I can't believe it, but tomorrow is my last day with Silver Ring Thing (for the time being anyway). Canada went well and we had no problems at either border, praise God! We also had a show on Sunday here in Pittsburgh. It's probably apparent that I'm back in the 'bugh as my postings per day ratio has recently slumped. It's good to have something to do other than sit on a bus and type!
In a way, I'm ready for tour to be over. I won't miss the driving until 1 AM, eating in fast food restaurants everyday, or using gas station bathrooms in every state. I also probably won't miss fixing video equipment at every show or the stress of a normal show day. I will miss always having people to hang out with and stuff to do. Being in my hometown will be a big change from being in a new city every night. I'll miss all of the laughing and story telling that the team did everyday. It's weird to say, but tomorrow may honestly be the last time I see some of the people I've spent the past year with. For me, "normal" is about to change. "Normal" right now is spending 24/7 with the same 11 people. "Normal" is sleeping when and where you can and eating whatever you can. "Normal" is driving a lot and working only a couple days a week. After a few days of rest, I'll actually settle back into a socially acceptable adult-esque life including going to bed early so I can work eight hour days, paying for my own gas, and working five days a week. I'm not sure how I feel about that.
I really do feel that I have had the greatest job in the world for the past nine months. It isn't exactly what I want to be doing, but I know that I could do a lot worse. I've been in 42 states, Mexico, and Canada. I've seen the Riverwalk of San Antonio, the Redwoods of California, the Everglades of Florida, and South of the Border of South Carolina. I've been in the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean. I've been to Universal Studios, the Price is Right, and Mt. Rushmore. I really can't complain. God had me here for a reason and it has been an amazing ride. Now I'm looking toward the future and putting my complete trust in God to bring about that next step.
Over the next few weeks (or possibly months) I'll post retrospectives on the tour. I still have a lot of stories that need to be told. Also, if you have any questions about the tour or my experiences, feel free to post a comment about it.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Oh Canada....that's all I know of that song
We're almost there! Four and a half days and over 2,600 miles and we have nearly reached our destination. We're in Michigan now and headed for the border. For the majority of our team this is their first time to Canada, so they're pretty excited. This will be the farthest west I've been in Canada since I've been to Toronto before and Niagara Falls several times. Since immigration laws have been changing and tightening, we're not sure what we'll face at the border. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
I finally got to see Mt. Rushmore the other day. I know you've all been waiting for that since I've been hyping it up in other posts. Well folks, the wait is over! It wasn't really what I had expected, but then again it was exactly what I expected. What I mean by that is, if you've ever seen a picture of Mt. Rushmore, seen it in a movie, or on TV, you've pretty much seen all there is to see. It wasn't what I expected in that it's in the middle of nowhere. It's in Rapid City, South Dakota and at least the part we saw was still very folksy not extremely commercialized. They did however have a Sonic, so it gets a lot of bonus "Val Value Points" for that. We rolled in to Rapid City at about 4:00 PM on Tuesday. We were following the signs to Mt. Rushmore, but it was strange because there were some small hills around, but you couldn't really see any mountains. We drove through a tunnel of rock and when we came out, we could see it- think the Fort Pitt Tunnel on 60 south with faces instead of buildings. Anyway, you could see these four faces peering over the trees before us. We saw a sign for "Free Parking" and since
we try to be frugal, we took off for that. We found a parking lot with a sign that said, "Buses $50." Something had gone awry. We asked the attended where the free parking from the aforementioned sign was. He informed us that the sign said "Fee Parking." Big difference. Anyway, he didn't charge us the full $50 since we weren't commercial, we parked our home, and made our way to the faces. We probably only spent about a half hour there so perhaps I would be more impressed if we had more time and hiked closer to the carvings, but we only looked at them from the observation deck. Coming in from the parking lot, there is an Avenue of Flags with flags from all U.S. states and territories, then there is an observation deck, followed by an amphitheater, then Mt. Rushmore. The amphitheater was huge and it would be a perfect venue for a Silver Ring Thing show- call me National Park Service! Everything there is all Mt. Rushmored-up- even the vending machines had a huge picture of the mountain on it instead of huge picture of Dasani. From an art standpoint, Mt. Rushmore is beautiful. The carvings are very realistic and the presidents are instantly recognizable. From a me standpoint, it was kind of creepy. Four enormous, stone heads out in the wilderness staring down at the people that travel hundreds of miles to see them. I mean no disrespect to the presidents, the country, the sculptor, or the great people of Rapid City, South Dakota. Those were four great men who made this nation what it is today and they deserve this monument, the ones in DC, and many more. My point is: when I die, please don't make a tribute to me that is a 60 foot tall replica of my head in stone. My head is large enough already. Start a scholarship fund or something.
