Blogs from North America - page 9000

the rest of yesterday continued to be wonderful! a momentary setback occurred when, at lunch, tina served us a meal that was only a little bit more mexican. therefore, spicy. remember who doesn´t like spicy foods, at all? ..oh yeah, me. i dunno. i tried it. i wanted to like it. but i just don´t get satisfaction out of eating a food that hurts my mouth. i got really embarrassed that i couldn´t eat it and also really mad at myself because i had been doing so well with trying (and liking!) everything new. that´s such a huge step for me, and for it not to continue made me pretty frustrated. oh well. it wasn´t that big a deal. tina gave me something else to eat (my eating wasn´t the problem, it was that i was ... read more

So, Colorado was fun. I was representing Cali at the sessions there. They do things so different! I was crazy. But it was a lot of fun and I met some new friends. :)... read more

For this week's hike we (my dad and I) decided not to stray too far from where we were the previous week (Crosier Mountain). Lion Gulch is accessed via a trailhead just off of US 36 on the way up to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. This is another good dog-friendly trail, but due to the drought we were experiencing in Colorado, there really wasn't enough water for the two thirsty yellow labs who joined us on this hike (the Vicious Snow Beasts from Hike #3). Anyway, this hike follows the gulch floor, passing under several craggy rock formations. Eventually, the trail starts to climb (quite steeply at times) and then levels off in meadows above the gulch. This is a great place for Colorado history buffs as these meadows were once home to ... read more

LOCATION: Lubec, ME, to St. John, NB, via Calais (the border) : We were up early and over the bridge into Canadian soil to the Roosevelt Campobello International Park. Campobello is a compact island at the mouth of the Passamaquoddy Bay dedicated the FDR. Campobello has been home to both humble fisherman and wealthy families. Arriving at the visitor’s center, we realized just how early we were…it was not open yet. So we walked the trails down to the water and around the “Cottages”. FDR’s parents vacationed here with their child for years, and eventually purchased several acres and built “cottages”. It was a favorite vacation retreat for FDR, Eleanor and their children. The grounds are meticulously manicured and the cottage seemed to be over staffed with guides. We continued driving to Calais the border town ... read more

Derek threw a get-together at his house in honor of Jillian, a girl that he teaches with at the university - she was to be leaving the following Tuesday to go home to Colorado. Everyone brought snacks and we had a nice little buffet of hummus, guacomole (Tony's diarrhea-colored concoction, but it was good), homemade bread, and some kind of ham roll-ups. Delia had made two mango pies earlier in the day - they enticed poor little Samuel all day long. So much so that he bounced and clapped when he finally got to eat a piece! It was so so good. Another recipe I need to get from Delia... I enjoyed talking with Peter, who talked with me about difference between the British language and American English. I still don't understand why they don't say ... read more