Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
PostSecret
I read this blog every Sun, after they've posted new secrets. Some make me laugh, some make me cry. Mostly, I realize (for all that I may not have loved about my life) that things could be far worse. In fact, things are pretty good. That's a good feeling to have.
Friday, August 10, 2007
MOM'S VISIT: PART 1
Mom came to visit me in NC for a week. In fact, she just left 2 hours ago. The last time she had been to visit me was a year ago in San Francisco, so I wanted her to have another good time.
In her 7 day visit, we went swimming in the Atlantic, played in a river in the mountains, toured the Biltmore Estate and explored the (tiny and dead) downtown Raleigh scene. We also saw (purely by accident) a gorgeous view of Cold Mountain. All in all, I think she had a pretty good time while she was here.
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH
Notice a trend yet? Every time we have visitors, we usually end up playing on Wrightsville Beach. How could we not? It's close, it's pretty and the water is warm. And since my mother seemed to have brought a heat wave with her (just ask her how hot it was in SF when she came to visit!), it was the perfect place to spend a lazy (and blisteringly hot) Sun afternoon.
Being brave in the water. The waves got a little crazy later that afternoon, so we all tended to stick close to shore.
Emer and Kendrah
I''ll be driving one of these boats someday. That's the life, for sure.
Driving back from the beach after a day toasting ourselves in the sun.
Mom came to visit me in NC for a week. In fact, she just left 2 hours ago. The last time she had been to visit me was a year ago in San Francisco, so I wanted her to have another good time.
In her 7 day visit, we went swimming in the Atlantic, played in a river in the mountains, toured the Biltmore Estate and explored the (tiny and dead) downtown Raleigh scene. We also saw (purely by accident) a gorgeous view of Cold Mountain. All in all, I think she had a pretty good time while she was here.
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH
Notice a trend yet? Every time we have visitors, we usually end up playing on Wrightsville Beach. How could we not? It's close, it's pretty and the water is warm. And since my mother seemed to have brought a heat wave with her (just ask her how hot it was in SF when she came to visit!), it was the perfect place to spend a lazy (and blisteringly hot) Sun afternoon.
Being brave in the water. The waves got a little crazy later that afternoon, so we all tended to stick close to shore.
Emer and Kendrah
I''ll be driving one of these boats someday. That's the life, for sure.
Driving back from the beach after a day toasting ourselves in the sun.
MOM'S VISIT: PART 2
Sampling our new favourite "champagne". Actually, it's a malt beverage, and at $3.99 a bottle, we think it's damn tasty. In fact, we go through it so fast, the cashiers at Total Wine have become our new best friends. It might be the Ontario licenses we use for I.D....but it's more likely our tri-weekly visits to purchase the aforementioned brew. On the last trip to the store, K got smart:
She bought a case.
I think mom enjoyed it too.
ASHEVILLE
For part of her visit, we decided to visit both Asheville and the Pisgah National Forest. It took 4 hours to get there, and while it was beautiful, it was an awfully long drive and some awfully hot weather once we got there. The forest was cool -went to a place called Sliding Rock that had some interesting natural attractions they've turned into tourist traps :)
At $47/night....what more could you ask for?
Your own built-in-bottle-opener.
What a scuzzy room.
Downtown Asheville
The waterfall we found, while looking for the actual Sliding Rock site. Tons of people were playing in the water at the base of the falls. A former lifeguard's nightmare, but I made the most of it by totally ignoring their spinal-inducing antics and took some good pictures instead.
Sliding Rock Just as it appears. You line up and take turns sliding down the natural waterslide into the pool of water at the bottom. It's a spring-fed stream and the water is icy-cold.
The Smoky Mountains
Sampling our new favourite "champagne". Actually, it's a malt beverage, and at $3.99 a bottle, we think it's damn tasty. In fact, we go through it so fast, the cashiers at Total Wine have become our new best friends. It might be the Ontario licenses we use for I.D....but it's more likely our tri-weekly visits to purchase the aforementioned brew. On the last trip to the store, K got smart: She bought a case.
I think mom enjoyed it too.
ASHEVILLE
For part of her visit, we decided to visit both Asheville and the Pisgah National Forest. It took 4 hours to get there, and while it was beautiful, it was an awfully long drive and some awfully hot weather once we got there. The forest was cool -went to a place called Sliding Rock that had some interesting natural attractions they've turned into tourist traps :)
At $47/night....what more could you ask for?
