In Memorium

Lavinia Jane (nee Purdie) Glass
September 17, 1910 - December 22, 2007

We lost my grandmother yesterday after her unyielding strength could no longer hold off Mother Nature. In her 97 years of life, my "Grandma Glass" was a force to be reckoned with. She was married to my grandfather for over 50 years, until his passing in 2004. She was mother to five children, one of whom died just 5 months previous to her own passing. She was my mother's mother, my grandmother, and an example of strength, perseverance, fortitude and love. We will miss her greatly, but extremely fortunate to have had her in our lives for so long. We love you, Grandma Glass.

Yes, Virginia, there IS...

In Virginia now, visiting my side of the family. Luckily, I've had time to spend with my mum, sister and brother-in-law, as well as various high school chums I still keep in touch with. Tomorrow, I'll get to see my brother and sister-in-law, and my cute-as-pie nephew who I am planning to steal away from his parents at my first chance! This is the first time I've seen him in a year, so he's not the tiny 2-month old he was last time I saw him; he's up and running around now (and flirting with the ladies, so I hear...).

On my mum's computer so I don't have any pics to post just yet, although I realize I've been promising pics for some time now with no follow-through. That will be rectified shortly.

Adam and Kika are doing well and send their regards to all of you out there who might be reading. Hope you're all well and best of holiday wishes to you and yours.

Key West Coincidences

Adam, Kika and I spent 3 days in fabulous Key West. This was my second time there, and Adam's third, and Kika's first. It's a place with a reputation for drinking and good times, and both are definitely to be had there. Duval Street is the main tourist drag, with loads of bars, restaurants and shops to keep you entertained. However, we found ourselves enjoying the slightly quieter areas of the town better, which may indicate our aging souls.
The best thing about our trip down there was all of the fortuitous circumstances we happened upon. The first full day we were there (Sunday), we saw a sign advertising a dog holiday parade in the dog park. While we didn't force a costume upon Kiks, we did go to the park to check out all of the cool breeds of dogs that showed up. There was everything from Great Danes to Rhodesian Ridgebacks to Huskies to yes!, another Rat Terrier. Of course Kika was in no mood to be sociable and almost bit off the other Rattie's nose, but the other dog took it well...
On Monday evening, we found out about the "Little White House", the house where U.S. presidents since Harry Truman have been staying when they visit the island. Adam was dying to go in, but since we got there by 5:30pm, and the grounds close by 6pm (and there is a $9 fee to go in) we thought we were out of luck. So we just decided to walk around the grounds for the last 1/2 hour we were there. Lucky we did, because as it turned out, there was a special event for the public that night to tour the downstairs area of the Little White House, which had been set up as if the President were coming for a stay. All the china that was used for the Clintons was laid out, and the rest of the downstairs, which consists of a living room, game room, parlour, etc., were exactly in the decor that the Truman administration had originally used. It was a wonderful history lesson to walk around and read the interpretive signs in the museum area and understand the full history of the house. Not to mention, they brought us a glass of champagne to heighten the effect...
Later that night, we decided to go out to an outdoor bar for drinks and nosh. We weren't super hungry, but decided to split an entree while the New Orleans Saints played the Baltimore Ravens. Just as I was about to order, the bartender informs me that in a few minutes, free appetizers would be brought out for halftime, and so we could skip on buying a pricey entree. He was right on. So we only paid for our booze, had free appetizers, and called it a relatively early night, because I was just about to come down with a bad cold, which I'm only now getting over, by the way.
Gotta go for now...we're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz...actually, Adam's grandma.

Lost...in Translation

So getting lost in the middle of an Oregon forest this summer wasn't enough, so I had to renew my fading reputation by getting lost yet again; this time, on the streets of Florida. I took Adam's mum's dog for a run this evening, on a route I've done twice before, but somehow took a wrong turn that set us back by about an hour. The street names here are a confusing mix of numbered avenues, roads, ways, drives and terraces. Just when I thought I'd made my way back in the vicinity of the house, I found myself numerically quite a distance away. Luckily, I had a spry little puppy with me who was more than game for an adventure (although her idea of fun was stopping every few seconds to pee on lawns), so we trudged on. I had to ask two separate people for directions, and just when pups and I were a mere 3 minutes away from the house, who should come driving up but Adam and his mum, very worried, but quite happy to see pups and me alive and well. So it's been an evening of physical exertion, disorientation and frustration, and finally (the goody) pure embarassment.
The upside of this evening, however, was that I got a chance to see TWO burrowing owls up close. They are listed under the Endangered Species Act as "species of special concern", so I'm really psyched that I got a chance to see them. Tomorrow night, I'm going running in hand with a cell phone...and a digital camera.

