How we'll spend Winter 2009 / Spring 2010
Well, our upcoming cruise is relatively set in stone (Jello?). PDF version
here; sorry if it looks a bit cryptic with airport codes & such. Shorthand. Oh, thanks Simon, for the photo. "Lesser artists borrow, greater artists steal".
We'll chronicle this trip, as we've done in the past, at
http://blessley.net. Check it out!
If you're not on our "ePostcard" list, please add your name --
http://blessley.net/JoinEmailList.html. It's free, SPAM free, and you can always "unsubscribe" if it proves not your cup of tea.
Labels: Africa, Asia, Cruising, travel
Sweet & Savoury Savary
We recently returned from a week on
Savary Island, a spit of an island (about 5 miles end to end, and less than 1 mile at its widest point) of the coast of British Columbia. As the crow flies, about 110 miles north of Vancouver to Lund, BC, then a short water taxi ride. Look
here for a better idea of where it is.
Savary has no electricity, no internet (horrors!). and delightfully little infrastructure. No paved roads; the "airport" such as it was got its runway disabled after an accident. It is ruggedly beautiful, has a General Store, a restaurant, and "taxi" service (old pickup trucks that fetch you at the dock and deliver you to wherever you're staying). That's about it. Phone service is available throughout (and there's cellular coverage), but 3 public phone booths remain, and are actually shown on the island map! There's no trash pickup on the island, so in addition to packing in most of our food and other supplies, we had to pack
out our trash. Three bags for 8 people for a week isn't so bad -- burnables got burnt in the wood stove, compost-ables were buried.
We were invited to the island by our friends Blake & Libby Kelly, who have been visiting Savary for some 3 decades now. We spent the week with the two of them, a daughter (Jennifer) and son-in-law (Merlyn); and two grandchildren -- girl 7 (Reina), boy 7
weeks (Charlie). Here's the lot:
There isn't a lot to
do on Savary; we read quite a bit, ate well, drank too much, fawned over the kids, hiked and wandered the shore. Returned to the favorite spot on the beach that the Kelly's had camped back when their kids were young.
Scott ended up preparing most of the food for the 8 of us, unplanned but fun for all. We brought a bit of cookware and ingredients for a couple of meals, and would bring some more equipment if we get the chance to visit again. Merlyn & Jennifer brought a 3 1/2kg coho salmon which fed the 7 of us twice and was gluttonous at that.
More photos available
here (click images to advance)
Labels: travel, Vancouver
Tuscon - Vancouver in 4 days or less
We arrived to Vancouver this year in record time: three and a half days from Tucson, AZ. Not that it was a marathon exactly; we just took an efficient route that brought us Tucson to Las Vegas, LV to Boise, Boise to Bellingham, then a short jaunt from Bellingham to Vancouver. Maybe we'll take a bit more leisurely route back in the Fall (friend in Coeur D'Aline, for example), or maybe we'll just repeat the bee-line hither to yon.
Vancouver is our annual "city experience". 11th story view of the waterfront (well, "a" waterfront; the city of Vancouver is kind of a peninsula), yet just two blocks from city life and culture.
Our plan for returning to Tucson is a bit vague at this point -- Kathy and I may return separately, she first with me driving solo a couple of weeks later.
Labels: travel, Tucson, Vancouver
Almost-World-Cruise 2009
In case you're wondering why we haven't written anything here recently, it's because we've been on a long journey ("...and we still have, so far to travel"). At the beginning of February, we flew from Tucson down to Buenos Aires, spent a few days with friends there, then continued to Usuaia, near the bottom of South America (Patagonia). From there we boarded the MV Discovery, and stayed on it until April 26th. Three days in Istanbul then flights (totaling 26 hours...) back to Arizona. At left is but one of the amazing sites we visited -- Petra, in Jordan.
We're finishing up the
extended blog of the experience on our travel website. Check it out.
Labels: Antartica, MVdiscovery, travel
The Tucson Return. The Kitchen Wreck
We recently returned from our 2400 mile jaunt from the Florida Keys back to Tucson (Scott drove both ways; Kathy flew out and we drove back together) [note depending on where the blog software positions this; "recently" means January, 2009]
The trip was... long. But having driven from our previous home in New Hampshire, to British Columbia, and back, multiple times, wasn't
unexpectedly long, just... long. The furthest day was when we drove (Scott, actually) drove from Sherman, Texas (about an hour north of Dallas), to El Paso, TX which is about half-way across New Mexico, in the hunk of Texas that's underneath NM. About 710 miles:
One long day
Anyway, we're back. We are also in the midst of a kitchen renovation, and this wasn't a surprise (we've been in touch with the Contractor throughout) but it was still a bit of a shock to come home to a giant black plastic wall separating the "job site" from the rest of the house. The only think of use left in the kitchen is the microwave. Lean Cuisine R' Us for a couple of weeks yet.
