was the helicopter that Nixon boarded as he left the White House for the final time – I got goosebumps thinking back on that day. They did have exhibits showing his years of disgrace and his eventual return to elder statesmanship – all in all, it was a good visit and I am glad I went.

And the next day I went to San Francisco, where I had an interview! Martha had a business trip in the Bay Area, so I scheduled it for the same day so that we could fly together. The interview had been set up starting with a contact in Thailand and continuing with a conversation in Indonesia. It was with an RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer - a network I need to tap more! Met her through an RPCV who I met through an RPCV who worked in the Morocco Peace Corps office), working for Junior Achievement in Thailand. My Junior Achievement days, back in Pottstown, were long ago! When we first talked, I wondered if another RPCV, who I had met in Chiang Mai (through a fellow PCV), might be good for the job – and she got the job! But the Junior Achievement person and I had already talked about meeting in California when she was there, so we did that; she had some good ideas and it was good to meet face-to-face anyway. And it was kind of fun to go to San Francisco just for a day. We had lunch at a Thai restaurant (which seemed fitting) on the Embarcadero and I had a little time to feel the San Francisco vibe.

And then I flew to San Diego afterwards, where Youssef picked me up! I hadn’t seen him since he left Morocco over a year prior, and hadn’t seen Amanda in even longer. He took me to their home in Encinitas, a little apartment on the property of her parents. I had met her mother in Morocco but now I met her father as well. They cooked a marvelous chicken tortilla soup dinner and we talked and talked – just like we used to in Morocco, except that we had all the comforts of home. It was nice to see Moroccan rugs and pottery incorporated into their home – I’ve seen more since, and I hope that when I finally get my chance, I can make it work!

On to Portland!

2010-12-21T11:39:00.000-08:00

The Drive Across America was to be another major part of the post-COS trip and the birthday celebration. As I said, I already had the route in mind, and that was because of Annals of the Former World, John McPhee’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning book. I love John McPhee! I used to think he was a geology professor who wrote well, and then I found out he was a writing professor who liked geology – but I guess I first got to know him through his geology articles in the New Yorker. These became books – Assembling California, Basin and Range, Rising from the Plains, and In Suspect Terrain were compiled for this book, and a new section added so that the entire country was covered (plus, geology had advanced since his last book to the point where there was something about the middle of the continent to discuss). It’s a geological history of the U.S., as seen while crossing I-80. When I first formulated the idea for the Drive Across America, I realized that I had a lot of friends concentrated along I-80. I had wanted to read the book (in fact, I think I have a copy in storage) but it seemed like a great idea to read it while I was crossing the country on I-80! I had a copy sent to me at Martha’s. Another nice thing about the idea of a Drive Across America is that I was unenthused at the thought of domestic air travel with my heavy bag. With a car, I could add a heavy book to the heavy bag – and visit my friends! And do something I had always wanted to do but wasn’t sure I would ever have the time to do. And I could visit my friends!

I had a couple of good friends who I wanted to see who were too far from I-80. One is my friend Terry, and I decided to fly to Portland, OR from Los Angeles, leaving the big green bag at Martha’s. It was great to see her and her family. She’s working on a new business, and I had a chance to put on my marketing/consulting hat and brainstorm some ideas. We watched silly movies and took a couple of walks in the dusting of snow. Went into Portland and explored the funky 23rd Street shopping area, had more Mexican food and savored Moonstruck chocolates. I’d like to get to know Portland better. It was too short a visit, and I felt that way all across the country. This blog is more about the places I’ve been and things I have done, but what was more important in many of the stops was the friends I saw and time I spent with them.

Back at Martha and Susan’s, I spent the next day getting down to business – reserving a car, getting distances and directions, making room reservations and inquiries, figuring out who would get what of the things I brought back, downloading pictures into my increased-memory computer. I’m glad my hostesses were so welcoming and accommodating – I needed all the time to regroup and adjust. We also went out - had our traditional manicure/pedicures and went to another favorite, Kate Mantelini.

California, Here I Come!

2010-12-20T11:39:00.000-08:00

The flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles wasn’t that long – and my friends Martha and Susan were there to pick me up, which was very nice. Martha paid all of my bills while I was gone – I didn’t know if I would have internet access, and even though I did, she still did everything, which gave me amazing peace of mind. We went to their house and talked until late – still on Hawaii time, but at least not Asia time.

Martha took the next day off, which was very nice of her. We went out for breakfast and then went to Occidental College. I figured that since I was on the Obama tour, I’d see his first college (it has a nice color scheme!). Hm – I went to Columbia this summer and didn’t really take note of his having gone there; how things have changed in a year and a half! We went on to Walt Disney Concert Hall and took a tour there – impressive Gehry design that is the center of a new downtown. One day, I’d like to hear a concert there! We went to CPK, had Thai massages, went to a bookstore for a Rand McNally Road Atlas, and had another cuisine I had missed, Mexican food.

My plan-as-you-go had gotten me to Los Angeles, and the plan was to make more plans once I got there. I had the idea of a route in mind, but hadn’t looked into rental cars, driving distances, stops, timing…Los Angeles was the perfect place for this. Martha and Susan both work during the day, so I could use the days to plan, unpack/repack/figure out where to send the souvenirs, be a good guest by doing some food shopping and baking (chocolate bread pudding!), take some walks and acclimate myself further to being back, and rest! Rest was pretty much all I did the next day, though – not quite ready to take on the planning or the boxes. Everything takes longer than you think it will in America too, and there are always errands here too. We did go to the Apple Store, which was huge – they replaced my broken (and dirty) casing and told me where to go for more memory. I desperately needed it!

On Saturday, Martha and Susan had signed up for One-Day University, a really interesting concept. This is something that in the past I might have joined them for. But one of the things I wanted to bring with me from Morocco was a simpler life. Writing, reading, and cooking from scratch were important ways that I spent my time there. Granted, there weren’t things like One-Day University to do – but I had always wanted more time to myself and in Morocco I had nothing but time. How to bring that home? Recognize its importance. Try to lessen my commitments and obligations. Say no to things that sound nice to do but not things I really want to do. This fell in that category – not to mention that with all of the travel, I might have had a little cold coming on, and I was still a bit jet-lagged. Staying in while they went out was definitely the way to go.

I wrote the above paragraph a long time ago – I’m not sure when, but it was before I started posting again in October; I think it was fairly soon after my return from the Philippines. I’ve left it intact as a reminder of how I felt when I came back – staying in Southampton is quieter and simpler than being in a city would be, but I have been feeling stressed and busy lately! So I have some recalibration and rebalancing to do.

The Road to Hana

2010-12-19T06:54:00.000-08:00

After getting my passport stamp, I boarded a plane for Maui – for another main thing on my “next time” list – the road to Hana. This is a fabled drive, and I just ran out of time for it last time. Maui was the first stop on that trip years ago, and it was nice to go back having experienced different islands, each with its own feel. I stopped at a sugar museum – learning more about the history of this unique place. Then it was on to hippie-town Paia, the last real town before the road to Hana begins; I had a snack and went to a bead store. I miss doing those beads! All of my beads, findings and tools are in storage.

One can buy a tape (well, ten years ago it was a tape – now I suppose it’s a CD) that gives you running commentary along the road to Hana. I decided that would be overkill, but I did read up on the attractions at the various mile markers and noted where I wanted to stop. There are some stunning viewpoints, of course, and then some places where there are short hikes. I’ll have to admit, though, that I felt some uneasiness – in my reading and in signs along the way, they said not to leave valuables in the cars; cars and trunks get broken into. I had all of my stuff with me (I would have checked the big bag at Honolulu airport, but there’s no bag check after September 11). So I still went on the short hikes, but I made them shorter than they might have been, and I didn’t feel at peace. What a shame to be in paradise and feel that way – in my own country, after solo adventurous international travel. Of course, more than once along the way I thought that if anyone wanted the big green bag and could get away with stealing that heavy albatross, more power to them.

It was just about nightfall when I arrived in Hana. There are those who take the road there and back in a day – there’s not a lot there – but I figured if I waited this long to get there, I’d stay a couple of nights. My room had beautiful Hawaiian quilts – I now have more appreciation for all textiles. I thought that the hotel I chose would have a television set, and that I might get up early and watch the inauguration, but it didn’t, so I had to settle for knowing I was in President Obama’s home state on the day that he was inaugurated. At least I will remember where I was! And foregoing the Hana CD meant I could hear some of the concert of the day before while I was driving, which was fun. It would have been great to be in Washington for it, but I know I was a lot warmer!

I went to the Hasegawa General Store – for some reason I remember that tune; after I went to it, I found a Hawaiian-songs radio station, and then I heard it! My room was more like an apartment, and it had a kitchen, so I bought food for dinner and breakfast. I hadn’t cooked in a while, and it would be a while before I could again.

In the morning, I went to Kahanu National Tropical Botanical Garden. Very interesting, including a guide to the native plants and how they were used by Hawaiians, and an ancient temple called a heiau. There, verbal offerings were encouraged – so I took it as an opportunity to be grateful for my travels and for being there. My post-COS trip might have been the happiest time of my life. I then went to a lava tube, a red sand beach, and a beach admired by James Michener.

And then it was on to Haleakala National Park. The main part of the park – the volcano crater that people bicycle down from after sunrise (I hiked in the crater when I was there; I drove it and stayed for the sunset, not liking hill biking and after being told that it’s the same sun in the morning as at night). This rainforest part of the park is accessible only from Hana. It has a separate visitor center – which meant another passport stamp. I didn’t bring my National Parks Passport with me though – it’s in storage! I didn’t think I might be at National Parks before I got home. Now I’ve been to several, and I have a bunch of little scrap-paper passport stamps to glue into the book when I finally see it again. Also at the visitor center I got a map and some hiking recommendations – took a walk to a waterfall. As with Manoa, it was pretty crowded! Hana hadn’t seemed that busy – but I guess everyone who was there went to Haleakala! And then the next morning it was time for the drive back – this time without stops – and the flight to Honolulu and then to the mainland!

An Oahu Weekend

2010-12-18T02:35:00.000-08:00

After the Thai and Indonesian massages, I thought I would splurge on a Hawaiian lomi-lomi massage, even though it probably cost as much as all of the others put together. I think I spent more in one week in Hawaii than I did in five weeks in Southeast Asia, but it’s Hawaii. The massage was very nice, I must say!

Another thing on the list that I had missed last time was seeing a friend who I had never met! Mac is someone from the Princeton-writers list with whom I’ve developed an off-list friendship. He’s one of the people who help choose the holiday picture every year! I’m not sure how that happened – maybe because I sent him the Waikiki candidate picture ten years ago? I had met someone from the writer’s list in Indonesia as well; I haven’t looked at the posts on the list much in the past few years because those writers write so much, but I made a friend. Mac and I went to Zippy’s, a classic Hawaiian comfort food restaurant, where I had chili and a milk shake, a combo that I often used to order way, way back. How wonderful to meet him at last!

And then – since it was the first really nice, sunny day – I spent the afternoon on the beach! Nice to read and relax. I ate dinner that night at Roy’s. Sure, Roy’s has other locations now (as opposed to ten years ago), so you don’t have to go to Hawaii to eat there, but the food is good, and when in Rome…

The very top thing that I wanted to do in Hawaii that I hadn’t done last time was take a surfing lesson. I don’t know why I waited until my last day in Honolulu to do this – if I’d gone right away, I could have gone more than once. But would I have? I did have a lot of other things to do. Maybe it’s because I was a tad nervous.... I walked down the beach to my lesson and hung out for a while with the surfer dudes while I waited for my instructor. Kealii was the best surf instructor ever! We had a quick safety talk on the beach and then paddled out. He was on a nearby surfboard, telling me what to do. And with the very first wave I stood up and surfed in, and I continued to ride the waves for the balance of the lesson. Just like that! It helped that the waves were small and predictable, but I like to give credit to Kealii. Another surfer came out to take pictures of me, which he then put on a CD that I clearly had to buy. What fun! Now with the perspective of having gone three times in the Philippines, I do wish I had gone more than once in Waikiki. Of course, Joe was no slouch as an instructor either – and the price was right over there. That settles it – I must seek out more surfing opportunities!

In the afternoon, I hiked to Manoa Falls, another Obama favorite thing to do. And maybe a favorite of everyone in Hawaii that day – it was more crowded than anything I usually hike. On the other hand, had I had a problem, I would have been found quickly, and it was nice to see something other than the beach. I also went to the Foster Botanic Garden, downtown. So many beautiful flowers and trees! Then it was back to the beach, where I took an outrigger canoe ride – that was fun, but not as much fun as surfing! And I sat on the beach one last time. For dinner, I went to California Pizza Kitchen for chicken-tequila fettuccine, another usual that I had longed for. And that was my farewell to Honolulu – that is, my aloha. Until we meet again!

Oahu Exploration

2010-12-17T14:30:00.000-08:00

After a good night’s sleep, I went to the post office. I had sent a box from Thailand to my friend Howie, but I wasn’t sure about sending a package from Indonesia, so I carried my purchases with me and from here sent off a nineteen-pound box to Howie. I also sent a box on to Martha for reorganizing/sending to others once I got to her house. And I still had heavy bags that were staying with me. I would have bought more in Southeast Asia had I not been constrained by space. Maybe just as well I was constrained! I’m trying to not have so much stuff! U.S. mail - A successful transaction. Another welcome home!

