Yesterday morning, about 5 minutes after 7:00 am, we heard scratching at our window. Immediately, Erin sat up and thought someone was stealing our bird feeders. Well... someone was trying - or rather, some thing. A black bear! Begee ran to the window and exclaimed, "It's a bear!" We both stood at the window and watched a black bear trying to pull down our bird feeders and satellite dish. Having no luck with the bird feeders, he went around the corner and climbed up on our porch. The bear jumped up on our camp chair and pounded on the window for a minute. We really thought he was going to come inside! After a few minutes, the bear scampered off across the river. We watched him attempt to take someone else's bird feeders down before he disappeared. What a way to start the day!Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Bear alarm clock
Yesterday morning, about 5 minutes after 7:00 am, we heard scratching at our window. Immediately, Erin sat up and thought someone was stealing our bird feeders. Well... someone was trying - or rather, some thing. A black bear! Begee ran to the window and exclaimed, "It's a bear!" We both stood at the window and watched a black bear trying to pull down our bird feeders and satellite dish. Having no luck with the bird feeders, he went around the corner and climbed up on our porch. The bear jumped up on our camp chair and pounded on the window for a minute. We really thought he was going to come inside! After a few minutes, the bear scampered off across the river. We watched him attempt to take someone else's bird feeders down before he disappeared. What a way to start the day!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Updates
Okay, so we haven't updated in awhile. It's so much easier when you get email reminders from Kathi at Coolworks telling you it's your turn!
Since you heard from us last, we took a road trip that included: Little Bighorn Battlefield, close encounters of the third kind at Devils Tower, Douglas, Wyoming - the home of the jackalope, Dodge City, Kansas, where we walked the streets of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, Offerle, Kansas - home to young and innocent Erin's parents long before Erin was around, saw the boyhood home of Sam Walton (don't faint with excitement!) on our way to Oklahoma City, paid our respects at the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building in OKC, Begee attempted
to eat a 72 ounce steak in Amarillo, Texas, we saw aliens in Roswell, New Mexico, we visited the home of Smokey Bear (a step up from Sam Walton) in Capitan, New Mexico, spent a night in Albuquerque, where we almost ran out of gas, tried to see Old Town Santa Fe, but got lost instead and ended up at Sonic for some burgers and slushes, and ended up in Colorado Springs, where we went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and met Dinger at a Rockies game.
We are spending the summer working at a famous haunted hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, where we hear "Is this where 'The Shining' was filmed?" 82 times a day (at least). Estes Park is quite beautiful, and we have found a home for ourselves on the banks of the Big Thompson River. We are lucky enough to go to sleep and wake up to the sounds of the water rushing down the canyon. We purchased two bird feeders and take great joy in watching the hummingbirds, mountain bluebirds, and various other feathered friends coming by our window for a free meal. Even though we're only here for the summer, this is the first time we've had a place of our own - no roommates, no emplo
yee housing, just us, and it is fantastic! Home. It's definitely where our hearts are. At least for the moment.
Since we've been in Estes, we have: gone into Rocky Mountain National Park and hiked around Bear Lake, to a Lake whose name we can't remember and saw a salamander (much cooler than you would think!), hiked around Lily Lake, walked around Lake Estes, been indoor skydiving, been to Dave & Buster's twice, went to the Denver Aquarium, we've seen a baby elk take its first wobbly steps, eaten a Costa Rican buffet, tried some barbecue at Dave's and some pizza at Poppy's, we've seen ducks race in the river, randomly seen Myles Savage of The Platters perform at the employee party (and are still wondering why), gone on a ghost hunt - TAPS style, seen some of the brightest rainbows in our lives, seen the Greatest Show on Earth, complete with dancing elephants, and just enjoyed being together in Colorado.
Estes Park is somewhere we've been told we should work time and again, much like Yosemite or Jackson. It's a great town, and we're happy to be here. On the horizon, however, is Antarctica... Yes, that's right, the South Pole, the end of the world, literally. We have been offered jobs in Antarctica from October to mid-February, and are seriously debating it - nervously and excitedly. While we think about that opportunity, we want to get the most out of this opportunity that we can. We still need to drive all the way across Trail Ridge Road, go up the aerial tram, ride some horses in the Rockies, go whitewater rafting past our house, ride the giant slide in Estes, go to Six Flags Elitch Gardens, go on a tour of the US Mint in Denver (yeah, really...), the State Capital (okay, yes, we are nerds), and the Unsinkable Molly Brown House, and perhaps another Rockies game or two. Oh yeah, and we have tickets for New Kids on the Block July 15th! (Jordan, I'm coming!)