We stayed in Mitchell, SD on Tuesday and made it past Chicago last night. Before we left South Dakota, we got fuel. This is always a big ordeal when we get fuel, a bunch of people have to go to the bathroom, some people want snacks, and we have to find people to pump diesel and wash the windows. This fuel stop was like no other and all of those things happened. We got back on 90 East and covered another half hour of ground when all of the sudden we heard a lot of honking and there was a lady beside us trying to get our attention. This has happened to us before. Silver Ring Thing is growing at an alarming rate and we have done shows in nearly every state, so we're kind of a big deal (see, I told you my head was big enough already). In typical fashion, we see this lady waving to us, and we start waving back and feeling good about ourselves. However, in the back of my mind I knew that we had never done a show in South Dakota, so I thought it was a little strange. Our driver rolled down her window and the lady in the truck yelled over to us that she had forgotten to charge us for the second pump at our fuel stop. So you're saying you don't want an autograph? We went from being the best thing South Dakota has ever seen to criminals stealing fuel.
Driving through Chicago was nice. I've been there before and I really like that city. I'm hoping to go back for another week this summer so I picked up lots of travel maps in our hotel. If any one is looking for something to do the first week of August, let me know.
I finally got to see Mt. Rushmore the other day. I know you've all been waiting for that since I've been hyping it up in other posts. Well folks, the wait is over! It wasn't really what I had expected, but then again it was exactly what I expected. What I mean by that is, if you've ever seen a picture of Mt. Rushmore, seen it in a movie, or on TV, you've pretty much seen all there is to see. It wasn't what I expected in that it's in the middle of nowhere. It's in Rapid City, South Dakota and at least the part we saw was still very folksy not extremely commercialized. They did however have a Sonic, so it gets a lot of bonus "Val Value Points" for that. We rolled in to Rapid City at about 4:00 PM on Tuesday. We were following the signs to Mt. Rushmore, but it was strange because there were some small hills around, but you couldn't really see any mountains. We drove through a tunnel of rock and when we came out, we could see it- think the Fort Pitt Tunnel on 60 south with faces instead of buildings. Anyway, you could see these four faces peering over the trees before us. We saw a sign for "Free Parking" and since
we try to be frugal, we took off for that. We found a parking lot with a sign that said, "Buses $50." Something had gone awry. We asked the attended where the free parking from the aforementioned sign was. He informed us that the sign said "Fee Parking." Big difference. Anyway, he didn't charge us the full $50 since we weren't commercial, we parked our home, and made our way to the faces. We probably only spent about a half hour there so perhaps I would be more impressed if we had more time and hiked closer to the carvings, but we only looked at them from the observation deck. Coming in from the parking lot, there is an Avenue of Flags with flags from all U.S. states and territories, then there is an observation deck, followed by an amphitheater, then Mt. Rushmore. The amphitheater was huge and it would be a perfect venue for a Silver Ring Thing show- call me National Park Service! Everything there is all Mt. Rushmored-up- even the vending machines had a huge picture of the mountain on it instead of huge picture of Dasani. From an art standpoint, Mt. Rushmore is beautiful. The carvings are very realistic and the presidents are instantly recognizable. From a me standpoint, it was kind of creepy. Four enormous, stone heads out in the wilderness staring down at the people that travel hundreds of miles to see them. I mean no disrespect to the presidents, the country, the sculptor, or the great people of Rapid City, South Dakota. Those were four great men who made this nation what it is today and they deserve this monument, the ones in DC, and many more. My point is: when I die, please don't make a tribute to me that is a 60 foot tall replica of my head in stone. My head is large enough already. Start a scholarship fund or something.We stayed in Mitchell, SD on Tuesday and made it past Chicago last night. Before we left South Dakota, we got fuel. This is always a big ordeal when we get fuel, a bunch of people have to go to the bathroom, some people want snacks, and we have to find people to pump diesel and wash the windows. This fuel stop was like no other and all of those things happened. We got back on 90 East and covered another half hour of ground when all of the sudden we heard a lot of honking and there was a lady beside us trying to get our attention. This has happened to us before. Silver Ring Thing is growing at an alarming rate and we have done shows in nearly every state, so we're kind of a big deal (see, I told you my head was big enough already). In typical fashion, we see this lady waving to us, and we start waving back and feeling good about ourselves. However, in the back of my mind I knew that we had never done a show in South Dakota, so I thought it was a little strange. Our driver rolled down her window and the lady in the truck yelled over to us that she had forgotten to charge us for the second pump at our fuel stop. So you're saying you don't want an autograph? We went from being the best thing South Dakota has ever seen to criminals stealing fuel.
