The vacation countdown is getting close! Co-workers are starting to panic, I'm starting to giggle with glee and panic, and ultimately the opportunity to relax will be here and gone all too soon. I remembered to stop the mail service and notify the credit card company to expect charges in random places. Instructions for what to do on the Sydney bridge are printed and packed. I've secured the post cruise quick trip to Utah and the post-post travel arrangements to Samoa for work are nearly done. I think it's sad that as many people died in that house fire in Carolina as did in all of San Diego county. I also think it's a tribute to the organization of the county for getting people out of there homes and neighbor awareness helping people out. The children are restless today. I think they sense that the wait for candy is nearly over. My neighborhood is decorated with pumpkins and ghosts and the Dad's have gone all out this year to compete with their yard displays. I...
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Time to take a break from the fire! These are the photos that I was going to post last Monday. My Disney pass was about to expire so I wanted to get one last use out of it to come out ahead instead of breaking even on the cost. This year's Halloween theme at the California Adventure was....Candy Corn! Candy corn walkers, farms, real candy, Disney had it all!
Stone Bistro Fire Recovery Beer. Homer calls around 11:20 or so today and asks if I'm doing homework. I was staring at a paper that needed completion. Yes, I answer, although since staring at the paper and doing the paper are not quite the same thing, technically, this was a lie. But, I was thinking about doing the remainder of the work so it counts. "We're thinking of going to Stone at 1:00, do you want to go?" "Yes, see you there." Within 50 minutes the paper was done and I had 10 minutes to spare before I left the house. Amazing how beer can motivate! Now, I can relax for the rest of the day and not even have to think about homework. Instead, I think I'll load up the fireproof safe that OB has passed on to me.
Scattered raindrops are falling today and while they aren't much more than spit, it's better than hot and dry. The breeze is light and not threatening to stir up ash and while once again the ocean is clouded from view, at least it's more cloudy and less smoke today. Unpacking from evacuation packing is strange. I had plenty of time to consider what to pack and pack light I did. What was surprising were some of the clothes that I had packed. I looked at them and wondered what was I thinking? I don't even wear that shirt on a normal day why would I want to be stranded in it? I did learn that I really don't need much. I chose 3 photo albums, a picture that can't be replaced, clothes, water, and I already had an overnight kit in the suitcase from all my travels. Plenty of water but I guess I would have starved since no food made the kit. 2 special Padre's caps did rate the emergency kit and they are now safely back inside. I learned that no matter how prepared ...
The week officially ended with a stop at the store for cereal. Standing in the check-out it hit me how much we all look like zombies. Everyone at the store had the same dazed, vacant, and slightly off kilter look as if we had all come back from the beach and had forgotten the marshmallows. For the first time this week, there are pockets of blue sky over Carlsbad. Not to east or over the ocean but if I look straight up, there is blue. Tonight I can even open the windows. It's a moment of respite from the nagging knowledge that the fires are still burning and any sudden change in the wind could stir things up once again. Maybe by Monday when people get to go home it will feel better. We'll find out then.
Overnight the fog moved back into Carlsbad. The ash combined with the damp air makes the fog look thicker than normal. All the fires are in the east part of the county now and most residents are returning home. Water is shut off or in poor quality in the east county and power is off in some areas. The Camp Pendleton fire in Oceanside seems to have moved east as well and is not threatening to jump the freeway this morning. Road closures are still all over the county but the major freeways are open.
Monday morning around 3:00 am. The view from Brad's backyard as the evacuation call came in. Wednesday afternoon from the same backyard. The nice round hill really isn't. This is a burn hill where 3 different structures burnt down. The pool has a blue not black base. No, not water damage. This is ash that came in under the front door.
