Well, I sat down today to post a TON of pictures and for some reason Blogger can't upload them. I don't know why, I probably wouldn't understand even if they explained it to me, but boy, you guys are really missing out on the adventure over here.
Don't cry.
It'll be ok.
As soon as Blogger lets me upload pictures, I'll post them as quickly as possible. So be easy in spirit, friends. The excitement will continue shortly....
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Good Ol' Rocky Top!
As promised, we have photos for you!
This was taken from the backyard of a house Noel's family used to live in, just outside of Greeneville, TN. Gorgeous, isn't it?
(I took that just for you, Camille!)
On the drive to my mom's for dinner one day, we saw lots of snow!
Snow on my car:
Snow on the side of the road:
Snow on the side of the mountain:
Snow on top of the frozen waterfalls and icicles (isn't that gorgeous?):
And snow on our feet!!!
I was so happy. COLD, but happy.
It's been steadily warming up though, and today was much warmer (low 50s). So Noel's dad took me out on a driving lesson. On his mowing tractor! Woo hoo!
This thing drives so nicely. Really. It's like a car, but cooler. :) I may be helping him with his business this summer (he owns a lawncare biz) so I need to practice driving this behemoth. Also I will need sunscreen. And bug spray. LOTS of bug spray.
The scenery is so nice here and it's funny to be coming into a cool place just when we were feeling Spring come in Texas. It feels like we should be getting ready for Halloween again. :)
Oh, and Cima? Yes, I wish I could post more about the Tex-Mex and BBQ in Texas too, because if there's one thing those Texans know how to do (other than shoot guns) it's cook. However! The best BBQ in the whole wide world is made here in the Appalachians, and I was planning to make some this coming week. That'll have to do for now, I'm afraid. :) There's also a phenomenal Mexican restaurant in Spruce Pine, NC that we're trying to visit again. SO good, the burritos there. Best I've ever had.
This was taken from the backyard of a house Noel's family used to live in, just outside of Greeneville, TN. Gorgeous, isn't it?
(I took that just for you, Camille!)
On the drive to my mom's for dinner one day, we saw lots of snow!
Snow on my car:
Snow on the side of the road:
Snow on the side of the mountain:
Snow on top of the frozen waterfalls and icicles (isn't that gorgeous?):
And snow on our feet!!!
I was so happy. COLD, but happy.
It's been steadily warming up though, and today was much warmer (low 50s). So Noel's dad took me out on a driving lesson. On his mowing tractor! Woo hoo!
This thing drives so nicely. Really. It's like a car, but cooler. :) I may be helping him with his business this summer (he owns a lawncare biz) so I need to practice driving this behemoth. Also I will need sunscreen. And bug spray. LOTS of bug spray.
The scenery is so nice here and it's funny to be coming into a cool place just when we were feeling Spring come in Texas. It feels like we should be getting ready for Halloween again. :)
Oh, and Cima? Yes, I wish I could post more about the Tex-Mex and BBQ in Texas too, because if there's one thing those Texans know how to do (other than shoot guns) it's cook. However! The best BBQ in the whole wide world is made here in the Appalachians, and I was planning to make some this coming week. That'll have to do for now, I'm afraid. :) There's also a phenomenal Mexican restaurant in Spruce Pine, NC that we're trying to visit again. SO good, the burritos there. Best I've ever had.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Photos Pending!
Ok, so again I must ask forgiveness for not having posted in a while. Oops!
It's been snowy here, and yesterday we went for a drive around the area. The mountains here are SO gorgeous, but with the snow and the clouds right above them, they were really hard to see on camera. So I waited til today to do a photo session with them.
Pucker up, dahling.
So in about 30 minutes, we're going to take another jaunt around Tennessee to get some shots of the scenery. There should still be plenty of snow on the mountains, but now there will be a backdrop of gorgeous blue sky!
More updates to come!
It's been snowy here, and yesterday we went for a drive around the area. The mountains here are SO gorgeous, but with the snow and the clouds right above them, they were really hard to see on camera. So I waited til today to do a photo session with them.
Pucker up, dahling.
So in about 30 minutes, we're going to take another jaunt around Tennessee to get some shots of the scenery. There should still be plenty of snow on the mountains, but now there will be a backdrop of gorgeous blue sky!
More updates to come!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Time Marches On!
