Good things

My cousin just posted a video about what he’s been getting up to in Africa. Pretty amazing.

Imagine Water Sierra Leone from John Campbell on Vimeo.

Turkey day

Courtney, Mom, Myself, and a friend Cailey went to Jerome to have thanksgiving dinner with Nikki at her place:

 

Not pictured – brocolli/chz/potato casserole which was baking during picture time.

A trip to the east

I took a trip this fall to see my friends who live near Washington DC. Chris and Shayla put me up in grand style!

 

We ate out at a ton of restaurants, sat at home and watched movies, cooked, drank, and generally just had the type of amazing time you have with close friends while on vacation. Some pics -

Fall colors in the Shenandoah's:

 

We hiked along the Potomac at Great Falls park:

We saw the loch system that used to get river boats past the falls:

 

And, of course, we went into the city for a bit of the touristy stuff:

 

I couldn’t have asked for a better break from AZ!

Escape

This is our escape. A few days off in the desert. Reading, cooking, hiking, talking. Nowhere to be, and nothing to do.

Just a little update

It’s getting awful quiet around here. I have been remiss in my writing duties. Alas, the spark of creativity refuses to hit, and so the blog goes dormant. This is not to say that I haven’t been doing anything. Rather, it seems that I have been enjoying my day-to-day life so much that writing about it is loses appeal.

 

So here is a quick update before I get back to my daily biz:

- I’m still working at The Office restaurant, waiting tables. I’m getting good at it, and having a pretty good time doing it as well. It’s fun to deal with the general population, but I sure do miss the outdoorsy-ness of the vineyard.

- Christmas was quiet. I worked on my sister’s truck and cooked dinner at my mom’s house. We did a small gift exchange, and just generally had a good time. Courtney was in Missouri visiting family.

- By new years she was home, so we went to downtown Prescott and drank with friends to celebrate the next 365 days. We watched the first annual boot drop, and then went home and passed out.

- I’m still being all fit and stuff. For a few weeks we had snow out in the woods, so I was out hiking with the dog a few times. We did silly things like make a snowman:

But then all the snow melted, so I’ve reverted to more running, although I’m mixing it up by running in ‘barefoot’ sandals. Still lifting weights, with Courtney, at the Y twice a week as well.

I’ve also been trying to get out for bouldering whenever I have a day off. I did manage to go climbing with some friends who were in from Oregon last week, which was a blast. I even climbed my first 5.9 route, which was neat.

 

- Other than that, I’ve just been trying to enjoy the quiet moments of life:

 

Hope everybody out there is loving life.

It’s that holiday season.

Courtney and I hosted thanksgiving dinner at our place. After last year’s boring turkey day in Savannah, I was thrilled to be able to have people over to celebrate. Mom and Nikki came over, as did some friends from the vineyard and some friends from the new place of employment. I cooked all day, and we ended up with a rocking feast!

Out of our kitchen the menu was:

-Roasted garlic/rubbed sage turkey breast

-Sweet bbq ham

-Mashed cauliflower

-Bacon wrapped dates

-Roasted root veggies

-Apple/sausage quinoa

-Birdie seed bars

And to accompany all this our friends and family brought:

-Mac & Cheese

-Chicken enchilada casserole

-Classic sweet potatoes

- Salad

- Flourless chocolate cake

- Espresso/chocolate balls

- A whole gaggle of wine.

 

As expected – everybody over-ate, had a good time, drank, and was merry.

I had a blast, and can’t wait to do it again next year!

A trip across the country

My friends asked me to help them move across the country. I had the time, so I of course said yes:

 

A house’s worth of stuff, trundling across the country:

 

When I’m not driving, Huey and I are enjoying the wind through our respective furs:

 

We stop ad dad’s house for a few days. Besides all the normal shenanigans, they have frogs causing all sorts of ruckus:

 

We left first thing sunday morning, and we were done unpacking the truck into their new apartment on thursday afternoon.  By the weekend the boxes are all unpacked, and the only thing left to do is hang pictures. We have dinner with Chris’ brother, wife, and son who are down from New Jersey. We stop in DC for a few hours, but it’s raining and so we aren’t really into it.