Now that the smoke has lifted the nation is seeing the damage and it's sad. Even worse, more homes are still in danger and the fires are not out. While life returns to normal for some others are still at shelters or going through the first evacuation notice. The local newscasters did an excellent job covering the fire. The national CNN, Fox, and MSNBC people are here in hopes of a good story and a photo op. While their sudden "experience" with the fire and San Diego is silly and questionable but at least people are seeing a partial scope of the damage. OB has returned home to smoke and ash and no damage to the house. Once we have free reign to use our cell phones again more information will come in. Children are out skateboarding, faces covered with bandanas. It looks like Halloween come early.
No new information on the fires. They are still there some getting larger, some staying in place. People between the I-8 corridor and Mexico from Alpine to Jamul to Spring Valley have their evacuation orders. Rancho Santa Fe continues to burn around the outskirts. There are no new evacuation areas yet and the grid remains the same. Air quality sucks at the beach which means it is horrible inland.
Carlsbad is only on voluntary evacuation notice and as such the streets of my neighborhood are full of cars from evacuees. Brad, Lorie, & Keith (aka OB, Mrs. OB, & Homer) were all told to leave their homes. Plus the gecko. Dinner decisions were limited so a trip to the market was needed. I have now learned what people buy when there's an urgent need to feed people quickly and our list was the same as those who went before us....Beer (men were carrying them out by the 12 packs) frozen pizza (almost out) sandwiches (skipped the deli counter) and....bananas? No bananas for us! Who knew? We're fed, and seem to be safe for the night so it's lights out. Hopefully we won't have the 2:30 am wake-up by the police. The wind has picked back up so it's any one's guess what will happen tomorrow.
Updates for out of towners - Ramona, Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Scripps Ranch, Fallbrook are evacuated along with most of Escondido and parts of San Marcos. Rancho Santa Fe, east Leucadia are also evacuated. Solana Beach is on alert and now that the San Marcos fire has picked up again, east Carlsbad is under voluntary evacuation. My house is now 1 mile west of manadatory evacuation but we haven't gotten the call yet. Everyone has their cars packed. Businesses are closed. It's a good thing I actually have emergency food rations on hand.
Carlsbad is usually the last to go in a fire. This morning if I look out the north windows the sky is clear if a bit hazy over the ocean. But looking east and south there is a clear flow of smoke from the fires headed to the coast. This first picture was at 7:00 am and then the second photo was taken about 8:00 am.
Friday! This week has gone by so fast I'm not even sure how I got here. Nothing exciting happened at all, I worked and did school and instead of every day dragging by, it's Friday! This weekend goes homework, Disneyland, homework. That seems like a good balance to me. My Disney pass expires this weekend so I need to make one last use of it to make a profit. I'm at the break-even point now so the cost investment worked out but I might as well feel good about having the pass. Besides, it's the annual pumpkin/Halloween fest at Disney. Today is also the 2 week countdown for departure for Sydney!
For some reason, all my long work trips always back up against a long personal trip. I had no plans to go to Samoa. Months ago, I was told "No Samoa for You." I was okay with that and moved forward. A few weeks ago, I was asked to go to Samoa. Couldn't do it since the Star Trek cruise to Australia/New Zealand was at the same time. The Samoa dates changed and my travel approval arrived this morning. I return from the Southern hemisphere on Nov. 19 and I go straight back on Nov. 25. Home for Thanksgiving. It would have been easier to stay in New Zealand I think. Now I have to figure out how best to work the miles!
For Homer's birthday we went to the StoneBrew Bistro for dinner. You'll have to go to Life of Keith to see Homer's pictures, somehow I didn't end up with a photo of him. Above, OB has discovered a Vanilla Creme Soda that is so natural, we thought he was drinking water. I guess Stone's "no yellow fizzy beer" slogagn also applies to no yellow fizzy sodas! Amoeba & Ms. Kitty happy with their beer selections. I choose poorly. I lopk happy now but as soon as I tasted my beer, yuck! I don't recommend Alaskan Smoked Porter unless you really enjoy smoked flavor. I passed this on and got another beer. Who knows what evil lurks in Amoeba's mind at this moment? It's him and his beer.