Happy March, everyone! This is usually a fun month - St. Patrick's Day, Easter candy, and spring begins.
Sorry for the lack of updates. Things have been busy here!
We arrived in Greeneville, TN several days ago. We decided since we were in the area, we'd pay Noel's dad a visit. We're currently camped out in his driveway. :)
The last leg of the trip was fairly uneventful - Loki was calmer, and we made it up the mountains. Saw a few snowflakes too, which would've been exciting if we weren't trying to make the rest of the trip in good time. As it was, it turned out just fine!
However. We did run into some water-related issues. See, we have the ability to get water INTO the RV here, but no drains to get it out (so the water's just going straight into our holding tanks). Well, the tanks decided that they were full enough. And overflowed. Twice. All over the floor in the bathroom. We eventually just had to unhook the water hose, because (it's our theory, anyway) the holding tank has a bunch of frozen water in the bottom, causing the tank to overflow really quickly.
So! We've been showering in his dad's house for now. Which is nice, because HELLO water pressure! :)
We're also pretty close to my mom too. I went to a baby shower for a cousin 2 nights ago and it snowed then too.
And guess what they're calling for tomorrow? MORE SNOW.
This is so exciting!!!!
So that's our lives right now - it's so nice to be back in the mountains - so pretty and COLD.
Sorry for the lack of updates. Things have been busy here!
We arrived in Greeneville, TN several days ago. We decided since we were in the area, we'd pay Noel's dad a visit. We're currently camped out in his driveway. :)
The last leg of the trip was fairly uneventful - Loki was calmer, and we made it up the mountains. Saw a few snowflakes too, which would've been exciting if we weren't trying to make the rest of the trip in good time. As it was, it turned out just fine!
However. We did run into some water-related issues. See, we have the ability to get water INTO the RV here, but no drains to get it out (so the water's just going straight into our holding tanks). Well, the tanks decided that they were full enough. And overflowed. Twice. All over the floor in the bathroom. We eventually just had to unhook the water hose, because (it's our theory, anyway) the holding tank has a bunch of frozen water in the bottom, causing the tank to overflow really quickly.
So! We've been showering in his dad's house for now. Which is nice, because HELLO water pressure! :)
We're also pretty close to my mom too. I went to a baby shower for a cousin 2 nights ago and it snowed then too.
And guess what they're calling for tomorrow? MORE SNOW.
This is so exciting!!!!
So that's our lives right now - it's so nice to be back in the mountains - so pretty and COLD.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Go East, Young Man! (And also Gal & 2 Cats)
Where have we been!? How dare we leave the internet bereft of tales of our adventures!? Explanations are below.
First, I'd like to send out a big HELLO to J.R. Ewing, who commented on the last post. Unfortunately we won't be able to visit South Fork anytime in the immediate future, but will definitely call in a raincheck. Also, hope that gunshot wound is healing nicely. :)
Well, the ups and downs of the freelance life: the Corpus Christi job fell through. However, we've heard about some great opportunities in Tennessee and North Carolina (Noel's and my home states, respectively) and so we're chasing after them. Why? Three reasons:
1. We have the flexibility to go where the work is. Take THAT, economy!
2. Fewer mosquitos = more blood still inside our bodies.
3. Summer temps generally cooler than Scorching Surface of The Sun.
Ok, ok. Yes, Texas is awesome. We totally plan to go back there. We will miss Texas (see? I said it). So in all fairness, here are 3 reasons why:
1. Great Mexican food. And BBQ. And donuts.
2. Ponies!!!
3. Winter = 56 and sunny. Also the boots are great.
4. Oh, and Hobby Lobby stores all over the place.
So we're heading east. We left Texas yesterday, probably overly optimistic about the length of time it would take to complete this 1054 mile sojourn. We were also tragically low on Mountain Dew. We managed to go 360 miles before stopping for the night in eastern Louisiana. Funny thing - we were researching yesterday afternoon for a campground near our location, when one of the men on the crew Noel's been working with called us to say hi, and we found out he lived about 15 miles away! Since he's a super-nice guy and also had all the RV hookups necessary for an overnight stay, we parked in his yard. His wife made dinner, we stuffed ourselves, and life was good.
Today we've made it to Birmingham, Alabama. We'll leave early tomorrow morning to try to beat the snow to Tennessee (it's like that chase scene at the end of Dracula - will we make it before the snow engulfs us? Will we be eaten alive by blood-sucking banshees? Tune in next week to find out!)