Another thing on my list from last time was the North Shore of Oahu – but I heard that the traffic was terrible, and it didn’t make sense to drive five hours each way when there were other parts of the island to explore – have to leave something for next time, after all (I just hope the next time is sooner than ten years from now!). Plenty of other things to see… unfortunately, heavy rain started, so it really wasn’t a day for exploration, but at least it wasn’t as windy as was predicted. On to the Punchbowl, an inactive volcano that holds the National Cemetery of the Pacific – quite a dramatic setting for our veterans to be buried, with the cone shape and ocean views. I stopped at Pali lookout – very green – and went on to Kailua Beach, a favorite of locals; quiet as opposed to the Waikiki backdrop of high-rise hotels. It was so wet that I got out of the car, had a look, and got back in the car. I drove around the windward side – too wet for a garden or lighthouse walk – so it might have to go back on the list for next time!

I found a web site that listed places frequented by Barack Obama, and that helped frame my exploration day. After all, I saw his house in Jakarta – why not see more Obama sites? Waikiki shops had a lot of T-shirts in anticipation of the inauguration. I went by one of the apartment buildings where he lived when he grew up and past the Baskin-Robbins where he worked as a teen. I stopped at Sandy, a favorite beach of his where he body-surfed. Then to the Blowhole – I didn’t see water blow through the hole, but I did see whales passing by, surfacing and waving their flippers. There are other Obama sites to see, but it was an Oahu exploration day, not an Obama exploration day; I did what fit in!

I drove around Diamond Head – interesting to see it from the side that’s not the postcard shot. Then I went to the Honolulu Academy of the Arts – a nice collection, and I especially enjoyed the art of Southeast Asia – that tied things together nicely! I’d have gone to Queen Emma’a summer palace, but it was closed due to the storm. When I got back to Waikiki, the rain had let up somewhat, so I went for a beach walk. Then on to California Pizza Kitchen, where I couldn’t finish the salad I had missed for so long. American portions are big!

Aloha, Further Adventures!

2010-12-16T14:22:00.000-08:00

Now it’s time to set the Wayback Machine – I will scroll all the way back to my return to the United States in January 2009!

I thought that the Drive Across America might be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and even though it came after five weeks in Southeast Asia and a week in Hawaii it was a no-less-significant part of my journey home from Morocco and my big birthday celebration. The fact that the potential once-in-a-lifetime was more or less repeated the very next year (albeit on a train) makes it no less noteworthy. I’ll talk about the Hawaii and the Drive, and then my post-Philippines trip (more of Southeast Asia!) and then Amtrak Across America, and I am sure by then (or even interspersed) there will be still further adventures and tales to tell. Thanks for your patience and for your interest!

If you’re going to land in the United States after being abroad for a while, there might be no better place to land than Hawaii. It’s paradise, after all! The Aloha State was more than welcoming, starting with the hunky Hawaiian immigration officer. He asked where I had been on my travels before returning to the United States and I rattled it off – Morocco, Spain, Germany (the airport – ha! Thought I might forget that one! Now that I think of it, I forgot Gibraltar though), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan – and then (even though he didn’t ask) I mentioned that I had just returned from the Peace Corps. The officer listened to me rattle on, welcoming me back with a smile. It helped that most of the people on my flight were Japanese, meaning that there wasn’t a long line of people with U.S. passports waiting for me to move along already.

I rented a car – a car! Peace Corps volunteers are not allowed to drive a car in-country, and I didn’t rent one in Asia, so it had been a while. Drove to my hotel (it was like riding a bicycle…), an Outrigger in Waikiki. It wasn’t the same Outrigger I’d stayed in ten years ago, but it seemed right to be in one. Then – uncharacteristically, but in some sort of recognition that I had just been on two overnight flights and had crossed the date line (this was January 15th, the second!) and several time zones, I sat on the bed and rested for a bit. As I was resting I flipped through my passport and I realized that the officer hadn’t stamped me back in. I guess that in my eagerness to declare myself back, I hadn’t been paying enough attention!

There were things that were next on the list from my trip ten years ago. I really didn’t spend much time in Honolulu then – Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head and that was about it. This time, I wanted to see the historic part of the capital city – what had been the capital of a sovereign nation before the U.S. toppled it. Turns out that January 17 was the anniversary of the day the Americans overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy. Another part of American history not to be particularly proud of…. On the other hand, it’s a part of what makes the history of Hawaii so fascinating and unique. I went to Iolani Palace, where I learned more about the royal family (very interesting) and how they were treated (not well, after the toppling). Hawaii has such an interesting blend of cultures! On to the State Capitol - kind of blocky, with a big open plaza, through which rain fell. That’s okay – I was in Hawaii! I then went on to a church made out of coral – the history of the missionaries is a big part of the history of Hawaii, and in spreading religion they also did things to preserve the culture, such as writing down the alphabet and language. That doesn’t mean I approve. As I was walking, someone came up to me – he said “Peace Corps, Morocco, Thailand…” I looked at him in confusion and then realized he was the immigration officer! I told him that he didn’t stamp my passport and he said, “that’s okay; we know you’re back.” He then offered to stamp it when I next went to the airport and gave me his number. Another person might have let it go, but I called him when I left Oahu and had him come out and back-date it! Then I wrote a nice letter to his supervisor, not going into specifics but telling him how nice my welcome back was.

I then sat on the beach for a while, and waited for a sunset that never quite materialized. When my sister suggested I go to Hawaii and I told her I was going to Bali, and she said it’s not the same. She was right! The beach in Bali was such a disappointment. Waikiki was not! I later walked along the main retail/restaurant drag of Waikiki – it kind of reminded me of the Las Vegas strip (again, that doesn’t mean I approve). Overwhelming return to American culture – stores, restaurants, crowds, everything expensive, everything clean and shiny and somewhat artificial. But a good way to ease back in, especially when in so many other parts of the U.S. it was the middle of winter!

What foods did I miss? I set out on my walk, looking for a California Pizza Kitchen. I didn’t get very far before I found a P.F. Chang’s, and that’s where I ate! Sad, maybe, but you really miss the mundane. Then – somehow sill awake – I went back to the room and reorganized my stuff, some to mail to my friend Howie for what’s turned out to be very-long-term storage and some for more immediate dispersal as gifts. Ready for the U.S. mail!

Goings on Around Here

2010-12-12T13:04:00.000-08:00

I have talked in other blogs about paperwork and visits to government offices; well, I had to do that here recently and it’s always an adventure! My driver’s license is due to expire in January. Registering to vote in New York was fairly simple – I think I did it on-line, and I received my voter registration card in the mail – though I forgot that in order to vote in the primary in this state you have to affiliate with a party, so I missed that opportunity. Getting a new driver’s license in New York is slightly more complicated, but in part that was because I made it into a monumental event – after all, I’ve had an Illinois driver’s license for decades. In New York, you need to show your social security card. Mine is in storage, so I had to go to the SSA and get a duplicate. I have started driving around town a bit more, and even a little bit further east, but somehow driving west made me anxious; again, I might have made this into a bigger deal than it was. Riverhead seems the slightest bit depressing, too – kind of run-down. At the SSA, things were surprisingly smooth – short wait, forms in order. But they don’t just give you a new card – you have to wait a couple of weeks for it to arrive in the mail.

So I had to go back to Riverhead again a couple of weeks later, this time to the DMV. Gotta love the Big Duck you see along the way! The last time I had a New York State license was before they put pictures on them – long ago, in other words. Again, things were surprisingly smooth – I barely waited, in two different queues, before my number was called. Some surprises, though – one, it costs $62 to transfer from another state (it would be even more had it been a regular renewal). I don’t remember how much it cost in Illinois, but I think it was less! Two, you don’t get your license right away – I have to wait for it to come in the mail in a couple of weeks. Back in Illinois, several times I had gone to the mobile driver’s license renewal trailer at Taste of Chicago and gotten it on the spot! Still, it went well, which made it less traumatic. I had thought I might go to the nearby Tanger outlets and/or Target for some needs, but I couldn’t quite steel myself up for that adventure. Someone suggested that I go to Bridgehampton Commons – much more low-key – and I’ve been there a couple of times recently, in and out with needs met.

I’ve had a couple of New York adventures lately, including seeing several friends for breakfast (Alison), lunch (Doris, and Mary and Mercedes – a Peace Corps Response reunion!), drinks (Gary) and cards (Howie). During one visit, I went down to the Village to see an exhibit of Moroccan rugs curated by Alia, who had visited while I was there. Many of the rugs were from Ain Leuh, and it was great to see them again! I love those rugs – I look forward to seeing the ones I bought, someday! I also went to the Park Avenue Armory for a spectacle – Peter Greenaway’s “The Last Supper.” I have never seen anything like it. First, a beautiful travelogue of Italy that makes me glad I went and makes me want to go back, but is also a taste that will tide me over for a while. Then, a dramatic portrayal of the da Vinci painting, with lighting and music. Finally, an add-on mini-lecture about a Veronese painting in Venice. Very interesting!

I also decided to go on a couple of East End hikes – and I decided just in time, because after going on a couple of short ones, the weather got much colder. Not that I won’t still go, but it was nice to go on a couple of nature walks while there were still some leaves on the trees. It’s so beautiful around here! Indoors, I went to the Parrish Art Museum for a simulcast of Opening Night at La Scala – Die Walkure. What a treat! It was nice to see conductor Daniel Barenboim, who I was privileged to see often in Chicago. I am still humming the music, and I would do something like that again! I thought about dressing up for it but didn’t. It was nice to go out for lunch and then for coffee during the intermissions – and nice to see opera during the afternoon! I also went holiday caroling around town with a group from the library. Both the library and the hospital’s wellness center have so many programs – I’m glad I’ve taken advantage of a few of them.

A recent highlight was the Polar Bear Plunge, on nearby Coopers Beach. I decided to observe this year and think about it for the future. Apparently this was a good year to do it – sunny, warm (that is, 37 F air, 42 F water) and with flat surf. But I still wanted to watch one first! It might have been the fastest event I have ever witnessed – glad I got there early to mill and mingle a bit. A cannon went off (by the same revolutionary-era-dressed men I saw on July 4th – I guess this is another chance for them to dress up!) and hundreds of people ran towards the ocean – and in an instant, everyone was running back towards their towels and clothes! Blink and you’d have missed it! Very fun. I hear the key is keeping your feet warm beforehand, that standing on the sand is like standing on ice. I will keep that in mind….you never know; I may do it next year!

And a final note – the last Congressional race in the country, NY1, was decided, in favor of incumbent D Tim Bishop, the person I for whom I had campaigned. Hooray!

Return to New Orleans - Part IV

2010-12-09T07:03:00.000-08:00

We had gotten around on our own, except for Sunday, when we signed up for a tour. A swamp tour! Walking in the Barataria Preserve was cool, but boat rides are always fun. We went to the Pearl River, near the Mississippi border. Interesting tour with a great guide – he had lots of stories to tell about life in the swamp. It’s amazing to think about growing up with no electricity and living off of nature’s bounty. And there is a lot of bounty! We didn’t see any gators (it was too chilly for them) but we did see raccoons, nutria and some big water birds. It was peaceful out there. And it was good to help the tourism economy recover after not only Katrina but also the oil spill.

We had a last New Orleans lunch at Ignatius, in uptown, and then went to the New Orleans Museum of Art Sculpture Garden, in City Park. The post-Katrina tour that I took in March went through City Park, a part of the city I had never heard anything about – so I wanted to see more of it. The sculpture garden provided us an opportunity to see both some of the park and some art! There were a few sculptures by well-known names, but more by people with whom I wasn’t familiar – that made it all the more interesting! The setting was pretty and the arrangement was pleasing. We had so many choices of what to do with our last hours there, and I think we picked a winner!

Helen dropped me off at the end of the St. Charles line and went on to the airport. I took the trolley back and met Kristina at her gallery. We walked to Faubourg-Marigny, the hip, trendy neighborhood just east of the French Quarter, and met David, a Morocco RPCV in the stage after ours, for dinner; we then went on to a bar for some swing music. Another evening of great food and live music in New Orleans!

And I was up early the next day for a 7:05 departure – at the Amtrak station! I boarded the Crescent, which they advertise as going from “the big Easy to the big Apple.” I had felt anxious when Helen left and I started to think about the future, but relaxed once I got on the train, there was not much to do but relax and enjoy the next 30 hours! No sightseeing car, no Rails and Trails commentary. I chose not to be in a roomette – it then took most of last week to catch up on sleep, so maybe the roomette would have been worth it, but that’s okay. We crossed Lake Ponchartrain and went through bayou country. Mississippi seemed to be a state of green trees, lots of undergrowth, and trailer homes. Alabama looked similar, except that the area around Birmingham was very industrial.

We got to the Central Time/Eastern Time divide (i.e. the Georgia border) just as it was getting dark, passed through Atlanta, and hit the South Carolina border at lights out (10:00). I had two seats to myself for most of the day, and I finished a book I had started on the plane, started and finished another, and started another. I had lunch in the dining car and dinner in the café car; it seemed that most of the people on the trip had spent Thanksgiving with loved ones and seemed sad to be going back up north. I was in a deepish sleep when, around midnight, they woke me up and told me that someone would be occupying the seat next to me when we reached the next stop; I never really slept after that, but I did doze. Woke up in Virginia – in farm country, near the sites of some of the Civil War battles I’d just finished reading about. I breakfasted in the dining car and imagined the armies marching and digging in over the gently rolling terrain. And then the train hit the Northeast Corridor and traveled a route I’d taken many a time. Sometimes you get on those trains and you see people who seem to have been on the train all night – well, now I was one of those people. No more leaves on the trees. The Chesapeake, Boathouse Row, the swamps of Jersey – no tourist swamp boat tour here! - and on to Penn Station, New York. I’ve loved my train travel this year!