When you travel a lot (and I apologize for probably saying this over and over), being "home" carries special meaning. When you drive for a week, arrive "home" and find it isn't "like home", it's rather disconcerting. This exacerbated by being "cumulatively tired" from 7 days of driving. I'd have broken down and cried, but I was just too tired. Better now.
The Kitchen Wreck:
A giant wall of plastic isolates us from the work (mostly the dust). A couple of giant zippers serve as doors. This leaves us with bedrooms and something resembling a studio apartment. The only functioning part of the kitchen is the microwave -- our new frig sits in the middle of the construction site and we're using our old one in the garage.
Tom Tuloss,
Arizona's Best Contractor and, not-surprisingly, a fine human being. Here he's relocating some electrical switches for a wet bar we'll have installed as part of the kitchen renovation. Behind him is our heating/air conditioning; since Arizona homes don't have basements, the system lives in the attic.
The "new" kitchen as of 1/10/09. The existing cabinets are temporarily in the garage as are the old countertops and the old range. Everything from the kitchen cabinets is filling the dining room -- table, floor... everywhere.
The trench is just a couple of inches wide and about a foot deep (hence the rubble in the left side of the photo) is for a gas line for the new cooktop that's on order. The concrete slab had to be "
radar-ed" to determine where the reinforcing bars are located; this technique of slab design is called "
post-tension" and while my inner-Geek finds it fascinating I won't bore the rest of you with it.
Labels: travel, Tucson
The Case of the Buddihst Launderer
After 30 years of travel to 70+ countries, I have come to believe that the things that are special in a place are the really mundane, and the ones that are
completely unexpected. Everything else just "is".
I'm in New Orleans, Louisiana. I'm "passing through", traveling between our home in Arizona and Kathy (my wife) Dad's place in the Florida Keys. It's a 2400 mile trip that I'm doing over 7 days. Its about at mid-point now, and I'm on my 2nd evening in New Orleans tonight.
I've been to N.O. a dozen or more times. I can get by without a map. I know the good neighborhoods and bad. You'd think "Great! Time to expand the repertoire -- expand horizons -- new areas. New experiences". And I do -- but also find especially when traveling alone, that it is nice to "re-experience the old". I walked a couple of miles to a restaurant I've been to over and over -- "
Mother's" and had basically the same meal I've eaten there 10 times before. It is
sooooo good. Comfort food for the body
and for the mind.
Wandering the streets, trying to take decent photos on a crappy day, at noon when the light is at its worst, one of the things I also needed to do is get laundry washed. Ever try to take pictures with a big SLR camera while carrying a bag of dirty laundry? I didn't think so. My bed & breakfast doesn't offer the service, but wash-dry-fold laundry services abound. Dropped off the bag and the proprietor told me in broken English that I should come back at 4:00.
If I had know that school would be in session, maybe I would have arrived earlier.I'd asked him "where his family is from". This is more diplomatic (and less ambiguous) than asking simply "Where are you from?" ("Cleveland") and it obviates any racial overtones ("Where are your people from?"). "Cambodia", was the succinct reply.
When I went to pick up the clothes, I asked the polite questions about his coming to the US. The relationship between the US and Cambodia has been tenuous at best (younger folks may not know that we bombed the crap out of them in
Vietnam era, during my formative years). He seemed to have this serenity about him -- little did I know, he was the Buddhist equivalent of a born-again-Christian -- wait -- Buddhists believe in re-incarnation -- maybe he
was born-again?
After I paid him, he launched into the Buddhist equivalent of "have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior?". It would have been interesting -- it
was interesting but it would have been
more interesting, if I had understood more than every 3rd word. He had unlocked the front door of the shop to let me in, and it briefly flashed through my mind "What if I'm locked in with this guy?". I listened politely for about 10 minutes but I guess he got the message that... I wasn't getting the message. But he was sincere so I try to be the attentive student. As I was listening I noticed that he had a glove on one hand -- he was missing several fingers. When he raised his arm I noticed the underside was all scar tissue, wrist to elbow. This guy had not had an easy life.
Tomorrow is another 500+ mile day, so I have to be a good boy ("party hardly" rather than "party hardy"). Photos to follow.
Labels: Buddhism, New Orleans, travel
Who said "The road home is never long"?
Maybe it's that the "road between two homes" can be long. But I'll make the story short: bought house in Tucson, Arizona (this happened some weeks ago but we haven't quite finished the "announcement"). Kathy flew from there to New Hampshire. I am plodding along, solo in our Red RAV4, alternately feeling sorry for myself (my driving days have been a combination of 600 and 450 mile days; a couple of each) and reveling in the Near Bachelor Solitude of it all.
I've made a couple of mandatory stops because you can only drive so far -- safely -- in a day. Tucson. Tucson Airport (drop Lovely Wife). Midland TX (GW Bush's hometown,
la ti da). Then an-ever wonderful visit with our friends in East Texas, then two nights in New Orleans.