This has been an educational trip. To wit:
(1) The RV does not seem particularly fond of hills. This will be tested tomorrow in particular, as we drive into the Appalachian mountains. We may be forced to hook Poe & Loki up to a bridle and have them help pull the thing. Which would result in exactly 0.0% increase in uphill power.
(2) Louisiana is a swamp. The entire state. Did you not know this? I was not aware. Until this morning. Photographic evidence to support this:
The People's Exhibit #1
The People's Exhibit #2
The People's Exhibit #3
IMPORTANT TRAVEL TIP: When staying in an RV in Louisiana, make sure your host has a large tractor & tow chain.
(3) The Mississippi River has some lovely bridges going over it.
Mom, this one's for you. It's the best I could get of a Mississippi Riverboat.
Look! Bridgey Thing In Sky!
(4) We use a large cat carrier (actually made for dogs) to transport the cats while on the road. This is for several reasons, namely for their safety in a traveling vehicle, and so we can see if they're doing ok, plus they have room to move around a bit and get comfy. They ride with me in the back seat of the truck, which is a smoother and quieter ride than in the RV. They are spoiled and are fed treats, and I play Enya for them in an effort to relax them. No, really.
Loki hates the cat carrier. Poe is not fond, but is very Zen about it - we stuff him in there, he accepts his fate and lays down and sleeps. Loki, however, is the Anti-Zen. He lets us know, approximately every .63 seconds, that he is, in fact, still in the carrier despite his wishes NOT to be in said carrier. He does this as loudly as possible, sometimes drawing a single meow out into about 5 syllables. It's really quite impressive. And is also worse than facing the Spanish Inquisition for 8 hours.
Today he was in rare form. There were maybe, out of the entire day, three 20-minute breaks in his opera, Tragedy Of A Tortured Cat, in which he had the starring role of The Wretched One Forced To Endure Misery In This Evil Plastic Box of Doom. When we arrive at the RV park, the first thing I do is let them out into the house, feed them some soft food, pet them, and then clean out the carrier. I was in the midst of this routine, folding the blanket I just pulled out of the carrier, when I happen to look down and see Loki.
Sitting in the carrier.
Voluntarily, just sitting there, looking around like he'd never seen the stupid thing before. I finally went to take a picture, and he walked out and ate some more.
Sigh. Just watch - tomorrow, the drama will begin once again. Act I: The Accursed Bastille Awaits.
(5) (Bet you forgot I was even doing a list, didn't you?). Yesterday, we discovered that our RV was less than 12 feet high. How did we discover this?
Very carefully.
So tomorrow's adventures will hopefully be without incident. We'll let you know when we get there!
First, I'd like to send out a big HELLO to J.R. Ewing, who commented on the last post. Unfortunately we won't be able to visit South Fork anytime in the immediate future, but will definitely call in a raincheck. Also, hope that gunshot wound is healing nicely. :)
Well, the ups and downs of the freelance life: the Corpus Christi job fell through. However, we've heard about some great opportunities in Tennessee and North Carolina (Noel's and my home states, respectively) and so we're chasing after them. Why? Three reasons:
1. We have the flexibility to go where the work is. Take THAT, economy!
2. Fewer mosquitos = more blood still inside our bodies.
3. Summer temps generally cooler than Scorching Surface of The Sun.
Ok, ok. Yes, Texas is awesome. We totally plan to go back there. We will miss Texas (see? I said it). So in all fairness, here are 3 reasons why:
1. Great Mexican food. And BBQ. And donuts.
2. Ponies!!!
3. Winter = 56 and sunny. Also the boots are great.
4. Oh, and Hobby Lobby stores all over the place.
So we're heading east. We left Texas yesterday, probably overly optimistic about the length of time it would take to complete this 1054 mile sojourn. We were also tragically low on Mountain Dew. We managed to go 360 miles before stopping for the night in eastern Louisiana. Funny thing - we were researching yesterday afternoon for a campground near our location, when one of the men on the crew Noel's been working with called us to say hi, and we found out he lived about 15 miles away! Since he's a super-nice guy and also had all the RV hookups necessary for an overnight stay, we parked in his yard. His wife made dinner, we stuffed ourselves, and life was good.