Driving through Chicago was nice. I've been there before and I really like that city. I'm hoping to go back for another week this summer so I picked up lots of travel maps in our hotel. If any one is looking for something to do the first week of August, let me know.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Home, Home on the Range...oops...I mean bus
If at any point in the reading of this blog you have been jealous of my adventures, today will not cause that same emotion. As I mentioned in the earlier post, I was in Washington and headed east. Yesterday, we drove through the northern part of Idaho. Not really a whole lot there...lots of mining towns...and water parks...and cold weather. Those three don't really go together, so I'm not sure what Idahoans were thinking. From there we crossed into Montana...and we saw snow. That's right. It's the middle of May and we just drove through snow. The Rocky Mountains were beautiful and there were lots of trees and rivers and other scenery to look at.
In Missoula, I got in the truck and rode to Billings about four hours away. After the sunset the most exciting thing that happened was that the truck almost hit 100,000 miles...but it didn't (I'm sure it has today). It was really strange being in the truck and driving through Montana at night. I don't know what your preconceived ideas of Montana are, but it is not heavily populated. Therefore, there is not a need for extraneous street lighting. Ergo, we could see nothing. For all we know, we drove through the desert last night. Every now and then we would see a tree or a house with Christmas lights on it. My theory is that these people live so far away from civilization and it's always snowing there, that they really believe it is Christmastime. I would not be surprised if they believe it is currently Christmas 1982.
We got to our hotel at three in the morning and left at eleven. We're somewhere in Wyoming now and I just saw my first antelope. They were sitting in field much like you would see cows or horses. Still no Mt. Rushmore, I think it is a couple hours further. We have about 13 hours to drive today and our ETA is about 1 AM.
So, I'm getting to see some amazing sites, but please don't be jealous. Our bus is nice, but this is a little excessive.
In Missoula, I got in the truck and rode to Billings about four hours away. After the sunset the most exciting thing that happened was that the truck almost hit 100,000 miles...but it didn't (I'm sure it has today). It was really strange being in the truck and driving through Montana at night. I don't know what your preconceived ideas of Montana are, but it is not heavily populated. Therefore, there is not a need for extraneous street lighting. Ergo, we could see nothing. For all we know, we drove through the desert last night. Every now and then we would see a tree or a house with Christmas lights on it. My theory is that these people live so far away from civilization and it's always snowing there, that they really believe it is Christmastime. I would not be surprised if they believe it is currently Christmas 1982.
We got to our hotel at three in the morning and left at eleven. We're somewhere in Wyoming now and I just saw my first antelope. They were sitting in field much like you would see cows or horses. Still no Mt. Rushmore, I think it is a couple hours further. We have about 13 hours to drive today and our ETA is about 1 AM.
So, I'm getting to see some amazing sites, but please don't be jealous. Our bus is nice, but this is a little excessive.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Redwoods
Last week we had a chance to visit the Giant Redwoods in Northern California. I had heard a lot about the Redwoods in Geography and History classes in school, so it was great to finally get to see them. The experience was different than I had expected. They're just trees, except bigger.
We were driving from Oakland, CA (city of nothing) to Eureka, CA (city of wilderness) on the 101 when we saw our first Redwood. The first tree we stopped at was called the Grandfather Tree. The Grandfather Tree is 245 feet tall, 55 feet around, and 1800 years old. It was incredible! Next to it was a One-Log Home. The section of the tree that is now a house once weighed 42 tons! Along the way we also saw a Tree House and signs for the Drive-Thru Tree. The drive was beautiful- lots of mountains, rivers, and trees- Redwoods and other Evergreens.
The day that we stopped and looked at the Grandfather Tree, I said some complaint about not wearing my "tree outfit" because I had planned it for the next day. Of course, everyone was making fun of me and my concept of needing a tree outfit, but I explained that I expected to get dirty while taking pictures and hiking, etc. Well, the next day we did a lot of walking and all the girls wearing their girly shoes and outfits were complaining about being ill-prepared. Who wasn't complaining? That's right...me...in my tree outfit.
