Compass & Coffee Spoons

Do You Know the Way to San Jose?

 

I'm bursting at the seams and having a hard time concentrating on work because I just booked a flight yesterday to Costa Rica! Sort of a "spontaneous" thing from May 15-19--un pequeno viaje. I'm traveling alone, but as it turns out, my friend Carolyn will also be there! She's going on a much longer trip for 2 weeks with Intrepid Travel (which I'm definitely bookmarking for the future--some great trips with various comfort level options and not overpriced). I doubt I'll be doing much on the way of true ecotourism, given my short stay, but I'm hoping to do 1 or 2 day trips from San Jose--or potentially one overnight trip. In the next few days (evenings, of course), I'm going to be booking my hotel and researching tours and planning (as much as I ever plan) my itinerary!

Photos of the lovely country from: Traveling Costarica.

Life in Steerage

Picture from http://www.airfarewatchdog.com of an Eastern Airlines Super Constellation. As you can see, NOT a recent photo!

I had a work trip on Thursday. Though the flight was only 2 hours, it seemed interminable. First, it took off an hour late. Second, the flight was packed, and I had what was quite possibly the worst seat: 25d, the last seat in the plane, adjacent to the rest room. I swear every person on the plane used the rest room...twice. Each time, I got a nice whiff of lovely rest room odor. I wanted to tell them to get their prostates checked, going that much on a 2-hour flight. I may have if half of them weren't female. Third, the seat was small and my butt was large. I don't think I've ever been so uncomfortable in an airline seat. For a second, I thought "I don't think I'm going to fit. I had a French chap beside me. I gingerly told him that I was trying to keep my butt as compact as possible. It was insane. Every time he pushed down on the armrest, because he was also clearly uncomfortable, it drove into my thigh...excruciating. Fortunately, on the way back, I had an empty seat beside me, so I could lift the arm rest and give myself more room.  When I got to my destination, it was not over. I had to wait through two shuttle buses to get to the rental car center and then had an hour drive. I was home not a minute too soon on Friday!

Another Weekend, Another Blog Entry

Well, busy busy lately. No bloggy bloggy. I went home to PA this past weekend to pick up my car. It is now shiny, all repainted, and fixed. AND, miracle of miracles, I passed my inspection on Tuesday, the whole reason for this car drama to begin with. I'm good for another 2 years.

It was a fun weekend in Western PA. I wish I'd remembered my camera. Angela came home with me on Amtrak. The train was actually on time (do the miracles never cease!), though it takes longer than driving. The last hour was a little unbearable to me.

On Saturday, Mom, Angela and I went on a short hike in Linn Run State Park. Since I did not take my camera, here's someone else's rendition of Adams Falls.

We, however, saw no water over the falls because of the lack of rain lately. We just had the pleasure of scrambling over a seemingly endless pile of rocks on the trail.

After the hike, we drove around Forbes State Park/Laurel Summit looking at the lovely fall leaves. This conveniently took us in a loop and past the Laughlintown Pie Shoppe where we took a number and got some "nourishment."

I did get to see my Nakashima exhibit at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art. Great. I decided that if they were to decide to allow me to bring one piece home, it would be the chest of drawers. I like to do that when I'm in an exhibit--to pick the one thing I'd take with me if given the opportunity. I also liked the "Amoeba Tables," but needed a chest, so...

Our day there ended in downtown Ligonier looking at froo froo shops with tchotchkes and the like.

I continued my busy Saturday with the annual Jenco sauerkraut-making (recipe-cabbage, salt and lots of love. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette did a feature on it once.). I got to see much of my extended family, which was really nice. I was impressed by my brother's adroit skill at shredding cabbage (it's much harder than it looks) and by the perseverence of my family in doing this annually. But, when you taste the sauerkraut on New Year's Day, it's worth it!

Country Time and Singin' the Blues

Well, my big Labor Day trip to Nashville and Memphis is over--hard to believe. I was surprised how much I enjoyed both cities. Liz and I did a lot in our 4 days.

In Nashville, we went to Bellemeade Plantation, The Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's home), the Country Music Hall of Fame, Ryman Auditorium, and the Grand Ole Opry.  I also walked past the Tennessee state capitol building. I have never been a huge country music fan, but recently, I have been appreciating it more and more. As I told my dad when he said "You never liked country when you were a kid...you'd make fun of me!," it's one of those things that you need more life experience to understand! I walked away with 2 country music CDs at the end of it all. One of the exhibits at the Country Music Hall of Fame was on Ray Charles, and in a taped interview, he quoted, I think, Duke Ellington, who said "There are only two kinds of music: good and bad," and I am learning more and more how true that is.

In Memphis, we did the "Elvis" thing. We went to Graceland. We also went to Sun Studios, where many famous people got their start--including "the King," Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash. It's also where one of my favorite bands U2 recorded Rattle & Hum. At night, we went to B.B. King's blues club. I bought the CD of one of the guys who sang there--he played guitar with his tongue, and so I had to get his music!

Our last morning, we went to the National Civil Rights Museum. This was a bit intense. It's located in the old Lorraine Hotel, the site of Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination. I left feeling a little down, in thinking about how recent all of the events were, and how truly, there is so much work to go in achieving equality for all. I was definitely amazed by the courage of all those who were engaged in the fight for civil rights. It's truly inspiring. But, at the same time, the experience of seeing King's assassination spot was sobering...it was a somber end to our fun trip.

Way Down South in Dixie

This week, I traveled for work to Raleigh, North Carolina on Wednesday through Thursday morning. I have never really been to the state before. It was a nice place, and I couldn't believe how fast it was growing. We were doing work south of the city, and the residential growth there is astounding.

I drove in to Raleigh in the evening, because I couldn't leave before seeing the Downtown. I saw the State House and the Confederate monument in front of it. That fascinated me, because while I've probably seen Confederate monuments before, I never knew them as such.

The photos of the State House weren't great (I was taking the photos from the inside of my car and the trees were obscuring the building), but the shot of the monument came out pretty good.

I realized that North Carolinians must really like biscuits.

I didn't have any biscuits when I was there, but I did eat some barbeque at a local chain Smithfields. I also saw the owner's huge barn and mansion that's being constructed, thanks to a developer I was interviewing. He drove me around, which was really Southern hospitality!