19
Dec
2009
New Years 2010 Deciphered
Since I’ve been in my own little world lately, I figured I should get in at least one blog update before rushing off for my 6th New Years abroad. In this order, the past five were Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street party, Rome’s Piazza della Repubblica, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay (rained out, drying off in a tiny hotel room watching Paolo Nutini sing in Edinburgh Castle on TV), a night train from Cairo to Aswan in Egypt, and a beach party in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. You never know when this string of celebrations will, for good or not, end. In fact, had I not sold my house in November, I’m not sure I would have felt so free to make these plans, particularly for a bit beyond a month of time on the road!
I also rarely posted trip specifics before, but it’s amazing how much more free you feel when you don’t have to ponder that you’re advertising an empty house! So, as things stand, I leave Dec 26th bound for Dublin, Ireland. I arrive the 27th and will be there a whole night! The morning of the 28th, I’ll be hopping straight on to a 6 day Paddywagon bus tour that rings around the whole isle. Granted you can only see so much in such a short period, but I’m considering it the appetizer. Beyond that, I have literally no plans until I leave for Paris on the 23rd of January. So, I have weeks to spend in Dublin certainly and perhaps revisiting somewhere from the tour or I’m looking a lot at the Aran Islands off the Southwestern coast. The largest island, Inis Mor, is about 9 miles long and at its widest point, about 3 miles wide. At this time of the year, there won’t be many tourists and it’s mostly a pedestrian place with some awesome prehistoric forts and beautiful geography. The photos I’ve seen of it call my name, but there’s a chance that somewhere I visit at the outset will call me back louder. Any one with Ireland suggestions, by all means, feel free to drop them my way!
On the 23rd, bound for Paris for 5 nights before returning home for winter and more reflection time. You see, at the outset of this grand experiment, the plan was firmly spending my savings on some good old fashioned travel time. And it may well stay that way, but I’m also toying with the idea of spending some of my savings on something a bit more lasting if I can find the right place, probably in one of Georgia’s “second cities” - preferably closer to the mid-state. It may surprise some of you that I nearly put down an offer on a house in Macon this month. At the literal last moment, I decided to shelve that idea for the moment.
Why not Atlanta? Atlanta was a chapter of my life I wouldn’t exchange. Like any good book, it had its highs and lows, and it set the stage for learning how much I loved seeing the world beyond and, of course, it was where I learned to love being behind a camera so much. But I also don’t relish returning to Atlanta. I would not be so bold as to say never. There’s especially some soft spots in my heart for intown Atlanta where I lived my first two years. They were the poorest years of my life (getting started after college), when every penny mattered, but it seemed everything was on my doorstep of my tiny apartment and it was the most diverse community in which I’ve lived. So, you can see, genuinely no hard feelings, but I have also grown weary of the size of Atlanta, not the people but the sprawl, for now anyway. Each trip back to see friends or handle business has reminded me what it’s like to sit in grid lock traffic and how frustrated I got not being able to get somewhere 10 miles away in less than an hour. If Atlanta can ever escape the car and embrace mass transit, it could be an awesome place.
So, I may come back at the end of January and decide to start down a new path, or I may come back and plan some more travel starting in Spring, or if I have an incredible light bulb go off, I may figure out a way to do some of column A and some of column B.
Where did this new direction come from? While I was already reading a lot about small living before my summer adrift, I’ve had a lot of time to really read about a lot of different topics, specifically centering around small living, urban homesteading, and trying to have a smaller impact on the world. And I don’t per se see myself in a travel camper (believe it or not, heavily considered), I do see that even my 1,500 sq foot town house was more than I ever needed alone. There are families, living in less space than I had to myself. Some are actually here in the US, but most you’d read about here have done so out of choice, i.e. the (hopefully) growing realization that we don’t really NEED 3,000 square foot houses. All they become is places to pile more and more belongings. Anyone who saw my storage unit would know that I’m in no danger of becoming an ascetic monk soon, but I have over the past few years (and will continue to) shed some of the things in my life that are truly just retaining space. Having a smaller place to keep your stuff is its own mandate to deal with excess. And if I can wing a way not to be paying for that space over 30 years of my life, all the better. When you look at how much of your budget is spent on your house and all the stuff in it, you’ll realize that those mortgages are not just a promise to pay a loan but an anchor to a way of life that may not offer you as much satisfaction as you thought.
Anyway, before I get all mystic and hippie-like here, I’ll let it go at that. I’m happy to discuss with anyone who’s interested and you are free to use it for my sanity hearing later. 
