Not too long ago I wondered how many counties I'd been to after reading this geographtastic blog. (He's been counting counties a little longer than I have.)
It turns out, I've been to 191, or 6.07%. That seems like a really small number. I'd like to add the condition, "so far."
02 April 2011
20 March 2011
Adventures with Abi
This weekend's adventures featured a copilot: Abi, one of the only Johnsonburg staffers who also lives in Ocean County. I did forewarn her about the adventures that she'd have to accompany me for, mainly a visit to a church a little over two hours south of camp. But first: Friday!
We left for camp from Toms River mid-morning. The weather was incredibly gorgeous, the ride plenty easy. The highlight: getting stuck behind a tractor going 20 mph on County Road 612 in Allamuchy. While this might sound like the antithesis of highlight for some, I was enjoying driving with the windows down and feeling like I wasn't in any sort of hurry. It was a nice reminder that we were in the country. It made me smile.
We were at camp to work a junior high retreat, which went very well, I think. It was much cooler out, but still sunny. We had a great group of people together to work the retreat, and a pretty sweet speaker. I always enjoying working with youth in that beautiful place.
So, today. Ridiculous. While the drive to the Woodbury church was long, it was pretty easy and mostly lovely, through a lot of farm country and small, historic downtowns (Route 206 most of the way, which is becoming more familiar). Leaving camp, it was quite dark and cold, but we were able to enjoy the super moon until the pretty sunrise over said farms about an hour into our drive. The visit went well at the church and it turned out to be a beautiful spring day.
Leaving the church, I told Abi how sometimes when heading home, I liked to just choose county roads with a certain whimsy and see what I could discover as a way home. She said, "Ok!" so we turned right instead of left, although that first stretch lasted about two blocks when we saw a Rita's and remembered that it was the first day of spring! free ice! and stopped. While waiting on line for them to open, I double checked that she didn't mind wandering, mostly through Pine Barrens, and her response? "Sure! I don't get out much."
She said I could quote her on that.
This is what happened next:
View Larger Map
So we didn't make a ton of progress early on due to roads lying about their cardinal directions ("Let's go south northeast!" -Abi) but eventually found some really peaceful stretches of the Pine Barrens. It ended up being free stuff day as far as we were concerned-- our free water ices were one thing. Later, we pulled over to take a picture in front of a ridiculous super hero woman statue in front of a tire place and a worker ran out and gave us a bobblehead doll of said statue for free.
A while after that, we found a sign that said Free Manure, but we just took a picture, didn't actually receive any manure. Honest.
We stopped by Bass River State forest but didn't really have a good enough map available to find that pygmy forest that I've become infatuated with, so we carried on and eventually hit the east coast in Tuckerton. Since we didn't end up making a pilgrimage to anything in particular, we visited Barnegat Lighthouse before getting Abi home. The light was closed "due to worker illness" so we walked around and enjoyed the salty air for a few minutes before bringing our adventure to an end, 18 Wawas later (+2 more for me between Forked River and home). Hooray for South Jersey!
no power lines in Wharton State forest means a glorious drive through untrimmed pitch pines
I will be breaking 153,000 miles on my car tomorrow.
We left for camp from Toms River mid-morning. The weather was incredibly gorgeous, the ride plenty easy. The highlight: getting stuck behind a tractor going 20 mph on County Road 612 in Allamuchy. While this might sound like the antithesis of highlight for some, I was enjoying driving with the windows down and feeling like I wasn't in any sort of hurry. It was a nice reminder that we were in the country. It made me smile.
We were at camp to work a junior high retreat, which went very well, I think. It was much cooler out, but still sunny. We had a great group of people together to work the retreat, and a pretty sweet speaker. I always enjoying working with youth in that beautiful place.
So, today. Ridiculous. While the drive to the Woodbury church was long, it was pretty easy and mostly lovely, through a lot of farm country and small, historic downtowns (Route 206 most of the way, which is becoming more familiar). Leaving camp, it was quite dark and cold, but we were able to enjoy the super moon until the pretty sunrise over said farms about an hour into our drive. The visit went well at the church and it turned out to be a beautiful spring day.
Leaving the church, I told Abi how sometimes when heading home, I liked to just choose county roads with a certain whimsy and see what I could discover as a way home. She said, "Ok!" so we turned right instead of left, although that first stretch lasted about two blocks when we saw a Rita's and remembered that it was the first day of spring! free ice! and stopped. While waiting on line for them to open, I double checked that she didn't mind wandering, mostly through Pine Barrens, and her response? "Sure! I don't get out much."
She said I could quote her on that.
This is what happened next:
View Larger Map
So we didn't make a ton of progress early on due to roads lying about their cardinal directions ("Let's go south northeast!" -Abi) but eventually found some really peaceful stretches of the Pine Barrens. It ended up being free stuff day as far as we were concerned-- our free water ices were one thing. Later, we pulled over to take a picture in front of a ridiculous super hero woman statue in front of a tire place and a worker ran out and gave us a bobblehead doll of said statue for free.