Return to New Orleans - Part III

2010-12-08T06:48:00.000-08:00

Habitat for Humanity had only one build day scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend, and I signed us up for it. It wasn’t a priority for Helen, but she knew it was one for me. So at 7:45 am, we found ourselves in the Upper Ninth Ward, ready to build. Aaron the handler has left Habitat and moved on – though he was there helping out; Patrick (who was our handler on our final day in March) left AmeriCorps and is now Habitat staff. It was good to see them again and to be remembered. This house was nine days in – concrete supports placed, frame built. The projects for the day were roofing and siding. I joined a siding crew, which meant being up on a sixteen-foot ladder, holding a heavy piece of siding in place while others hammered, and hammering while others held the siding in place (I was on the blue ladder...I'm not in any of the pictures; just took them from below to illustrate). My upper arms burned while I held that heavy piece, and even though I felt secure on the ladder, I thought that if I were to fall and hurt myself, it would not be good. Helen stayed at ground level and operated the power saw. I’m really glad we did it, even if we did leave at lunchtime.

At a conference, Helen had met the chief architect for Brad Pitt’s Make it Right Foundation, and he had offered to show us around the Lower Ninth on Saturday afternoon. That fell through, but not before we left the work site; half a day was enough for Helen anyway. We had lunch uptown at a well-known local place called Franky and Johnny’s, ice cream at a well-known local place called Creole Creamery, and since we were nearby, went to Audubon Park. I noticed in my book that the park has a labyrinth, so that was our first stop – I love meditating and walking on labyrinths. We were headed for the Audubon Zoo (where, in a song that I know only one line of, the animals axed for you), and Helen mentioned that even without our architect guide, it was more important for her to see the Lower Ninth Ward – so back in that direction we went. There are more houses there than there were in March – but, sadly, still more empty lots than houses and still many houses along the way marked for demolition. The architect called to give us some tips – a bayou at the end of a street that is reclaimed wetland, and a levee at the end of another street that offered a sunset view of the New Orleans skyline – same side of the river, but due to its crescent nature, the view was across the water. That levee was near Global Green homes – yet another non-profit with innovative homes. Lots of issues in New Orleans but also lots of opportunities! The architect also gave us a restaurant tip – Irene’s, in the French Quarter – elegant Italian. So, we didn’t see him, but he did a lot for us!

Return to New Orleans - Part II

2010-12-07T13:55:00.000-08:00

On Friday we did the top two things that were on my wish list, despite the fact that they were in opposite directions! There are many former sugar cane plantations along the Mississippi. My book (and word-of-mouth) said that if we were to go to just one, we should go to Laura, a Creole plantation, so that is where we headed! Creole in this context means pre-Louisiana Purchase, born in the colony, French-speaking. There were many people in the area before 1803 – French, Spanish, Native Americans, Germans, others – all French-speaking, and all fall under the category of Creole. The Laura owners were from France, and they owned and operated the plantation for about 100 years; for three generations, the women of the family ran the plantation. A typical Creole house has a ground-level cellar for storage. The office and living spaces are up a flight of stairs; there’s no second story above that. The house is surrounded by porch and the rooms are entered from the outside. A typical house has three rooms in the front and three in the back, with no hallway. The rooms open not only to the outside but to each other, for maximum air flow (though not much in the way of privacy!). No closets, no bathrooms, no kitchen (the kitchen is in an outbuilding). Very interesting! Laura (unlike other plantation tours, so we hear) also talks about the slave quarters and the slave way of life; after emancipation, many of the slaves stayed as sharecroppers. With no other skills, no mobility, no education, and debt, they didn’t have many options – and they didn’t necessarily have a better life once they were free. The only sugar grown there now is in the decorative cane-juice kettles.

If you took a package tour from one of the hotels, you’d probably go to Laura and its neighbor, Oak Alley – a Georgian mansion, so something different. But we had miles to go, so we had time for just the one. I’d love to see more another time! And in looking at the map, I realized we might have been halfway to Baton Rouge at Laura – perhaps another state capital is a possibility. The Laura tour guide told us not to bother with the River Road – it sounds romantic but is slow and there’s not much to see. We stopped for lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant – no sandwich, but fantastic non-sandwich Vietnamese food – which was right near our next destination.

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park has five remote sites. I had been to one, Chalmette Battlefield, last time. The three I haven’t been to are the Acadian Prairie Cultural Center, the Acadian Wetlands Cultural Center, and the Acadian Cultural Center, which we were told was halfway between the Prairie and the Wetlands, with elements of each. The one we went to that afternoon was the one with natural beauty and history – the Barataria Preserve. Wetlands, swamp, bayou, canal – we walked on boardwalk trails past cypress, palmetto, cutgrass, Spanish moss, and other trees and flowers. We saw some fauna too – egret, great blue heron, deer. Beautiful!

We got back to town, had dinner, and went to Preservation Hall for jazz – this is something I didn’t do in March, and don’t think I did in my previous visits. People line up outside, go in for a 45-or-so-minute set – there are a few seats and many standees – and then are cycled out so that another bunch can come in. Great music! One set was enough anyway – we had to get up early the next day. We had walked along the riverfront and along Bourbon Street the night before, just to take an after-dinner stroll, and that was the extent of our nightlife. I also made it through a New Orleans trip without beignets or chicory café au lait at Café du Monde!

Return to New Orleans - Part I

2010-12-06T13:49:00.001-08:00

Back in March I floated (poor choice of word?) the idea of going back to New Orleans for Thanksgiving – I felt there was more work that I wanted to do, and more things that I wanted to see. My friend Helen, who couldn’t join us in March but with whom I have spent many a Thanksgiving (the Chattanooga trip was one of the most offbeat andtherefore one of the most memorable!) agreed to come along. A beautiful dawn made the early rising worth it – as did getting to New Orleans in the early afternoon on Thursday. We set our stuff down in our French Quarter B&B and walked around, window-shopping admiring the buildings with their wrought-iron balconies. We found a restaurant that looked inviting – and it turned out later that it might have been one of the few places that served a traditional turkey dinner (albeit with some Cajun spice). I was prepared not to have any turkey but when I saw it, I ordered it! With a cup of shrimp-and-corn bisque for a starter. It was fun to walk around and hear snippets of the Thanksgiving afternoon Saints-Cowboys game everywhere.

We went to the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park headquarters to get information for our Friday excursion; I had rushed through there in March, so was happy to go back and absorb more info (and Helen had a chance to see it for the first time). We then took the St. Charles trolley to the Garden District, to walk around and admire the houses there – opulent mansions in a variety of styles. While on the trolley we passed Lee Circle – I’d passed it in March, too, but in the six months that have passed since then, I’ve read the Shaara Civil War trilogy, and Lee is one of the few main characters in all three books. So now Lee gets a photo! Lee Circle has the new National WWII Museum – something I’d like to see, but so far it hasn’t made the cut. It also has a sizeable Confederate Museum; we didn’t get to that either, but might have had the weather not been so nice. We followed a walking tour in my New Orleans Day by Day book, but also made some detours. One of the things I like about New Orleans is the cemeteries – everyone’s buried above ground because the water table is so high. I’ve never done a cemetery tour there, but those are quite popular. More for future visits! At one detour, we passed a house that had a plaque in front saying, “On this date in 1897 nothing happened.” Whenever I think of the Garden District I think of that plaque – I have a picture of my late friend Paul in front of it. Well, it might not be that exact plaque, but it is a plaque in the Garden District that we walked by in 1986 or so. I’m sure that Paul had a hand in our taking the wrong turn and passing that it, just when I was thinking of him….

We had decided on one expensive dinner, and had reservations at Brennan’s. I was still full from lunch, so an appetizer and salad were enough for me, though I did save room for their famous Bananas Foster. I’m still thinking about that dessert. That alone is reason enough to go back to New Orleans!

Recent Doings Around Here - Part II

2010-11-24T09:53:00.000-08:00

Distressed by the election rhetoric, I decided to campaign for my local congressman, Tim Bishop. Fivethirtyeight.com had listed NY1 as one of the safer districts, but I thought I should at least help a little. Bishop is a Southampton local and very popular here. I didn’t like his negative ads, but this year it’s hard to run on voting for health care and other things you’ve done. My first phone banking day I called senior citizens – got a lot of not-homes, a couple of dead people and a couple of angry voters. It was discouraging, but I said I would go back. The second time I called likely Tim Bishop voters, and they were enthusiastic, so that was more fun. The day before Election Day, I did “Get Out the Vote” campaigning, walking around Southampton and knocking on the doors of registered Democrats, encouraging them to vote; there, too, I met a lot of pro-Bishop people, and I saw nice houses and it was a crisp fall day. On Election Day, it seemed to have paid off – he was declared the winner, with 50.1 percent of the vote. Much closer than predicted! Then it got even closer – that total was based on precincts phoning in the tallies; the actual tallies showed a 300-vote lead for the opponent. That meant opening 10,000 absentee ballots – which they are still doing – and possibly a total recount. I have my fingers crossed! Overall, Election Day was pretty depressing for me. My Civil War books gave me some perspective – this country has been through a lot worse, and a lot of the same – but still, can’t we all just get along?

I went to a Restorative Yoga class at the Rogers Memorial Library and loved it! Restorative yoga has just a few poses in an hour, calculated to get you to completely relax. They also have classes at the Southampton Hospital Wellness Center; I might look into those. In the meantime, I signed up for a yoga retreat weekend! I felt inspired.

Went to a couple of exhibits – “Miro and the Dutch Interiors” at the Met and “American Still Life” here, at the Parrish; those were nice. The weather warmed up enough to take a couple of mid-November bike rides – that might be it though. On one of them, I passed a field that had some men with metal detectors; they were looking for objects for the Historical Museum. One showed me a Revolutionary War cuff button and some coins from the 1860s. There’s a rich history here! I did some fall foliage strolls in Southampton and in Central Park. I’ve been watching the gardeners around here prepare for winter – cutting back the hydrangeas and the Montauk daisies and the tall grasses. Makes everything look bare in a hurry! And last week I went to the Peace Corps office in downtown Manhattan; while I was in the neighborhood I walked down to the World Trade Center site. I haven’t been there in years – maybe once since 2001, or maybe not at all. The buildings there are really going up; there’s not that sense of the wide-open emptiness that I felt the last time I was there (whenever it was!). Now it’s an active construction site and when it’s finished, it will be a much denser space. Nearby there’s a 9/11 Memorial Preview Site – after seeing the HBO movie on September 11 this year, the emotions were still close to the surface, so I spent the barest amount of time looking at the part about the past events and more time looking at the plans for the future of the site and how they are coming along. I look forward to seeing it all finished. And to spending more time below Union Square!

Well, I’ve now told tales about many of my adventures since I arrived back East; I’m going to New Orleans for Thanksgiving weekend and will summarize that when I get back. And then I’ll pick up where I left off in summer 2009, with the Drive Across America. Then 2010’s Vietnam trip and Amtrak Across America, and I’ll be all caught up and ready for more adventures. Of course, I suppose I could always go back in time as well, chronicling adventures of the past – no shortage of stories to tell!

Recent Doings Around Here - Part I

2010-11-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

I used to go to the Harvard or Yale game every fall at Princeton (whichever one was the home game); I broke that tradition in 2006 when I went to the Peace Corps. I think it was as much about seeing friends in the East a few times a year as it was about Princeton in particular. It certainly wasn’t about the football – I consider a Princeton football game to be something about which a halftime show is performed! I didn’t consider it essential to go this year, but when I asked my friend Meg if she wanted to go and she surprised me by saying yes, the decision was made!

We met at Penn Station; I was still surprised she wanted to go to the game. When I mentioned that we didn’t really have to go, she took me up on that. We had lunch with my friend Howie – we were all freshman-year dorm-mates – and when I mentioned that we might not go to the game, he took me up on it too. The three of us walked around the campus - with the fall foliage, it looked great. Now I know what other people do on football weekends – they do other things! We saw the Peace Pole, now in its permanent location, went for ice cream and went to an exhibit about the portraits of the Nassau Hall Faculty Room, and all too soon it was time to go back to New York.

And the next day I saw Martha (been seeing a lot of her this year…). When in Los Angeles, we usually go to the Apple Store – so why not do that in New York too? We then met our high school friend Doris for breakfast at the Plaza, a lovely thing. Then Martha came back to Southampton with me. I’ve been using the car a little more since the weather got colder; I decided that having a guest was an excuse to go farther afield. We went across Shelter Island to Greenport, strolled around there a bit, and then had a nice dinner on Shelter Island.

The next day we started out at Hampton Coffee – great coffee in the French press, and chilaquiles! Not the same, but very good. Then we headed for Montauk – my second time and Martha’s first. We stopped at the Hither Hills overlook, which was the spot last year from which I wanted to hike – but the tick warnings were a deterrent to my bare ankles and sandaled feet. This year, with long pants and closed shoes (and cooler weather), we took a little hike. I still would love to do more hiking – I bought a book on hiking trails of the South Fork that I’d been eyeing for a while – and maybe I will. But not this day – we pressed on to the lighthouse. Behind the lighthouse there was a little house with the foghorn, which was blaring. The lighthouses get all the glory; why don’t soundhouses get any credit? The rest of the visit was typical of our time together – that is, non-stop - massages, more food, two movies, games. She went on to New York for meetings, but I saw her again at the end of the week, that time with Susan as well. I’ve had a chance to see other friends recently in New York (Joy, Sabrina and Joshua, Helen, Elisa, Mary, Debbie) and I have others to see.