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
I hope that everyone out there who I’ve known over the years has an awesome holiday! This is as close to a card as I’m sending, but the sentiment is heart felt. Even if I don’t talk to you every day, I think of people I knew last week as well as many years ago quite often. And even if I’m awful at responding, I love to hear from you about what’s going on in your lives! Merry Christmas and Happiest year ahead to you all!
13
Jul
2009
Mérida – Yucatan Capital Prints
Mérida is the capital city of the Mexican state of the Yucatan. The Spanish founded it in 1542 on the foundations of an older Maya City, T’ho. Because it’s foundations were laid on an older city, Mérida is said to be one of the oldest continually occupied cities in the Americas and its centro historico (Historic district) is among the largest. Mérida has architecture stretching from it’s foundations to today gracing it’s easy to follow numbered streets. Because of the hot temperatures (at least in the summer), the city tends to close down in the afternoon and re-open as the sun goes down. I never did figure out when they close back down again! Even the local car rental place I used one day while I was there closed in the afternoon and re-opened in the evening.
Mérida Cathedral
The Cathedral in Mérida may not be the largest or grandest on the earth, but it is the oldest in the mainland of the Americas. It is also far older than one might think. The Cathedral was built between 1561 and 1598, using readily available stone. The Spanish pulled down the temples the native Maya had built and used it in this cathedral. This photo was taken in the late afternoon as the city was just waking up again. The warm glow is from the sun hanging in the west.
Iglesia de Santa Ana - Mérida
The city of Mérida is a collection of neighborhoods or barrios built around neighborhood churches. This is probably among the older ones and was likely built on the platform of a Maya temple. Originally built in the 1500s, the Iglesia de Santa Ana was built to serve indigenous Maya and mulattoes. The church was reconstructed in the 1700’s and in the 1800’s, the nearby Paseo de Montejo, a wide Parisian style boulevard was built and this barrio became the address to have. The people who lived in the area were eventually pushed into other parts of the city. Today, it’s a beautiful if eclectic church (observe the pyramids on the towers).
Wired
This photo is the epitome of Mexico (in my mind anyway). Gorgeous colors and textures that just call for photos. No matter how much you upkeep things in this partof the world, nature is constantly fighting you. Anywhere else, I would fight heaven and earth to eave out the power lines, but here, they are such a huge part of the landscape it’s hard to imagine a photo without them (despite the fact that they obviously weren’t there when these buildings were new). This photo is from the streets of Mérida, a simply beautiful and friendly city.
Neon Dreams
Mérida is very much a place that’s proud of it’s city. It’s an incredibly clean place where they have managed to preserve so many of the buildings that have been built there over the centuries. I don’t know any of the history of this theater, but it looks very art deco to me and there was a sign that I believed indicated it was owned by the government, but very much still an active part of the community. On my last night in town, I managed to catch this shot of it with the marquee and neon lights accenting the architecture. An enjoyable shot both for the place and for those of us who love these old movie palaces.
More photo prints from Mérida are available in my Mexico Prints.
6
Jul
2009
Williamsburg, Virginia
I visited Williamsburg, Virginia, in 2006, the year before the 400th anniversary of Jamestown. I definitely do want to go back at some point. They were building a huge new museum at Jamestown that was to be opened in time for the anniversary. A lot of people forget, the pilgrims weren’t first. The first permanent English Settlement was at Jamestown, and a lot of colonial and revolutionary history is to be found in that stretch of land from Jamestown to Williamsburg and Yorktown.
Founded in 1607, by the early 1700’s the emphasis had shifted to Williamsburg, which had become the new colonial capital of Virginia. And Jamestown slowly vanished from the map, its exact location actually being lost for many years. Williamsburg eventually became something of a backwater too, but the small town including some colonial buildings survived into the 20th century. In the early 1900’s, a reverend, Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin became became Rector of the local Parish church, parts of which dated into the 18th century. He lead a successful effort to restore and preserve the church. He was transferred to upper New York state where he lived for a number of years before returning to Williamsburg in the 1920’s. Seeing the number of deteriorating colonial buildings and fearing that there would soon be nothing left of them, he began a movement to save the historic core of Williamsburg. He managed to get the interest and financial support of John D Rockefeller, JR. Much of the town was bought up and everything was restored to its colonial appearance. Buildings that were original were restored and other buildings that had been lost were rebuilt in what was believed to be their colonial appearance. Colonial Williamsburg became a large living history museum that attracts visitors by the droves each year.