Today we've made it to Birmingham, Alabama. We'll leave early tomorrow morning to try to beat the snow to Tennessee (it's like that chase scene at the end of Dracula - will we make it before the snow engulfs us? Will we be eaten alive by blood-sucking banshees? Tune in next week to find out!)
This has been an educational trip. To wit:
(1) The RV does not seem particularly fond of hills. This will be tested tomorrow in particular, as we drive into the Appalachian mountains. We may be forced to hook Poe & Loki up to a bridle and have them help pull the thing. Which would result in exactly 0.0% increase in uphill power.
(2) Louisiana is a swamp. The entire state. Did you not know this? I was not aware. Until this morning. Photographic evidence to support this:
The People's Exhibit #1
The People's Exhibit #2
The People's Exhibit #3
IMPORTANT TRAVEL TIP: When staying in an RV in Louisiana, make sure your host has a large tractor & tow chain.
(3) The Mississippi River has some lovely bridges going over it.
Mom, this one's for you. It's the best I could get of a Mississippi Riverboat.
Look! Bridgey Thing In Sky!
(4) We use a large cat carrier (actually made for dogs) to transport the cats while on the road. This is for several reasons, namely for their safety in a traveling vehicle, and so we can see if they're doing ok, plus they have room to move around a bit and get comfy. They ride with me in the back seat of the truck, which is a smoother and quieter ride than in the RV. They are spoiled and are fed treats, and I play Enya for them in an effort to relax them. No, really.
Loki hates the cat carrier. Poe is not fond, but is very Zen about it - we stuff him in there, he accepts his fate and lays down and sleeps. Loki, however, is the Anti-Zen. He lets us know, approximately every .63 seconds, that he is, in fact, still in the carrier despite his wishes NOT to be in said carrier. He does this as loudly as possible, sometimes drawing a single meow out into about 5 syllables. It's really quite impressive. And is also worse than facing the Spanish Inquisition for 8 hours.
Today he was in rare form. There were maybe, out of the entire day, three 20-minute breaks in his opera, Tragedy Of A Tortured Cat, in which he had the starring role of The Wretched One Forced To Endure Misery In This Evil Plastic Box of Doom. When we arrive at the RV park, the first thing I do is let them out into the house, feed them some soft food, pet them, and then clean out the carrier. I was in the midst of this routine, folding the blanket I just pulled out of the carrier, when I happen to look down and see Loki.
Sitting in the carrier.
Voluntarily, just sitting there, looking around like he'd never seen the stupid thing before. I finally went to take a picture, and he walked out and ate some more.
Sigh. Just watch - tomorrow, the drama will begin once again. Act I: The Accursed Bastille Awaits.
(5) (Bet you forgot I was even doing a list, didn't you?). Yesterday, we discovered that our RV was less than 12 feet high. How did we discover this?
Very carefully.
So tomorrow's adventures will hopefully be without incident. We'll let you know when we get there!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Emu-tional Stuff
Well, we're still in Wharton, TX. We've had another job-related delay, which is causing us to pursue other options as far as our next location. As always, we'll keep you informed!
Since we're still hanging out here at the TeePee Motel, watching slim, fit Olympic athletes compete while I sit on the couch eating popcorn, we decided to exercise a bit more and go jogging around the neighborhood.
We found an emu!
Why anyone would raise an emu on a farm is beyond me, so of course, I googled it. Turns out apparently you can use every part of an emu - meat, feathers, oil, eggs, bones, and claws (?!).
Here are a few (vaguely) interesting things about emus:
(1) They have a flat breastbone, and thus don't have any white breast meat - there's no muscle there. Because of that, they can't fly (no wing support).
(2) Apparently their oil can be used for everything from arthritis to sunburn. Huh.
(3) Their feathers are unique in that they have 2 shafts coming out of one quill, so to speak. This makes them popular for craft projects, such as hats.
(4) They can live into their 30s.
(5) They're intimidating (ok, that was just my throw-in, but it's true - they're BIG).
We also saw a massive brangus bull that I wanted to photograph, but he was too far away. But do you remember that Bugs Bunny cartoon where Bugs accidentally digs into the middle of a bull-fighting ring, and the huge black bull keeps trying to run him over? And at one point he's sharpening his horns on a round sharpening stone? I love that one.