As I write, I'm in Knoxville, Tennessee. Our trip planning software mislead us about the distance so today was another 600 mile day. Tomorrow won't be.
I should be back in New Hampshire on March 27th. The weather is already changing (80 in Tucson, 70 in E Texas and New Orleans... 45 in Knoxville.
Brrr.Labels: Arizona, driving, house, travel
Tucson at Last
It seems like I've been driving
forever. Actually it's just been a few days: after the cruise (which was great) we drove Miami to Pensacola, then to Gladewater TX. We stayed with our wonderful friends there for 3 days -- a luxury. Then San Antonio, El Paso.
The route looked sort of like this:
The weather en route has been cooler than we'd planned for, warm for New Hampshire but we've been in south Florida for going-on two months and kind of got used to 80s. So light jackets but 38 degree rainy weather (in parts of Texas) haven't been pleasant.
But things are looking up! As I write (Saturday, 1/19/08) it's sunny with temperatures in the low 60s planned for Tucson. We arrive this afternoon and will start looking for a permanent home as early as tomorrow.
We've assembled a few
photos for your viewing pleasure :) [PDF format, 4MB]
Labels: Florida Keys, Texas, travel, travel driving, Tucson
San Francisco -- can you go back?
We're in San Francisco, on our way back to New England. The visit is bittersweet: San Francisco has been my favorite city for many years; been here dozens of times, know the streets, the buses, good neighborhoods and bad. But after 5+ years "away", and four years in our new home in Vancouver, BC, I see the place differently. The streets are comparatively dirty, homeless and beggars about. Vancouver has its deadbeats too, but they're almost never aggressive and offer a smile even if there is nothing in return. San Francisco seems more distant, more dangerous than 5 years ago. Is it it? Is it me? Both?
I wandered around this morning (we've been here two nights, we head south later today) revisiting old haunts, looking for familiarity or change. Found both.
The area we're staying (Union Square) is the city's center. Macy's. Bloomingdale's. Whereas Vancouver's "downtown" is fairly well distributed (by plan), this is "city dense" at its best -- or perhaps worst.
We are creatures of habit: we want things that we enjoy[ed] to always be the same. It doesn't work like that. "Time passes on, and the leaves that are green turn to brown".
I'm getting more involved in photography, and as a delightful result I am seeing things I never noticed before. While San Francisco's street scene I find deplorable, this morning, our walking, I noticed the city's amazing architecture. Something to really enjoy, while attempting to zone out the Levi's store and all the "modern" trappings of this city.
Labels: San Francisco, travel
9 Years on 40 feet? Oy! Ahoy!
We had the great pleasure of meeting and dining with friends-of-friends-now-friends Anne and Martin. Out in the hinterlands of Port Moody, BC (about 30 miles from Vancouver), these two spent nine YEARS of their lives on a
smallish sailing craft, circumnavigating the earth. Oh, and five more on the boat in a Vancouver marina in preparation.
Their
website tells the tale better than we could; what we can say is they are gracious hosts, interesting folks, and good cooks too.
Photo from
http://www.norsiglar.com. Check out story -- and their interesting book.
This is one of those "six degrees of separation" things. I don't usually put a lot of stock in to this
notion but in this case it's worked for us: We met new friends Chris & Ann on a segment of the lengthy
cruise we'd made the previous year. THEY'd made friends with Anne & Martin on another cruise. We've got a home in British Columbia, Anne & Martin have a home in British Columbia. "Oh! You must meet them!". The rest is history.
-scott
Labels: friends, travel, Vancouver Summer 2007
Landing in Lund
We got back August 21st from the "end of the road" --
Lund, BC. Friends "
from India" (they live in North Vancouver, BC, and they're not Indians, actually) went up the inland waters between the "lower mainland" (the landmass that includes Vancouver, BC where we're spending our summers) in their boat. We drove up to meet them. It's about 100 miles, but requires not one but two ferries -- for a net average speed of about 13 mph. On of the pair is pictured
here, on the right side of the photo -- Libby.
The journey was scenic, but this region, while called the "
Sunshine Coast", didn't really live up to its name, for our weekend. But we brought dinner for ourselves and our friends, and prepared it on their boat, quaffed wine and swapped tales. Blake and Libby are great folks and we really enjoy their company.
The 2nd day we spent on the water with them, visiting nearby islands and cruising the scenery. Drank too much and talked too much.
Lund is sort of the "end of the road" -- really the last real town (full time population about 800) as you head north on Rt 101 along the Sunshine Coast. It has that small town community feel, no doubt enhanced by it being "Lund Dayz"-- an annual event with a flea market (benefit to the local fire department), music, clowns... apparently a big deal in a sleepy town.
Labels: Canada, Lund, Sunshine Coast, travel
