If I never see another G.D. mobile home on a truck on an interstate, it will be too soon. Seriously, how many of these things did we get behind today? I feel like I-10 and I-12 are the primary corridors for the transportation of these things. And they were frequently unconcerned with taking up both lanes of the interstate; yeah, how were these interstates only 2-laned in each direction for so long? But alas, such is the driving life. Yesterday was a big driving day, but since we had no stops scheduled, it went by surprisingly quickly. It was a total of about 7 hours on the road, but because the first 2.5 hours were backroads through Georgia and Florida, they didn't seem so boring. And then it was all I-10 until we got just inside ... read more

My final 2 days in Canada are coming to an end! I've got a flight at 5:25 AM tomorrow, which means I've got an airport bus to catch at 4 AM. Fun fun! I've come to the conclusion that the woman from Saturday afternoon was right, for the most part: Ottawa is more work than play. It's not that there aren't fun or interesting things to do around here. It's more that the things that are fun or interesting are not exactly exciting. At least my experience affirms that. Of course, at a different time of year or whatever, it could be quite exciting. But that's not my story for the past 3+ days in Ottawa. The past 2 days included getting some rest (much needed!) and spending the majority of my touristy time at museums. ... read more

I am terrified of heights. Literal heights, that is. So what better activity than ascending the tallest building in Canada? I like to try going up tall buildings to prove to myself that my acrophobia won’t control me. It always gives me a fright, but I feel that actually doing it makes some kind of statement. Frankly, I wouldn’t have done the CN Tower if it hadn’t been included in my City Pass booklet. But since it was, I was determined to tackle my anxiety. Going through the security, the ticket line, and even into the elevator was no big deal. But they crammed that elevator full, and there were two glass-covered holes in the bottom so that we could see the cables and everything. And naturally the main doors to the elevator are glass. It ... read more

Normally I try to do one post per day on these trips, but it has been basically non-stop since Tuesday morning. Alas, I'll combine two days for everyone! I’ve seen several museums in these two days, and that’s not typically my style. I may have already mentioned in a previous post about the Toronto Pass – it cost $60 (US) and it includes passes to several high-demand tourist sites in town. It also allows you to skip the lines. My first usage was at Casa Loma, and the pass proved its worth there immediately. I was told to get there before 11:00 to beat the crowds. After an obligatory stop at Canada’s own version of Dunkin Donuts – Tim Horton’s – for a smoothie and a red velvet muffin, I was on my way to be ... read more

The purpose of my whole trip was to come and support my alma mater's tennis team in the SEC tournament, taking place in Knoxville, TN, from April 26-30. I'm also one of the unofficial photographers of the team, and several of the players' parents have told me that they like my photos the best. Aw shucks. They're probably just being nice, but I'll take the compliments. I like taking pictures, particularly of sports, and plus I know several of these players. It's always easier to photograph a subject that you're actually interested in. And since these guys do a lot more winning than losing, it makes the matches (and following the team) that much better. Since my Racquet Dawgs (that's what I call the UGA men's tennis team) tied for 1st place in the regular season, ... read more