After reading “The Killer Angels” in preparation for my trip to Gettysburg, I decided to read the rest of the trilogy – “Gods and Generals” lays out the run-up to the war and the early battles through Chancellorsville. I just finished “The Last Full Measure,” which chronicles everything from right after Gettysburg to the end of the war. I don’t usually mention the books I read but these have had a big impact on me. I may as well mention the baseball post-season, too, since that took up much of October. Glad I saw the Giants in August – you could sense some magic going on there. Cablevision and Fox had a dispute that resulted in the NLCS being off the air here in Southampton – I hurriedly signed up for an mlb.com subscription right before the first game, and I listened on my computer. As I had done in Morocco and in the Philippines! Here I thought I would be able to watch it all when I came back! At least the dispute was resolved in time for the World Series.

The State Fair and Target Field - Midwest Meanderings Part IV

2010-11-22T09:19:00.000-08:00

Up early and out with Paul to the Minnesota State Fair – was this the fourth time I’ve been there? The fifth? Often enough that things are familiar to me! Paul has his traditions and I go along with them. We start the day with a church hall pancake breakfast. And then we make our way to most of the buildings, stopping for food every so often! Eco Building, Horticulture/Agriculture, Education, Dairy. Highlights include the seed paintings and the prize vegetables, the butter princesses, and all sorts of livestock. The Old Mill is a Tunnel of Love ride that’s about 98 years old. There are mini-donuts and cheese curds and all the milk you can drink (plain or chocolate) for $1. I had to try a deep-fried Reese’s – there’s a lot of unhealthy food at the fair, to put it mildly. My favorite food of the day, new to the fair this year, was Cincinnati chili – it almost made up for not having made it to Cincinnati last year or this, though I owe it a visit. We did the Tilt-a-Whirl at the midway, as well as a couple of arcade games. Paul reads the daily schedule and scopes out the giveaways – we got drawstring bags, lip balm, seeds, juice, and toothpaste! Plus I got a passport stamp from the Mississippi River NRA – along with a map of the area, showing the five passport locations to visit on a future trip! One of the best parts about the fair is its official song, which Paul looked up once and which we now always sing – Minnesota, Minnesota, we are east of North Dakota, we are south of Manitoba, we’ve got something really rare (I don’t know the rest, but it rhymes with fair…).

Then it was on to Target Field, the Twins’ new ballpark. It’s been sold out the entire season; I bought the tickets on Stub Hub. Paul hadn’t been there yet, so it was nice to go with him for his first time. We got there early enough to walk around – as did most of the crowd, filled with the thrill of the new. As Paul pointed out, many of the people in attendance had never been to an outdoor baseball game. There’s a nice view of the Minneapolis skyline from the third-base side, some nice-looking food stands, and a neon outline of the state of Minnesota with the original Twins logo; when someone hits a home run, the twins shake hands. And the fact that the team was in a pennant race made it all the more exciting. They didn’t win, but it was a close game.

Back to Chicago the next day – all four of my Southwest flights were pleasant and on-time. Maybe domestic air travel isn’t so bad? My lunch plans fell through, so I went to the Garfield Park Conservatory – it’s peaceful and beautiful in the rooms, and walking the labyrinth is one of my favorite Chicago experiences. Then I went to my storage space – I had no real time for it this week, but I wanted to pick up my carry-on; my little rolling backpack is on its last wheels. I decided not to be overwhelmed by all the boxes; it was actually good that I hadn’t planned on spending a lot of time there, because it was hot in the space (and beautiful outside!). Still, I feel the need to spend some more time there and get rid of more stuff. Dinner with friends; breakfast solo the next morning (I didn’t see everyone I wanted to see but I saw everyone I could see) and then I had a little time for a walk along the lake in my old ‘hood, and then it was back to New York. I may not live in Chicago again, but it will always be part of me, and I’ll be back!

Time with Friends - Midwest Meanderings Part III

2010-11-21T12:38:00.000-08:00

Since it didn’t take all day and I wasn’t all tuckered out, I was up for more fun after the triathlon. Edie, Julia and I went to Arlington Racetrack. We’d done this before – but could it be that we haven’t been with Julia since she was in a stroller? And this year she had her bat mitzvah? Time does fly! It’s always fun to go to the racetrack with Edie, though this time I didn’t quite break even. I cashed tickets in a few races though, and cheered anyway. That night, I had Indian food with Helen while Edie and family went out.

The next morning, I went with Edie and her family to do Maot Chitim – delivering holiday food to poor (mostly elderly, mostly immigrant) Jewish families. A mitzvah! And then I took them out to brunch – chilaquiles too far away, but always good to try new places. We went to M. Henry in Andersonville, a good brunch place. I used to go out early when I went out for breakfast; beat the rush and all that – but there’s a reason brunch is popular. It’s a good thing!

And then we had the rarest of afternoons – just hanging out! Edie did yard work and I watched, and we both sat for a while. I took her bike out for a little spin – hadn’t had enough the day before! – and then Edie, Fred and I went to Foster Avenue beach for a little swim (ditto - but note, I didn’t go out for another run…). And we went to their new favorite ice cream place in Lincoln Square. That area is hopping!

The next morning, I had coffee at Starbucks with Joanne, did more hanging out with Edie and Julia, went for a massage (another thing I try to do when I go to Chicago – you develop relationships, you know?) and then it was on to the Twin Cities! Last year, during the Drive Across America, I returned a car in Chicago and picked up another when I was ready to drive east. But while I was in Chicago, I took Amtrak to Minneapolis and back! Since I had already done the train ride, and since time was short, and since Southwest is flying to Minneapolis now and air fares were low, I flew!

Paul and Tom have made some changes since I was there last – they’re in the middle of a major, major landscaping project. And Paul hadn’t told me about it. In Morocco and in the Philippines, I emailed friends often and called occasionally. But their garden-in-progress was a reminder of how much I had missed, that while I was off having adventures, friends were living their lives. Even in the U.S. I miss things, with friends spread out across the country – but somehow on that day the garden embodied all of the opportunity cost. I didn’t have time to process the monumentality of this, though – we went to downtown Minneapolis to see Twins Around Town, a version of Cows on Parade with ballplayers decorated for each year of the Twins’ existence. Nicely done – and it was nice just to go downtown, which we haven’t done a lot. We dined al fresco at an excellent restaurant called Vincent, which will get honorable mention for Best Dinner of 2010 if it’s not the outright winner.

The Super-Sprint Triathlon - Midwest Meanderings Part II

2010-11-20T12:10:00.000-08:00

The weather was perfect all week, in fact – I maintain that there might be no place better than Chicago in the summer. Ah, but I know the weather isn’t always like that and that winter will be coming soon and lasting long. Perfect weather for the triathlon. I rode Edie’s bike over to Foster Avenue beach, getting there just as the sun was peeking over the horizon – a wonderful way to start the day. I got there earlier than I had to, but that gave me a chance to get a good bike rack location, set everything up, walk the transitions a couple of times, and talk to fellow participants. There were plenty of people near me (that is, in my age group) who were doing their first triathlon. There were also a couple who were doing a triple – the Super-Sprint on Saturday morning, the Sprint and then the International on Sunday. I’d consider a double; could I ever do the triple? Something to think about (I still think about doing another marathon some day, too – so far, there hasn’t been a good time for all the training).

Off to the swim start – I think I was in wave 4 (again, it’s by age group – it’s okay to have an early start, especially when as the morning wears on, you see people in much later waves pass you – and you’re certain of it, because their wave number is marked on their leg). It was a short swim – you could walk out to where it got deep, swim just a little, and walk back. Hello, Lake Michigan! I hadn’t been in it yet this summer – cold at first, but I had time to get used to it and to appreciate being in it, and then it was time to get out! I usually let most of the wave pass me so I can do the backstroke unimpeded. I also enjoy swimming so I don’t want to rush through it! Not the way to think during a triathlon, I know…

Run, run run up the beach – transitions are the key to a triathlon – and then on to the six-mile-long bike ride. The Sunday big triathlon goes on Lake Shore Drive, which makes my spirit soar. The Super-Sprint goes along the parking area down to Montrose – wide enough to bike without worrying about the other bikers. Edie’s bike suited me fine – it’s faster than the bike I used for the Tour de Cure, for sure, and faster than the one I toodle around Southampton with. But I can’t say I’m fast…. In fact, what’s remarkable is that I’m just about equally slow in the swim, the bike and the run!

The run seemed long - 1.5 miles – and here is where the lack of training really showed. For a good part of it, it was hard to do much more than put one foot in front of another. If/when I do another (and I might have convinced Edie to try it with me!), I may not train much, but it would behoove me to practice getting off the bike and running. When I first thought of doing triathlons, I heard Jeff Galloway say that the hardest thing to do is get off a bike and run, and he is right. But somehow I finished – in about 1:05. Could I shave six minutes off my time and finish in under an hour? Well, I certainly feel motivated to try! Here’s a case where inshallah applies – inshallah, I’ll be back to do it again soon! It’s a good time of year to visit Chicago anyway. Why not make it a tradition!

Didn’t bring my camera to the triathlon, so I’ll close with a picture from a walk I took on my last day in Chicago.... This is the building where I lived for almost 20 years! I almost didn’t make it down to the Gold Coast area, and when I did, it was raining, but I still had a nice walk along the lake. I know that for 12 of the 19 years I lived there I was ready to leave, but I also know I had a good life there!

That Toddlin' Town - Midwest Meanderings Part I

2010-11-19T11:49:00.000-08:00

Another August trip took me out to the Midwest; I had felt a Chicago trip coming on, and when someone mentioned the triathlon, that gave me both a date and an event to focus on. I took Southwest Airlines out of Islip – a quiet airport that was quite pleasant. I didn’t realize that not every Hampton Jitney goes to the Islip Airport connection, so I had to take a taxi, which meant I didn’t really save any money. But I did save time by not going all the way from Southampton to LaGuardia.

A smooth flight and an el ride later, I had lunch at the Walnut Room with my friend Karen – chicken pot pie! I had as many old favorites as I could during my visit, perhaps missing only the chilaquiles at the Third Coast. On to Edie’s, my home-away-from-home; it is so nice to feel welcome anytime! I try to be a low-impact guest, but I know that having a guest is still work, and I am very grateful to Edie and her family for hosting me. And this time, as opposed to past visits, both she and I actually had a significant amount of time to spend together! What a bonus! I planned get-togethers with others for times when she was otherwise occupied – such as dinner that night; I went out with my friend Helen.

The next day I had breakfast in her neighborhood with Edie, Heather and Carol, and then went on to the hair appointment that seems to be central to every Chicago visit – I could use a hair appointment now, so it’s on my mind.... And then it was down to the Chicago Hilton and Towers, for triathlon pickup. On the way, I passed an amazing sculpture that caught my eye (pun intended) from the el the day before. Lots of great public sculpture this year!

The Triathlon expo does a great job of inspiring – now I want to train to do another international distance triathlon, or definitely start doing sprint triathlons again. For this weekend, I was happy to be doing the Super-Sprint – half of a sprint distance. I hadn’t trained, it wouldn’t take much time, and the location was convenient to Edie’s! I had done Try-a-little-Tri years ago in about the same location – there weren’t many people, and I am not sure the distance was half of a sprint – it felt more random.

Then it was on to the Sox game, with some Princeton Club friends. It just happened to be mini-Stanley Cup night – if I couldn’t be there in person to see the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1961, I could be at mini-Stanley Cup night! The pre-game ceremony turned out to be quite special. They brought out not only the Stanley Cup, but a Bulls trophy, the Bears Super Bowl trophy, and the White Sox World Series trophy (no mention of the North Siders…) – first time in Chicago that all four trophies were displayed together. The Sox won, and it was fireworks night as well – not only that, but the weather was perfect!

San Francisco and Palo Alto - West Coast Swing Part VII

2010-11-18T08:49:00.000-08:00

Sated from the banh mi, we kept walking, and at the Civic Center we came across the best outdoor sculpture ever – a piece recalling the fallen Buddhas in Afghanistan. Photos from many angles later, we walked on (past another cool sculpture) to Hayes Valley, a hip and trendy neighborhood (new to me), to a Moroccan furniture store Rose had found on the internet. She had the idea of getting a door and having it made into a dining table. We had seen great doors in a store in Rabat… it might have been cheaper to ship one from there than to pay the San Francisco prices! But it was fun to see what they had and to use a little darija with a guy who worked there. We then walked (lots of walking!) to Union Square, where there was a Frank Lloyd Wright building (once we got there, I realized I’d seen it before) that housed an expensive folk art gallery (I don’t think I went inside last time – and if I did, now I have been to some of the places from whence the art comes, and I was with Rose). Somewhere during the day, we also had a Vietnamese iced coffee – yum, yum, yum – thank you, Vincent, for telling me about that! Back to the train, and then a little of Palo Alto, walking down the main shopping street, going to a Tibetan crafts store, wining and dining.

And after another leisurely breakfast and some more rummy, we found ourselves back at Saigon Sandwich for more Banh mi. Just as good the next day! But we were just as hungry. And back to the big sculpture, too. But this time we didn’t walk – we took the Muni (another new experience – and I’m glad I could show Rose how easy it is; not sure she’d have done this without me). The Muni goes both under and above ground, depending on where it is – we got back on and went right to Golden Gate Park. When I’ve been there in the past it seemed far away and hard to get to – now that I know it isn’t, that opens up possibilities. I like knowing my way around San Francisco – and I know there’s a lot more to it. It’s on the A list of places I’d relocate to…. but I digress.