 

For the next five days I teach Chris how to be a man of leisure (since I’ve now had nine months of practicing this fine art). We drink coffee, we work out, we play tennis, we eat at local restaurants, and explore his new home. We turn off the GPS and get lost, and find back ways back to his place through the lusciously green landscape.

 

Thursday rolls around and it’s time for me to hit the road again. Chris drops me off at the greyhound bus station, and from there it is a long trip back to AZ. My cell phone battery runs out on the first day, which means no familiar voices to talk to. Since the phone is also my MP3 player, it means no tunes. I read books, but those run out by noon on the second day. So I talk to all the strangers around me. I get glimpses into their lives, as they get a glimpse into mine. Some are friendly, some are not. Some snore while they sleep, and others sleep not at all. Some are coffee addicts, and others are heroine addicts. Some are just hooked on universal love, and some are hooked on the road.

 

I arrive to phoenix on the third day, 54 hours after leaving my friend. I’m a total space cadet, I haven’t slept much, and the road has turned my brain to mush. Courtney picks me up with a friend, and we all go to get coffee. We run a few other errands before heading back home, where I promptly pass out. Another cross-country trip is done.

 

Now it’s time to figure out what’s next.

Out of the truck and into the canyon.

The six hours to Prescott fly by. I stop by my Mom’s work to say hello, to let her know I’m safe. Then I head over to Chris’ house to hang out for a few hours, unwind a bit, before heading off once more to Courtney’s place to go grocery shopping for our Grand Canyon trip tomorrow. It’s a whirlwind, and by the end of the day I am exhausted.

 

Up early, and ready to roll north. I’m going light this time, about 12 pounds of stuff. I’m opting not to take a camera on this trip for one simple reason: I don’t want to worry about trying to get a magical picture this time down. I want to just enjoy the scenery without framing and f-stops running through my brain.

 

We hike down the South Kaibab trail, which is in amazingly good shape. It takes us only three and a half hours to get down, which is pretty quick for us. We are staying at Phantom Ranch, with some of the employees whom Courtney knows. We are scheduled to stay one night, and so we settle in, kick off the dusty boots, and take a dip in the Bright Angel creek. Cold and invigorating.

 

We eat dinner with her friends, meet a few of the other guests, and spend the night partying down in the bunk house. Upon waking we are invited to stay another night, something which neither of us want to turn down. Sowe decide on a long day hike after helping with some chores. We hike six easy miles up the North Kaibab trail to Ribbon Falls. It is gorgeous, and we sit and enjoy the view of cascading water for a long while before lacing back up and heading back to the ranch for another amazing dinner. It’s a quiet night in the bunkhouse this time around, and we pass out early.

 

Up before breakfast, and we do the short river walk before heading to the cantina to eat up. Once again, we are invited to stay another night. Thrilled, we agree. Courtney decides to chill out for the afternoon while I go up the Clear Creek trail a couple of miles to a scenic overlook, getting a nice view of the river.

 

Another stellar dinner, and another quiet night. At breakfast they invite us to stay longer yet. Tempted, we both decide that it is probably time to get back up to the rim and back home, so we back it all in, and hike the Bright Angel trail out. It takes a while, Courtney is having some allergy problems with all the juniper in the area and can’t breathe. That’s okay though, we aren’t in any rush. So six hours later we get back to the car, and go eat at a local joint in nearby Tusyan. We end up getting a hotel for the night, since we are both exhausted.

 

Come morning time, we drive back to Prescott. Yet another successful Grand Canyon Trip.

 

(if you want to see photos from the last trip down to Phantom check here.)