Over the last 6 years, we have been lucky enough to experience a lot of things. We want to experience Estes Park, Colorado in its fullest and enjoy each day, though it's hard not to think about Antarctica. What better way to end our seasonal career than on the continent to the south aka The Ice? From Alaska to Antarctica... It has a nice ring to it. We shall see. Life is full of unexpected twists and turns, and we're just happy to be riding the roller coaster together.
Since you heard from us last, we took a road trip that included: Little Bighorn Battlefield, close encounters of the third kind at Devils Tower, Douglas, Wyoming - the home of the jackalope, Dodge City, Kansas, where we walked the streets of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, Offerle, Kansas - home to young and innocent Erin's parents long before Erin was around, saw the boyhood home of Sam Walton (don't faint with excitement!) on our way to Oklahoma City, paid our respects at the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building in OKC, Begee attempted
to eat a 72 ounce steak in Amarillo, Texas, we saw aliens in Roswell, New Mexico, we visited the home of Smokey Bear (a step up from Sam Walton) in Capitan, New Mexico, spent a night in Albuquerque, where we almost ran out of gas, tried to see Old Town Santa Fe, but got lost instead and ended up at Sonic for some burgers and slushes, and ended up in Colorado Springs, where we went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and met Dinger at a Rockies game.We are spending the summer working at a famous haunted hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, where we hear "Is this where 'The Shining' was filmed?" 82 times a day (at least). Estes Park is quite beautiful, and we have found a home for ourselves on the banks of the Big Thompson River. We are lucky enough to go to sleep and wake up to the sounds of the water rushing down the canyon. We purchased two bird feeders and take great joy in watching the hummingbirds, mountain bluebirds, and various other feathered friends coming by our window for a free meal. Even though we're only here for the summer, this is the first time we've had a place of our own - no roommates, no emplo
yee housing, just us, and it is fantastic! Home. It's definitely where our hearts are. At least for the moment.Since we've been in Estes, we have: gone into Rocky Mountain National Park and hiked around Bear Lake, to a Lake whose name we can't remember and saw a salamander (much cooler than you would think!), hiked around Lily Lake, walked around Lake Estes, been indoor skydiving, been to Dave & Buster's twice, went to the Denver Aquarium, we've seen a baby elk take its first wobbly steps, eaten a Costa Rican buffet, tried some barbecue at Dave's and some pizza at Poppy's, we've seen ducks race in the river, randomly seen Myles Savage of The Platters perform at the employee party (and are still wondering why), gone on a ghost hunt - TAPS style, seen some of the brightest rainbows in our lives, seen the Greatest Show on Earth, complete with dancing elephants, and just enjoyed being together in Colorado.
Estes Park is somewhere we've been told we should work time and again, much like Yosemite or Jackson. It's a great town, and we're happy to be here. On the horizon, however, is Antarctica... Yes, that's right, the South Pole, the end of the world, literally. We have been offered jobs in Antarctica from October to mid-February, and are seriously debating it - nervously and excitedly. While we think about that opportunity, we want to get the most out of this opportunity that we can. We still need to drive all the way across Trail Ridge Road, go up the aerial tram, ride some horses in the Rockies, go whitewater rafting past our house, ride the giant slide in Estes, go to Six Flags Elitch Gardens, go on a tour of the US Mint in Denver (yeah, really...), the State Capital (okay, yes, we are nerds), and the Unsinkable Molly Brown House, and perhaps another Rockies game or two. Oh yeah, and we have tickets for New Kids on the Block July 15th! (Jordan, I'm coming!)
Over the last 6 years, we have been lucky enough to experience a lot of things. We want to experience Estes Park, Colorado in its fullest and enjoy each day, though it's hard not to think about Antarctica. What better way to end our seasonal career than on the continent to the south aka The Ice? From Alaska to Antarctica... It has a nice ring to it. We shall see. Life is full of unexpected twists and turns, and we're just happy to be riding the roller coaster together.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Just can't wait to get on the road again...