Rose had one VIP ticket to an exhibit at the DeYoung – Birth of Impressionism treasures from the Musee D’Orsay – and we both knew that if she didn’t use it this day, she probably wouldn’t get back into town to use it. We couldn’t get a second ticket, so I flipped through the catalog for that and Post-Impressionism, which is coming to the DeYoung this fall. I’ve used that strategy for sold-out shows in the past; you do what you have to do. And then I saw the rest of the museum; I might have had more fun than Rose did! There was a special exhibit called To Dye For – batiks, ikat and other ethnic fabrics. And there’s a lot in the permanent collection - Hudson School and other American paintings, art of Oceania, Africa and the Americas, some modern – I saw it all! It was nice to see some West Coast art and other things I don’t normally see. The East Coast museums (through the Art Institute of Chicago) really do have most of the masterpieces. What a fun San Francisco day! Back at her place, Rose cooked an Indian dish and I made brownies.

The next morning, Mercedes, a fellow PCRV from the Philippines, came to the Palo Alto train station for coffee. She lives just a couple of towns over by Caltrain. I thought it would be good for her to meet Rose, and of course it was delightful for me to see her! She accompanied me on the Caltrain to the Millbrae BART station, and from there I took BART to SFO. During the flight home, I read a fluff book that I had picked up for 50 cents in Seattle. It had surprising insights – the protagonist was debating life in New York City vs. San Francisco, getting a job to support herself vs. finding a calling, marketing and positioning oneself, relationships, writing. Of course, everything got resolved by the end of the book – real life might work out that way too, but I can’t skip ahead to the end….

Palo Alto and San Francisco - West Coast Swing Part VI

2010-11-17T08:42:00.000-08:00

Paul took me to the BART station and I went to the Embarcadero – I always feel exhilarated at the end of Market Street in San Francisco! I walked along the Embarcadero, snapping pictures – sculpture, the Bay Bridge, AT&T Park – and made my way to the Caltrain station (another new mode of transportation for me – I’d never had a reason to be on Caltrain). Rose had taken the day off and gone for a long bike ride in the morning; she picked me up at the station and we went back to her house. I was ready to get up and go, but it was nice to take a shower and relax a bit instead! We talked and talked.

The Coast Starlight didn’t have wifi for much of the ride – but timing is everything. I checked Facebook (what can I say) and noticed that Patrick, a fellow Morocco RPCV, posted a blanket invitation to the Giants-Padres game – I messaged back and forth with Rose that this would be a good way to see him (and the game) and it all got finalized just before I went out of range for the night. I didn’t realize that Rose hadn’t been into the city much – having just been on Caltrain, I was now an expert. How nice that Caltrain stops just two blacks from the ballpark! We had Caribbean appetizers and met up with Patrick and his friend.

What an exciting game! A sold-out pennant race game – Padres 3, Giants 2, but the crowd was enthusiastic throughout. Especially fun were all the panda hats for Pablo Sandoval, affectionately nicknamed “Kung Fu Panda.” We know now that the Giants won the World Series this year, but even then, one could sense some magic. It was Rose’s first professional baseball game! That made it all the more fun.

There are things to come back for in Palo Alto – the Baylands nature trail sounds nice, and on the Stanford campus there’s a Frank Lloyd Wright house – but this weekend was all about going into San Francisco; not because we planned it, but it just worked out that way. I was glad to give Rose the impetus to go there! We had a leisurely Saturday morning (some rummy was involved) and on the train it popped into Rose’s head that she wanted a Vietnamese sandwich for lunch – mind you, she hadn’t had one for years; her last one was back in Houston. Linda had wanted them too, but I didn’t know what she meant, so we didn’t go out of our way. Now that I know, I will try a Vietnamese sandwich in Seattle to see how it compares! I downloaded a restaurant-finder app and we walked and walked, through SOMA to the Moscone Center area. Not every Vietnamese restaurant has Vietnamese sandwiches, and the app made no distinction. One restaurant waiter tried to tell us where to go, but we couldn’t understand him. Finally, we were getting overly hungry, and I spied a cab and asked him to take us to another place on the list. Then I looked at his picture and name and asked him if he was Vietnamese. Yes – what are the odds (I don’t know, in San Francisco)? I asked him to take us to the best Vietnamese sandwich in town, and he took us to the place that (we realized) the waiter was trying to tell us about. Saigon Sandwich, on Larkin and Eddy – a tiny storefront with two seats and a line out the door. Why didn’t I know about Vietnamese sandwiches in Vietnam? The key is the fresh baguette – but the there’s a blend of ingredients that gives it a kick. I found a recipe in Real Simple; haven’t tried it, but here it is:

Banh mi recipe
Portuguese roll
Meat (the Saigon Sandwich one had chicken)
Vietnamese slaw:
½ Kirby cucumber – cut into thin strips
¼ carrot – cut into thin strips
¼ cups cilantro leaves
½ jalapeno pepper (seeded and sliced)
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch each salt and pepper

The Coast Starlight - West Coast Swing Part V

2010-11-16T08:37:00.000-08:00

Amtrak isn’t only Across America – it’s also down! The Coast Starlight runs from Seattle to Oakland (and then further south, but not with me on it this time). It’s so popular that the beds cost too much, and there weren’t many empty seats in coach – they assign seats for these long runs. Linda drove me to the train station; I got there early enough for a little stroll in the International District (it used to be Chinatown but there are many nationalities represented now!) and for coffee with Beryl. She wanted to see me one more time, and it was her 75th birthday!

The train departed at 9:45 and went through some spectacular scenery – what a good choice I made in doing this! It really is about the journey. We went along Puget Sound – so now I guess I’ve seen it end to end – to Tacoma. I saw the Tacoma Narrows Bridge! Not the one that fell apart in a high wind (another video I never tire of), but the replacement, which looks a lot like the old one! The Olympia/Lacey stop was just outside the state capital – okay, so does that count as a state capital visited? In Richmond, I identified three stages of visits – one, just going to or through the city. Two, seeing the capitol building. Three, touring the building (though not all of them have tours). I’ll count this as stage one… and I think if you go to Olympic National Park, you might have to go through Olympia, so maybe I’ll get a closer look someday.

From Seattle to Portland we had National Park Service Trails and Rails commentary, and I spent a lot of time in the bubble-windowed observation car; they tell you to give other people a chance, but as long as there were empty seats, I felt I wasn’t depriving anyone else. Crossing the Columbia River brought back memories of my Lewis and Clark trip. We had a few minutes in Portland, so I went outside – and felt a little bad about not seeing my friend Terry there; I did detour to see her on last year’s Drive Across America, at least.

Mt. Hood was out, and we had a nice view of it, and then we went through Salem, OR – with a view of the capitol building. And then we started to smell smoke – so we evacuated while the fire department investigated. Good thing we were near a town! They thought it was some electrical fire to the drinking-water pump in our car – no big deal - and on we went, making up the time somewhere during the night. We went down the Willamette Valley and through the Cascades – so many evergreen trees! Just gorgeous.

I’d love to see southern Oregon and far northern California – Crater Lake, Crescent City. Another time, and by another means – Amtrak in both directions goes through them in the dark. On this night, we had a slight sliver of moon (what I call the Ramadan moon – this time it actually was the beginning of Ramadan) and some bright stars. I had had lunch in the dining car but opted for dinner at the AmCafe – it was fine. Sleeping in the coach seat – that was okay. Not as nice as a bed, and not as nice as it might have been had the seat next to me been free, but I slept decently enough to make me feel I could get away without a bed for my New Orleans to New York train ride.

I arrived on time at 8:35 am in Oakland, and my friend Paul was waiting for me – he’d been out of town when I came through in February, so it was nice to catch him here (I saw him again in New York a couple of months ago, which was a bonus!). We went through the Oakland produce market – already packing up for the day – to a breakfast place. He always has interesting things going on and we have great conversations. Crab cake benedict – now that’s the way to end a long train ride and start a day!

San Juan Journey - West Coast Swing Part IV

2010-11-15T10:42:00.000-08:00

We went past a lavender farm and on to Lime Kiln Park, the prime orca-watching area. There are a couple of pods that pass by regularly – they had last been sighted the night before, but were nowhere to be seen by us. Oh well – reason to return (that and seeing other islands – we stayed only on the main one, San Juan). I took a little walk to the lighthouse while Linda rested, basking in her ferry-ride Scrabble victory (I made the basking part up, but not her victory!). On the north end of the island, we stopped at a sculpture garden (more an outdoor sculpture showroom, since everything was for sale, but there was a lot to see! We didn’t see it all) and then went on to Roche Harbor, the other town on the island, the site of the lime works that were the island’s main industry and a big resort where presidents had stayed. Then it was back to Friday Harbor, where we walked around shops and I had more salmon (at the fish ladder, there was a voiceover that was supposedly the voice of the salmon, so a running joke was the talking salmon on my plate. Another running joke – Beryl and I were sitting on a bench in Pioneer Square and I mentioned something about how nice the people are. A stranger behind us said, “it’s the weather,” and that became the explanation for everything!).

The next day, we rented a “Scootcoupe” - more practical than a bicycle, more fun than two scooters – it was too noisy to do a lot of talking, but nice to be together – and explored more. For some reason the around-the-island bus doesn’t go to the National Historic Park, and I wanted to! In the 1850s there was a border dispute with Britain as to who owned the San Juan Islands, the U.S. or Canada, and for a while there were two camps on the island, one English and one American. 54-40 or fight had happened a few years earlier (result - the border with Canada is at the 49th parallel out west). An American shot a pig, and it almost escalated into a military battle. Two of the American officers there at the time were George Pickett, of the charge at Gettysburg, and Robert, of the Rules of Order. Cool heads prevailed, and the only casualty of the “Pig War” was the pig. Eventually, in 1872, Kaiser Wilhelm arbitrated the matter, with the San Juans going to the United States.

We strolled the fort remains, drove to a nature trail that took us from prairie to forest, proceeded on to a black-sand beach. More trails for another time! On to the English Camp, where there’s an English garden and where the Union Jack still flies (though as part of the National Park, not under British rule). Back at our B&B, there were cookies and strawberry lemonade – we hadn’t had any when we checked in, so we had some on our way out! The ferry ride back took a different route, and this time it was sunny instead of misty – which meant the mountain was out! That’s what people in Seattle say on the clear days when you can see Mt. Rainier. It’s quite a sight! Could also see the Olympic mountains in the other direction – if I’d had more time I’d have gone to the rainforest in Olympic National Park – which I guess makes it top of the list for next time!

Back in Seattle, I walked up the Harbor Steps to take a picture of the iconic Hammering Man outside the Seattle Art Museum, while Linda stayed below and savored her return-ferry Scrabble victory (again, I project). We’d also brainstormed some Peace Corps recruiting ideas – that was fun for me and I think helpful for her; she was transitioning from her two-day vacation back into work mode. We had a light dinner and a glass of wine while watching the Elliott Bay sunset, with the ferries coming and going – as she put it, a very Seattle moment.

Ferry Frolic - West Coast Swing Part III

2010-11-14T07:34:00.000-08:00

On Monday morning I took the express bus downtown (the transportation modes are adding up!) and met Beryl (who I hadn’t expected to see again, but was delighted to) at the ferry terminal. I guess my modus operandi now is that when I revisit a place I do the things that were next on my list the previous time, which I would have done had I had more time. We took the ferry out to Bainbridge Island – a bedroom community, but with an island feel. I’d heard it was just a nice place to spend a day and that’s what it is! At the game I was talking about job possibilities, and all of a sudden it became critical to send an email right away – Beryl brought her computer and we went to a coffee shop and I sent off the email, and then we sat and enjoyed our coffee. We took a little nature walk, strolled the main shopping street, and took the ferry back. On my own, I went to the Seattle Aquarium – after being on and by the water, I thought it would be interesting to see what’s IN the water! Nice collection of the creatures of Puget Sound. I then went to the Peace Corps office to meet up with Linda, and we went home and had an early night, since we had an early morning to come!

As I hadn’t expected to see Beryl again, I hadn’t expected to see that much of Linda – I thought I’d get out of her hair. But when I told her my plan, she wanted to take some vacation days, and I welcomed the company. Also high on my longtime wish list were the San Juan Islands. Back at the last round-number birthday, I splurged on a Backroads trip to Hawaii, and for years I’d get the Backroads catalog and dream of going on another trip. The one that sounded most appealing was the San Juan Islands, biking and kayaking. Okay, so we didn’t bike or kayak, but the point wasn’t to do either of those, it was to go to the islands!

We took the ferry early on Tuesday morning – that ferry terminal is near Olympic Sculpture Park, so after we checked in I zipped over there to see some sculpture. The ferry ride took us through Puget Sound – which is 100 miles long, about the same as Long Island Sound. It took us past Whidbey Island, which claims to be the longest island in the country, because a Supreme Court case in 1905 or so declared Long Island a peninsula for tax purposes. I had to go to the back of the ship and ask the tour narrator about that one - she said yeah, that’s what they say, but they know Long Island is an island.

One thing that always appealed to me is that the San Juan Islands are on their own tectonic plate, the Juan de Fuca plate. So romantic! What I didn’t know is that since they are in the rain shadow of Vancouver Island, they have their own climate, different from the evergreens and mist we passed by. Much sunnier and drier – in fact, the evergreens and water along the way reminded me of Maine, but the islands had a little Midwest look to them! We had a crab cake lunch overlooking the harbor and started to walk around the town of Friday Harbor. There was an around-the-island bus about to leave, so we hopped on it.

Stunning Safeco - West Coast Swing Part II

2010-11-13T07:18:00.000-08:00

We took a quick drive around downtown – past the Gehry Experience Music Project and the Rem Koolhaas library. I had heard about Top Pot doughnuts so we had to stop there – they’re better than the average doughnut (Obama stopped there recently too).