A while after that, we found a sign that said Free Manure, but we just took a picture, didn't actually receive any manure. Honest.
We stopped by Bass River State forest but didn't really have a good enough map available to find that pygmy forest that I've become infatuated with, so we carried on and eventually hit the east coast in Tuckerton. Since we didn't end up making a pilgrimage to anything in particular, we visited Barnegat Lighthouse before getting Abi home. The light was closed "due to worker illness" so we walked around and enjoyed the salty air for a few minutes before bringing our adventure to an end, 18 Wawas later (+2 more for me between Forked River and home). Hooray for South Jersey!
no power lines in Wharton State forest means a glorious drive through untrimmed pitch pines
I will be breaking 153,000 miles on my car tomorrow.
17 March 2011
I pine for... not the feller buncher.
Meet my arch nemesis: the Feller Buncher.
The first time I saw one of these in action, it was in the construction zone one Route 1 behind Cook Campus of Rutgers. The machine kind of hugs the tree and then saws right though its base. I was so in shock that such a machine would exist that I actually stalled my car staring at it all sorts of slack jawed and upset.
Well, we met again today. I didn't stall the car, but I may have yelled at the trucks, not that they listened as they chopped down my beloved pitch pines (which win the tree of the day award for a record fourth time as best I can tell from my own blog) along the Garden State Parkway southbound. And why was I driving southbound on the soon- to- be- wider- GSP South?
I spent the last two days in Atlantic City at the American Camp Association Tri-State meeting (which oddly enough involved people from all over the country). It was a great conference. I attended a slew of sessions about marketing and youth development and media and this crazy awesome lady. I got to have a lot of great conversations about how to build relationships with parents and how teens are interacting with media and each other and how interfaith communities can be about conversation and not conversion.
But let's be honest. In addition to learning all sorts of interesting things that are relevant to my job at camp, my work with the youth in my church and my life in general, I really enjoyed the drive. I rarely have an excuse to take the Parkway south through the Pinelands National Reserve. This time of year (not summer) it's peaceful and empty. No rush hour traffic. Hardly any traffic at all! I've probably mentioned before how much I love seeing the various stages of forestation in this region that, if humans would stop meddling, would be driven by fire ecology (although the human meddling part probably leads to some of the fires the pitch pine so desperately needs to propagate). I love that it's green even though nothing else is yet. I love seeing the vast stretches of wetlands around the Bass and Mullica Rivers, too.
I do not love feller bunchers, although I have to admit the name is kind of fun.
This morning I left home as the sun arose in a glorious way, with a few thin dark purple clouds stretched in front of the deep orange sphere. It was a beautiful day to make that drive with the windows down, that incredible smell of pine mixed with salty air. Goal for the (hopefully not so distant) future: visit Bass River State Forest (for the pygmy pines), Apple Pie Hill (the highest point of the Pinelands) and Brendan Byrne State Forest (because I've passed it a million times, every time I go to Virginia or anywhere else west or south of where I live), possibly all in one glorious Pine Barrens loving day...
So that's my green for the day. Despite my name being an Americanization of a Gaelic word, I did nothing to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. My bad. No beer of the day, not even Guinness or green beer (which I've never had, actually). Love those Pine Barrens though.
The first time I saw one of these in action, it was in the construction zone one Route 1 behind Cook Campus of Rutgers. The machine kind of hugs the tree and then saws right though its base. I was so in shock that such a machine would exist that I actually stalled my car staring at it all sorts of slack jawed and upset.
Well, we met again today. I didn't stall the car, but I may have yelled at the trucks, not that they listened as they chopped down my beloved pitch pines (which win the tree of the day award for a record fourth time as best I can tell from my own blog) along the Garden State Parkway southbound. And why was I driving southbound on the soon- to- be- wider- GSP South?
I spent the last two days in Atlantic City at the American Camp Association Tri-State meeting (which oddly enough involved people from all over the country). It was a great conference. I attended a slew of sessions about marketing and youth development and media and this crazy awesome lady. I got to have a lot of great conversations about how to build relationships with parents and how teens are interacting with media and each other and how interfaith communities can be about conversation and not conversion.
But let's be honest. In addition to learning all sorts of interesting things that are relevant to my job at camp, my work with the youth in my church and my life in general, I really enjoyed the drive. I rarely have an excuse to take the Parkway south through the Pinelands National Reserve. This time of year (not summer) it's peaceful and empty. No rush hour traffic. Hardly any traffic at all! I've probably mentioned before how much I love seeing the various stages of forestation in this region that, if humans would stop meddling, would be driven by fire ecology (although the human meddling part probably leads to some of the fires the pitch pine so desperately needs to propagate). I love that it's green even though nothing else is yet. I love seeing the vast stretches of wetlands around the Bass and Mullica Rivers, too.
I do not love feller bunchers, although I have to admit the name is kind of fun.