Happy Channukah

Tonight is the first night of (C)hannuka(h), and we brought our menorah from Michigan so we could light it with Adam's mum here in Florida. I'll miss having latkes with our friends Mara and Andrew, but we three will do up the holiday here with swimming, kayaking and shopping. Ahhhhh....what better ways to celebrate?
Happy festival of lights to you all!

Stealing Service

So we are at the end of Day 3 in Florida, visiting Adam's parents, and only tonight did I realize that his mum has a wireless connection from the house. Someone nearby is paying a pretty penny for me to use their wireless service...I offer my thanks...
Kika is doing "okay", but has had a tense few days with her new "cousin", Adam's mum's new puppy. That puppy is all over the place and Kiks, at 12 1/2 years old, just isn't having it. They came to blows--or should I say paws??--earlier this evening, and we had to physically separate them. Hoping they learn to love each other--or at least tolerate each other--before this trip is over.
Adam and I look forward to several more days here in the fun and sun before we head northward to cooler temps again. Promise to post pics from the last week as soon as Ads gets them off the camera.

Just Can't Get Enough...

...of friends, food and travelling. We spent yesterday and this morning in Lawrenceburg, KY, visiting our friend Keith. He took us on a private tour of the Wild Turkey whiskey distillery and I got loads of pics of the distillery process. Pretty cool. Keith is a really good cook, too, so Ads and I have eaten well these last few hours!
Kika is doing well, although she is not very happy with her new "berthing" arrangement. I got a collapsible nylon pet kennel several months ago, thinking it would be suitable for Shabbi, but never ended up using it. It has come in quite handy for Kika as we've been staying at our friends' homes. However, not only does she hate it, and try to get out, but she has actually mastered her escape plan several times now. I've had to lock the two zippers in place so she can't unzip the kennel and climb out. She has NOT been happy about this.
We are now about to get on the road to Nashville, TN to see our good friend Michelle and her family. I'm super excited about seeing them all, as it's been awhile since the last time they were in Michigan for a visit. I'll be sure to post pics of our visit, as I'm sure the camera will be flashing away in the next 24 hours.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Greetings from Louisville, Kentucky. Adam, Kika and I are here for the weekend visiting our good friend Steve and his family. From here, we head to Lexington to see yet another friend before we really hit the road toward Florida!
My very talented sister and brother-in-law were in the Macy's Day Parade today carrying the Hello Kitty float, in case you were watching. I'm sure they were great!
Hope everyone is filled to the bursting point and look forward to catching up with you all soon.
Much love,
Lauren, Ads and Kiks

more pics

just a few more for your viewing pleasure...


We made it to Yellowstone! Adam couldn't wait to see Yogi, but alas! the bear populations (both black and grizzly) had already entered hibernation, so we didn't see Yogi or any of his relatives this trip...:-( We did see tons of elk and were stopped for about an hour at the park's exit by a herd of bison that wouldn't let us pass!


The magpies were intent on tormenting poor Kiks...park regulations won't let you take your dog out on most trails for fear of wildlife encounters (Kika would definitely be a "prey" item), so we had to keep her in the car for most of the visit.


Adam in the mist...here, we were visiting one of the many thermal pools that were fantastically active during our visit. You have to be VERY careful around them, though. Loads of people have fallen in only to have their skin melt off them in a matter of seconds, and then die quickly thereafter.


Good Ole Faithful...we got to see her erupt twice. We have a great video from our first visit.

some pics...

Here are some of the places we visited on our cross-country venture. I know pictures are much more fun to see than having to read the blah-blahs of what's going on with us, so here ya go!


Adam with his hot new girlfriend in Malibu...actually, his hot and incredibly sweet cousin


Adam with his hot new boyfriend at the Getty museum...he and Leroy got to be great pals over in Iraq and we got a chance to hang out with him on several occasions once the guys were back stateside


Lover's spat


Ads in San Fran with the (Golden Gate? Bay?) bridge behind him


Whoever said 6'3" is tall?


Once we made it back up to Roseburg, we did a lot of hanging out with two of my favorite people, Janice and Art


We went into Portland with our friend Eva-Maria for a Halloween club event. Can you guess who this character is?