Another obligatory stop was Elliott Bay books – mind you, I did not need any books, nor did I really have room for any, but independent bookstores do have a way of drawing one in, and I ended up with a couple. Long live the independent bookstore! We then went to the Asian Art Museum. Notable is the Noguchi structure outside – the inspiration for the song, “Black Hole Sun.” My tour book noted that people take pictures of the Space Needle through the hole, so I took one too! We then went on to the Conservatory – it looks just like the one in Lincoln Park, which is kind of nice – but it was closed. I saw what I could through the glass!

We went for an early dinner by the water – I had delicious wild salmon. And then we went to an engineering major’s dream stop, the Ballard Locks. Always fun to watch boats go through locks! The main attraction here was watching the salmon going up the fish ladder. Such big fish! Watching them struggle, I felt just a tad sorry about the eating the one that hadn’t gotten away. In many locations during this trip, I was tempted to buy the book “Four Fish,” which had just come out – I finally bought it in Mystic. Things you don’t always think about, but you think about it here because it’s all around you.

Just before I came, there was an article in the local Seattle paper about over-60-year-olds who had served in the Peace Corps. Two people were interviewed for the story – and I am the only person to have served with them both! Linda is one and Beryl is the other. Beryl was another PCRV in the Philippines – I had seen her only twice there, but since then had spent almost a week with her in New Orleans. They had come across one another at Peace Corps functions, and now they regularly work functions together, but I am not sure they had talked much until we all got together for breakfast on Sunday morning! Linda then left us to spend a quiet afternoon alone, and Beryl and I went to Safeco Field, getting there early enough to walk around.

It’s a beautiful stadium; they did a great job. Edgar Martinez Drive! Ichiro in the outfield! My kind of game – Mariners 3, Royals 2, in a tidy 2:31 – though I was having such a great time I would have gladly stayed longer! The Blue Angels flew by. The retractable roof opened (the sides of the stadium are open-air, since it never gets too cold – a nice feature). We walked back to Pioneer Square – the stadium is in a good location, too – and went to Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park. There’s another branch of that park in Alaska, but much of Seattle’s original boom is connected with outfitting the gold rush, so it warranted an outpost. Beryl left, and I kept walking – along Elliott Bay, past Pike Place Market, to the downtown center, where I got on the monorail and went to the Space Needle. Not up it though – it was time to go back. Except – I spied a labyrinth, so I did some meditative walking there, and THEN I went back.

I took the light rail; Linda picked me up at the station and we went to Seward Park, a little peninsula sticking into Lake Washington that has some old growth forest, and we took a walk. And then we went to a hip, trendy neighborhood for hip, trendy pizza with her cousin, who I had met when she visited Linda in Morocco. What a delightful day!

Savoring Seattle - West Coast Swing Part I

2010-11-12T07:02:00.000-08:00

My sister and her family use the Southampton home for the month of August, so I thought it would be a good idea to go away for part of it, to give both them and myself a break. At first I thought I might go to the Canadian Maritimes, but that’s for another year (I had let this go before I knew I was going to Maine – the Maine trip both whet my appetite for more and satisfied it for this year). Light bulb – objective changed from one end of the continent to the other - go to Seattle! It has one of the few ballparks I haven’t been to yet, and it has some friends I wanted to see! I used miles for the flight – may as well use some miles; I have a lot of them.

I had been to Seattle once before, in 1993 – I know that because when I was there, the movie “Sleepless in Seattle” had just come out, and we got a big kick out of seeing “Sleepless in Seattle” in Seattle. I saw not one but two games at the Kingdome – the crowd was small but they were having so much fun that I wanted to go again. Those were the heady days of Junior Griffey, Edgar Martinez, Alex Rodriguez (I would have loved to go to see the Kingdome get blown up – I never tire of that video). I thought Seattle was beautiful and I’ve wanted to go back – I felt a sense of mortality when I realized how long it had been. What if it takes another 17 years for me to get back there? That’s a long time. Of course, if it does take that long, it’ll be because I’ve been to other interesting places instead! I don’t think it will, though – Seattle used to seem far away and expensive to get to. Now that I have been farther (and taken those long bus rides in Morocco), it doesn’t seem so distant. Plus, it’s a gateway to Alaska, the only U.S. state I haven’t been to. It’s a feelgood place, and now I have friends there to visit. And there’s a lot more to do than I was able to do in five days – including seeing the houseboats in Lake Union that were depicted in “Sleepless in Seattle”!

I flew in on a Friday night and my friend Linda picked me up – it was as if I had just seen her – in reality the last time was over a year ago, in Morocco. She is now a Peace Corps recruiter out of Seattle (and it was through her influence that I was interviewed for a position there – but the job went to someone local). She had borrowed a car, and on Saturday we went on a mad dash of exploration, though we did start with a quiet coffee on her porch. Linda had lived in Thailand for a while, and she has a mix of things from Thailand, India, Indonesia and Morocco. It all works! Now I wish I had had room in my luggage for more from Southeast Asia… oh well, I’ll have to go back – or find Asian things here!

Seattle is a city of neighborhoods – when I visited before, I stayed in the tourist areas and didn’t get into neighborhoods at all. I think I made up for it this time! I don’t remember the names or the distinctions, but it was nice to see some different places. We had breakfast in a hip, trendy neighborhood (there are lots of those!) and then went to Pike Place Market. Of course I had done this before, but I think it’s a must! We looked at the crafts - with a new appreciation – and then went to a Tibetan pharmacy, glimpsing the famous fish toss enroute. It was the weekend of the big air show, and while we were there, the Blue Angels flew overhead – I always liked seeing them in Chicago!

The New Orleans Birthday Build - Part IV

2010-11-11T06:42:00.000-08:00

On Friday we were joined by Martha, my high school friend, her partner Susan, and Elizabeth, another fellow Morocco RPCV, from the year behind me in Timhadite. Diane dropped out – her daughter wanted her to attend some classes – so we never had the whole team together, but I’m impressed that she left her family for the previous day! Friday was also the last day for the UW-Oshkosh group, and the last day of volunteer work on Vanette’s house; we had taken it as far as it could go. Next, professional contractors would come in to do electrical, carpeting, appliances and more. On Saturday we would help to finish a house down the block, and on this day we worked at both houses.

And we learned a new skill – quikrete mixing and placing! We were making concrete pads for the side staircases. Martha and Beryl laid down some wire for reinforcing. I was on a mixing crew, holding the wheelbarrow steady as various people took turns mixing. It’s very important to hold the wheelbarrow steady – and it took a lot of muscle! Wheeling it to the pad and dumping it were challenging too. I might have gotten a little dehydrated – the weather all week was cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon, and with all the work, you do have to make sure to keep drinking. The students left at lunchtime, and then we swept the floors and pounded any nails that were sticking up too far and the house was done!

I envisioned Friday night as a grand finale group dinner, the only time for all of us to be together. We didn’t have all of us, but that’s okay! Kristina and her fiancé joined us at the Market Café in the French Quarter. No bisque this time, but a great shrimp creole pasta – and some key lime pie! Then some of us went to Pat O’Brien’s – I had been there many moons ago with colleagues from Mrs. Smith’s Frozen Foods. A story I love to tell – we had hurricanes, of course, and as I said, they go down easy. You don’t realize how much liquor you are drinking along with the fruit punch! I did my part to keep up with the guys, but I also know to eat when you’re drinking, and maybe I had more body fat than the skinny guys I was with, or maybe I just hold my liquor better. They were getting a little rowdy, and then Allen got up a little too quickly, tipping over the table where we were sitting. Somehow, within seconds, we (must have paid up and) were out in the street with to-go cups – the Pat O’Brien’s folks are professionals at dealing with people who have overindulged. Literally, it took seconds and we were out of there. All these years later, it’s just as popular with tourists, but also has a following with locals. Kristina led us to the room with the two-piano bar – an intimate room, playing requests. What a fun evening!

Saturday was more mellow – Aaron, Suzanne and Doug had left and Susan slept in, so there were five of us. Builder Aaron had handed us off to an Americorps volunteer as our handler, and we were at the other house, paired up with five people from a church in Oregon. Beryl and Carol painted, and Martha, Elizabeth and I did…windowsills! This was a chance for redemption from my low point of the week. Well, it helps to be in on it from the beginning and have it properly explained. And it helps to be on a team with your friends – when we erred, we had fun about it instead of feeling chastised (for example, we put one windowsill in upside down – and didn’t notice it, though we were wondering what was wrong with our careful measurements. But we redid it!). There was also something satisfying in doing every single windowsill in the house. Later, I went to an elegant dinner in the Garden District with Martha and Susan – what a great city!

Camp Hope is near Chalmette Battlefield, the site of the Battle of New Orleans. Which was in which war? That’s right, the War of 1812. It took place on January 8, 1815 and was decisive in ending the war. On Sunday morning, I walked the battlefield and watched the Mississippi for a while. I didn’t get to the National Cemetery next door though – it sustained a lot of damage in Katrina and still hasn’t reopened (I think). Then I went down to the French Quarter, to the Jean Lafitte National Park headquarters. The park has several locations out in bayou country - maybe I’ll get to one when I go back for Thanksgiving – and the headquarters has interesting exhibits on the multicultural history of New Orleans and the natural history and beauty of the wetlands and delta. Both are unique! Yes, I’m going back – I want to do more volunteering and I want to see some of the city and the surrounding area – bayou or plantation or both. More stories to come! To close out this trip, though – met Elizabeth at Café du Monde for café au lait and beignets. Then I went to Kristina’s gallery, passing through a French Quarter food festival on the way (and just happened to see some crab and corn bisque). Kristina and I had lunch with Martha and Susan (I had some yummy crab cakes – kind of a New Orleans progressive lunch, with one course in each location) – they had not had a chance to meet any other PCVs when they visited Morocco, so now this week they did! Then we went out to the swamps of Luling, where Martha’s friend and colleague Dan and his wife Mai live, just over the huge Hale Boggs bridge – a bridge to nowhere named after a Louisiana favorite son. Mai made fantastic authentic Thai food – I guess in New Orleans you can find all of the ingredients; at this point I was full, but I had to at least try everything – it was great. Then it was off to the airport – after all the work to set it up, all the actual work of the week, some late nights, some great food, fun with friends old and new, and the energy of New Orleans, I was really glad to have done it.

The New Orleans Birthday Build - Part III

2010-11-10T06:38:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday morning, I did some more coping. Our little group gelled well and everyone was joking around and having fun – but also working hard! It seemed time to give someone else a chance to cope (and to be outside), so I was reassigned to a team of UW-Oshkosh students doing windowsills. I adored Aaron, the staff person assigned to our house – he had a good leadership style, explained things well, kept an eye on everything, helped where needed. There were also some Americorps volunteers assigned to our house – that was it for skilled labor, and there were a lot of us to manage. When Aaron rejected some of the windowsill work we had done I was crushed. He was right though – they weren’t level. Time stopped for a while in the middle of the afternoon. But we rallied and redid them and they came out right and looked good and I learned to use other tools and by the end of the day felt proud again. There was a long shower line back at Camp Hope, but I wasn’t about to skip – I earned that shower! Glad there was enough hot water for everyone.

Carol, Aaron and I (Beryl stayed in) headed downtown to meet Kristina for free jazz at Lafayette Square – this is a regular Wednesday afternoon NOLA thing and this was the first one of the year. The featured performer was Trombone Shorty, who I’ve heard of since – maybe I’ll get some of his music! It was fun. We then went to the Warehouse District (a new area of town for me) for Cajun music at Mulate’s, a place recommended by our post-Katrina-tour driver (they had some great shrimp and corn bisque!). We then took the ferry across the Mississippi to Algiers point – I love boat rides so was happy to do it. Algiers is where my friend Meg lived when she lived here, and it looked both familiar and different. The view of the skyline at night is impressive, too. Once there we went out to a local bar and it got late and I was tired – I would have been happy to just take the ferry right back, but on the other hand, it was another experience, and nice to go along with the group, and nice to have Kristina with us.

On Thursday, we were joined by Diane, the sister of a Princeton classmate of mine; her daughter goes to Tulane and she was visiting anyway and decided to join the build for a couple of days. She’s a big baseball fan, and she and I have emailed over the years, but we had never actually met. If you’re counting, out of ten people on the build, four of them were people I had not met before! But I knew that we’d all get along and have fun, and we did. Today, we painted the interior of the house. Somehow 24 of us split up naturally among the various rooms of the house and weren’t on top of each other. The Birthday Build people were for the most part in the living room, though volunteer Aaron also spent a lot of time in the bathroom (painting it!) and Doug – who, as staff/handler Aaron quickly recognized, was the most experienced and competent person on the volunteer team – did a lot of troubleshooting all over the house. Some of us used brushes in the corners and around the windows – I spent most of my time with a roller, doing ceilings and walls. And getting a lot less paint on myself than I did in the Philippines! I think.

On the way home, we stopped at a drive-through daiquiri place that’s close to the highway on-ramp – as the driver, I did not partake, but we all marveled at the existence of such establishments (only in New Orleans?) so we had to go. We ate dinner at Camp Hope – Suzanne and Doug came too; it was pizza night. Suzanne, Doug and Carol then went into the city for some theatre, and Aaron, Beryl and I went into the French Quarter, found a bar that had the NCAA games, and played some cribbage – a low-key evening. It was nice to get back to Camp Hope before lights out – the headlamp I’d bought in Boulder came in handy, but it was even handier to be able to make a little noise and to see…. The Camp Hope staff people were very nice, but were wondering what to do next, with the numbers of volunteers coming to New Orleans falling off. There were plenty of people when we were there, because it was spring break, but for other times, what? I helped brainstorm some marketing ideas. I later read in the Times that it was taken over for BP cleanup crews, with air conditioning and carpeting put in – and heard that the staff, who had been dedicated and hardworking, have been replaced. I wonder what its fate is now.

