queen annes lace

http://www.ag.auburn.edu/hort/faculty-old/flowerarranging/Flowerarrangingplants/Cut_Flowers/15_QueenAnnesLace.jpg

Off to Chicago by way of i-65

So, Tuesday, I was talking about my planned trip to Chicago for the 4th of July to go visit my friend Danger. My desk mate at work said she was driving up there on Thursday morning. I have moved my plans up two weeks and i am heading out tomorrow morning at 6am for the 14 hour drive along I-65. I am taking the train back, which i am super excited about. It will be a great beginning to a wonderful rest from the south's oppressing heat.

I do not know what to expect from my time in Chicago with Danger, because he is always unpredictable and i wouldn't want to put any kind of expectations on our time, other that i know i will enjoy it immensely.

I am excited about my 19 hour train ride back south. I look forward to sitting on the train with my books, and fresh veggies i will get from chicago, and cheese, and bread, and coffee and tea(they will give you free hot water) I love the long chugging rides of trains. There is something so nice about the big seats and the great views of America from the dining car. I am even more excited about seeing the central part of the country, which has always held that Jesse James charm for me.

So, with some promises, I will return to this blog with that glowing feeling of wonder from seeing my country, and a few great stories of adventures with Dan.


I

Let the yard games begin!

Saturday night we got to really put our yard to the test, when a group of our friends showed up for burgers and yard games. We started off with horse shoes, then moved to simultaneous games of horse shoes and bacce ball, then, we moved to croquet. This was the first time I have ever played bacce, and I did pretty well. In croquet, however, I kicked ass! I won, so far ahead of anyone else! I dont mean to brag, but I never do that well in games like this.


Anyways, when you mix beer, a few shirtless men and croquet mallets together, only one thing can happen...a sword fight of course! Two of the guys played swords for about 15 minutes and when they finished, there were large welts covering their torsos. They were feeling none of it at the time, well maybe a little, but I am sure they were feeling it in the morning.

A quiet evening at home, and a glorious ride to work.

Last night, I finished cleaning up my camper and said my good-byes to the guards at Salvo. I headed for the house, unloaded my frozen foods, and ran to Rouses to get some chicken and beer.

When I got home, Jeff had the grill hot and ready, and I seasoned the chicken, and passed them off to the Griller! Then I cut up the asparagus i had in my fridge and the zucchini, peas and peppers from my garden, put a little olive oil, salt, and pepper on it, wrapped that up and passed that off as well.

We sat on our couch, with hot, hommade meals and cold beers and enjoyed our first real hommade meal. I put a few things away, took a shower, shared a nice little down time with the dogs and jeff on the screened porch and headed to my bed. (MY BED!!!!!) Oh it is so nice to have my bed back!

This morning, I drank my coffee, read two Odes in the latest Oxford American, and took off west on my bike to my office. The ride is just about 7 miles, and so pleasent.

Now I must get to work.

Mi Casa Nueva y amigos y familia y muchas comedas y muchas cervezas!

So, after eight months of living at the Salvo in a camper similar to a FEMA trailer, I am back in a house and back in Ocean Springs!

Friday, my friend Jeff and I signed the lease, he parked his boat in the front lawn, to match our boat having neighbors, and we started hauling the boxes inside. My mom planed her trip at just the right time, by coincidence, and she helped me and my new roommate get settled in.

Friday night, after moving a load in to the house, we ate dinner at the Grocery, headed back to the house to sit in our new screened in porch and watch Deloris run back and forth enjoy her new found freedom of the fenced in yard.

Saturday morning, we had the inaugural bacon, eggs and bagels, and set out for a day of moving, and unpacking. After we were completely exhausted, we showered up in our bathrooms, which i would like to add, are normal sized which are much, much larger than the bathroom in my trailer. Squeaky clean, we headed for the shed, for the fear not festival to see Greyson Capps and of course some meat.
After a few rounds of 2 for $3 PBRs and some dancing, and a belly full of pork, we headed back to the house, sat around on the carpet in the livingroom( we had not gotten my chairs yet) drinking one last beer.

Sunday, i woke up and made some pancakes and a Buckwheat Cake and got back to unpacking. We picked up a load at my storage unit, including my collection of chairs, and unloaded it. I unpacked my room, put together my bed, and made it complete with my old quilt.
We went to the filling station and ate crawfish, and went back to the house and played horse shoes and baggo!

Sunday night, i got to sleep in my bed... MY OWN BED.... for the first time in 8 months, oh, how i miss that thing.

So now it is monday, and i am ready to start this new week as a resident of Ocean Springs!!!!!!!

New Orleans - The Arrival, and begining of my adventure

So, this weekend was incredible. So incredible, I am breaking it into three parts. This is the first of those.

I took off for New Orleans on Saturday night, in search of a relaxing day before the birthday party, which was the reason I was heading to New Orleans.
I arrived in New Orleans and directly went to the India House Hostel where I was staying. After checking in and getting my key, I grabbed my knitting stuff, and sat out on the front porch. I immediately met 2 of the people staying there, we talked for a little while. After getting a bit of my knitting done, I decided to go do some exploring. I had never been to the Marigny or Old Algiers, so I decided to tackle that.

I took the trolley to the river and hopped on the ferry. The ride was beautiful, windy and best of all FREE! When I hopped off the large boat, I noticed there was a festival on the bank of the river. It was the Old Algiers Riverfest, so of course i found the beer trailer, grabbed a $3.00 cup of Abita Amber, a bowl of red beans and rice and a spot on the grassy levee to watch the Old Algiers Brass Band. They were really exactly what you would expect out of a New Orleans brass band, my red beans and rice were delicious, and the beer, well it was quenching and as reliably good as Abita always is.

The next band to come on the stage was Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs. They were young, fresh, a little political, and very entertaining. They were finishing up, and I decided that I would go find the bar that I was recomended by a man from the hostel.

I walked up to the Crown and Anchor Pub, and asked for a belgium beer(i was told the name by the hostel guy, but I had forgotten it at this point. I was served this great beer, [name] with a blood orange, and sat there talking to the bar tender and a man that i assume is sitting at that bar often. Aside from the people, the two neatest things about the place were their extensive collection of rubber duckies and a stack of post card that were sent from all over the world, which sit on the bar for all to read.

The bar fly recomended that i go to Mona's Cafe in the Marigny for some Mediteranian food. That is where I left to go to; I was hungry, and at this point I had several beers in my stomach, and needed something to ballence it. I board the ferry in search of this highly recomended restaurant.

The next part of my adventure will be posted soon.

I will probably be posting several articles.

Here is the first of many

The inflection is Near from the NYTimes!