Bride of Frankenstein...


Alexandra and I lazing away the day in Portland, outside my new-favorite bookstore, Powell's


It's not really fall without a good leaf fight!


Catching up with an old Navy friend in Seattle


Downtown Seattle at night


Kika vs. the dinosaur at the petrified gingko forest


Kiks and Mum at Couer d'Alene Lake in Idaho


The princess and the pea...

Montana

Adam and I have fulfilled a 6-year long dream (ever since we saw "Legends of the Fall" together) to visit Montana. We crossed over the border yesterday, and spent All Hallow's Eve here last night. Toured around the Univ. of Montana campus in Missoula a bit last night, then drove to Bozeman to spend the night. Hoping to visit the Montana State campus before hitting the road today, but we really want to get into Yellowstone/Grand Teton park today before it gets too dark.

Gotta jett for now...time to check-out of the hotel...

New Profile

A few people have pointed out that I need to change my personal profile now that Adam is back, so there you go. It's a little non-descript, but that's sort of the way life is right now--not in any one place for very long, no real job to speak of, just moving through life experiencing...well, life. I kind of like it that way, at least for now. Being in Anywhereville, USA, has had a bit of a healing effect on me since Shabbi's passing. Or maybe travelling has just kept me from thinking about it too much, which isn't good. I think back yet again to the book "A Walk Across America". Peter Jenkins had his forever friend, Cooper, a malamute mix that stayed by his side, always, until his untimely passing. Reading that book has brought me some calm. It's like what Aunt May tells Peter Parker: "We have to be steady."

In any case, I didn't have the heart to change my titles to this blog, because she's still my Charley as far as I'm concerned. This is still the story about this girl and her dog...and her dog...even if it's just the memory of one of them.

A Coast Less Travelled

So here we are, back again (for the umpteenth time) in a Motel 6. They seem to have become our hotel (or motel?) chain of choice for the sheer reason that they allow pets without an extra fee. Come to any Motel 6 and you're bound to see kitties in the room windows, hear dogs barking as you walk past rooms or owners walking their pets around outside. It really has become the unofficial "pet hotel" I think.

So the last 2 weeks have been awesome. When last I wrote, we were back in Roseburg, OR, where I lived and worked for 4 1/2 months this summer. I got the chance to introduce Adam to my housemates Janice and Art and several other friends I made this summer. Our first day back, Janice held a little dinner party for us so I could see friends one last time before heading back east, and so they could meet Ads. We all had such a great time. The rest of the week was spent touring around the Umpqua Valley to Eugene and to hang out at Art's house. This vegetarian even got the chance to see my first deer processing; I helped separate the deer meat and bag it. Surprisingly enough, I wasn't disgusted at all. I wasn't tempted, but I also wasn't disgusted. I guess I've come a long way since I first moved to Michigan.

After a tearful good-bye to Janice and Art, we travelled to Corvallis to see Anita, the first "Michigan friend" to see Adam since his return from Iraq. She was able to take the afternoon off to take us around downtown Corvallis and Oregon State Univ., then off for sushi for dinner. It was great to see her one last time before leaving the PNW.

Next up was Portland to see Eva-Maria and Alexandra, our next set of "Michigan friends". Since we arrived on Halloween weekend, Eva had us meet up with her friends from "Meet in Portland", a cool social group that meets throughout the city for different social activities and outings. There was a Halloween costume party going on at a club in the city, so Ads and I dressed up in costumes we got at a Goodwill we passed on the highway. He found a grim reaper costume straight away, and I managed to find a beautiful wedding dress (reminds me of my mother's) from the 1970s for $8, and a Bride of Frankenstein wig, so that's what I went as. We had a great time and I took tons of pics of the various costumes we saw at the club. The following day, we took Alexandra to the city and hit the farmer's market, a chocolatier and Powell's bookstore, my new favorite bookstore. We all three of us got lost in there. Later that night, we went to a pretty cool haunted maze complete with ghouls, ghosts and zombies. What a weekend!

Yesterday (Sunday) we left our friends and drove up to the Olympia area to see yet another set of "Michigan friends", Kate and Brad. I don't know how many years it had been since Adam had seen them, but it was great to hang out again. Their kids Ella and Jack were cutie-pies as usual, and we had a nice walk around the neighborhood on a beautiful fall day. They have a great view of Mt. Rainier so we soaked up the sights.