The New Orleans Birthday Build - Part II

2010-11-09T06:30:00.000-08:00

New Orleans has a weird combination of devotion and hopelessness, of energy and despair. It’s seductive in one way, and a great place to visit but you wouldn’t want to live there in another. I had visited my friend Meg when she lived there in the mid-‘80s – one year just after Mardi Gras, and then the next year for Mardi Gras – I was glad to see it in both quiet and in parade mode – and even more glad to return this year to help build, help the economy, and see some other parts of the city. After the post-Katrina tour, Kristina and I had lunch in the French district (along with a hurricane – the drink, that is; those go down easy…). I drove to the airport to pick up Aaron, another build participant. He’s another Morocco RPCV, in the health program – I had shared a taxi with him from Marrakesh to Essouaira, he came up to Azrou once and it happened to be a Friday so he joined us for couscous with Youssef’s family, and I am not sure I ever saw him other than that! But he had lived in Louisiana for a little while and when he saw that the build coincided with his grad school spring break, he signed on (and we agreed to share the rental car).

Kristina took Aaron and me on a little tour of the Garden District. We took the streetcar (no, not Desire) along St. Charles, past gorgeous old homes – this area didn’t sustain much damage during Katrina either; it’s the high ground. We passed Tulane and got off around Audubon Park. We had a beautiful walk in this green space and then walked along Magazine Street, another main drag of the Garden District, residential with little commercial pockets. We stopped and I had some crab and corn bisque – I had that at least twice more during my stay, and if I thought I could find a recipe that would come close to duplicating it, I would learn how to make it. Yum!

Then it was on to Camp Hope, a former school in St. Bernard Parish that has been refurbished as a place to accommodate large groups of volunteers. The ground floor has a big cafeteria, and upstairs the former classrooms have had the walls removed so there are two long sets of rooms filled with bunk beds and lockers – one side for men, and one side for women. I thought it would be fun for the whole group to stay there, but most of the group found more plush accommodations. However, as long as someone was going to stay there, I as the group leader felt I would stick with the group – Beryl, Carol, Aaron and I stayed there. We found our beds and got settled and then I turned in – usually I’m up for a game of Scrabble, but I was tired, and I knew that we’d be up early the next day (and by early I mean before 6:00 a.m.).

For $25 a night at Camp Hope, you get a bed, breakfast and dinner if you want to eat there, and a make-your-own lunch. A good deal! We got ready, and the four Camp Hope-ites went to Harvey, on the other side of the Mississippi, for our orientation. This area didn’t get flooded either, but it isn’t all that desirable, so land is cheap and Habitat for Humanity has built a lot of homes in the area. Habitat is the largest homebuilder in New Orleans, which says something about the city’s recovery. It built 97 houses last year (up from eight to ten a year before Katrina) and has built approximately 240 homes in the past five years. This year it will build around 60 – 20 to 30 were in process while we were there. The week that we were there – a big spring break week (I had trouble getting the slots – it might have helped that I mentioned that I was working with Habitat for Humanity Philippines and really wanted to do Habitat as opposed to other volunteering, or they might have held slots open for college groups and opened them up just in time for me) – 300-400 people were there. I might have this wrong, but I think they said 300,000 have helped on builds since Katrina, and Habitat for Humanity USA has two million annual volunteers total. That was all said quickly, and there was a short safety talk, and then the large group was split among different houses in the neighborhood. Our group – now joined by Suzanne and Doug, friends of my friend Joy (who didn’t come, but she told them about it and they decided to come – you never know, as I said) – was to spend the week with a group from University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, building a house for Vanette, a young woman with two kids whose parents are currently in the Army in Afghanistan. She has a job, but without Habitat for Humanity she would never be able to afford her own house. She had already put in most of her “sweat equity” hours (in the Philippines they don’t tell you which unit you get until all the houses are built, so you don’t spend more time on yours than on the others; here, you know it’s your house) so we didn’t see her much, but she and her friends did some painting and she came by a couple of other times during the week.

Our house was almost finished – our task for the day was to do trim. I did a lot of coping – that is, using a coping saw. That meant I was outside most of the day, while others were inside measuring and putting the trim around the windows and doors. I developed quite a knack for coping – of course, they break everything down into chunks that people with no experience can handle. But it still felt good to master some tools!

Our little group went out for Vietnamese food – there’s a large Vietnamese population in New Orleans, and the food was quite authentic – I can say that after having just been in Vietnam! Back at Camp Hope, I was tired after a day’s hard work – but this time, not too tired for Scrabble and cribbage!

The New Orleans Birthday Build - Part I

2010-11-08T05:44:00.000-08:00

While working at Habitat for Humanity Philippines last year, I organized a couple of PCV builds. It was great to come together as a group to help build housing for the poor. It added something when I wrote my appeals – I had met some of the homepartners, so I could speak to their dreams of having their own homes. And I had seen the energy and enthusiasm as the volunteers, workers and homepartners worked side-by-side to help those dreams become reality. And I had had a lot of fun with the group – painting, carrying reinforcing steel, digging sand and gravel, carrying sacks.

I’d wanted to do some volunteering in New Orleans since Katrina happened. Five years ago, I looked for several ways to volunteer, but as an individual without experience in disaster relief, I couldn’t find a way. Five years later, I knew help was still needed – perhaps even more now, as some major relief organizations have recently pulled out. I’d celebrated my birthday with a trip to Southeast Asia and the Drive Across America, but I hadn’t had a party or really seen as much of my friends as I wanted to. So I decided to organize what I billed as the New Orleans Birthday Build. I invited my widest possible network of people, figuring you never know whom this might interest and who might be available. It was tough to arrange everything from the Philippines and then from the road, but it all came together and it was a great experience!

I arrived in New York after the Amtrak Across America trip (writeup still coming, but I’m getting there!), went out to Southampton, unpacked and reorganized (and watched the first two days of the NCAA tournament), and then turned around and flew to New Orleans. No moss gathering here! I arrived in New Orleans on Sunday afternoon and walked around the French Quarter. Not much Katrina damage here, and with tourists flocking back, it seemed alive and well – the Saints’ Super Bowl victory has also helped swell the city pride. The French Quarter may be too trite for some, but I love the architecture and can ignore the drunk and noisy conventioneers. I went to the gallery where fellow Morocco RPCV Kristina works – I had sat next to her on the plane from JFK to Casablanca, she had come up to do a workshop with my rock carver, we’d seen each other on a few other occasions and she was always positive despite having a site without much work. And now she lives in New Orleans and loves hosting people! Joined by her fiancé and by another Morocco RPCV who I had never met (he was from the year behind me and lived in the south), we had a great dinner (I think it’s not possible to have a bad dinner in New Orleans). She then insisted I see some live jazz, which was a treat. Kristina lives just outside the French Quarter – I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable there alone at night but she radiates such good will that I felt protected in her bubble.

The next morning, we walked to Café du Monde (when in Rome…) and had café au lait and beignets with powdered sugar. And met up with Beryl and Carol! Beryl was a fellow PCRV in the Philippines; I saw her only a couple of times during my service. And Carol is an old friend of hers. When you cast a wide net, you don’t know whom you’re getting – it was great that Beryl came and that she brought a buddy! I had suggested to all comers, and these two were the ones who joined me for, a post-Katrina guided tour. This was a chance to see the hardest-hit areas, to see where the levees broke and the lake overflowed, to understand the engineering that led to this man-made disaster. The damage was not caused by the storm per se but by the surge – there was just nowhere for the water to go, so it flooded the lowest-lying areas, which of course were the poorest.

We saw lots of houses still unoccupied, with the marks made by the authorities, with water lines up to the second story, with sagging foundations. We saw many foundations of houses that were torn down; now the foundations are marked for removal – and many empty lots. One of the most noteworthy houses was that of Fats Domino – he went up to the second floor and the water came up to his head; he survived and the house looks good but he lost priceless mementoes. We also saw the new, higher levees and some of the rebuilding. Most impressive and/or controversial are those built by Brad Pitt’s Make it Right Foundation – long, raised, modern, are they smart construction in an area that might flood again, or are they out of place without stoops and a welcoming look? We also went past the Habitat for Humanity Musicians Village – colorful houses that look like a neighborhood. Should there even be rebuilding in those lowest areas, when the city population seems to have shrunk permanently by 100,000 from its pre-Katrina half a million or so? These are very interesting questions to ponder, especially for an urban studies fan like me. Might there be a job for me here? Why not help people in my own country? Well, let’s start with a five-day build and then see…

Gettysburg - Part III

2010-11-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

I was hoping we would have time to see the Eisenhower home – Ike and Mamie bought a house near Gettysburg in 1950 and retired there; it was the only home they ever owned, and they entertained heads of state there. A great chance to continue the presidential theme – and get another National Parks Passport stamp. We left the rest of the family to swim and headed over – but the power at the home was down! So, another time (and also for another time – the cavalry battlefield, a couple of miles away – there’s a separate self-guided tour. In other words, you have to really be a buff to go. Or, another time one could take horseback tours of the battlefield – that would be cool!). Just as well – stick to the Civil War! We proceeded on (a little Lewis and Clark phrase for you) with the driving route, going to Culp’s Hill, the northern flank of the battle. Along with everything else, Mike had brought a book by James McPherson, Princeton professor and author of a civil war bestseller (which I have thought about getting a few times – but it always seemed so dense). This book was a walk in the battlefield with him – and it really felt like you were walking through the battlefield with him! I borrowed the book so that when I got back I could finish what I didn’t read of it over the weekend.

We picked up the family for the climax of the battle and the battlefield – Cemetery Ridge and Pickett’s charge. Pickett and his men left the safety of the woods and marched across two miles of open field – getting shelled the entire time – with the objective of a copse of trees that still exists. Thinking that the earlier attacks on the flanks had caused the Federals to leave the middle exposed and that an hour or so of artillery bombing had left the Union guns spent, Lee thought that Pickett would be able to break through the Federal middle. They did not. And Lee’s idea of attacking the north, thus forcing an end to the war, were over. There were more casualties on these three days than during the Vietnam War. More than in any other single battle of the Civil War. Being on the ridge and being able to visualize it (and I visualized a sanitized version…) made my heart ache.

There were also some reenactors on Cemetery Ridge, and we talked to them for a little while – particularly a female doctor and a woman in the Signal Corps. Who knew? I also hadn’t thought much about the impact on the town – most of the houses became makeshift hospitals, and the town created the cemetery for the Union dead (the southerners eventually came up to retrieve most of their dead). The battle was over on July 3, 1863 and the cemetery dedication was that November; it was there that Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address. We went to the cemetery – there are about 3500 Union dead and another 3000 or so graves of military from every war since.

We then went into the town of Gettysburg, which has some nice brick houses, restaurants and shops. We went to the David Wills House, where Lincoln stayed the night before giving the speech (and which had a passport stamp); the bed and desk are still there (so is the Sam Waterston audio version). It was a nice way to end the trip. On the way back, from the bridge over the Susquehanna, we saw Three Mile Island – I didn’t realize it was that close to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. That brought back some 20th century history….

Gettysburg - Part II

2010-11-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

We then started on a driving route around the park. Mike had with him a book that he had bought at the gift shop when he was thirteen. The route is different now. Then – a big circle around the main sites. Now – the route goes in chronological order, taking you first to sites of the first day’s battle, then along the second day’s battle, and then the third.

On the first day there was comparatively little fighting, as the main corps of both armies were still on their way. The route takes you to the Eternal Light memorial that FDR dedicated in 1933, along with many veterans from both sides – that was the last big gathering of them. We went by a Union line and then along Confederate Avenue, where the Rebs were lined up before marching into the fray. The Virginia Memorial, a statue of Lee on his horse, Traveller, is one of the biggest in the park – it marks the location from which Lee watched the battle – and to see it the next day from the Copse of Trees up on Cemetery Ridge was chilling. I do think there are spirits there – none of us slept well.

Little Round Top was the next big stop – so much happened on this small hill, it is crowded with memorials and markers. On the way up there, we met a person dressed in Civil War garb. He was portraying Grant’s aide-de-camp – Grant wasn’t at Gettysburg, mind you. I asked how he chose that role and he said he retired to Gettysburg and one day ran into Grant in town. It turned out they had lived near one another in Anaheim, though they didn’t know each other then, and when Grant said he needed an aide-de-camp, he agreed. He was careful to note that he is living history, not a re-enactor, implying that re-enactors are a bit off (and that living history isn’t?). He also said the heavy blue fabric was quite breathable.

At this climactic point of the day (and the battle!), we broke for lunch. The kids were fading, but rallied to go to the museum – again, nice job of putting the battle into perspective – and the war into a greater perspective – with some before, during and after exhibits. It’s a lot to absorb, but not overwhelming (unless you try to get into the real details of which divisions and regiments and brigades were where when and with whom – at least to me – but that was in the book, not the museum).

Tobi then took the kids to the hotel pool (we had to stay in a hotel with a pool – it also had a TV, so we could watch the Phillies in the playoffs) and Mike and I picked up where we left off, at the Devil’s Den – this rocky area across from Little Round Top is not on the driving route – why? There were a lot of cars there anyway; it’s important to the narrative (and a great name). We swung through the Wheatfield and the Peach Orchard (more great names) and, as the sun sank into the west, more or less ended our day where the second day ended.