To the untrained eye, Colonial Williamsburg is a remarkable recreation of Colonial life in America complete with performances of key events in the colonial period by actors, etc.
During my brief visit in 2006, I came away with several photos that are, to me, reflective of the timelessness of the place.
Williamsburg - Picket Fences
I could not find anything specific about this little home other than it’s part of the property of Benjamin Waller, onetime notable of Williamsburg. The actual home is adjacent to this. I’m not sure if this little building was a cottage or a shop or what, but I love the look of it. It is the epitome of Americana to me. This little house with it’s picket fence and little dormers would once have been the American dream, before people decided they wanted to live in McMansions that filled their tiny lots. I hope we may boomerang back to this dream. I’ve been looking at lot at small homes. If I ever buy somewhere permanent again, I’d love a little house like this, the once upon a time American dream.
Williamsburg Courthouse
The courthouse at Williamsburg is actually one of the surviving structures from the Colonial era. Completed in 1771, it was the courthouse for the community for over a century and a half before being restored and becoming part of the living history exhibit at Colonial Williamsburg. The Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War was announced here.
Old Grandeur - Governor's Palace
The Governor’s Palace for the Governor of Virginia during Colonial days was long gone when the current living history museum was established, but this was built on the original site and used the original plans, methods and traditional fired bricks to recreate what to most of us would appear to be a spot on re-creation of the original.
Little Pink Houses
When I first saw this little pink house on Waller Street in Williamsburg, I love how tiny it was and the color of it! So charming! It’s actually one of the original colonial houses in Williamsburg, rather than a reproduction. Apparently the first records of it are when it was purchased in 1778 by Isham Goddin, so it’s now known as the Isham Goddin Shop, even though it was sold by him only a few years later when he left Williamsburg.
There are more photos from Williamsburg which can be found in my Rural America and Americana prints.
1
Jul
2009
King Cotton
This photo was taken in nearby Byromville, Georgia. This small town was founded in the 1850’s but not incorporated until 1905. This community today numbers less than 500 people. Once upon a time, this was a cotton warehouse bordering the tracks of the Atlanta and Birmingham Railway, completed to Byromville two years before its incorporation. This landscape photo speaks a lot of the quiet beauty of rural America and at the same time the lack of opportunity that exists in these small communities.
Byromville, Georgia - King Cotton
15
Sep
2008
What Was That
That was my time in the UK whizzing past at a bit over the speed of sound. I fly back in the morning. I should rightly be in bed already. I for some reason thought I had a flight back around 1pm but checked the print out when I got back in tonight and realized it’s 11am. I don’t know what I was thinking, but hey, this is why I printed it out and checked. All’s well. I’m sure I can get up at a reasonable hour and make it. I just won’t sleep a lot before!
Yesterday was day 1 with the arch supports and what a blessed difference it was. My little arches felt massively better. They still need a rest but that too shall come. Every trip to London, I’ve taken several tours from a group called London Walks – in my opinion, the best walking tours of the city. I’ve done a ton of them and have not nearly done them all. This trip, I had not set foot on one. Not sure what’s happening there! Yesterday I saw they had an “explorer” tour – essentially a day out from the city with an afternoon and morning tour and they handle getting you there and back. I’d done one to Leeds Castle and Canterbury a few years ago. This one was to St. Albans, a wee city about 20 minutes by rail from London. It was advertised as being quaint having started as a Roman Fort and having existed in one form or another every since. It was dirt cheap as tours go, so I can’t complain. The city didn’t quite fit my image of a quaint little place frozen in time as described but was sort of cool in that we saw a place where everyday folks live. It’s sort of a bedroom community for the greater city. It’s also the site of an ancient shrine to st. Alban. He was a roman who was converted to Christianity and martyred for it. I had never heard his name before as far as I can recall. The interesting thing was that the tour guide’s accent sounded just like a lady back home who was an English war bride. I should have asked but never got around to it. It was uncanny familiar and took me a bit to place. I kept thinking I’d heard it on TV somewhere.
Got back into the city and took the tube all the way to Aldgate, essentially now in the city’s business district and fair dead on a Sunday, but I have wanted for the longest time to get some photos of the “Gherkin” as it’s known – it’s this massive mod building in the heart of London – visible from the Thames near Tower Bridge. I think it looks more like an elongated egg than a pickle, but it’s green colored glass earns its nickname. I did get some photos. The light wasn’t so great, so we’ll see what I got out of the expedition. I was not surprised to encounter many other tourists at every vantage point trying their luck as well.