After leaving their place, we drove up to Kirkland, WA, to spend the night. That's about 20 miles outside of Seattle. A good friend of Adam's from the navy, Chris, lives in these parts and met up with us at Pike Place Market this morning. We had a wonderful day walking around the city, buying pumpkin muffins for breakfast, stopping for soothing tea at a little teahouse on this overcast Seattle day, then catching lunch at an Irish pub. After we bid Chris adieu, Ads and I walked around the city a bit more, trying to decide if we could see ourselves living here. I definitely could; I think Adam might still be leaning more toward California's warm weather.

So here we are now, back at the hotel for a little QT with Kika before we head back into the city for dinner. As I remember, restaurants in Seattle close kind of early, so I guess we'd better get going. We're starting the trip back east tomorrow. As much as I'll be happy to be back in our house around our friends and all the familiar trappings of home, I am so bummed to leave the PNW. I am so sold on living out here.

See y'all soon...

Trippin'

This post is a couple weeks old; I got sidetracked from posting it between Adam's arrival and Shabbi's situation, but I thought the story and pics would still be fun, so here you go.


I was so anxious to show pics of the reunion with Ads that didn't post any from my travels through California. What a trip that was! I know this is totally cliched, but I do feel like this summer has been a rite of passage for me, of sorts. I finally got a chance to do some extensive travelling, work in my field of study, and be almost completely independent. It has been wonderful. I realized as I was about to embark on the trek down through California that it would be the last week of all that. As soon as I was reunited with Adam, my summer solo adventures would come to an end. I was afraid that I would miss being on my own. While I have to say that I do look back on this past summer with fondness, and I am grateful for the experiences I had, I am very glad to have my partner back. Between his companionship, his additional support while taking care of Shabbs, and general funny self, my heart aches when I think of how much I missed him while he was gone. It aches even more now that I'm hearing about some of the experiences he and his comrades had over there. We are very very lucky to have him home safe and in one healthy piece.

But this is supposed to be about California! I set out of Oregon last Monday morning and made it across the border into Cali in about 3 hours. Only after crossing the border did I realize I'd made a slight mistake--I should have been driving along the coast instead of on I-5. The Redwood Forest and just about everything else I wanted to see was along the coastline. I decided to take Hwy 96, aka the Scenic Byway through the Coast mountains. This took a long time but it was beautiful. Hwy 96 follows the Klamath River the entire time, passing through very small logging towns before finally ending in Bigfoot country, aka Willow Creek. They had statues of Bigfoot everywhere, so I can only assume that's where most of the sightings have occurred. I finally made it to Arcata that night. Arcata is home to Humboldt State University and is renowned for being Hippie Central. I felt really at home there, and was sad that I didn't have more time to spend there.

The next morning, the girls and I left Arcata and got on Hwy 101 south toward San Francisco. My goal was to get to the Bay area by early evening so I could spend a day or so sightseeing. However, before I knew it, I had entered the Humboldt Redwood State Forest. It was incredible--the smell of the forest as soon as I stepped out of the car, the girth and height of the trees, the peacefulness of the forest. I spent about 4 hours on 32 miles of scenic routes through the forest. That drastically set me back in my travel timeline, but I was happy that I took my time and saw everything I wanted to see. I got back onto Hwy 1 afterward to drive along the coastline. The Pacific Ocean at dusk was breathtaking...but Hwy 1 at dusk is death-defying. It was a big mistake to try to navigate Hwy 1 (aka the Pacific Coast Hwy) at night, as you're dealing with hairpin turns, limited vision and loads of people driving far too fast (if you've ever seen Hitchcock's "Suspicion", you'll know what I mean). My only saving grace after navigating that road for 3 straight hours was that I somehow got sidetracked onto Hwy 138, which led me back to Hwy 101. I finally made it to Santa Rosa by 10:30pm, where the girls and I plopped gratefully into bed.

Day 3 was spent re-energizing for yet another day of driving. I decided to bypass San Francisco (you can't "do" a city in less than a day anyway) and get to Monterey that night instead. Monterey was the single most important objective of my entire summer (well, second to seeing Ads). Monterey is John Steinbeck country; I was reading "Cannery Row" before I left Michigan, and this blogsite is named after one of his more famous novels. It was important to me to get there. I made it into Monterey around 8pm that night. The girls got me up around 6am the following morning, so I got myself together and went to the beach to do some birdwatching. There were Heerman's gulls, greater blackbacked gulls, dowitchers and (endangered) snowy plovers out on the beach. I spoke to a park ranger who encouraged me to travel 10 miles north to Moss Landing, where the shoreline birding is astounding. There were dolphins, seals and tons of birds. Afterward, I went into downtown Monterey to visit Cannery Row, aka John Steinbeck land. It was wonderful to see the places he wrote about in his books and to feel a part of all that. I was glad that my guitar instructor, Dr. Batie, had lent me those books to read and encouraged me to visit Cannery Row in my travels.

