TRAVELIN' FRIDAY FIVE
9 August 2003
I don't often do the "Friday
Five," but this one is definitely up my alley -- especially right now!
1. What's the last place you traveled to, outside your own home
state/country?
 Where's the last place I traveled is easy--to Los Angeles
last weekend. But where I traveled last outside of the state...hmmm... Ahh! I know. It was
Houston in April. Great trip. I flew in on Friday and had a day and a half to spend with
my good friend Lynn, whom I hadn't seen in a couple of years. Lynn is the original Martha
Stewart and she's turned this little shack that she and her husband rented a few years
back into a magical showplace. I love looking at the little whimsical touches that she
adds to bring even more charm to the place.
When I left Lynn's, I went to the other side of Houston to meet some
internet friends at Michelle's house. Another lovely gathering, putting faces to names. A
lot of laughs, a lot of bonding. A great time.
2. What's the most bizarre/unusual thing that's ever happened to
you while traveling?
Oh, can anything top Bodie? Bodie is a ghost town in Nevada, but not
one of those ghost towns that has been restored and turned into a Disneyland. I haven't
been there in about 30 years, but when we were there, it was a large town with buildings
in various stages of disrepair. It was everything a ghost town should be...and you could
feel the ghosts of the former inhabitants with you.
 There
were dark skies when we entered the town, and they kept getting darker and darker.
Suddenly the storm began. I don't remember the rain, particularly, but I sure do remember
the lightning. It was much too close for comfort. It was especially too close for comfort
when a bolt hit the ground about 5 feet from where I was standing.
We were a group of 12, adults and children, and we knew we needed to
find shelter FAST. The only building nearby was an outhouse--a 2-holer--and we all crammed
into the outhouse until the lightning subsided. Of course one of the idiots in the
group had to stand outside amid the lightning bolts to take photos.
But I didn't get hit, fortunately.
3. If you could take off to anywhere, money and time being no
object, where would you go?
So many places...so little time (and money). I'd say that my first
choice would be Australia, but see question #5. So, if not Australia, I'd be torn between
taking a photo safari to Africa and a cruise up the inland passage to Alaska. I have always wanted
to do both and I'd be happy with either...but if money and time are no object, maybe I'll
just do them both.
4. Do you prefer traveling by plane, train or car?
Each has its merits. If you're traveling thousands of miles, plane
is the way to go...I'm the queen of instant gratification and while plane travel isn't exactly
"instant," it gets you there faster than any other mode of transportation. I hate how cramped planes have become, but I
put up with the inconvenience of security checks and loss of leg room in exchange for
speed.
I've taken the train a couple of times and it's a fun way to travel,
though the last time I took a train was before they banned smoking in the observation car
and it was so unpleasantly filled with smoke that I could hardly breathe and I didn't
enjoy that much, but it was a leisurely way to see the scenery and get a lot of reading
done.
I also enjoy traveling by car, especially with interesting stops to
make along the way (great for photographs!) I've made some wonderful car trips (and some
awful car trips!) There are all sorts of variables.
So, bottom line is I couldn't choose just one preference for travel.
It depends on the destination, the weather, the company, and the time available to get
there! (But no matter how you travel, a book and a camera make it a lot more enjoyable!)
5. What's the next place on your list to visit?
Yeah--like I have to tell anybody who has been reading this journal
for more than a week the aswer to that question! AUSTRALIA. In 33 days. I'm
leaving all the plans for itinerary to Peggy, so I don't have any sort of idea of what
we're doing when, but I will be gone six weeks.
This is a good time to mention that I will continue to update this
journal while I'm away, but sporadically, since I won't always have an internet
connection. There will be a new look to the journal and since I don't know how often I'll
be able to upload an entry, the best way to be sure to know when there is a new entry is
to join the notify
list.
I am also going to shut down my regular e-mail account for the time
while I'm gone. I will be picking up email on a special account I've set up on yahoo, but
don't expect to be doing a lot of e-mailing while I'm away either. (You can always leave a
message in the guestbook.)
Oh yeah--and when I have a computer available to upload a journal
entry, I'll also be posting photos to fotolog, so to get the full experience, check both
the journal and the fotolog as well.
33 days. That's almost time to start packing! |