Afterwards, a quick meal and galloped off to bed. I had high hopes of another early start today. Today’s explorer day was to Cambridge. I had almost written it off but several people on the St. Albans tour said it was a must. And I noted it was being lead by the same guide from Canterbury in 2005. So, I figured I could well rest on the plane ride back.
I was off the tube at Kings Cross train station well before 9am this morning. I had a quick breakfast and waited for the guide to show up. Kings Cross could not be a much more busy place to try to meet a group. I had almost decided that I was at the wrong place, though it didn’t seem possible. The landmark is a luggage cart half through a wall with the sign 9 3/4 over it (the track # from the Harry Potter films (the scene with the cart in the wall I actually recall). I got to watch SO MANY people throw their bags in and get photos of themselves. A large group of young asians must have been there for 20 minutes. I even got roped into helping them with their photos. But it was fun to watch.
The group finally formed and we were off to Cambridge. It’s a fascinating little city. I think as much as anything it was interesting to hear how the English college/university system formed and how different it is in structure than our typical system in the states. Tons of gorgeous old buildings but all kind of piled upon one another such that I would have had to have spent a lot more time than I had hunting out good angles. We toured in the morning, had a quick lunch and then continued in the afternoon. At the end a portion of us spent our free time punting (boating) down the Cam to our final meeting point as a group before going back to the train station. The weather was kind of drab (overcast) by the time it came time to punt, but who knows when one will ever be in Cambridge again with the opportunity to lay back in a boat. The guy providing the power to the pole (the actual act of punting) was a college student at St. Johns College and told us a lot about the things we saw along the riverside. And he did much better at guiding the boat than some of the folks around us who just tried it on their own! One group was doing what I would have, basically just propelling themselves into each opposite bank over and over! Funny to watch, probably frustrating to do!
Trips end, we all piled back onto the train to London. Chit-chatted about where we were all from (a mix of locals, Aussies, Germans, and several Americans aside from myself – all from out west). Back at Kings Cross we quickly bid farewell. There were some with shows tonight, and myself I wanted to get back here to pick up my gorilla pod and tripod head and try to get some dusk shots of SOMETHING before I went back. I dragged that thing from the states for heavens sake and had yet to find time to use it. It’s been past dusk every night I thought of it. I got here, and dashed back to the train. I started looking at the clock and realized that I was not going to make it to either Tower Bridge nor St. Paul’s Cathedral in time. I had to adjust my plans and instead got off at Westminster so I could see Big Ben and Parliament at dusk. I think those shots came out pretty well. I was one of MANY on the bridge taking photos. Tons had full on tripods with them. Either locals or far more dedicated travelers than I am. I may yet break down and find a tripod that is both sturdy and not only light but compact enough. But I’m not yet convinced I need it. I generally only take night shots when I’ve been somewhere enough to know what to expect about where the light will set, etc. Parliament qualified, as do several places in London now, as I’m on trip 4 to this city… Scary, eh?
Anyway, a bit of a wander there after and then a train to Picadilly Circus one more time. Quick meal and some hand held quick night shots of the lights there (A LOT of light – London’s time’s square). And finally back here. I just finished arranging my bags. Everything packed except what I’m wearing now, tonight, or in the morning.
Everytime I come here, there are tons of mixed emotions at the end. There’s definitely a side of me that will be so happ to snuggle into my own bed tomorrow evening, a side that will be happy to see familiar places and definitely a side that will be glad to be able to actually rest. But it’s conflicted with a side that would happily remain here, not per se just London but here being the road, meeting new people, hearing new words and accents and voices. London is so fantastic in part because it’s a microcosm of people and places. The history, the native cuture and the imported culture will always hold a little sway over me, but it also feeds the wanderlust.
Not sure where is next, but if tradition holds there’s a trip at year’s end. Maybe Paris since I missed out. Or maybe somewhere warm again. Egypt, although cooler than I may have expected, was an awesome change. And I’m well amazed how quickly I’ve adapted to the temps here. I brought my hoodie with me, which has half the time been either left behind or tied around my waist. I’ve dreaded every time I had to wear one of the two long sleeved shirts I brought! I even though of wearing my one pair of shorts I brought along hopefully but finally decided to save them for the flight home. I may roast at the Atlanta airport otherwise! My body is not going to be prepared anymore.
Ah well, pictures to come at some point after I’ve had a slight relax – take care!