The final guests have checked out, the last skiers have been safely returned to their vehicles, and our end of season paperwork has been filed. We are finally finished with our 16th seasonal job in the last 6 years! Our winter season at Big Sky Resort in Big Sky, Montana is over, and not a moment too soon. That doesn't mean it's stopped snowing, however - we've received almost 2 feet of snow in the last two days! Luckily, we are not driving yet.We have been staying in our good friends' condo, eating junk food (hello frozen pizza, jalapeno poppers, and enchilada cassarole!), watching junk TV (hello "Rock of Love Bus," "Dancing with the Stars," and "The Biggest Loser!"), and grumbling about the constant snowfall piling up outside the windows. Isn't it supposed to be spring? Maybe we'll jump in the hot tub a little later...
Our last month in Big Sky flew by, and while we didn't get to do everything we had hoped for, we did have some fun. Snowmobiling was not all it was cracked up to be, but an experience all the same. Sitting on a snowmobile, watching four bison walk five feet away from us was probably the most exciting part. Cross-country skiing was a lot of fun, made moreso by our crazy Argentinian (or is he Venezuelan? Just kidding!) friend/tour guide/cross-country ski instructor. Chico Hot Springs was not what we expected, but perhaps because we happened to be there on St. Patrick's Day. Oops! The water was nice and warm, though Erin had some version of the bird flu. Scrabble night was fun, as was bowling and the first three hours of the Pow Wow. Watching the Crazy Austrians became much more interesting once Erin blew into the giant Ricola horn and then Erin, Lesley, and Sarah were all recruited up on stage to sing back up and play the horn, while wearing crazy hats. See
ing our good friend Bill, founder of Coolworks, was really great, and we enjoyed dinner, conversation, and playing with his doggie. We were lucky enough to see him again a week later, along with Patty and her dog, on our way to the Lamar Valley, but we did not see any wolves. We were, instead, captured by a bison herd, who greatly enjoyed holding us hostage time and again. Of course, we spent a lot more time at the shelter with our doggie friends, new and old. We will go there tomorrow one last time for walks and tomorrow night for a Volunteer Party. Begee expects Erin to shed many tears at leaving "her" lovely Sadie, and Erin expects Begee to also be quite sad about leaving his newfound friend, Diesel, the stubborn and funny pit bull mix. Hopefully, there is another shelter volunteer opportunity in our future. We will not turn our backs on the shelter dogs; they've touched us too much to do that.Overall, Big Sky was full of ups and downs, but we are happy to have experienced it all. We will remember all of the great dogs we met, our Argentinian friend, Javier, who could always make us laugh, our English friends, Lesley and Ian, who were always up for a good time, the never-ending snow, the bighorn sheep who we would often see on the way up to work, the el
usive moose that we always tried to find - and eventually saw three at once!, the colors of sunrise on the mountain, the way it felt to ski down it on fresh powder, the joy in finally going down the 90 foot waterslide after eying it for four months, and having one final serving of Country Market chicken wings.As we look toward the future, we are excited to spend one final night here with our friends, playing Wii, and eating Begee's famous Navajo Tacos. We expect to be at our summer job in Colorado 2 weeks and 2 days from today. On the way, we are hoping to see a famous battlefield, an alien outpost in the middle of Wyoming, one of Wyatt Earp's former stomping grounds, a memorial to a terrible day in America's recent history, a 72 ounce steak that Begee will excitedly consume, even more aliens - this time in New Mexico, and of course, a stopover at one set of our parents' houses for some home-cooking and rest (and hopefully more junk food and bad tv!).