This morning I left home as the sun arose in a glorious way, with a few thin dark purple clouds stretched in front of the deep orange sphere. It was a beautiful day to make that drive with the windows down, that incredible smell of pine mixed with salty air. Goal for the (hopefully not so distant) future: visit Bass River State Forest (for the pygmy pines), Apple Pie Hill (the highest point of the Pinelands) and Brendan Byrne State Forest (because I've passed it a million times, every time I go to Virginia or anywhere else west or south of where I live), possibly all in one glorious Pine Barrens loving day...
So that's my green for the day. Despite my name being an Americanization of a Gaelic word, I did nothing to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. My bad. No beer of the day, not even Guinness or green beer (which I've never had, actually). Love those Pine Barrens though.
13 March 2011
spring ahead
I absolutely love that springing ahead coincided with a beautiful, beautiful spring-like day.
Yesterday, I went up to camp for a board meeting. One of our board members lives 15 miles north of me and offered to drive me up, for which I was grateful. Usually I love to drive myself long distances, but I'm still feeling a bit travel-lagged from the last adventure, and it was nice to just sit back and be able to look around a lot more than I usually get to. I was curious to see what all of the flooding would look like up north, and to see how camp fared in our bad rains last week. It didn't seem too terrible on any of the roads we were driving. I enjoyed the scenery and noticed a lot of things that I don't usually see while focused on the road-- lots of creeks, actually. Then it occurred to me, that was what flooding looks like in the mountains. I wasn't along any coasts that have lost ground, just saw much faster and higher streams than usual. Interesting. Also, the snow at camp is finally almost gone (last time I was there, we had about a foot and a half, plus another 6-8 inches fell while I was there). Different. Spring is coming.
Today I had a visit to Belmar. It went well. I had some good conversations with families in the First Presbyterian Church, and also with the pastor, who is a huge Johnsonburg enthusiast. It was a gorgeous day to roll down the windows and take the long way home along the coast, smelling a little salt in the air. Ah, the Jersey shore. Not Jersey Shore. The real Jersey shore.
Big brother was here for a short visit and the beer of the day is the Mikkeller Coffee IPA I've been saving for him. Pretty good.
Happy Daylight Saving, everyone!
Yesterday, I went up to camp for a board meeting. One of our board members lives 15 miles north of me and offered to drive me up, for which I was grateful. Usually I love to drive myself long distances, but I'm still feeling a bit travel-lagged from the last adventure, and it was nice to just sit back and be able to look around a lot more than I usually get to. I was curious to see what all of the flooding would look like up north, and to see how camp fared in our bad rains last week. It didn't seem too terrible on any of the roads we were driving. I enjoyed the scenery and noticed a lot of things that I don't usually see while focused on the road-- lots of creeks, actually. Then it occurred to me, that was what flooding looks like in the mountains. I wasn't along any coasts that have lost ground, just saw much faster and higher streams than usual. Interesting. Also, the snow at camp is finally almost gone (last time I was there, we had about a foot and a half, plus another 6-8 inches fell while I was there). Different. Spring is coming.
Today I had a visit to Belmar. It went well. I had some good conversations with families in the First Presbyterian Church, and also with the pastor, who is a huge Johnsonburg enthusiast. It was a gorgeous day to roll down the windows and take the long way home along the coast, smelling a little salt in the air. Ah, the Jersey shore. Not Jersey Shore. The real Jersey shore.
Big brother was here for a short visit and the beer of the day is the Mikkeller Coffee IPA I've been saving for him. Pretty good.
Happy Daylight Saving, everyone!
07 March 2011
same as it ever was...
On Friday, I was brainstorming a post entitled, "Miles to go before I sleep" but ran out of time in the transition between excellent concert adventures in Virginia and excellent youth retreat adventures in New York. And so you get another Josh Ritter- covering- Talking Heads- reference (since he did it again on Thursday night): same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was! As ever, I am tired and paying dearly for my adventures, but pretty happy for them nonetheless. I traveled by car about 1100 miles in a week, about 800 of which were between Thursday and Sunday-- Northern VA to Charlottesville and back, to Toms River, to Glen Spey in New York, and back to Toms River. As Joe Pug sang when he returned to the stage for the encore, "I don't mind riding around."
I am grateful to Fiona for driving us to the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville on Thursday, saving me several hours behind the wheel. The concert was awesome-- Josh never fails me, and Joe Pug as the opener was a great match. I enjoyed the rolling drive along county and state roads between Fairfax County and the City of Charlottesville, including at least six counties... I wonder what it would look like if I started keeping track of that (more a la this blog). That drive actually reminded me of another ridiculous time in my life (not more or less ridiculous so much as different ridiculous) during the infamous spring of senior year. I made the same trip with my friends Matt and Ross when they played a show at a tea shop just a few blocks down from the Jefferson Theater. Anyway, awesome adventure with Brittany and Fiona.
never a disappointment
Friday morning I woke up, already quite exhausted, and left the D.C. Metro area at the tail end of rush hour with far more success than I expected. I arrived back home a swift four hours and fifteen minutes later, and after a quick run, shower and double checking of what I packed, I was driving a van full of luggage to Lake Champion in Glen Spey, New York for our youth group's annual Winter Camp retreat. I was delighted to have a co-pilot, my friend Mike, as that drive is notoriously harrowing. We made it alive and didn't have to kill too much time before our busload of junior highs arrived with the rest of our leaders.