About 1 hour south of Monterey, I was driving down Hwy 101, and it was like a scene out of "Top Gun" (one of my fave movies of all time, by the way). Two fighter jets were doing some practice dogfights in the canyons on either side of the highway. It was freakin' amazing. I really wanted to pull over and get some pics but didn't think it prudent to start photographing on the highway shoulder. Oh well. My only regret leaving Monterey was that I didn't get to see any California condors *sigh*

Below are some of the pics from my travels down the coast. Hope you enjoy.



Driving alongside the Klamath River on Hwy 96...this took much longer than I had prepared for, but was a beautiful drive nonetheless.



Willow Creek is Bigfoot Country...I kept my eyes open as twilight set in...



The obligatory I-am-but-a-small-nothing-in-this-big-world picture



Driving the Jetta through Chandelier Tree in the redwoods



Sunset on the Pacific; this was the first sight of the ocean I'd had once I got out of the Redwoods and the magnitude of its beauty hit me like a brick wall.

Baby Emelia

Welcome to the world, Emelia Jayne! You're a lucky little girl to have parents as awesome as Veryan and Chad. Can't wait to meet you next time we make it to England!

Adam, Kika and I

So life has been a complicated mixture of happiness and grief as we've been travelling through California, seeing the sights as a family of three. Kika has had a difficult time adjusting to being the only dog, as her general lackluster demeanor has suggested. But we have certainly "done" the West Coast, visiting Malibu, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Francisco, the Redwood Forest and now back to Oregon. We have almost retraced my drive down from Oregon to California, with a few well-placed detours to check out additional sights.

We arrived in Oregon last night and are staying at the house I lived at this summer. We're having a special dinner tonight to introduce Ads to all the friends I made this summer, so I'm pretty excited about that.

We'll be heading north in the next few days to visit our friends in Corvallis, Portland and Olympia before heading back to Michigan via route 90 (gotta stop off and see the four heads at Mt. Rushmore, a long-time dream of Adam's and mine). Looking forward to seeing friends in Michigan and family back east, but I have to say, I am sold on moving west. My heart will stay out here when it's time for us to leave.

Will post pics from our travels as soon as we download from the camera.

Good-bye Charley

Shabbos "Shabbi" Mittman
February 1993-October 9, 2007
A Life Lived Well


We said good-bye to our "big girl" Shabbi this week, and it was the hardest thing I've ever done. We were all present--Adam, Kika and I--when she departed the world, and we all feel the pangs of grief and loneliness from missing her.

Shabbi was by all measures, the perfect dog. She loved friends, and tennis balls and her daddy's pretzels. She loved rolling around on her back in smelly things like poop and animal carcasses. She loved getting dried off after a bath. She loved her little sister Kika. Shabbi loved sneaking food off your plate when you weren't looking and then pretending to be sorry when she was reprimanded. She loved kicking me out of the bed so she could curl up with Adam. Shabbi loved playing in the snow and bouncing around like Tigger. She loved swimming in the river and chasing ducks and squirrels and anything else that ran. Shabbi loved car rides and sticking her head out the window to smell the passing air. She loved long runs at the park. She loved having lots of people at the house who would pet her and fawn over her. She loved getting her belly scratched. She loved quiet times and she loved sleeping. She loved me and she loved life. Most of all, she loved Adam.
And we all loved her. We miss you terribly, Shabbi-girl, but will never, ever forget you. With fond memories, my sweet baby, good-bye.

Howdy Stranger

Many many many apologies for this taking so long to write, but my motel doesn't have internet access, and Adam came back with a pretty nasty cold and has been sleeping much of the time since he's been back. Needless to say, trying to find an internet cafe hasn't exactly been a top priority in the last couple days.


