A Small Hill

June 18, 2006 037
Originally uploaded by Polish Carpetlayer.

It’s SWVETTTY. I have come to understand the phenomena of hiking inside a sauna. Needless to say, wicking materials in your clothes are a godsend. Unfortunately my underwear contained no such materials on this day. A day that we decided to climb 2,000 feet straight up for 3 constant, non-stop, moisture inducing miles. It was good workout. My sweat glands work. Thank god I put an extra shirt in the car for after the hike.

Me: “So what does the hike look like?”

Michelle: “It goes up.”

Me: “Up huh. How up?”

Michelle: “Straight up. I’d call it a steady incline.”

Me: “Nice.”

Once finished with the hike, we took the scenic route to our favorite hangout in New Paltz, the Gilded Otter Brew Pub. I’m sure they were glad to see us. We ordered some food, a couple beers and listened to a local band as they brutalized a bunch of mid 90’s indie rock tunes. It was great. We couldn’t have been happier. And the music got much better after we had a couple of beers. Or was it after they had a couple of beers.

Lazy is Good

June 18, 2006 004
Originally uploaded by Polish Carpetlayer.

So the weekend of the 10th we ended up in Loveladies on Long Beach Island in New Jersey. There is this unfair belief that Jersey, well, sucks. And in a lot of ways Jersey, well, sucks. But, it doesn’t all suck. Pete and Gen (not J E N but pronounced the same) have a family place on the beach in Loveladies. And truth be told, it is, by far, the nicest beach that Michelle and I have come across since landing on the East Coast. It is a real beach (we’ve had a diffucult time finding beaches that are free of boardwalks, gravel, annoying merchants—think Rose Festival—and real, soft, lovely sand). It’s not too populated this time of year and the weather was absolutely perfect. We laid out on the sand, went for a jog, laid on the sand some more, ate, laid on the sand some more, juggled, played catch and laid on the sand some more. It was, fucking awesome.

erik + mindy = wedding pictures

They tied the knot. They also happen to have a boatload of friends who are pro photographers, which means that they have kick-ass pictures. Check them out. They're worth it and you just might see yourself in one of the shots.

A picture's worth a war

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Originally uploaded by Polish Carpetlayer.

We took the mom's to the West Village and ran into this picture.

Smile

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Originally uploaded by Polish Carpetlayer.

Eight days into the visit, Michelle and Marie get a family photo with a background straight out of Glamour Shots.

Mom, welcome to the East Coast

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Originally uploaded by Polish Carpetlayer.

It’s not very often in life you get to watch your mom discover something completely new while she rediscovers something that’s been inside her since birth. My mom hitchhiked to the middle of Mexico from Washington when she was 19. This is a woman full of adventure. And yet, she hadn’t flown in a plane since the day she left Mexico. She hadn’t ever visited the East Coast. And she hadn’t taken her thirst for adventure outside of the West Coast and Oregon for a very very long time.

It was amazing to watch her eat up this trip. Here curiosity was like that of a young child. She just kept learning and experiencing new things day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute. She went to more art museums than she probably cared to and learned that NYC isn’t Lynwood California. She ate great food and discovered even more food. And when she visited DC she rediscovered her love of this country.

I was there for the whole experience. She may have been on vacation, but I felt like I was the lucky one. I think (and hope) this trip has ignited a new fire in my mom and quenched some old burning thirsts. It was a wonderful experience and I hope she (and we) have it again and again.

My mom likes Franklin Roosevelt

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Originally uploaded by Polish Carpetlayer.

Mr. Roosevelt gets a little love from my mom.

CORRECTION:

I mistakenly stated that the statue that my mom was smooching was Theodore Roosevelt. During a phone call earlier this week, my mom quickly corrected me.

Mom: "That’s not Theodore Roosevelt, it Franklin Roosevelt. Theodore was a Republican, Franklin was a great humanitarian and a Democrat."

Got it mom. Since she’s the one kissing Mr. Roosevelt I’ll make sure everyone knows it’s the Roosevelt she meant to kiss.

I'm 50 Years Old

The mom's made it to NYC and then on to Washington DC. While in DC we stayed with Aunt Veronica. Here's a video of what her girls learned from Marie while we were there.

There's more to come (pictures and commentary) on the moms trip. It will be up soon.