Oh right. Back on topic. That massive bull in the field looked like the bull in the cartoon. No neck at all, just solid muscle. But no roses on his head. :)
One thing that Wharton, TX is known for is pecans! These people have more pecans than they know what to do with. One pecan company downtown has a cute mural of a family of pecans in old fashioned clothes cooking in the kitchen, and beside this on the mural is a recipe for pecan pie. Don't know if that's what the pecans in the picture are making. I hope not. That's kinda cannibalistic.
Nuts in general can be expensive, and in different places we've been, it hasn't been unusual to see signs up in people's yards telling others not to steal their pecans. Pecan Theft. It happens.
But these people around here have loads of them. We've seen lots of people selling them on the side of the road or at their farms. Today we saw a pecan grove (they're all over) and I snapped a picture of it. We've even seen pecan groves that do double duty as cow fields. Guess they have built-in fertilizer that way. Stinky, but practical!
The groves are really pretty. Makes me want a pecan tree, for some reason. Even though I like almonds better. Maybe I could get an almond tree someday....
Major progress on the quilt! I'm almost done with all the quilting, and then will just have to sew down the edges to finish it. Yay! The cats have been enjoying it (of course - it's something new to wallow on). Here's one of their adventures:
Loki: HEY. It's the big blue thing! For me to hide under! SWEET! I'm going in!
(Loki pokes his head under the edge of the quilt that's drooped over the side of the couch.)
Loki: What the....POE. Get out of my spot!
Poe: ....
Loki: Poe, you KNOW this is my spot! Move it, bony butt!
Poe: (blinking)....
(Loki smacks Poe with paw across face. Poe flinches and smacks back. Epic jungle jaguar battle ensues.)
Kelli: AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! STOP CLAWING MY FEET! I MEAN IT!
(Poe, blinking, runs away.)
Loki: (blankly staring at me) Meow?
(Loki jumps on my lap, purring loudly, and falls asleep, the face of cherubic innocence.)
The End
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Juking Knitting
First off, thank you Noel for the corrections to yesterday's blog (via the comments). I am apparently utterly (udderly?) unaware of rodeo cows. All I know is, those Brahman cows can look really scary - something about the dark eyes. CREEPY. And also? I don't ever plan to ride one. Ever. So in the rodeo in my mind, there are no evil looking demon cows.
And also no rodeo clowns. Eep.
My Olympic quilting is going great! I'm making really good progress and should be able to pull off a first place finish! Quilting Gold! As long as I don't get sidelined by some horrible sewing injury (don't laugh - I bleed regularly while sewing). At least cotton is washable.
I can't quilt in the car though (the quilt hoop is just a bit too big to smoosh into the passenger's seat). So I started a new knitting project, a wrap for myself.
And also no rodeo clowns. Eep.
My Olympic quilting is going great! I'm making really good progress and should be able to pull off a first place finish! Quilting Gold! As long as I don't get sidelined by some horrible sewing injury (don't laugh - I bleed regularly while sewing). At least cotton is washable.
I can't quilt in the car though (the quilt hoop is just a bit too big to smoosh into the passenger's seat). So I started a new knitting project, a wrap for myself.
This is out of my birthday yarn from Mom. It's much prettier in person than it looks here - it's brighter and greener. My camera makes it look like camo. I may have been in Texas for a while, but not that long. (Although they do actually make camo yarn - seriously).
I have a red wrap I made years ago, and they're such versatile garments - it can be a big scarf, a shawl, or you can wrap it around yourself tightly like a big wool cocoon. Sometimes I even spread it out over my legs when I get cold. I figured since it's still a little cool here (although only sometimes in the evenings) that I'd better knit something out of wool before it hits the 80s. Which will probably happen sometime in the next month.
Noel and I are really enjoying the Olympics. We watched Shaun White win another gold - gravity just doesn't seem to affect that guy. We also enjoyed the men's figure skating last night (Ok, *I* did). Ice skating is one of my favorites if for no other reason than the costumes. Thank the gods for Johnny Weir. Although you have to say, there are a lot more feathers and sequins than you would've seen on the men's costumes in previous Games. I love it. :)
Tonight's weird sport? Double luge. Has anyone else seen this? It's bizarre. You have to feel really comfortable with someone to lay down on top of them on a luge sled. Particularly while wearing spandex. That's all I'm gonna say about that.
I love the bobsled competition too. I think riding a bobsled would be really fun (if they went slow!)
But yet I still will not ride a cow. No matter how slow it goes. :)
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