Country Sun

Last weekend I went to a different section of Bucks County and spent another weekend in the country watching dogs...but not the same dogs as the preceding weekend. Totally different dogs. I arrived on Friday afternoon and got to see this beautiful light as the sun began its way down.
It was lovely.

Night Flying

The day after Christmas I worked, then we all visited an old friend of my father's and his wife ... and their GREAT DANE DOG. Then we regrouped at NCC's before all piling into a car to deliver me to the airport. There was a little delay between when I was supposed to depart and when we actually did, but it wasn't too bad. I like night flying. It's all dark and cozy. It's much easier to forget that you're surrounded by strangers thousands of feet in the air when all the lights are off. Unless, of course, you look out the window and take photographs.

I have no idea what state this is, or why so many lights were still on so late in the evening. Humanity really is weird from above.

First Ever Banh Mi

On some day at some time I tried my first ever banh mi sandwich. I know. It's shocking. My love of pho would naturally lead you to think that a Vietnamese sandwich of such fame would be in my food wheelhouse. The problem was simply one of being more committed to my love affair with pho than an interest in trying something new. But I knew the day was coming, and that day did come. I went to Ba Le, the address and hours of which you can see above. I forget exactly what I got. Grilled chicken maybe? It was good. Filling. Cheap. I also had perhaps the most sweet Vietnamese coffee of my life. It was almost unbearable.

Meanwhile. I am in the Charlotte airport. I was supposed to have a five o'clock flight direct to Philly from Nashville but due to a late pick up by the shuttle, I ended up missing my flight by about 15 minutes. So then I had two hours in Nashville to kill before a 7 o'clock flight with an hour's layover in Charlotte. Except that when I got to Charlotte I learned that my flight was delayed. And it's been delayed again. So I got here at 9:30 but my flight isn't scheduled to leave until 1 AM. Blurgh. So here I am, plugged into a wall by a women's bathroom. Blogging. I could potentially watch a movie on my computer, but I don't want to put my earphones in for fear of missing an announcement that magically makes my flight way sooner than it is. Or canceled. At this point I would prefer canceled. Then I could go to bed. This whole series of days has not been without their trials and tribulations. I've been using my time in Sewanee to accomplish things and to go to bed ridiculously early. I'm talking 9, 9:30. And so not only is it legitimately kind of late ... it's super late for me and my recent bed time choices. I'll give this to Charlotte: at least they have the decency to have free wireless.

Flight

On my flight from Seattle to Philadelphia, with a connection in Chicago, I saw some very pretty mountains from way up high. I have no idea what they might have been.

Airplane

I have long been amazed by airplanes and their ability to get up and into the air. What I sometimes forget is how equally awesome the planet is. That sounds cheesy. I don't know what I mean, just that on my flight back from Tennessee I couldn't quite get over the changes in topography and landscape that were unfolding thousands of feet below me. Flat land, devoid of snow, to waves of hilly mountains nicely dusted with the white stuff, back to the winter palette of brown and purple. Now, I did, on occasion, imagine the plane plummeting into said topography and the unimaginable fear that such an event would cause in me. But, of course, you cannot predict how you will act in times of stress. I generally shut down but, perhaps in a flight context I'd take the lead, make sure babies were firmly strapped down into swaddling cloth made from passengers' Christmas scarves and sweaters and generally maintain order as our plane lost altitude and the oh-so-glorious hills came closer and closer. Maybe.
I always hope to meet someone fascinating on an airplane. I have thoughts. Maybe I will get it together and write interesting things about these thoughts. Maybe.
I wish that all houses like this would disappear. Let's all go back to living on large plots of land in one of a kind houses, shall we? No? Maybe? I realize that the world never all lived in such a way...metropolises!
Pretty!


On our final descent into Philly, I could see the Eagles football field. Seemed like they were doing well, or that the use of fireworks was being employed regardless. Didn't quite get a photograph though.

Two Touristy Bard Shots

Inside this building there is upholstery. On its upholstery a bunch of names are repeated. It may be true that people who like to hear music in Gehry buildings occasionally sit on me...figuratively speaking.
The night before the reunion proper was also the night before the undergraduate graduation. Tent party is this thing that happens then. It's enough of an insurance risk and big deal that there are cops on all exits of the campus and a full EMT team on call way in advance...I mean...I assume this because, well, you see there's a helicopter don't you? I mean. That's proof right there.

At Least Four

The next day my mother and I took the 14 bus out to the mall. I needed shoes for my interview the next day and we couldn't find a place in the more downtown area. It was interesting taking the bus in a new city. I think my mother and I were almost the only white people on our way out and way back in. That's just different from my experiences in Chicago where there's usually a mix of at least three if not many more races on the buses and trains...or at least on the routes I go on. Savannah, I think without really knowing, seems to be a more straightforwardly racially divided city than Chicago (not to say that Chicago is without its racial issues...listen to all my qualifications and explanations, my goodness). I could be wrong, I was only there for three days.

Finding shoes was quite the challenge and it took us longer than either of us really wanted but we were relatively triumphant in the end. Then as we made our way to the bus stop we saw the bus we wanted pull in and pull out before we could even think about running for it...not that either of us really run. It was, as I may have mentioned, hot as Satan's bum and the stop had very little shade...just a tiny patch in the midst of a rather squalid palm tree. As we waited the fifteen minutes or so for a new bus we got to see at least four (if not six) of these airforce airplanes come in for landing...well we didn't see them land. I liked to think that they were bringing soldiers home from Iraq...but then I couldn't help but add a thought like this: just so they can go back again for another 15 months. For all I know they were full of oatmeal rations and bug spray.