Back to the story....The next morning we ran into some locals at Wendy's and I asked them where we should go to see Redwoods (Count on me to talk to strangers. If they look like they'll listen, I'll talk). They told us we needed to go see the Avenue of the Giants on old Route 101. It was about half an hour back the way we came, but they said it was the best, so we went.
We were driving from Oakland, CA (city of nothing) to Eureka, CA (city of wilderness) on the 101 when we saw our first Redwood. The first tree we stopped at was called the Grandfather Tree. The Grandfather Tree is 245 feet tall, 55 feet around, and 1800 years old. It was incredible! Next to it was a One-Log Home. The section of the tree that is now a house once weighed 42 tons! Along the way we also saw a Tree House and signs for the Drive-Thru Tree. The drive was beautiful- lots of mountains, rivers, and trees- Redwoods and other Evergreens.
The day that we stopped and looked at the Grandfather Tree, I said some complaint about not wearing my "tree outfit" because I had planned it for the next day. Of course, everyone was making fun of me and my concept of needing a tree outfit, but I explained that I expected to get dirty while taking pictures and hiking, etc. Well, the next day we did a lot of walking and all the girls wearing their girly shoes and outfits were complaining about being ill-prepared. Who wasn't complaining? That's right...me...in my tree outfit.
Back to the story....The next morning we ran into some locals at Wendy's and I asked them where we should go to see Redwoods (Count on me to talk to strangers. If they look like they'll listen, I'll talk). They told us we needed to go see the Avenue of the Giants on old Route 101. It was about half an hour back the way we came, but they said it was the best, so we went.
The Avenue of the Giants is a 32 mile stretch through the heart of the Giant Redwoods. Once we got there, we stopped and picked up an Auto Tour map giving us descriptions of eight stops and why they were significant. We stopped at the first site and wandered into the woods for the first time. There were several downed trees so we started climbing and taking pictures. After only a few minutes in the forest my friend fell off the tree backwards and ended in a headstand position. It was amazing that she didn't get hurt! We continued to wander around and take lots of pictures. Later, we went to another stop and made our own path down to the Eel River. It too was beautiful as it was surrounded by hillsides full of Redwoods.
The forest is very lush and you expect to see Yoda, a leprechaun, or a gnome at any turn. I could have stayed in those woods for days- lots of trails and beautiful vistas.The next day, we left Eureka to drive to Grants Pass, OR. That day was perhaps the most beautiful day of driving we have had this tour. It was beautiful, but dangerous. Much of the trip was spent driving on a cliff above a river. California, for some unknown reason, is not a big believer in guardrails. Anyway, the water in the river was a clear, crisp blue and you could see to the bottom. Oregon was gorgeous with many mountains and trees- very green.
Currently we are in Washington and we're driving east. We will be driving for the next several days. We're headed to Canada for the first international show of the trip and we hope to stop by Mt. Rushmore on the way. Other than that, there is not much else going on here.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Discovery Bay and Golden Gate
We're back on the road now after what seemed like a lifetime in Oakland. We had a lot of down time, but yesterday we went back to Discovery Bay. We stopped here in the fall and we were happy to go back again. Discovery Bay is a river system in the middle of nowhere south of San Francisco. I'm fairly aquatic and I've been on many bodies of water, but Discovery Bay is like nothing I have ever seen. It is full of many small canals and several are lined with million dollar homes. Our tour manager's brother-in-law has a home, a boat, and a couple jet skis on the bay and has been gracious enough to show us around. When we were there in the fall, both jet skis were in the shop and he only had a wakeboard for the boat. I think I had tried wakeboarding several years ago and let's just say that I was less than successful. I was one of the last people to go that day and no one had been having much success...lots of funny pictures, but not lots of wakeboarding. I put the board on, jumped in, and gave it a try. Much to my surprise (and every one else's) I got right up! I rode around for awhile and eventually fell. When the boat came back around to get me I yelled from the water, "Now what's so hard about that!" I truly have no idea why it came so easy for me that day, but I'm glad it did.
This time, the guy with the boat (George) just bought a kneeboard. I'm usually less than successful on wakeboards, but I know my way around a kneeboard. George bought the kneeboard for $5 at a yard sale and it was one of the best boards I have ever used. It was great! I got right up and took a nice long ride on the most beautiful water I have ever been on. I wipeout free day is a good day!
I also got some good pictures this time.
This is my friend Jack on the wakeboard.
The jet skis were pretty fun too. The only time I had ever been on a jet ski was with my aunt. All I remember is that we flipped it and couldn't get back on in the water so we had to push it to shore and try again. This time was much better! I got it up to about 55mph. Zipping through the rivers as I was passing expensive yachts and huge houses was pretty cool.