After little sleep and lots of fun (and ukulele jam sessions), the retreat was quickly over and I found myself behind the wheel of the van again, returning home earlier than the rest of the youth group as to participate in the bell festival at church.
This is what said harrowing drive looks like during daylight.
Mike again served as co-pilot, our overtired silliness carrying us through the 150 mile drive home (through a nor'easter, no less). The concert went well and I was in bed by 9PM. Over 9 hours of sleep later, I am still paying for these adventures, even more so now because I'm still awake, loaded with caffeine, determined to finish Thesis Draft Number Six tonight, after this short blog-updating-break... which ends now...
I am grateful to Fiona for driving us to the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville on Thursday, saving me several hours behind the wheel. The concert was awesome-- Josh never fails me, and Joe Pug as the opener was a great match. I enjoyed the rolling drive along county and state roads between Fairfax County and the City of Charlottesville, including at least six counties... I wonder what it would look like if I started keeping track of that (more a la this blog). That drive actually reminded me of another ridiculous time in my life (not more or less ridiculous so much as different ridiculous) during the infamous spring of senior year. I made the same trip with my friends Matt and Ross when they played a show at a tea shop just a few blocks down from the Jefferson Theater. Anyway, awesome adventure with Brittany and Fiona.
never a disappointment
Friday morning I woke up, already quite exhausted, and left the D.C. Metro area at the tail end of rush hour with far more success than I expected. I arrived back home a swift four hours and fifteen minutes later, and after a quick run, shower and double checking of what I packed, I was driving a van full of luggage to Lake Champion in Glen Spey, New York for our youth group's annual Winter Camp retreat. I was delighted to have a co-pilot, my friend Mike, as that drive is notoriously harrowing. We made it alive and didn't have to kill too much time before our busload of junior highs arrived with the rest of our leaders.
After little sleep and lots of fun (and ukulele jam sessions), the retreat was quickly over and I found myself behind the wheel of the van again, returning home earlier than the rest of the youth group as to participate in the bell festival at church.
This is what said harrowing drive looks like during daylight.
Mike again served as co-pilot, our overtired silliness carrying us through the 150 mile drive home (through a nor'easter, no less). The concert went well and I was in bed by 9PM. Over 9 hours of sleep later, I am still paying for these adventures, even more so now because I'm still awake, loaded with caffeine, determined to finish Thesis Draft Number Six tonight, after this short blog-updating-break... which ends now...
02 March 2011
Urban hiking with Becky is the tree's knees!
Yesterday was a beautiful day on the verge of spring in the Washington, DC area. I took the Metro to Rosslyn to meet up with my awesome friend Becky for some urban hiking.
We started with a stroll to Roosevelt Island. I'd never been there before, but it was quite lovely despite the lack of leaves. I'll have to go back when it's green again. Tree of the day: bald cypress, which I was able to identify despite its lack of foliage by the knees in the dried up wetlands. I first saw this tree when driving through the Inner Banks of the Carolinas en route to a geography conference in Charleston during senior year of college. Because of that, I was surprised to see this tree so far north, but it turns out its native range is from the Delaware Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. So cool (or dorky, whatever, but I'm excited about it)!
After a loop of Roosevelt Island, we walked over the Key Bridge into Georgetown down a busy street. After a few blocks, we cut down a side street, which was surprisingly silent in comparison, crossing the C & O canal (which we have vowed to bike some of together sometime) and walking along the Potomac for a while.
The main attraction that our hike was based on was an India exhibit at the Kennedy Center that was supposed to be opening yesterday. We got there and found that aside from a few beautiful saris on display, the exhibit was still being set up and there was very little to see. However, I did learn that saris are six yards long (apparently quite a lot of which is just folded up to form pleats at the bottom-- Becky has experience in this department from her time in Peace Corps and her world traveling thereafter). We sat on the roof and enjoyed the sun for a while, ate lunch, and continued on our way.
We kept walking along the waterfront, passing behind the Lincoln Memorial and walking over the Arlington Bridge. We walked through the cemetery (while jogging is prohibited out of respect, apparently it's ok to just stroll through... it is kind of a strange feeling to have this sacred burial space being so open to the public as a park). I thought about our last living WWI vet's passing earlier this week. He'll be buried at Arlington with so many who have gone before him. It's amazing how history just rolls on. Becky showed me that on the back of one of the headstones toward the end of the cemetery was a plaque-- he was one of the men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima. We would cross the street and walk near the Marine Corps Memorial next on our way back to her lovely home.
View Larger Map
Beautiful day, over 7.5 miles of excellent walking. Back at Becky's place, we spent some time looking through her gorgeous photos of India and hanging out with her husband Dana. So wonderful.