Having said that, we have had many happy returns. One of Adam's friends on base arranged to get me through the front gate on the day of his arrival (things are uber-secure around here), and I waited along with the handful of wives and husbands awaiting the arrival of our sailors. I was surprised by how few family members were there to welcome the unit back. In typical military "hurry up and wait" fashion, I got to the base early, only to find out that they were running about 3 hours late. I got a chance to speak to some of Adam's colleagues from Iraq who had arrived in California a week earlier; I was gratified to hear them say some really nice things about Adam and the hard work he performed over there. Once the busses rolled into view, of course we all got excited, but it took several minutes before I finally saw my tall SeaBee, looming over the heads of his fellow sailors. I ran out to him and laid a big one right on him.


As promised, we called his mother and my mother before he had to take care of some administrative stuff. If you haven't gotten a call from us yet, please don't take it personally. We have been WAY over our allotted cell phone minutes for the month and Adam has been too ill to carry on a conversation with anyone. He is feeling better now and our new minutes just kicked in, so we promise to follow up on calling all you folks who we owe a call to.

Kika was VERY happy to see her daddy again. It took her a few beats before she realized who was standing in the doorway and then she went ballistic. As I suspected, it's pretty much been "Mommy who?" ever since he's been back. Shabbi, as I also expected, is so far gone that she shows no signs of recognition. But, I am grateful that I made the effort this summer to keep her alive so that Adam has had time with her now that he's back. We are (with great difficulty) deliberating saying good-bye to her here in California. We don't know that she would comfortably make the trip back up to Oregon, much less back to Michigan. It's the hardest decision we've had to make so we're taking our time with it. I will keep you updated on that front, too.

So, yes, I am a happy lady right now. I asked Ads if I look older since the last time he saw me. His canned answer is "Yep, time for me to trade you in for a newer model!" He looks great, just very thin. With all the food they were feeding him over there, I was sure I was going to have a Mr. Stay Puff on my hands; instead, he's a little too thin, especially added to his sickness. I've been trying to get him out into the sun and onto the beach to add a little color to his pallor.

Thanks again to you all for being so supportive (and patient in the last week!) of us. It means the world, and we can't wait to see you all when we head back eastward this fall. Lansing-ites, we have a predicted arrival for the end of October, just in time for my favorite holiday, mmmmuuuhahahahhahahhahaha!!!!!

Love to you all...Lauren, Adam, Shabbi and Kika

Good-bye Oregon...For Now

Feeling nostalgic about leaving my summer home tomorrow, so I thought I'd post one last blog from Oregon before I go. I'm mad that it took me all summer to leave the cafe with SCM; now that I've finally found really nice, cool people at this used bookstore that has WIFI access, it's already time to leave. The guy here even gave me my last cup of joe on the house to bid me adieu. Why didn't I come HERE all those months?

Everything's just about packed, just need to clean out the smelly car and wash some linens before I load up. In true Lauren fashion, though, I am procrastinating going home and completing necessary chores...*sigh*

I'm really going to miss this little town of Roseburg. It turned out to be a lot friendlier and cooler than I originally gave it credit for. There are very few places where you can go wine-tasting, hiking, swimming in the river and owl watching all in one day. This summer was exactly what we three girls needed, even if we didn't know it when we moved out here. We saw loads of stuff, did tons of fun things and met a lot of really great people, some of which, I'm certain will be lifelong friends. So, as I bid the PNW (Pacific Northwest) farewell, I carry with me many fond memories of beautiful scenery, yellow jackets, tumbling down hills, thorny vegetation, bears, elk, songbirds, canoeing, dinners with friends, horseback riding, holding a spotted owl and much, much more. Good-bye summer. Good-bye Oregon.

Next stop, Redwoods National Forest, California...

Less Than a Week

This time next week, I will be a VERY happy girl (wink wink). Adam is due back to the states by the end of the week. I am all packed, the house is clean, and as of Monday morning, the girls and I will be California-bound, to go get our guy. I will try to find internet along the way to continue the posts.

Old Friends, New City

Apologies for the lack of recent postings of late, but gotta admit, I've been having the time of my life this last week! After I bid my housemates adieu (they went on a 2-week long holiday), I got myself and the girls together for a northerly trip to Washington. This was motivated by a visit to some good ole friends of mine from my early Michigan days, Kate and Brad. They moved out here a few years ago, and have since had a couple kids--cutie pie kids, I might add--in the interim. It had been about 3 1/2 years since I'd seen them, but I think we were all pleasantly surprised by how easily we sank back into our old friendship, catching up and joking around. Kate is my fave potty humor friend, so I could totally be my naturally poopified self around her, and she just laughed. Gotta love her!