Your own built-in-bottle-opener.What a scuzzy room.
Downtown Asheville
The waterfall we found, while looking for the actual Sliding Rock site. Tons of people were playing in the water at the base of the falls. A former lifeguard's nightmare, but I made the most of it by totally ignoring their spinal-inducing antics and took some good pictures instead.
Sliding Rock Just as it appears. You line up and take turns sliding down the natural waterslide into the pool of water at the bottom. It's a spring-fed stream and the water is icy-cold.
The Smoky Mountains
MOM'S VISIT: PART 3
THE BILTMORE ESTATE
A private residence?!?! See the windows to the left of the centre tower? The ones that look like they've slanted downwards over the years. Though they look cock-eyed, they were designed that way and actually follow the curve of the grand staircase inside. A very cool architectural detail.
Can you imagine this being your driveway? The sheer size of the place threw me off every time I looked around. And it's still privately owned. Imagine the upkeep on this....no wonder they keep it open to the public.
They wouldn't allow pictures inside -otherwise you'd see many of the 65 rooms, as they were all so gorgeous and elegant. My favourite was the dining hall, which had a gigantic fireplace -big enough to walk in- and a full-sized cathedral organ.
These pictures were taken at the Outdoor Centre on the estate. Grandpa -thought you'd like seeing the rocking chair and the tractor. Mom went crazy when she saw them.
The view from the Inn at the Biltmore. If only we had stayed there.....
We had lunch at the estate's Deerpark restaurant. Delicious.
THE BILTMORE ESTATE
A private residence?!?! See the windows to the left of the centre tower? The ones that look like they've slanted downwards over the years. Though they look cock-eyed, they were designed that way and actually follow the curve of the grand staircase inside. A very cool architectural detail.
Can you imagine this being your driveway? The sheer size of the place threw me off every time I looked around. And it's still privately owned. Imagine the upkeep on this....no wonder they keep it open to the public.
They wouldn't allow pictures inside -otherwise you'd see many of the 65 rooms, as they were all so gorgeous and elegant. My favourite was the dining hall, which had a gigantic fireplace -big enough to walk in- and a full-sized cathedral organ.
These pictures were taken at the Outdoor Centre on the estate. Grandpa -thought you'd like seeing the rocking chair and the tractor. Mom went crazy when she saw them.
The view from the Inn at the Biltmore. If only we had stayed there.....
We had lunch at the estate's Deerpark restaurant. Delicious.
MOM'S VISIT: PART 4
Took mom on a (very) brief (given the humidex of 115 degrees) tour of Lake Lynn. My complex is one of many that are situated around it. I was very excited to be able to swim here when I heard we'd be living on a lake. Sadly, the snapping turtles (maybe they don't really snap, but there were hundreds of them!) and snakes have kept me far from the edge of the muddy brown water.
Is it a turkey? A duck? Or just plain ugly?
At the Cheesecake Factory
What a sexy woman!
Took mom on a (very) brief (given the humidex of 115 degrees) tour of Lake Lynn. My complex is one of many that are situated around it. I was very excited to be able to swim here when I heard we'd be living on a lake. Sadly, the snapping turtles (maybe they don't really snap, but there were hundreds of them!) and snakes have kept me far from the edge of the muddy brown water.
Is it a turkey? A duck? Or just plain ugly?OUR LAST DINNER
At the Cheesecake Factory
What a sexy woman!
TRACI'S GOOD-BYE PARTY
Traci, a traveler from Florida, moved back home in the middle of July. She came from a busy trauma centre, where she'd worked for a number of years, and had been in the Air Force for 7 years before that. This was her first travel assignment -a decidedly cushy position. She's off to St. Louis next, from what I hear, to be closer to family.
We sent her off in style with a good-bye party at the Carolina Ale House. Aside from some drama later in the night, it was a great way to say goodbye.
Traci and I
Traci and Christine
Turning red over something. Probably only a semi-embarrassing comment...but we all know how easily I manage to blush.
Denise and Traci
Oh, I forgot to mention....DENISE FINALLY GOT HERE!!!! She had some issues with the job (yes, AMN sucks balls and I feel horrid for referring her to them) but, thanks to K, actually ended up with a job that pays a lot more per hour and is closer to our apartments. Plus....it's not nearly as sketchy as the other one. Sorry...even though Duke University is there, Durham is just not the nicest of cities. Overall, I think she'll have a better experience at Rex (the same hospital K works at). And she'll probably a better introduction to the hell-hole that is US healthcare.