After a while I went on to meet a few college friends at 51st State for happy hour. I was exhausted but it's always great to see everyone. It was also funny to take the Metro to the same area I'd walked earlier. Beer of the day: 51st State's Amber Ale.
Good day, good company, good weather, good night's sleep.
We started with a stroll to Roosevelt Island. I'd never been there before, but it was quite lovely despite the lack of leaves. I'll have to go back when it's green again. Tree of the day: bald cypress, which I was able to identify despite its lack of foliage by the knees in the dried up wetlands. I first saw this tree when driving through the Inner Banks of the Carolinas en route to a geography conference in Charleston during senior year of college. Because of that, I was surprised to see this tree so far north, but it turns out its native range is from the Delaware Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. So cool (or dorky, whatever, but I'm excited about it)!
After a loop of Roosevelt Island, we walked over the Key Bridge into Georgetown down a busy street. After a few blocks, we cut down a side street, which was surprisingly silent in comparison, crossing the C & O canal (which we have vowed to bike some of together sometime) and walking along the Potomac for a while.
The main attraction that our hike was based on was an India exhibit at the Kennedy Center that was supposed to be opening yesterday. We got there and found that aside from a few beautiful saris on display, the exhibit was still being set up and there was very little to see. However, I did learn that saris are six yards long (apparently quite a lot of which is just folded up to form pleats at the bottom-- Becky has experience in this department from her time in Peace Corps and her world traveling thereafter). We sat on the roof and enjoyed the sun for a while, ate lunch, and continued on our way.
We kept walking along the waterfront, passing behind the Lincoln Memorial and walking over the Arlington Bridge. We walked through the cemetery (while jogging is prohibited out of respect, apparently it's ok to just stroll through... it is kind of a strange feeling to have this sacred burial space being so open to the public as a park). I thought about our last living WWI vet's passing earlier this week. He'll be buried at Arlington with so many who have gone before him. It's amazing how history just rolls on. Becky showed me that on the back of one of the headstones toward the end of the cemetery was a plaque-- he was one of the men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima. We would cross the street and walk near the Marine Corps Memorial next on our way back to her lovely home.
View Larger Map
Beautiful day, over 7.5 miles of excellent walking. Back at Becky's place, we spent some time looking through her gorgeous photos of India and hanging out with her husband Dana. So wonderful.
After a while I went on to meet a few college friends at 51st State for happy hour. I was exhausted but it's always great to see everyone. It was also funny to take the Metro to the same area I'd walked earlier. Beer of the day: 51st State's Amber Ale.
Good day, good company, good weather, good night's sleep.
26 February 2011
on the road again
"You may ask yourself, 'Where does that highway go?!'" -Talking Heads (also covered by Josh Ritter)
I ask myself that all the time. When I drove home from Virginia last week, I wandered off the beaten path a little bit, trying out some county and state roads rather than the same old I-295. I had some time on my hands and needed a change of scenery. My original plan was to wind my way home whimsically through the Pine Barrens but then I realized I really, really needed to stop and use a bathroom and wasn't going to find one going that way, which is what brought me eventually to Cherry Hill and the western terminus of the road I usually take, Route 70. It was nice to see some farmland, barren as it is in February, and also to see that chunk of Route 70 that I'd never seen before.
However, tomorrow will probably not be one of those days in which I stray from the direct path, as I have a lot of travels to do. This is roughly my trajectory, although I'm already planning on taking sweet peaceful county roads to Princeton (it'll be 7.30 in the morning, I don't foresee that being a poor choice) and something more creative than the Turnpike to get to the Delaware Memorial Bridge. I like the way that route looks though, kind of like a fun roller coaster. Also, the first three stops are for camp related things, so that should be fun, especially since the third stop invited me to stay for dinner. I love the hospitality of the extended Johnsonburg family!
Why back to Virginia so soon? Because my amazing college roommate Brittany and I always said that if Josh Ritter and Joe Pug played a show together in one of our areas, we'd go. It was really just poor planning on my part that I'm going to see him twice in three weeks, but I enjoy Josh's music and I love love love Brittany's company. I have more crazy travels next weekend so decided to extend my trip into the days before the show, which will include catching up with some friends and also some sort of hiking adventure with the incredible Becky Trytten. All of this also serves as a good excuse to see that nice boy again. This week is going to be pretty awesome... assuming I finish this draft of that long paper today so I don't have to think about it... so I'm going to get back to that...
I ask myself that all the time. When I drove home from Virginia last week, I wandered off the beaten path a little bit, trying out some county and state roads rather than the same old I-295. I had some time on my hands and needed a change of scenery. My original plan was to wind my way home whimsically through the Pine Barrens but then I realized I really, really needed to stop and use a bathroom and wasn't going to find one going that way, which is what brought me eventually to Cherry Hill and the western terminus of the road I usually take, Route 70. It was nice to see some farmland, barren as it is in February, and also to see that chunk of Route 70 that I'd never seen before.
