Matthew and I got up and my Grandfather cooked us eggs from their chickens. We walked around the pond and started doing some laundry. At around lunch time we went and got some horses ready to ride. In the end Matthew chose to ride Marika and I rode her daughter Tellie. They look almost exactly the same. Tellie was really a very nice horse to ride, she was very smooth. It is kind of amazing to me that I remembered as much as I did about riding and getting tack on and such. I rode English because I think it is less bouncy and Matthew rode Western. It was nice riding again; it had been two or more years since I'd been on a horse.
The rest of the afternoon was spent just relaxing. We tried to go into Stoughton and see the street fair but by the time we got there it was mostly closed up. I did end up getting a snap shirt which came in handy later when I got cold. My grandfather once again cooked a really good meal.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Drive through Chicago 7/25/08
We left Ann Arbor at around noon, which meant that we didn't make it to Chicago before rush hour. As a result there was a lot of sitting in traffic. For the most part we never really stopped and just sat there but it made the drive a good two and a half hours longer than it would have been otherwise.
Matthew and I finished listening to American Gods by Neil Gaiman. It was a good book, but as normal Matthew found something that was not as solid as it could have been.
When we finally got to my grandparents in Stoughton ,Wisconsin, we were ready to be out of the car. My grandfather had dinner ready for us when we got there, which was really nice because we were both really tired and with the hour time change we basically ate dinner and cleaned up and headed for bed.
Matthew and I finished listening to American Gods by Neil Gaiman. It was a good book, but as normal Matthew found something that was not as solid as it could have been.
When we finally got to my grandparents in Stoughton ,Wisconsin, we were ready to be out of the car. My grandfather had dinner ready for us when we got there, which was really nice because we were both really tired and with the hour time change we basically ate dinner and cleaned up and headed for bed.
Canada and Ann Arbor 7/24/08
Today was a nice day and we got out of the campsite by 12, which we thought would give us enough time to get to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a 3pm tour. However, we got stuck in the customs line for about 45 minutes so when we finally got out of there we weren't going to be able to get there by three. It was okay with me since I had pretty much decided that Law school was not my thing because it was not going to get me where I was interested in going. When we did get there it was to late too really join one of the tours but the admissions office gave me the cellphone number of the tour guide to see if I could catch up with the tour but that didn't happen because I couldn't reach him. So we went on our own tour of the campus trying to find the tour. We went through the underground library which even though it was underground didn't feel as dark as I would have expected and was pretty nice. The buildings were really beautiful and many of them were being remodeled. After we looked around the campus we headed to downtown.
We went to a chocolate place that had wifi and checked up on things and waited until we could head to our couch surfing host place. It was interesting for me to see Ann Arbor because that is where my dad's parents met and went to school.
The family we stayed with was very busy and there was very little time where we were not being asked about our trip and with all the people coming and going it was really hard to keep up with what was going on. Alix and her parents Brett and Henry fixed us dinner and that was really nice, having food that was cooked at home and not eating at a restaurant. It was nice staying with them because they had a good sense of humor and were always telling good stories.
We went to a chocolate place that had wifi and checked up on things and waited until we could head to our couch surfing host place. It was interesting for me to see Ann Arbor because that is where my dad's parents met and went to school.
The family we stayed with was very busy and there was very little time where we were not being asked about our trip and with all the people coming and going it was really hard to keep up with what was going on. Alix and her parents Brett and Henry fixed us dinner and that was really nice, having food that was cooked at home and not eating at a restaurant. It was nice staying with them because they had a good sense of humor and were always telling good stories.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Canada 7/23/08
We left Syracuse and headed toward Canada. On the way to the highway we stopped at a very large grocery store. It was amazing how big it was and I kept feeling "it has to be here somewhere but I just can't find it." After we got everything we could for camping and the road we ate lunch. Both of us were really hungry and we heaped on the food. When we left it started raining and it rained on and off for the entire drive.
Matthew had never been to Niagara Falls so we went there and we walked around the falls and then we did the cave of the wind tour. It took us under the spray of the waterfall and under the American side of the water fall. I
t was probably one of those tourist things that I would recommend doing. It really gives you a feel for what the waterfall is like .Going through customs to Canada we got searched, and so we didn't get to the campground until almost eleven at night. As a result, it felt like we drove through a lot of dark and we didn't get to see much of Canada. Hopefully it was light enough that Matthew can say that he knows some of Canada he had never been before.
Somehow or other when we got to the campsite we managed to set the tent up over a large hole in the middle and didn't notice it until everything was in the
tent. So we had to move it and then when we saw the hole we were very confused and didn't know how we could have missed it, but it had been dark and we didn't have a flashlight.Picture: Water fall sign, Matthew and I at the Falls, Me with a Tesla, Matthew and I right before we went on the Cave of the Wind walk.
Law or International Relations? 7/22/08
We got up in the morning and went to look at the government center of Albany. Then we got breakfast and headed to the law school. After touring the law school and talking with the admissions adviser, I have decided that maybe law is not the way to go. Mostly I'm thinking that it is a large commitment and that it would cost more and take more of my time than I would want to give to it.