11 hours of I40

I’m on the interstate out of Arkansas by eight thirty. I hate the interstate. But today I’m in a hurry, and when one is in a hurry to get somewhere the interstate is the most time-efficient way to get there. So I chug along at ridiculous speed, concerned only with controlling this missile I’m in, and avoiding all the other missiles out there. It is a bit maddening for me:

 

But finally I hit Albuquerque, a city I am becoming more and more familiar with as I keep visiting my fine friend there. So I pull into town, go to a grocer store to pickup some things for dinner, and head to their house. Sadly, I’m a bit grumpy from driving all day, and so I just walk in and take over their kitchen. Cooking to get a bit of zen in my day, to unwind a bit.

 

A mellow evening with friends, catching up, looking at photos, eating. Just what the doctor ordered. I pass out five minutes into a movie, and sleep like a log.

 

I wake up early, grab a quick pic with them, and hit the road once again. I’m due back in Prescott today, and I’ve got six hours to get there.

A stop in with the folks again

I get a late start leaving Austin. I was invited to a house party on my last night in town, and partied it down until almost four in the morning. I wake up knowing that it is going to be a brutal day of driving.

 

Eleven hung over hours on the back highways of Texas and Oklahoma gets me to my parent’s house with dinner just about to hit the table. We catch up, watch a cold front come in, and eat. I stay for three nights, trying to get in as much time with the folks as I can before rushing back to AZ to make a canyon hiking trip.

 

At night we cook. Corned beef and cabbage, steak, salads, and something we like to refer to as polish tacos (kielbasa, red hots, red cabbage, sauerkraut, mustard, and mayo all on a tortilla):

 

The dog is just as happy as I am to sleep in a bed after the last six weeks in the truck:

 

My last day there, Dad and I go out shooting guns in the woods behind his house. We blow through about ten mags of .45, a few .40, and then the fun gun. Dad just bought a 30-30 rifle that he wants to run a few rounds through:

(I’m none too sure about that hat of his, but nonetheless- we have fun)

 

Up early the next day and on the road again. I’ve got 800 miles to go today in order to hit Albuquerque for dinner.

Catchup part three

So after my sweet helicopter ride, I had a weekend planned in Jerome with my sister. This is her:

 

We went on a hike around the hills of Jerome, on ‘ancient pathways’. They looked like pig trails to me, but whatever. We saw some cool nightshades:

 

We saw a brokedown vehicle:

 

It had sand in the back, with a little clover sticking out:

 

We saw some remnants of an old mining town:

 

After a few hours we ended up on a mining road, and headed back to sister’s house:

 

There we made a logo for her new company, made some awesome food, woke up made some more food, worked on a logo some more, read cards, and just generally had good times.  Love my sis!

Seeing more family

I’ve left a message on facebook to my Uncle Mike letting him know I’m in the area. I probably should have gotten his phone number and given him a call, but alas – I’m a slave to convenience. Two days later he gives me a call, I happen to be nearly in his town already. Fifteen minutes later and I’m hanging out with Uncle Mike and Aunt Tawmmie. The fun began.

 

They give me a tour of the area, we go to the beach, I watch them play music at a birthday party, and at a rec center. We eat wonderful food, and swim in an 85 degree pool. We live the Florida lifestyle for a few days, and it was wonderful.

 

The first day we went down to a park in Punta Gorda. We see some wildlife. A blue crab, some pelicans, and a beautiful heron:

 

We visit a pottery and bamboo farm, where they have of all things pots:

And bamboo!

 

We visit Thomas Edison and Henry Ford’s winter estate. I forget my memory card, so they let me use their camera. We see the oldest banyan tree in the country (a crazy cool tree, hailing from india):

 

We take a picture of them in another ficus tree nearby:

 

The next day we are off to the beach. Florida has a cold snap, it’s in the 60’s or 70’s at the beach. People everywhere are in sweaters as Uncle Mike and I play in the surf. We laugh as the waves crash into us and knock us down. He feeds the birds a pretzel by hand while I shoot pictures like crazy:

 

 

Another dip in the pool, a dinner of alaskan king crab which was amazing, more music with friends. An amazing three days full of love, laughter, and life – food, fun, and family. A great three days.

 

And now I head north, to St. Petersburg to check out the city for a friend.