However, tomorrow will probably not be one of those days in which I stray from the direct path, as I have a lot of travels to do. This is roughly my trajectory, although I'm already planning on taking sweet peaceful county roads to Princeton (it'll be 7.30 in the morning, I don't foresee that being a poor choice) and something more creative than the Turnpike to get to the Delaware Memorial Bridge. I like the way that route looks though, kind of like a fun roller coaster. Also, the first three stops are for camp related things, so that should be fun, especially since the third stop invited me to stay for dinner. I love the hospitality of the extended Johnsonburg family!
Why back to Virginia so soon? Because my amazing college roommate Brittany and I always said that if Josh Ritter and Joe Pug played a show together in one of our areas, we'd go. It was really just poor planning on my part that I'm going to see him twice in three weeks, but I enjoy Josh's music and I love love love Brittany's company. I have more crazy travels next weekend so decided to extend my trip into the days before the show, which will include catching up with some friends and also some sort of hiking adventure with the incredible Becky Trytten. All of this also serves as a good excuse to see that nice boy again. This week is going to be pretty awesome... assuming I finish this draft of that long paper today so I don't have to think about it... so I'm going to get back to that...
15 February 2011
real (not-so) long distance
Hello from Hyperion! I love this place. I am having the best day ever in Fredericksburg, the town where I once decided that I should at least try to have the best day ever every day. About three years ago, during my final semester of college, I dropped Chinese 102, took History of Jazz pass/fail with some friends, and just generally enjoyed my life a lot more than the previous seven semesters in which I took 18 credits. I don't think I was ever super negative, but I've definitely been a much sunnier person since then.
Anyway! Why is today the best day ever? It really began last night when I went to see Josh Ritter in D.C.. Well, maybe a little earlier hanging out with Luke. He's cool, despite some of the funny things he says sometimes. But Josh put on an excellent show, as always. He's kind of a sunny, happy person, which is probably at least half of why I like him and his music so darn much.
I was also amused by a brief contemplation of space. Yeah, I'm a dorky geographer. Before heading to Virginia on Sunday afternoon, I stopped by the hospital at home to visit my pastor, who was in for a little re-hydration following a bout with the flu the previous week. We had a good conversation about the greater Presbyterian church and how it's functioning (or not). He believes the future may hold Presbyteries that are less geographically-restrained, since we have the technology to overcome such differences more effectively than in the past. This is true of many things-- I mean, my thesis is about how we've broken down geographic barriers and allowed plants to grow in places that aren't always convenient. This idea was also evident at Josh Ritter's show. A few weeks ago, he invited those attending his "Valentine's Day Brawl" shows this week to submit dedications to people they were going with. It was actually a pretty cute concept-- lots of people professing their love and crap, one dude even had Josh propose to his girlfriend for him. I was really touched by one message from a soldier in Afghanistan who sent a message to his brother who was in the crowd. It's amazing how we have these ways of being connected from so far away, kind of blurring the entire concept of distance. (And yes, if you're wondering, I am a totally awesome and super romantic girlfriend and Josh Ritter totally read my dedication.)
So, back to the best day ever. Today I went to Fredericksburg to visit with my beloved undergrad advisor, who I had lunch with at the awesome Soup and Taco. I had somehow never been there before despite my love of downtown Fredericksburg. It was really great to catch up with her and get some ideas about moving forward with the thesis and job hunt. After visiting with some other professors in the geography department and my old boss at the auditorium, I parked myself here in the coffee shop to do a little work until my good friend Jeremy gets off work. We'll get dinner somewhere downtown before I head north again. It's a lovely sunny day and I am totally delighted.
(This entry's title comes from this fun song by Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band.)
Anyway! Why is today the best day ever? It really began last night when I went to see Josh Ritter in D.C.. Well, maybe a little earlier hanging out with Luke. He's cool, despite some of the funny things he says sometimes. But Josh put on an excellent show, as always. He's kind of a sunny, happy person, which is probably at least half of why I like him and his music so darn much.
I was also amused by a brief contemplation of space. Yeah, I'm a dorky geographer. Before heading to Virginia on Sunday afternoon, I stopped by the hospital at home to visit my pastor, who was in for a little re-hydration following a bout with the flu the previous week. We had a good conversation about the greater Presbyterian church and how it's functioning (or not). He believes the future may hold Presbyteries that are less geographically-restrained, since we have the technology to overcome such differences more effectively than in the past. This is true of many things-- I mean, my thesis is about how we've broken down geographic barriers and allowed plants to grow in places that aren't always convenient. This idea was also evident at Josh Ritter's show. A few weeks ago, he invited those attending his "Valentine's Day Brawl" shows this week to submit dedications to people they were going with. It was actually a pretty cute concept-- lots of people professing their love and crap, one dude even had Josh propose to his girlfriend for him. I was really touched by one message from a soldier in Afghanistan who sent a message to his brother who was in the crowd. It's amazing how we have these ways of being connected from so far away, kind of blurring the entire concept of distance. (And yes, if you're wondering, I am a totally awesome and super romantic girlfriend and Josh Ritter totally read my dedication.)