The drive from Albany to Syracuse was rainy but otherwise uneventful. When we arrived at the campus I thought there is no way I could live here when it is this dar
k and the campus doesn't look that nice. I ran into the admissions building in the rain and talked with an admissions person. I got told once again that most graduate programs are looking for some work experience and that joining the peace corps would be a good thing. I'm thinking that the peace corps is not something I really want to do. By the time I got done talking and went outside it was sunny and really beautiful. I guess I got to see the two sides of the campus and how different it could be.
We met up with our hosts, Michael and Bahar. We went to dinner at a Cuban place and it took a really long time for the food to get done but it was really nice talking with them about the city. They were really easy to talk with and seemed to be comfortable with hosting people whereas some of the other couch surfing hosts seemed like they got nervous and weren't really sure what they should be doing. Like a lot of the hosts we've stayed with they had cats. It seems like one consistency in our travels is cats. I guess it's a good thing Matthew and I like cats.
The drive from Albany to Syracuse was rainy but otherwise uneventful. When we arrived at the campus I thought there is no way I could live here when it is this dar
k and the campus doesn't look that nice. I ran into the admissions building in the rain and talked with an admissions person. I got told once again that most graduate programs are looking for some work experience and that joining the peace corps would be a good thing. I'm thinking that the peace corps is not something I really want to do. By the time I got done talking and went outside it was sunny and really beautiful. I guess I got to see the two sides of the campus and how different it could be.We met up with our hosts, Michael and Bahar. We went to dinner at a Cuban place and it took a really long time for the food to get done but it was really nice talking with them about the city. They were really easy to talk with and seemed to be comfortable with hosting people whereas some of the other couch surfing hosts seemed like they got nervous and weren't really sure what they should be doing. Like a lot of the hosts we've stayed with they had cats. It seems like one consistency in our travels is cats. I guess it's a good thing Matthew and I like cats.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Travel and Albany, 7/21/08
Today we left New Hampshire. It was still gray. John said he didn't want to accuse us but it had been a lot sunnier before we got there. The drive was uneventful, which I have decided is a good thing. Don't want to have too much traffic or anything.
We stopped at Tufts, and I got some information about the program. The campus was pretty closed for the summer, so I didn't really get a feel for the school. There wasn't really anybody there that could tell me much about the program or anything. The one thing that made the school in Rhode Island more appealing was that I was able to talk with the director of the International Affairs department so I really got a feel for what the school would be like. The area the campus is located in seems to be pretty nice and Matthew and I walked into town and got lunch at one of the only places that wasn't a pizza place. I think there were about five pizza places on the same block. We got a little temporarily misplaced trying to leave Tufts and had to retrace and start from the beginning.
We arrived in Albany around 6 and our couch surfing host and her friend walked with us so we could get a feel for the city. We ate at a falafel place and were going to try and see music in the park but we missed it because we had the wrong start time. But we did get a feel for the city, at least this part of the city. We kept running into people they knew and one of them told us that the city was divided into three parts and they were relatively separated, so we've really only seen the part of the city where the Albany law school is located. This is the first time that a couch surfer has been able to show us around, and that has been really nice because we weren't just wandering around on our own.
We stopped at Tufts, and I got some information about the program. The campus was pretty closed for the summer, so I didn't really get a feel for the school. There wasn't really anybody there that could tell me much about the program or anything. The one thing that made the school in Rhode Island more appealing was that I was able to talk with the director of the International Affairs department so I really got a feel for what the school would be like. The area the campus is located in seems to be pretty nice and Matthew and I walked into town and got lunch at one of the only places that wasn't a pizza place. I think there were about five pizza places on the same block. We got a little temporarily misplaced trying to leave Tufts and had to retrace and start from the beginning.
We arrived in Albany around 6 and our couch surfing host and her friend walked with us so we could get a feel for the city. We ate at a falafel place and were going to try and see music in the park but we missed it because we had the wrong start time. But we did get a feel for the city, at least this part of the city. We kept running into people they knew and one of them told us that the city was divided into three parts and they were relatively separated, so we've really only seen the part of the city where the Albany law school is located. This is the first time that a couch surfer has been able to show us around, and that has been really nice because we weren't just wandering around on our own.
More Rain, 7/20/08
Today was a rainy day. When I woke up the sky was very gray and the light seemed to be too dark for morning. But that is just me. I don't appreciate the morning enough and therefore any chance for more sleep is appreciated. As it didn't seem like it was going to rain we walked into Portsmouth with John and Julie. We got lunch at a burrito place. I was glad to see that they had Izze drinks. I w
as beginning to think that they didn't exist up here.After lunch we walked around, down to where Strawberry Banks is and then in a park with really pretty flower gardens. John and Julie were good enough to appease Matthew and I when we wanted to walk across a bridge so we could say we had been to Maine. On the way back across the bridge it started to drizzle so we headed straight back to their place.
We had a relaxed afterno
on with the cats. We had spaghetti for dinner, and watched "Flight of the Conchords" which was pretty funny. It has been a relaxing weekend and a needed break from our travels, and John and Julie have been wonderful hosts.Pictures: Chico sleeping behind shelf, Me and Matthew, Matthew playing with Chico and Rainy.
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