Yes, I called it a hell-hole. There are many other words I could have used.....but I'm not sure who reads this blog and I don't want to offend anyone. Social medicine has it's drawbacks, but it's nothing like this bankrupt-inducing system. I've been on both ends of it, so I feel for the people here who don't have any other choice.
I'll be quiet now.
That aside, K and I are very happy to have Denise here. The Canadian Contingent is going strong. We're getting ready to take over the city.
Just don't tell anyone. We'd rather take them by surprise.
Michael, another traveler who was finishing up his contract just as I started mine. He's working in the Cancer Clinic now, and liking the change from the ER
This is actually at the dinner we had two nights before Traci left. We went to Kanku (or something like that) where they cook your dinner Hibachi-style in front of you. Quite a tasty meal.
Traci, a traveler from Florida, moved back home in the middle of July. She came from a busy trauma centre, where she'd worked for a number of years, and had been in the Air Force for 7 years before that. This was her first travel assignment -a decidedly cushy position. She's off to St. Louis next, from what I hear, to be closer to family.
We sent her off in style with a good-bye party at the Carolina Ale House. Aside from some drama later in the night, it was a great way to say goodbye.
Traci and I
Traci and Christine
Turning red over something. Probably only a semi-embarrassing comment...but we all know how easily I manage to blush.
Denise and TraciYes, I called it a hell-hole. There are many other words I could have used.....but I'm not sure who reads this blog and I don't want to offend anyone. Social medicine has it's drawbacks, but it's nothing like this bankrupt-inducing system. I've been on both ends of it, so I feel for the people here who don't have any other choice.
I'll be quiet now.
That aside, K and I are very happy to have Denise here. The Canadian Contingent is going strong. We're getting ready to take over the city.
Just don't tell anyone. We'd rather take them by surprise.
Michael, another traveler who was finishing up his contract just as I started mine. He's working in the Cancer Clinic now, and liking the change from the ER
This is actually at the dinner we had two nights before Traci left. We went to Kanku (or something like that) where they cook your dinner Hibachi-style in front of you. Quite a tasty meal.
RYAN'S VISIT
Ryan's trip to NC coincided with our anniversary weekend, so we decided to do something a little more extravagant for part of his visit. We headed down to Myrtle Beach and got to stay in a gorgeous hotel on the north end of the strip. Pretty and big and tons-o-fun.
Pete thought I was crazy to want to go to Myrtle Beach. Said it was too touristy.
Well, I'm a tourist and Ryan's a tourist....
....and we had a great time.
I think this was my second favourite part of the hotel room. Everyone knows I love my bathtubs. I put bubble bath in this, turned the jets on and had a grand-ole time splashing around in the gigantic mess of bubbles.
This was my favourite part: the view from our room on the top floor of the hotel.
A giant sand sculpture
Relaxing on the beach the first day. It was actually much sunnier than it appears in this picture, but the beach ones all turned out hazy for some reason.
At dinner after our full (and non-stressful) day of laying on the beach. Ryan got a wee-bit sun burnt, as you can see. Yes....he is almost the same colour as the lobster. Perhaps next time he'll remember to reapply the sunscreen.
Back at home, our last night together before Ryan flew back home.
Ryan's trip to NC coincided with our anniversary weekend, so we decided to do something a little more extravagant for part of his visit. We headed down to Myrtle Beach and got to stay in a gorgeous hotel on the north end of the strip. Pretty and big and tons-o-fun.
Pete thought I was crazy to want to go to Myrtle Beach. Said it was too touristy.
Well, I'm a tourist and Ryan's a tourist....
....and we had a great time.
I think this was my second favourite part of the hotel room. Everyone knows I love my bathtubs. I put bubble bath in this, turned the jets on and had a grand-ole time splashing around in the gigantic mess of bubbles.
This was my favourite part: the view from our room on the top floor of the hotel.
A giant sand sculpture
Relaxing on the beach the first day. It was actually much sunnier than it appears in this picture, but the beach ones all turned out hazy for some reason.
At dinner after our full (and non-stressful) day of laying on the beach. Ryan got a wee-bit sun burnt, as you can see. Yes....he is almost the same colour as the lobster. Perhaps next time he'll remember to reapply the sunscreen.
Back at home, our last night together before Ryan flew back home.
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