We're on our way to Eureka, CA right now and we hope to go see the giant redwoods tomorrow. On our way north we drove across the Golden Gate bridge. We've been to San Francisco before, but we couldn't get close to the bridge. We had to go way out of our way and through lots of
traffic, but now we can say we've done it. As soon as the bridge came into view, Eric started singing the theme song to "Full House." Soon we all joined in and it really added to the moment. We drove across the bridge and parked at the other end to take some pictures. I was nice, I guess. It's pretty much like every other bridge I have ever been on except it is orange.
This time, the guy with the boat (George) just bought a kneeboard. I'm usually less than successful on wakeboards, but I know my way around a kneeboard. George bought the kneeboard for $5 at a yard sale and it was one of the best boards I have ever used. It was great! I got right up and took a nice long ride on the most beautiful water I have ever been on. I wipeout free day is a good day!
I also got some good pictures this time.This is my friend Jack on the wakeboard.
The jet skis were pretty fun too. The only time I had ever been on a jet ski was with my aunt. All I remember is that we flipped it and couldn't get back on in the water so we had to push it to shore and try again. This time was much better! I got it up to about 55mph. Zipping through the rivers as I was passing expensive yachts and huge houses was pretty cool.
We're on our way to Eureka, CA right now and we hope to go see the giant redwoods tomorrow. On our way north we drove across the Golden Gate bridge. We've been to San Francisco before, but we couldn't get close to the bridge. We had to go way out of our way and through lots of
traffic, but now we can say we've done it. As soon as the bridge came into view, Eric started singing the theme song to "Full House." Soon we all joined in and it really added to the moment. We drove across the bridge and parked at the other end to take some pictures. I was nice, I guess. It's pretty much like every other bridge I have ever been on except it is orange.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Favorite Things
Pop quiz about me:
What is my favorite fried chicken restaurant?
If you answered KFC, you're wrong. Chester Fried? Wrong. Roy Rogers? RIGHT!!!!
Most of you have never even heard of Roy Rogers. This is a sad reality in America today. There used to be a Roy Rogers in the Cranberry Mall right outside of BonTon- where Bath and Body Works and that jewelery store are now. It has been closed for probably close to 15 years now, but I remember every detail of that place. They had lots of pictures on the walls and every Christmas they would cover them with wrapping paper and put big bows on them so they looked like giant presents next to each table. But if you ask any Roy Rogers patron why they came you will always get the same answer: The BISCUITS!!!! It's true. A few months ago I called my mom and told her that I ate at Roy Rogers that day and she asked if they still had the biscuits. KFC has good biscuits, but they've got nothing on Roy Rogers. There is only 1 more Roy Rogers that I know of it is on 76 between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. I discovered it one time going to see my sister and since I'm on the road now, I've driven past it several times. Taking the Turnpike may cost more in tolls, but the biscuits are worth it!
Another question about me:
Who do I think is the funniest woman on television today?
If you answered Tina Fey...you're right. I love Tina Fey. She is a phenomenal writer and actress with some of the best comedic timing I have ever seen. Anyway, I just watched Baby Mama recently and I loved it, so I was looking for Tina Fey TV appearances on YouTube last night (it was 11:30...way to early to go to bed, but I didn't have anything to do) and I found this interview on Letterman from last January: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vZ6ATGPugI&NR=1
Since it was January, they were talking about what Tina and her husband did for Christmas. Tina is from Upper Darby outside of Philadelphia and her husband is from Ohio. She says in the interview that they spent Christmas driving 76 West and they take that road because it has the cleanest Roy Rogers!!!!! Then, she went on to talk about the BISCUITS! I hope it's Roy Rogers biscuits that make you funny, because I'm on the right track then.
Sorry this post has nothing to do with the tour (actually it does because I ate at a Roy Rogers on tour) but this is what happens when I have been staying in the same hotel for nearly a week and there is NOTHING to do here. I'm going boating and JetSkiing later today and I hope to have better stories to write about after that.
What is my favorite fried chicken restaurant?
If you answered KFC, you're wrong. Chester Fried? Wrong. Roy Rogers? RIGHT!!!!