Gettysburg - Part I

2010-11-05T08:21:00.000-07:00

When I lived in the east I didn’t do as many day or weekend exploration trips as I did from Chicago – when I went away it was usually to visit friends. When I finally made it to Fallingwater (from Chicago), I realized that Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are within driving distance of each other – that is, from Chicago I regularly drove those distances, but when I lived in Philadelphia the other end of the state would have been too far. With my newfound concept of distance, I’d been thinking about Gettysburg for years - especially after my Thanksgiving trip to Chattanooga that included tours of the Civil War battlefield there and Chicamauga. I thought one year I’d tack Gettysburg onto a Reunions Memorial Day weekend and really make use of that extra day. I suggested to my friend Mike, who lives in the Philadelphia area and is a Lincoln buff, that we go together, and this year we decided to finally make it happen. Memorial Day didn’t work and one day wouldn’t have been enough anyway. We made it there this October, a beautiful time of year to be out there.

Mike recommended that I read “The Killer Angels” before I go, and I finally picked it up about a week before we went – and couldn’t put it down! I’m glad I read it so close to the trip, because the descriptions of the battles and the terrain were fresh in my mind. The book is the middle book in a trilogy; the other books are lesser-known but help frame the entire war, at least in Virginia and surroundings. I’ve finished one and am about to start the other. And now I’m interested in what was going on in other areas – Tennessee, Mississippi – but I think I may move on to other subjects rather than read more Civil War stories.

I took the train to Philadelphia and met Mike on the commuter train out to the suburbs. We ran into a neighbor of his – who happened to be related to one of the Confederate generals who fought at Gettysburg (Pettigrew). Mike knew the name was the same but didn’t know the actual connection until then! So we paid special attention when we saw his name. We loaded the family into the car – Mike and Tobi’s kids are at a good travel age – and it took about 2 ½ hours to get there. We ate at General Pickett’s buffet (it’s about what you’d imagine it to be) and retired early.

The next morning, we started at the visitor center – it’s a couple of years old and is quite grand. A short film lent some context. One part was disturbing though – Sam Waterston read the Gettysburg Address, and when he read, “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” he emphasized, “people” each time. I’d always put the emphasis on the words that are different – as did Mike, who read a book about the speech which says that that construction is one of the most marvelous ever; he constructs some of his legal arguments with the same cadence. We let it go (though we heard it again more than once, wincing each time) and went to the Cyclorama. This 360-degree painting of the battle was painted in the 1880s and recently restored. It’s both hokey and inspiring, as light and sound re-create some idea of what it might have been like to be in the middle of it as the battle rages all around you. Outside, the peaceful pastoral scene of today – albeit littered with monuments and markers – is quite a contrast.

Old Rag and Old Richmond

2010-10-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

Elisa’s daughter Jenna is in a hiking club, and one of its summer trips was to Old Rag, a well-known hike in the Shenandoah National Forest. Elisa asked if I could come a day earlier than originally planned so I could come along on the hike, and I am so glad I did! This was what I would call a Mohonk-like hike, with rock scrambling and arrows and tight squeezes – it also had some straight hiking trail through the woods, and some breathtaking vistas. At Mohonk the hikes take an hour or two – this one took about six; we took our time, but even so, it’s an all-day affair. I’ve gone on some other great hikes in the DC area with Elisa and her family but this was probably the most ambitious. It was great!

The same weekend, we drove down to Richmond to drop Jenna off at Latin camp. Another state capital – I was glad to come along for the ride! I had been eager to visit Richmond for a while; I’d read up on it last year when I went to Norfolk, Monticello and Montpelier but I just didn’t have that one more day. And a day wasn’t enough to cover everything of interest, but we made the most of the time we had.

First, we went to the State Capitol – I’ve now been to over half of the state capital cities, and quite a few of the State Capitol buildings! They tend to be very interesting. I’m not ready to make it a quest to get to all of them – some are out of the way – but when it’s practical, sure. This one was designed by Jefferson and contains a life-sized statue of Washington that’s said to be a perfect likeness. There’s also a bust of Meriwether Lewis – I still like finding those Lewis and Clark tie-ins.

We then went on to the Civil War Visitor Center at Historic Tredegar – the one time I heard Civil War expert/Princeton Professor James McPherson speak, it was at a fundraiser for this museum. The Civil War part was closed because the air conditioning was out, but we had an interesting talk with the park rangers there (and got that all-important National Parks Passport stamp), learning something about the history of Richmond, and we saw some of the outdoor exhibits on the iron works for which the site was named (it was the Confederacy’s most important foundry). This is the headquarters for the Richmond National Battlefield Parks – there are ten in the area – and it also has a nice view of the James River. Something to come back to!

Next stop was the Confederate White House. When I went to Mississippi, I went to the home where Jefferson Davis lived after the war; this was where he and his family lived during the war. The building is located next to the Museum of the Confederacy – which we didn’t have time for…. I am glad we did the White House tour – had to prioritize. Had the air conditioning been on at Historic Tredegar, we’d have missed this altogether – I’m glad we saw a little bit of each. I’ve yet to do a tour of the White House in D.C.; in the recent past I’ve written a couple of times to my (Illinois) senator for tickets but never heard back. Maybe now that I’ve switched my voter registration to New York I’ll have better luck?

A little history from further back – we went to the church in front of which Patrick Henry said, “give me liberty or give me death.” We missed the reenactment, which is supposed to be quite stirring, but (theme of the day) you can’t do everything! Our last stop (one of the park rangers had told us about it; it’s also where she got engaged) was the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. It’s situated overlooking a bend in the river; the view from there reminded the founders of Richmond-upon-Thames, and that’s how the city got its name.

There are also historic houses, several other monuments, canoeing and kayaking on the James, and more! I don’t know when I’ll be back, but there’s certainly enough to go back for. Latin camp is very competitive – only the best students from all over the state are chosen to go – I congratulate Jenna for getting in and am glad I happened to be along for the dropoff (so that made three interesting camp visits for me this summer!).

A Capital Idea

2010-10-24T05:34:00.000-07:00

I visited the DC area a couple of times this year, for job interviews and to see friends. So far no job offers, but a lot of the non-profit and government jobs that fit an RPCV are there, so you never know. I usually stay with my friends Elisa and Steve and their family, and we always have fun (and lots of games)! I saw other friends as well on my visits this year, including some fellow Morocco RPCVs, and I’ve had a couple of chances to visit the Peace Corps headquarters and the RPCV career center.

Last year I was there before the baseball season started, but this year I scheduled my first trip around the Nationals schedule, and saw a game at the new (to me) Nationals ballpark. There were almost as many Phillies fans there as Nationals fans, which made for an enthusiastic crowd anytime anything happened – and the home team won (if they hadn’t, it would have been a shame). I like the ballpark – if I do live there, even if the team isn’t very good, it’s a comfortable place to watch a game.

One of the highlights – and in all likelihood the winner of the award for Best Dinner of 2010 – was a trip to the Inn at Little Washington. Elisa, Steve and I had gone for a fancy dinner for a major birthday ten years ago, and at the time we talked about going to the Inn at Little Washington for the next major (I still have trouble with the number). It seemed extravagant in this economy, so we had a scaled-back (but still celebratory) dinner after I came back from Morocco. But it was still out there… so for Elisa’s birthday I gave her a gift certificate that would cover part of a dinner for two (or three…). And we did it! This restaurant is consistently ranked among the top in the country, and it lives up to its reputation. Each course was beautiful and delicious. I’d love to go again in another ten years – or sooner!

One of my trips took me there during cherry blossom season! Stunning. It was also nice to see some Smithsonian exhibits this year – I don’t think I would tire of the Smithsonian if I lived there! The first one was “Read my Pins,” a showing of the lapel pins won by Madeleine Albright when she was Secretary of State. She chose her pins carefully based on who she was meeting with and what she wanted to accomplish. I also went to the Sackler for an exhibit on Buddha; there were also some sculptures from the National Museum of Cambodia. I had seen some in place, and I have such an appreciation now for these treasures. And we went to the National Sculpture Garden for some photo ops. More treasures!

From the East End to Down East - Part II

2010-10-23T05:28:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning, after a great B at the B&B (you never know what you are going to get; this one included wild Maine blueberries), I drove about half an hour inland to the camp. I never went to sleepaway camp when I was growing up – I wish I could go now, and have all of those activities! This camp has a big emphasis on arts and crafts and animal care, but it also has sports and other recreation. The day that I visited, the older kids were on a field trip and the younger kids were doing gross day – at first my niece was eager to be taken offsite, but then she decided to get painted with marshmallow and chocolate first (and then shower!).

There’s no set visiting day at this camp, but when family members come to visit the campers, there’s a little ritual, and my niece wanted to do what everyone else did. First, we went to Young’s Lobster Pound, where she had a giant lobster roll and I had bisque (we’ve since discovered a restaurant on the Upper East Side that has a great lobster roll, so she’s quite happy). We then went into Belfast and shopped; she has to have some treats to show her camp friends. And then we went for ice cream. Sometimes when the family members come to visit, they keep the camper overnight, going to dinner in town. I hadn’t planned to do that, and it wouldn’t have been a good day for it – this was the day that the campers were all waiting for, Candy Drop. A plane flies over the camp, raining candy on the campers, who run around with pillowcases and bags (it did seem as though the camp had a lot of healthy food, but it’s good to know that candy still has its place). I didn’t get to witness this – I was to drop her off and leave – but it was strongly recommended that I get her back in time for it, and, without completely spoiling the surprise, I did so.

And then it was on to Bar Harbor – another three or so hours away! It’s just as well I broke up the trip with a night in Belfast. I got there before dark and had time to see the sunset over the water. The town was busy – again, glad I was in quiet Belfast the night before. Lots of restaurants, bars and tourist shops. But pleasant, with character. I got there just in time, too – the Obamas were due to come that coming weekend. Just as well I had to get back!

On Tuesday, after another B with more wild Maine blueberries, I had about three hours in Acadia. I’m glad I walked around Bar Harbor the night before and saw the harbor with boats and islands – it was all fogged in the next day! I drove the main park loop and went on a couple of very short trails – I would have loved to have the whole day there. Went to Jordan Pond, one of the better-known parts of the park. Tea is the thing there, but I had to leave before teatime. And then to Cadillac Mountain, the spot in the United States that sees the sunrise before anyplace else. I didn’t try to get there before sunrise, and I’m glad I slept in – fog fog fog! I saw a picture of the Obamas – they had a nice day and a nice view! I still had a nice time and thought it was beautiful.

The ride back took eleven hours, five of which were through Maine. I had a reservation for the 8:30 pm ferry but was pleased to make it to New London in time for the 7 – that made a big difference. My niece is back and forth about whether she’ll go to the camp next year; either way, her dad has promised to visit her (meaning her mom would too). Who knows what my situation will be next year anyway – I’m glad I had a chance to take this little lagniappe trip!

From the East End to Down East - Part I

2010-10-22T05:22:00.000-07:00

Going to Princeton to bring one niece to and from camp was one thing; going to Maine to visit the other was another thing altogether! My ten-year-old niece’s first few letters home talked about how homesick and miserable she was. In true Allan Sherman fashion, she started to like it more, but also requested a visitor. I was nominated; by the time we decided (on a Saturday) that I would indeed go, there was a small window of time – I could leave the next day, but I had to be back on Tuesday, because the Southampton Writers Conference started that Wednesday. If not for that, I might have stayed in Maine longer, maybe even gone to Nova Scotia or New Brunswick (Campobello would have been a nice visit, but this was before I went to Hyde Park), or I would have spent more time in Acadia National Park, a place that had long been near the top of my unwritten list.

I spent Saturday lining up a rental car and bed and breakfasts and looking at maps (in retrospect, I wish I had taken my Rand McNally with me – it was a valuable companion for my Drive Across America but I had kind of forgotten about it). You may recall that I haven’t done a lot of driving in the New York area – well, same for New England, so this really had an unexpected element of adventure. It happened that a visitor who goes to Maine frequently was over, and she told me about the inland route, I-395 through Connecticut, that mostly avoids I-95, and then connects with 495 in Massachusetts, avoiding Boston. Since I’m Amtraking it this year, I had briefly considered taking the train as far as it goes (Portland), but it wasn’t practical – and since these are states I didn’t cover in the Drive Across America, all the more reason to drive.

I left Southampton at 7:30 am, heading northeast – through Sag Harbor and North Haven to the Shelter Island south ferry, across that island to the north ferry, and then out to Orient Point. When I did my North Fork exploration last year, I watched the ferry leave the tip of Long Island for New London, not thinking that there would be a time when I would take it. So by 9:30 I was on my third ferry of the day! I love boat rides. The New London ferry takes an hour and a half, with boat traffic, islands, lighthouses and shoreline industry and homes for your viewing pleasure.

By 11:00 I was back on the mainland – I zipped through Connecticut and Massachusetts and barely noticed New Hampshire. I had some podcasts to listen to and bought the audio book of “Nickel and Dimed,” a sobering look at how difficult it is to live on the minimum wage. And then I got to Maine! I forget how big a state Maine is – the state line of my last state was only about the halfway point of my trip! And at right about the state line, it started to rain. I had another four hours or so before I got to Belfast. Along the way, I went through Augusta. Another state capital! I decided I could detour and see the capitol building itself.

Belfast is a beautiful town, with historic buildings and some artists-colony aspects to it – it was fortunate that the town nearest the camp was this one. I checked in, went down to the water, took a walk around the two main streets, ate dinner, and slept the sleep of someone who had a nine-hour drive.