Dover, England
I ate breakfast, and then launched myself upon a wonderful walk around Canterbury. I saw a beautiful rainbow after first seeing much rain fall before my hooded head. Almost all the stores were closed, except the tourist shops. I was going to buy a cigar at one of them, but realized they would only sell poor quality cigars. I had a free tell of the town. I do wish to go back and take a closer look at the landmarks, other than the Canterbury Cathedral. It was really quite a tourist town.
We stopped at Dover that day. I did not at first, when we ascended the slippery climb up the backside of the castle, realize that Dover castle was open to tourists on the inside. It didn't look like it from the back on this windy white foreboding day. It was a blustery day, just like Pooh would say. I did some wall climbing, or rather jumping and got up to the outside wall un-welcomed, thinking I'd gotten closer to the castle than anyone else would. Then I walked around it, and saw the entrance. Our handy National Trust Cards saved me from paying 5 pounds to see this gem. I first went through the tunnel system underneath the walls, which was exciting. I went down there again later just before I left. I hid in a dark cave and scared some people who also wanted to see what was up in the dark cavern. I walked along the walls next, looking out at the sea and feeling the incredible breeze. I went into the keep, and saw all the Romanesque, or rather Norman architecture. We ended the day with a group photo sitting outside the castle on tank barricades, like little pyramids. It is a good picture. We had a long drive home.
1993
Though this does not compare to the few letters of the last century, I am glad to be back in touch with you.
Time has passed into its own unconsciousness, life has passed the umbrella into the other hand. I'm now in a state of leaving, but not readily. I live in a portable house, pulled by my pick-up from place to place, a trailer, an Airstream Land Yacht to be exact. The cold weather coming is a biting snake but I plan to run from it soon, to the south west. New Mexico or Arizona sound like the most lovely places I can go with it, but I have not done enough exploring to find out I've been to the area around San Francisco, checked it out in terms of grad school about four years ago. For some reason it didn't seem right, and I am slow to find new journeys, especially to pay for them.
I am not learning much now, am not challenging myself or anyone, and that is one reason I'm changing places. Work has been fine here, I've kept busy, happily, but there has been nothing to make me work like a devil, or rather, to chase the devil out. So maybe a little being alone in the desert would help me find his tail.
I'm not the person I wanted to be, it seems that I could be well, maybe not as creative as I've wanted, not talented in the least bit, but I never expected that. But I can think around problems, around myself, which is difficult. Simplicity doesn't seem simple enough for me though. Living the way I have, it always pulls me. I need to lead. If I can't pilot my own ship, I need to drop anchor and let the world just go by. But, like a fish in a stocked pond, I keep biting at lures that are lingering too long in one place. I get hooked and they just don't pull me out of the water. Being abducted doesn't sound so bad, if it doesn't lead me back into the same traps. But, I'm happy, though I am chasing my tail. I just need to find, if not a niche, a path. I'm going to try a few, and see if I can follow it. Or make it. I'm unsettled in a great many ways. All in my mind, I think, but that has ramifications in life, as you know. I just felt a bit like writing, or typing.
2002
Thursday, October 17, 2002 4:01 PM
Besides today's rain, all is well. Today I've written and read some in my favorite diner, Monty's Blue Plate. Now I'm back in the Union having a cider and waiting to go back to work between 7 and 9pm. Then a friend from Luther is playing a concert at a bar in Madison, so I will try to round up as many of my acquaintances as possible to hear him.
I don't expect many. First however, I am projecting a 16mm, probably the last I will ever project in my life. That doesn't even seem weird, because my first was just over a year ago.
I am going to type up my journal from Wales the last time I went. I just read some of it over and I think it is something I'd like to share with my family. I will be in Madison for at least a week more, I believe, and Iwill try to fit in as many concerts as possible. This weekend, Linda Thompson, the Red Elvises, and perhaps another. Things are working out well for ending my time here with a bit of a bang. I'm loading in a concert at the largest stadium in town tomorrow, the Collisseum, and I am glad of it. That will pay for all of my housing, because when I work for the Theatre Union I make substantially more than I do at the Memorial Union. Then I'm projecting a movie until 2am tomorrow, so I should be quite tired by the time I finish and crash into bed.
2002
New York 34th and 8th by Tick Tock (Phil. or Bos.) to
Boston South Station - Gate 9 NYC-Gate 10 NWK/PHL
Departing 10/17/2013 at 12:30 PM
We are on the BOLT Bus on our way to Boston. We just went over the George Washington Bridge out off NYC. We had a wonderful night and meal in Sam and Romee's house. It was their 3rd wedding anniversary as well, and so we had a very special meal and dessert.
Sam's office is in one of the Grand Central Station terminal buildings, on the 25th floor with a great view of the Chrysler Building.
We ate at the Tick Tock diner this morning, near New York Penn Station and in the same building as The New Yorker Hotel. We sat next to a Bostonian who gave us suggestions of places to go while in Boston while I had an Irish Breakfast, Frida had an omelet, and Rachel ate a 34th street Traffic Jam. I waited with the luggage at the bus stop while the Ladies took a picture walk around the block. We didn't get much time in NYC for sightseeing yet, but we'll do that on Monday and Tuesday morning before coming home.
2013
Salt Lake City, Utah
Breakfast was fantastic the next morning. See pictures, and I will describe later.
We picked Lynn and Sarah up at the airport and went out for another breakfast at the Rose Cafe, for dessert, and whatever they wanted, and some fancy coffees.
I ordered a vegan cheesecake that was so chocolatey and wonderful, and their Cortado was great.
Then to the Mormon Tabernacle for a tour, where Rachel and another opera singer sang Oh, Holy Night. The other started, and Rachel asked if she could join her in harmony. Very spectacular sound. We continued the tour, saw their gathering place next door, and started off on our trip to Moab.
Our first stop was in Salt Lake City, at the Trolly Depot, where we found a Whole Foods store and stocked up for our trip, including hiking foods and drinks. We ground coffee, and got all the supplies we would need for long drives and hikes. We did not prepare for food at are Air-b-n-b, however.
As I was parking, I noticed an old trolly car that had been converted into a bar, so as I dropped off the groceries in the SUV, I sent the 3 women to check out the trolly car and get us drinks. It turned out to specialize in chicken wings, though we had none. Someone was getting trained in at the time, so I feel like I could easily get a job there, if I needed.
We started off again on our journey to Moab, and after about an hour, we stopped for a bathroom break off the highway. This lead us to a trip to the Great Salt Lake.
We stopped at a lakeside park on the way south, and walked the shoreline and drove out on a peninsula into the center. Lots of good pictures. There was a fun trailer park and a museum of gas station signs outside of it on the way.
Then we drove the northern route to Moab. We pulled off a few places. A ghost town caled "Thistel" with one building where only Rachel got out to take pictures of the marsh. We also pulled off on a side road going to uphill to a campground that I thought might go through to the highway again. It did not, and we got on an expedition to take the best possible picture of the route. I don't know if they found that picture, because I just wanted to get back on the journey.
We encountered some amazing landscapes on the way as the sun set, and we arrived at Moab in time for dinner at a Thai restaurant named Singha, and then headed off to a bar called Spitfire Grill.
Sarah and I played darts while the other two played shuffleboard and pool, and we met a number of people that we would spend the rest of the week hanging out with, like Bradly, a lawyer, and a bartender from next door's Josey Wyatt's grill. They all gave us great ideas, or gave them to Rachel, and she would adapt our schedule to take advantage of the information. We headed back to our Air-b-n-b, and were sadly locked out of the hot tub, however it would closed at 10:30pm, so it was a wash.
2021
Basel, Switzerland
2022