So, back to the best day ever. Today I went to Fredericksburg to visit with my beloved undergrad advisor, who I had lunch with at the awesome Soup and Taco. I had somehow never been there before despite my love of downtown Fredericksburg. It was really great to catch up with her and get some ideas about moving forward with the thesis and job hunt. After visiting with some other professors in the geography department and my old boss at the auditorium, I parked myself here in the coffee shop to do a little work until my good friend Jeremy gets off work. We'll get dinner somewhere downtown before I head north again. It's a lovely sunny day and I am totally delighted.
(This entry's title comes from this fun song by Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band.)
13 February 2011
about to head to VA for a few days...
"VA is excited that you're heading home!"
That Becky Trytten is such an instigator... but I enjoy her encouragement.
That Becky Trytten is such an instigator... but I enjoy her encouragement.
11 February 2011
around the Garden State
Today I made a trip to Freehold to visit the nearest brew shop. I needed to buy a case of empties so I could bottle my beer tonight. I should have planned better and just saved my bottles since Christmas... oh well.
I wasn't in any sort of hurry so I welcomed the trip up Route 9, which is normally a pretty trafficky, annoying road. Today was no exception but it was sunny and all I really have planned for this evening is bottling my homebrew. Route 9 wasn't what really inspired this entry though.
To get to the brew shop, I had to take a few county roads just a few miles to get to the business district of Freehold. Along one of those roads, I saw a sign for one of the NJ Agriculture Experiment Stations. I regret not stopping to take a picture. It was really serene, just a large stretch of space covered in snow. I wonder what they'll be growing there this spring, summer and fall.
This was interesting to me because there have been a few articles in the news this week about the potential imminent close of the NJ Museum of Agriculture. This might not seem like a big deal to those of you reading this who are not food/agriculture nerds, but then there's me, who worked on the campus of Rutgers that had the farm and the Ag Experiment Station, whose faculty email address was on the Ag Experiment Station server... but it is a little more relevant than that. I understand funds have to be cut from somewhere but can't help but wonder if there's some sort of volunteer-based solution, or if they will maintain the building until they can open again. Every state has an agricultural museum, and come on, New Jersey is called the Garden State! While farming has declined since WWII for all sorts of reasons-- suburbanization, shift in agriculture around the country, issues with government subsidies (now I'm getting into stuff I actually taught in that class on Cook Campus), it is still very present all over the place. I love stumbling upon little farms in places where I might not expect them. I love our farmers' markets. It does still exist here, even if most people believe that New Jersey is best represented by the part of the Turnpike up around Elizabeth and Newark. Yes, we have urban spaces. But, we're a diverse state. That's why I love it.
Like I said, I wasn't in a rush, so going home I decided to just take roads south and east sort of whimsically. It's hard to get lost when you live at the shore. A little further along my drive I ended up here (give it a second to load):
View Larger Map
If you can't read that sign, it says, "SITE OF THE VERDSLOFF FAMILY FARM 1943-2006". This is where Business Route 33 rejoins the rest of Route 33. It's sad that small family farms struggle to sustain themselves and compete in the greater market, but I was amused by one more sign (literally) of our heritage as a super agricultural state.
Eventually, I stopped seeing little farms and found myself driving along the coast. It was a beautiful day and there were very few cars on the road once I got into Bay Head. I cracked the window on this cold day to enjoy a little bit of salty air before getting home and sanitizing all of my bottles and bottling equipment.
Also, my car is almost to 150,500 miles, which would be about 2000 since the start of the year... and I'm heading to Virginia this week for a short visit.
EDITED TO ADD: This article... it looks like the museum is definitely going to close unless some drastic intervention happens... sad.
I wasn't in any sort of hurry so I welcomed the trip up Route 9, which is normally a pretty trafficky, annoying road. Today was no exception but it was sunny and all I really have planned for this evening is bottling my homebrew. Route 9 wasn't what really inspired this entry though.
To get to the brew shop, I had to take a few county roads just a few miles to get to the business district of Freehold. Along one of those roads, I saw a sign for one of the NJ Agriculture Experiment Stations. I regret not stopping to take a picture. It was really serene, just a large stretch of space covered in snow. I wonder what they'll be growing there this spring, summer and fall.
This was interesting to me because there have been a few articles in the news this week about the potential imminent close of the NJ Museum of Agriculture. This might not seem like a big deal to those of you reading this who are not food/agriculture nerds, but then there's me, who worked on the campus of Rutgers that had the farm and the Ag Experiment Station, whose faculty email address was on the Ag Experiment Station server... but it is a little more relevant than that. I understand funds have to be cut from somewhere but can't help but wonder if there's some sort of volunteer-based solution, or if they will maintain the building until they can open again. Every state has an agricultural museum, and come on, New Jersey is called the Garden State! While farming has declined since WWII for all sorts of reasons-- suburbanization, shift in agriculture around the country, issues with government subsidies (now I'm getting into stuff I actually taught in that class on Cook Campus), it is still very present all over the place. I love stumbling upon little farms in places where I might not expect them. I love our farmers' markets. It does still exist here, even if most people believe that New Jersey is best represented by the part of the Turnpike up around Elizabeth and Newark. Yes, we have urban spaces. But, we're a diverse state. That's why I love it.