Despite being parents to an adorable (not to mention active!) toddler and newborn baby, Brad and Kate still found time to show me around downtown Olympia, where we attended the Sunday farmer's market and visited the fish ladder to see the salmon running. They were also responsible for some yummy vegetarian meals while I was visiting, so hats off to my great ole friends!

Monday morning, the girls and I set off for downtown Seattle. I was a little apprehensive about invading a foreign city, but what the hell, I am an American, that's what we do, right?? Once I got to my motel (Motel 6, by the way, allows pets without a pet fee, even if it is a little sketchy...), I got a guide to the city and found Seattle fairly easy to drive to and navigate around. The familiar rush of driving through busy city streets came back all at once and I realized how much I've missed living in the hustle and bustle of a real city (sorry Lansing...). That first day, I made it to the Space Needle and did the obligatory tourist visit to the top. It was really interesting to read all the history surrounding its construction. I walked around the city center for awhile, and then tried to find a sushi restaurant my friend Alix had suggested I check out. Evidently it no longer exists because no one in the neighborhood knew what I was talking about, so I settled for sushi at another restaurant, and it hit the spot. I loved walking around at night, the energy and zip-zam-zibble-bobble that pulses out at you. The only thing that surprised me was how early things close in Seattle for being such a city. A lot of restaurants were shutting down by 9pm, unheard of by NYC standards. Day 2, I got out early and went to (what else?) the Pike Place farmer's market, the go-to place for tourists after the Space Needle. This is the oldest farmer's market in the U.S., and perhaps the largest. It seems to go on FOREVER, and there are many levels of shops and stores. It was great. I spent far too much time there, but couldn't tear myself away. When I left, I encountered a Japanese teahouse (The Vital Leaf) that was offering free tastings. Can this tea enthusiast resist? Of course not! After several yummy sips of jasmine tea later, I headed outside of the city to the Museum of Flight. I don't know why this piqued my interest, but as soon as I heard that the Concorde and Air Force One were parked there, I had to go. Unfortunately, I spent so much time at the farmer's market that I missed the opporunity to see the two above-mentioned jets, but I did get 1 1/2 hours in the museum to see films on the history of flight and many retired aircraft. Later that evening, I went back into the city for a dinner of fish and chips. I was craving it, and it was good, but I definitely know why I am vegetarian. I think I've fulfilled my fish craving for another year.

My favorite thing about Washington? All the major highway signs have silhouettes of Washington's head on them. I LOVED that! I mentioned that to Kate and she said, "So if anyone asks why you decided to move to Washington, you'll say it's because you like his head on the highway signs?". Hey, I never said I was intriguing, just a little original. Later gators!



Didn't quite get close enough...but we were about to enter Washington...



Olympia's capitol building looks a bit like Lansing's capitol building...



Brad and Ella at the fish ladder, surprise, surprise!



Kate and (sleeping) baby Jack!



This is the Museum of Science Fiction; the building was designed by famed architect Frank Gehry, who I once saw giving a lecture at the Guggenheim in NYC.



Sunset on the coast



Dim lights, big city



This might be my favorite shot from Seattle. I was at the Pike Place farmer's market, talking to my girlfriend on the phone, when I noticed a crowd gathering around an escapee king crab. This little boy and several other people were gently kicking the crab so it wouldn't go in the street and get run over. I finally got fed up that the vendor didn't go get his crab, so I picked it up and carried it back to the stall. At least if it's gonna die, someone should eat it!



Crazy busy at the Pike Place farmers market


The Space Needle at night...sometimes technology really can be beautiful...

Rosh Hashanah

Last night at sundown was the start of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Despite Adam's absence, I decided to observe our tradtion of celebrating with friends over a large feast. I cooked from 9:00-5:30pm yesterday to host a dinner for 9 people. It was great! I made matzah ball soup, challah bread, lubiya (black eyed pea soup), 3 different kugels (casseroles) and roasted root vegetables. We were fit to feed an army! Everyone had a great time and there was tons of food left over to send everyone home with whatever they wanted.
Here are some pics from the occasion! Shana Tova!


The hors d'vours table...Manischewitz spritzers and challah bread


These were the first challah breads that have actually come out the way I wanted them to! I got lots of compliments on them; needless to say, they didn't stick around very long.


Vegetable kugel, roasted root vegetables, apple noodle kugel, sweet carrot kugel and lubiya


Here, Janice, Mary and Patrick are sampling the matzoh ball soup; I think they liked it more than they were expecting to!