Today is Blog Action Day. Close to 16,000 Blogs are signed up to discuss one topic - the environment and what we can do to make a difference. My voting registration is Green Party. In high school I started out as Libertarian as it was the only alternate party option from the big two. Later I switched to Independent and when the Green Party was making a big push to be recognized I switched and have stayed there ever since. There are not many candidates running for election as "Green" but I support them when possible. This registration is also a way for my voice to be added to others whom are dis-satisfied with the extreme left or right views of the traditional parties. Recycle when ever you can. I have and use curbside recycling for bottles, cans, paper and cardboard. I save up electronics and then take to the eWaste disposal sight in Carlsbad. I have even brought home plastic water bottles from other countries when I couldn't deal with throwing them in the trash and no...
What a great week! I have been able to dedicate time to long lost work projects and keep normal work hours. School is oddly slow this week to but I'll take it. I am on the cruise countdown and I leave 3 weeks from today! This weekend is Homer's B-day dinner at Stone and if I get ahead on next week's homework maybe even a movie. All in all, it's nice to feel normal for a change.
Today I found it more fun to play in the blogosphere than contribute to the blogosphere. Between work and school my brain needs time to focus on mindless entertainment. Blog surfing is one way to do that, mindless television the other. Welcome back, America's Next Top Model and hello to America's most Smartest Model. Beauty and Geek, Project Runway, and Flavor of Love 3 and I Love New York 2. The trashier the reality genre, the better for my stress level! No one on these shows will find true love or fashion success but I enjoy their 15 minutes. And is anyone else indulging in my new favorite guilty pleasure - Gossip Girl? Please don't get canceled Gossip Girl, I have been waiting for years for something to replace Dawson's Creek!
A part of my mind is still away in vacationland but most of me is back fully at work. I'm in that "how did this happen?" moment of having nothing at work happen in one area all year and then have every single project come to completion at the exact same time. In this case, it is all coinciding at the exact two weeks that I'll be on my cruise. I can't even believe this. I have been asked to go on 3 different trips and each time I have to say, "I'll be on my cruise." Go figure. Then a 4th trip popped in and this one I'll probably do but we'll see. Luckily this 4th trip is Mexico so that makes everything easier. It's hard to worry about stuff that's out of my control especially when my mind is thinking about cruise food, spa, wine tasting, Star Trek (yes, it's a Star Trek cruise,) and sightseeing the Lord of the Rings filming locations in New Zealand. (We cross over to other SciFi genres on these cruises.) Well that's still ove...
Greenwich, UK. For a week my cell phone stayed on California time as I traveled through Europe. Even in London the cell phone was on California time. But as I stood next to the seat of universal time my cell phone received the signal and conformed to the atomic clock. After this, I do believe that someday computers will run the earth and we will live in fear of nanotechnology! Telescope history didn't seem to be on the agenda for many people today and as a result this was the least crowded part of the observatory grounds.
Home again. This was a good trip. I had enough to do during the day to keep me busy and away from work. In the evenings I still had time to keep up with school. I'll work on the Greenwich pictures tomorrow. This was the warm up vacation to relax before the real vacation in four weeks. Yes, the Star Trek cruise Down Under starts in less than a month! I spent some time today reviewing that favorite of all packets - the cruise line brochures and confirmations!
Porto is a place where old ladies really do lean out of their windows and yell at the construction workers on the street. The same old ladies also read their mail by the light of the sun in the windows. I wanted to take a picture but I had this vision of bread being thrown at the yellow bus and aimed right for me. Instead, I took some pictures of windows without old ladies. I can’t tell you for sure why I found this all so fascinating but it was. I could have watched the activity for quite a while without getting bored. When one old lady started yelling, a second window opened and old lady number two was there to witness the scene and add in her comments if needed. My favorite picture of Porto. From here the buildings are colorful and the town picturesque.