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Winter Under the Big Sky
Greetings from Big Sky, Montana, and welcome to our new blog! We're sad that Coolworks Blogging the Dream is no longer, but we're happy to continue this on our own. We have been here in Big Sky since November 13th, but have yet to write about it. So, we thought we'd catch you up on our winter so far... We've had many experiences here in Montana - some good, some not so good. Let's just talk good... First, we went on a snow cat dinner up to a yurt. (Both snow cats and yurts were completely unknown to us before this adventure. Check it out: http://www.skimba.com/ It was pretty cool!). Though we were at a ski resort together once before (Alta, Utah in the winter 2003-2004), Erin, much to Begee's dismay, has never learned to ski. So this winter, she signed up for her first lesson. It was scary at first, but now she's a real pro (as long a
s she doesn't have to gracefully get off the lift!). We also discovered our first snow coach on a trip to Yellowstone. Yellowstone is always beautiful, but in winter, all of the roads into the park are closed - thus, the snow coach. A snow coach is a van that has treads instead of wheels, like a tank! We visited the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center and pretended the pictures we took of both grizzlies and wolves were actually in the wild. We went dog sledding and pretended we were in the Iditarod! We visited our old haunt, Jackson Hole, Wyoming for Begee's birthday and enjoyed a steak dinner, a sleigh ride through the Elk Preserve, and Believe it or Not! went to Ripley's. We visited the Museum of the Rockies and saw Big Mike, a T-Rex who guards their doors, and inside, we saw the world's biggest T-Rex skull (but still haven't figured 
out what happened to the rest of him!). We went thundering down the mountain in inner tubes (okay, tubing down a 300 yard track). We went hiking down to a waterfall - or actually, we went slipping and sliding down an icy trail to a waterfall. We shared a dinner of shepherd’s pie, Thai fish cakes, and Pillsbury biscuits, as well as a lot of laughs with our new friends. We've seen moose, coyotes, bald eagles, elk, deer, bighorn sheep, ravens, magpies, and the sun casting pink, yellow, and orange rays over Lone Peak.This winter, we started volunteering at the Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter (http://www.heartofthevalley.com/), and it is the thing we are recently most excited about and proud of. We have met many new friends, and as hard as it has been, watched many of them find their forever families. We are happy to have been a part of their lives, because they have definitely touched ours – from Chester, the shaggy black mixed dog to 
Gracie, the excitable pit bull; from Aspen, the spectacular black lab who loved to play fetch to the sweetest dog in the world, Lucy the little Staffordshire terrier, from Sadie, sweet Rottweiler/Airedale mix who reportedly caught a mouse on one of her walks to an 8 year-old ball of energy we both fell in love with - black and white, hairy Australian Shepherd mix, Supertwist. We go to the shelter once a week to walk the dogs and make new friends, and it has been the thing we always look forward to! There was a Moonlight Snowshoe Shuffle last week, and we had a great time with our new friends hiking up the mountain at night to raise money for the shelter. At the end of the night, we warmed back up by eating bowls of chili, drinking hot cocoa, and knowing that we were helping a good cause. They raised over $10,000 altogether that night, and we were so proud!
Gracie, the excitable pit bull; from Aspen, the spectacular black lab who loved to play fetch to the sweetest dog in the world, Lucy the little Staffordshire terrier, from Sadie, sweet Rottweiler/Airedale mix who reportedly caught a mouse on one of her walks to an 8 year-old ball of energy we both fell in love with - black and white, hairy Australian Shepherd mix, Supertwist. We go to the shelter once a week to walk the dogs and make new friends, and it has been the thing we always look forward to! There was a Moonlight Snowshoe Shuffle last week, and we had a great time with our new friends hiking up the mountain at night to raise money for the shelter. At the end of the night, we warmed back up by eating bowls of chili, drinking hot cocoa, and knowing that we were helping a good cause. They raised over $10,000 altogether that night, and we were so proud!
Our winter in Big Sky has not been quite like we imagined, but nothing ever is! We have one month and three days of work left here, and we’ve already begun thinking about the future. Erin has applied to graduate school in San Francisco, and we can hardly wait the 6-8 weeks it will take to hear the response! We have also applied to several summer jobs and are beginning to think about which road to take. We applied to work in Glacier National Park, Montana – a place everyone has always told us to go because of its famed beauty! We applied to a hotel in Custer State Park, South Dakota, which sounded fantastic, but perhaps not for us this summer. We also applied to a ranch in Colorado on a friend’s recommendation, but have yet to hear from them. We applied to The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado – a place we’ve always wanted to go, but sadly, we haven’t heard from them either. We applied to a resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and have had a few interviews with them. We applied to a hotel in Tok, Alaska and smile just imagining that summer. We also applied to a resort in Duck, North Carolina – on the Outer Banks, a place we have always wanted to return after a brief drive through on the way to Maine from Florida and a spectacular barbecue dinner (the bbq alone is reason enough to spend the summer in North Carolina!). We are discussing jobs at a ski resort in the Andes mountains just outside of Santiago, Chile, even though we speak no Spanish! We also applied for The Greatest Job in the World (http://www.islandreefjob.com/), but, sadly, never heard from them. The possibilities are endless, and that’s what makes our lives so exciting and our lifestyle so addictive. Who knows what the future may hold?In the meantime, we still have a lot left to do in Montana. We are going snowmobiling on Tuesday. We want to try the new Big Sky Zipline. We need to finally play Scrabble with our friends. We want to go to Chico Hot Springs. We are thinking about going to the old Montana State Prison (although we don’t really know why either). We want to do some more snowshoeing, possibly another moonlight snowshoe on Wednesday. We want to try cross-country skiing (actually, Erin wants to try cross-country skiing, and Begee is dreading the moment it becomes reality). We would like to do some sightseeing in Virginia City (even though we hear there is absolutely no reason to!). The list goes on and on, and a month will go by quickly. We must take advantage of it while we can!