Everyone sends out a hearty "Shana Tova" to Adam!

September 11th...in Memorium

Six years have gone by since the single most terrifying day in my life, and I dare say, Adam's as well. I will never forget the sound of sirens on the Clearview Expressway, heading for Manhattan; the look on Adam's face when I got home and he told me both towers had fallen; or opening our door to our friend Tom, usually sarcastic and wise-cracking, but after having walked the more than 15 miles from midtown Manhattan to Queens, was sober and resigned as he hugged both Adam and me. Perhaps more than anything, I will never forget the black cloud that hovered over Manhattan for weeks, and that could be seen 15 miles away in eastern Queens. I know that people die in this world everyday, but I want to take this moment to remember the innocents who died in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on that day, and the many heroic rescue workers who died trying to save them.
Never forget.

Wine is Thicker Than Water

What a weekend! After the great time I had tracking owls with Janice and canoeing with Art, the girls and I took off for Corvallis Saturday morning. Anita and Eric had invited me to join them for a wine tour through the city; several stores and shops hosted reps from local wineries who were on hand to let you sample from their stock. It was pretty crazy to see people walking around the streets with stained wine glasses in their hands! I got pretty loopy by the end and begged off before we visited our last shop. I got to sample some great wines, though, and I've confirmed that my new favorite is the Pinot Noir, which is surprising since a bad experience with red wine a few years ago has kept me away from it until now.

Sunday morning, the girls and I headed for the coast, first stop--Newport. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time or the ability (didn't want to leave the girls in the car on a hot day) to go to the aquarium there, but maybe another time. Instead, we walked down to the beach and watched the tide come in. I tried to walk out on the jetty a bit to check out the barnacles and sea stars, but the tide came in fast and almost swept Shabbi away! So much for getting closer to the coastline...

Afterward we tried to head down to the lighthouse at Yaquina Head, but electricity was down in Newport, which meant no traffic signals, which meant drivers were going a bit haywire. Traffic was backed up to high hell in the direction of the lighthouse, so sadly, we girls continued south down the coastline. We passed through lots of small seaport towns and wished we could have stopped at every single one of them, but alas! we must save that for another trip. I really wanted to explore some of the state parks and smaller fishing towns, so I think another trip down the coast is definitely in order! I was also hankering for fish and chips but the vegetarian restrained herself...

Made it down to Winchester Bay where we met up with Janice and Art. We toured around the Umpqua Lighthouse and looked for whales (no luck) since they had seen dolphins earlier in the day. Eventually we made our way over to a local community center to meet some friends and see a great up-and-coming artist perform. Out of Nashville, Mare Wakefield's voice sounded a great deal like Natalie Merchant to me (who, as many of you know, is one of my fave artists). Her music is folksy, bluesy, a little bit country all rolled into one. I was really impressed and ended up buying all three of her albums on the spot (which I _never_ do without hearing them first). I spoke to her and it sounds like she's hoping to start touring in the Midwest soon. For all you Michiganders, I gave her the business card I had for Magdalena's Teahouse in case she makes it into Spartan country sometime soon. As you well know, it's a great venue for new performers. If you want to check out Mare's sound, go to http://www.marewakefield.com/; I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Now I'm preparing for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) at sundown on Wednesday; it's a holiday Ads and I typically celebrate with friends, so I thought this non-Jew would carry on the tradition with my new friends even though Adam's away. I'm cooking a big dinner for upwards of 10 people--challah bread, 2 types of kugels, a couple veggie dishes, a roast chicken and the ever-necessary matzoh ball soup. I'm trying to find some literature about the holiday so I can inform my guests about the history and customs. I'll let you know how it goes!

Below are some pics from our weekend....

This was taken right after we got settled at the beach in Newport. The girls look so at home here; I'm wondering if they've been closet beach bums all these years...?

Tide comes in, dog gets feet wet...

Dog sits down, gets bum good and saturated...

Dog lies down, is one with the ocean...

Ocean has fun with dog, sends in the big guns...dog almost gets swept away and wants nothing more to do with former friend, ocean.



Shabbs was pretty wiped after her near-miss with the tide...Kiks and I couldn't wait to see more!


A stop along highway 101--Devils' Churn


The Umpqua Lighthouse is situated at Winchester Bay, south of Reedsport, OR. This is the second construction (completed in 1894), since the first one was destroyed by floods in 1864.
The original cost of construction was only $50.