I'm logging on free computers again and may or may not be able to post again until Saturday. This trip has been great. I've relaxed, seen new things, and even had a couple nights of solid sleep! Each city was warm and sunny, something that I don't normally get in Europe. My umbrella was never opened. Well, it did downpour in Porto but that was after I had finished my day. Yesterday London managed to be sunny so I made it out to Greenwich and wandered about. Cool town. OB- remind me to give you the details of getting from LHR to central London when I get home.
The streets are so narrow that I really had to aim the camera up to get a good shot of this church. It's hard to walk more than a block without running into a church in the old city of Porto! View of the old city. More bridges. Porto's buildings are a mix of many styles. Each generation, the buildings were simply added to or rebuilt in the current style.
The general area of Porto spreads over several towns, along the Atlantic and the Douro river. There are so many old buildings that are used to house military, government, or private business and can only be viewed from the exterior. Or, they house wine caves and are more than happy to have you come inside. No, I didn't go in, I'm not a big fan of Port wine but I didn't dare tell anyone in Porto that! Then there are the scenic bridges. There are so many of them that span the river that the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus has a separate bridge tour. I did it and went back and forth the river, crossing different bridges. The old city of Porto is full of narrow streets and walkways that are all cobblestone and either going steeply uphill or steeply downhill. I didn't get a good shot of any of the steep hills for either fear of death by car or targeted tourist by panhandlers. But trust me, most of the hills are steep and I made it my mission to climb them!
= Good travel doesn’t mean spending all your budget and then some. The U.S. dollar is so weak against the Euro and Pound right now that I paid $20 for a sandwich, water, and dessert at the airport. A taxi ride in Poland was $12 but in Portugal it was $28. At the Portugal hotel, room service continental breakfast is $25. Internet in Poland was $37 for a day so I’m afraid to look in Portugal. As a result, I save where I can so I can spend on sightseeing. I always bring a box of granola bars and Nescafe packets. It’s not gourmet but it’s cheap. When possible, I use free wireless. This means getting creative with the best connection and in this room it involved pushing a chair next to the window to steal a signal. I can’t do anything with credit cards or security with free wireless but I can access school and blog. Plus save money. The big bargain in Portugal is the cost of the Hop-On-Hop-Off Sightseeing bus. Only $14 and there are two routes plus all regular bus service is included for ...
This was the last weekend of the free concert series in the park. Today’s free event was at Chopin concert that took place at the Chopin monument. I relaxed after a long morning of walking and contemplated that much of Polish life resembled San Diego life if only slightly removed. Even the waiter at Hard Rock Café had spent a couple of years in San Diego! Little is left of Jewish community from WWII. The Nazi’s destroyed the Warsaw ghetto and only few chunks of the wall remain on what is today a busy downtown street. If I return to Poland then my next stop will be Krakow. It’s supposed to be prettier, friendlier, and full of tourist sightseeing. I have to recommend Poland as a stop. It’s easy to get around, not taxing on the US Dollar, and relaxing compared to other non-English countries. English was not widely spoken but I was able to get around. The streets and road signs are all in Polish which made reading a challenge but ABC still translates in any language.
The old town of Warsaw is a fun place to wander around, climb the wall, and have a snack. This is also the home of the tour bus so get here early. I’m sure during the summer this place is packed all the time but today it was easy to take my time and look at all the fun buildings. Warsaw has a lot of churches. Some look old and crumbling others are more historic and preserved. This one had a unique design that was hard to get a good shot of. Much of Warsaw was destroyed in WWII including the city wall and castle. Along the Royal Mile, there are mainly shops and cafes but they are dotted with the small garden or a glimpse outside the city. This is the place where everyone walks their dog. As with any city, the dogs are the friendly ones in the street. Compared to other Baltic countries, Poland does not seem to have as bad of an alcohol problem with children. While I saw the few broken bottles this morning, I saw more people drinking coffee and orange juice for breakfast rather than bee...