Most of you have never even heard of Roy Rogers. This is a sad reality in America today. There used to be a Roy Rogers in the Cranberry Mall right outside of BonTon- where Bath and Body Works and that jewelery store are now. It has been closed for probably close to 15 years now, but I remember every detail of that place. They had lots of pictures on the walls and every Christmas they would cover them with wrapping paper and put big bows on them so they looked like giant presents next to each table. But if you ask any Roy Rogers patron why they came you will always get the same answer: The BISCUITS!!!! It's true. A few months ago I called my mom and told her that I ate at Roy Rogers that day and she asked if they still had the biscuits. KFC has good biscuits, but they've got nothing on Roy Rogers. There is only 1 more Roy Rogers that I know of it is on 76 between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. I discovered it one time going to see my sister and since I'm on the road now, I've driven past it several times. Taking the Turnpike may cost more in tolls, but the biscuits are worth it!
Another question about me:
Who do I think is the funniest woman on television today?
If you answered Tina Fey...you're right. I love Tina Fey. She is a phenomenal writer and actress with some of the best comedic timing I have ever seen. Anyway, I just watched Baby Mama recently and I loved it, so I was looking for Tina Fey TV appearances on YouTube last night (it was 11:30...way to early to go to bed, but I didn't have anything to do) and I found this interview on Letterman from last January: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vZ6ATGPugI&NR=1
Since it was January, they were talking about what Tina and her husband did for Christmas. Tina is from Upper Darby outside of Philadelphia and her husband is from Ohio. She says in the interview that they spent Christmas driving 76 West and they take that road because it has the cleanest Roy Rogers!!!!! Then, she went on to talk about the BISCUITS! I hope it's Roy Rogers biscuits that make you funny, because I'm on the right track then.
Sorry this post has nothing to do with the tour (actually it does because I ate at a Roy Rogers on tour) but this is what happens when I have been staying in the same hotel for nearly a week and there is NOTHING to do here. I'm going boating and JetSkiing later today and I hope to have better stories to write about after that.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
A Day in Oakland with Jack London
We're in Oakland, CA now and we have a show in Vacaville tomorrow. I think it's near Napa Valley so I'm hoping to see some beautiful landscapes today.
We went to Jack London Square here in Oakland yesterday. It is a piece of waterfront property dedicated to Jack London (author of Call of the Wild, White Fang, etc). Apparently London and his family lived in Oakland for a time. We went down to the square for lunch and to see a movie since that is the only cinema in town. No one else seemed to care about it being Jack London Square, but then I again, I don't think anyone else knew who Jack London was.
There were lots of piers, fountains, and statues all along the walkway. It was beautiful. There was a statue of Jack London with this quote beneath it: “I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” I like that. Life is for the living. One of the biggest things I've learned this year is that there is a lot to do and see on this planet and there is a lot of life to be lived, but no one is going to do it for you. It can be risky, but it is extremely rewarding. Thanks Jack London!
While we were at the water, I also came across a ship known as a Rescue Lightship. Maybe you all know more about the Coast Guard than I, but I had never seen one before. A Lightship was used in inclement weather in places where it was too expensive or impractical to build a lighthouse but there was a danger that other sailors needed to know about. The top of both masts have large lenses and the boat would anchor at a certain spot and stay there as long as they needed to. It was a traveling lighthouse. I never knew those existed.
Today is another potentially boring day. We're going to go get some lunch soon and then just kill time until we meet up with host families at 9. It's weird that we have a show tomorrow it's been close to 3 weeks since our last one I think.
We went to Jack London Square here in Oakland yesterday. It is a piece of waterfront property dedicated to Jack London (author of Call of the Wild, White Fang, etc). Apparently London and his family lived in Oakland for a time. We went down to the square for lunch and to see a movie since that is the only cinema in town. No one else seemed to care about it being Jack London Square, but then I again, I don't think anyone else knew who Jack London was.
There were lots of piers, fountains, and statues all along the walkway. It was beautiful. There was a statue of Jack London with this quote beneath it: “I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” I like that. Life is for the living. One of the biggest things I've learned this year is that there is a lot to do and see on this planet and there is a lot of life to be lived, but no one is going to do it for you. It can be risky, but it is extremely rewarding. Thanks Jack London!
While we were at the water, I also came across a ship known as a Rescue Lightship. Maybe you all know more about the Coast Guard than I, but I had never seen one before. A Lightship was used in inclement weather in places where it was too expensive or impractical to build a lighthouse but there was a danger that other sailors needed to know about. The top of both masts have large lenses and the boat would anchor at a certain spot and stay there as long as they needed to. It was a traveling lighthouse. I never knew those existed.
Today is another potentially boring day. We're going to go get some lunch soon and then just kill time until we meet up with host families at 9. It's weird that we have a show tomorrow it's been close to 3 weeks since our last one I think.
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