Like I said, I wasn't in a rush, so going home I decided to just take roads south and east sort of whimsically. It's hard to get lost when you live at the shore. A little further along my drive I ended up here (give it a second to load):
View Larger Map
If you can't read that sign, it says, "SITE OF THE VERDSLOFF FAMILY FARM 1943-2006". This is where Business Route 33 rejoins the rest of Route 33. It's sad that small family farms struggle to sustain themselves and compete in the greater market, but I was amused by one more sign (literally) of our heritage as a super agricultural state.
Eventually, I stopped seeing little farms and found myself driving along the coast. It was a beautiful day and there were very few cars on the road once I got into Bay Head. I cracked the window on this cold day to enjoy a little bit of salty air before getting home and sanitizing all of my bottles and bottling equipment.
Also, my car is almost to 150,500 miles, which would be about 2000 since the start of the year... and I'm heading to Virginia this week for a short visit.
EDITED TO ADD: This article... it looks like the museum is definitely going to close unless some drastic intervention happens... sad.
09 February 2011
Colleen Makes (the trip to Hamilton), Rush Hour Takes (a long freaking time)
I haven't been sitting still since last I wrote, I promise. I just haven't been moving as far at one time.
Last night I stopped by New Brunswick Presbytery's meeting in Hamilton, which is the homeland of my dear sister-in-law. My boss took one route and I took another to see which was more efficient. He took the same route I took from camp to I-95 last summer for the mission trip, down Route 31 through cornfields and small towns. I took 206 South for a loooooonnnng time. It probably would have been fairly evenly matched but it turns out that it was a terrible rush hour on 206 and I arrived late. Oh well.
I traveled further on 206 than I'd been before. I always like charting new territory. Usually I take that road between 287 and I-80, sometimes maybe a little further north when I'm "going to town" up near camp. Just past where I'd usually reconnect with 287 was the little town of Pluckemin, quite darling. After that, it was just lame rush hour off and apart from the cute sections of the towns I was passing through until I hit Princeton, which is totally lovely. After that it was just a few minutes on a few interstates and state roads till I got to the church.
Hamilton was fine by me. Right off the interstate. Diner. Wawa. The church itself is really pretty, built in the early 1920s. Needed some work, but quite lovely. New Brunswick Presbytery is pretty much the smallest in the state, with less than 50 churches, and many of those churches are really small, too, with less than 100 members. It's interesting because some towns have several Presbyterian churches with low membership, but it seems no one wants to part with their building or pastor to consolidate.
On the way home I took a short jaunt to Trenton to see the Trenton Makes bridge lit up. I can't explain my love for this bridge. It's just one of those random things about New Jersey that I just find absolutely charming. I was also sort of stalling hoping to hear back from a friend who lives nearby, but alas, his phone was on silent and he missed my message. Another time, perhaps. Goodness knows I'll find some reason to end up back in that part of the state before too long, if not just to visit a friend then for something else interesting...
Last night I stopped by New Brunswick Presbytery's meeting in Hamilton, which is the homeland of my dear sister-in-law. My boss took one route and I took another to see which was more efficient. He took the same route I took from camp to I-95 last summer for the mission trip, down Route 31 through cornfields and small towns. I took 206 South for a loooooonnnng time. It probably would have been fairly evenly matched but it turns out that it was a terrible rush hour on 206 and I arrived late. Oh well.
I traveled further on 206 than I'd been before. I always like charting new territory. Usually I take that road between 287 and I-80, sometimes maybe a little further north when I'm "going to town" up near camp. Just past where I'd usually reconnect with 287 was the little town of Pluckemin, quite darling. After that, it was just lame rush hour off and apart from the cute sections of the towns I was passing through until I hit Princeton, which is totally lovely. After that it was just a few minutes on a few interstates and state roads till I got to the church.
Hamilton was fine by me. Right off the interstate. Diner. Wawa. The church itself is really pretty, built in the early 1920s. Needed some work, but quite lovely. New Brunswick Presbytery is pretty much the smallest in the state, with less than 50 churches, and many of those churches are really small, too, with less than 100 members. It's interesting because some towns have several Presbyterian churches with low membership, but it seems no one wants to part with their building or pastor to consolidate.
On the way home I took a short jaunt to Trenton to see the Trenton Makes bridge lit up. I can't explain my love for this bridge. It's just one of those random things about New Jersey that I just find absolutely charming. I was also sort of stalling hoping to hear back from a friend who lives nearby, but alas, his phone was on silent and he missed my message. Another time, perhaps. Goodness knows I'll find some reason to end up back in that part of the state before too long, if not just to visit a friend then for something else interesting...
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