After seeing these two wed, it was back to LA to continue cleaning out my grandparent’s house. Then we journeyed north to San Francisco, seeing old friends and visiting my old stomping grounds.
Enjoying Turkish food with my Godfather Stuart
Stanford Uni
We met up with friends from W&M, the PCT and even Emily, a long-lost friend who I found again on Facebook (of course!). Back eastside…..
from Nancy~ in AZ
I’ve been in awe of the fall colours (it’s been 2 years since we’ve been in this area in autumn) and eating crazy amounts of gorgeous gelato! I still can’t believe I get paid to eat gelato (and serve it to others)!
Pitango gelato!
Dan’s been drawing personal portraits and making miniature books! For Halloween we were gypsies and this past weekend we enjoyed stupendous sunshine while camping with friends in the Shenandoah’s.
Just a month left to rally to make a VA vegetarian license plate a reality!
The only problem is we don’t have a car. I need to get a custom license plate, cup holder and bumper for my bike. Why should cars have a monopoly on all the cool accessories?
Yes, it’s true, I’m now a gelaterista! Ok, so that’s probably not a real word but I do have a job in the real world at Pitango Gelato! Dan & I stumbled upon Pitango Thursday night and I started working there Saturday! I am crazy giddy over having landed such a fab job so quickly! I get to eat unlimited quantities of gelato while working and the company is top notch. The owner has researched every ingredient – all of which are organic. The pistachios we use grow wild in the volcanic soil of Mt. Etna, the raspberries are hand picked and local. The milk is from a Mennonite family farm, our t-shirts are American Apparel, all coffee is fair trade… It is so fantastic to work for a company that has business practices you can be proud of, not to mention a product that is flippin’ off the hook!
Hoping to check out the exhibitThe Places We Liveat the National Building Museum until 15 Nov 09. It features a “multimedia installation” by Norwegian artist Jonas Bendiksen of 4 slums. I wonder if it includes smells.
Ever since I visited a slum in Nairobi in 2002 I’ve wondered if I could manage to live in one. Piles of smouldering trash, the water of the river black and thick like tar. Runny noses and bare feet… But for now we’re enjoying a luxurious basement flat at me mum & dad’s.
I can’t believe we’ve been off the PCT for almost a month!
Bubba Keg & wheels - what more do you need?
In that month we spent a few peaceful days at Wyatt’s home in Wenatchee, Washington before unexpectedly having to fly to LA because my grandparent’s home there had sold in 1 day! There went our plan of living there for a few months! So, along w/my aunt and uncle, we did some blitz cleaning, sorting and packing and loaded up 2 moving vans.
Ironically our cross-country trip through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virgina was almost the exact same length as the PCT. In 5 days of driving we covered the same distance it had taken us 5 months to walk! And even though the road trip offered us luxuries we rarely enjoyed on the trail (unlimited food, hot showers, soft bed, AC), I’ll pick hiking over trucking any day… that’s sunny.
And since we were rushing to make sure we made it back in time to see Steph & James wed, we didn’t have much time to sight-see. We did go running in the Petrified Forest and on the AT and we saw E in Nashville, Pete in b’burg. But next time we’re not going to miss the Grand Canyon!
Came across this article about jobless thru-hikers in the Wall Street Journal of all places. But, of course, they say “through-hikers” not “thru-hikers.”
My fave quote:
“Turns out those people tend to be athletic hippies, just looking to have fun forever.”
…. and Uncle Phillip! And thanks to Dana for the photo!