Thanks for taking the time to read our new blog! We look forward to sharing our next adventures with you. In the meantime, we wish you happy travels and great adventures!
Friday, March 6, 2009
New Beginnings... (originally posted 11/5/08)
Hello from our home for the night - a Super 8 Motel in Columbia, Missouri! We are on the road again... cue Willie Nelson.
In the last three and a half weeks, we have taken a boat from Martha's Vineyard to Woods Hole, Mass., driven to Vermont, GOTTEN MARRIED, flown in a hot air balloon, taken a ferry across Lake Champlain, driven to Ohio, flown to Miami, taken a cruise around the Western Caribbean, flown back to Ohio, and driven to our current location of Columbia, Missouri. Whew! We are happy and exhausted, and we won't be writing much tonight because of it! We are, however, experiencing at least three new beginnings that have got us thinking.
1. We GOT MARRIED!!!! It was a beautiful crisp fall day in Vermont, and we couldn't have asked for more. We had our family, we had our friends, we had gorgeous fall color - reds, oranges, and yellows, we had love, and we had each other. After the ceremony we hopped into a hot air balloon and took a flight over it all. It was spectacular. We look forward to the beginning of our new adventures together as husband and wife. We are excited!!!
2. The election. After our honeymoon cruise, we went back to Ohio and volunteered for Obama for a couple of days. We were canvassing - out reminding people to vote. It wasn't much, but if we encouraged one person to vote that may not have, then we feel like our efforts were a success. Obama won Ohio!!!! That alone made us happy, but then, of course, as we all now know, he also won the election. We are so excited! It feels like a new beginning for America, and we are full of hope.
3. New jobs. It's that time again. In a couple of weeks, we will end up at our new jobs for the winter. As always, we are nervous, excited, apprehensive, curious, unsure, and happy. We will soon have new bosses, new friends, new housing, and new experiences. These will be the 16th jobs we have had together in the last five and a half years. These new seasons never get easier, but still, we are excited!!
We will be leaving the hotel in the morning, bright and early, and what lies ahead, we can't know. We hope for clear skies, friendly people, and safe roads. We are excited about our lives, our country, and whatever our future may hold.
Think Red Baron (originally posted 8/27/08)
July 29th was our fifth anniversary, and we wanted to do something really special to celebrate the day. We’ve done helicopter rides, we’ve summitted Denali in a small bush plane, oxygen masks and all, we’ve been dog sledding on a glacier, we’ve been horseback riding, we often ride rollercoasters, and we’re getting married in a hot air balloon. Erin has even been skydiving. One thing that we’ve often seen advertised, but had yet to do, is take a ride in a biplane. Think Snoopy. Think the Red Baron. Yeah, that seems special, right? What could go wrong?
We showed up for a romantic sunset biplane ride over Martha’s Vineyard and got strapped in. Something feels fundamentally wrong about sitting in front of your pilot. Maybe that should have been Erin’s first clue that this would not be her dream come true anniversary celebration.
We put on our leather caps (yeah, because those will protect our skulls, right?) with the cool goggles connected to them, and they pulled the seatbelt tight. All was secure, and before we knew it, we were off!
Taking off in a flight on a grass runway is interesting. In fact, the Katama Airfield, where we got our biplane flight, is one of the last remaining grass airports in the country. There may be a reason for that.
Begee was instantly in heaven, laughing and smiling in that weird way that he does even on rollercoasters when everyone else is screaming, while Erin was instantly terrified, clinging to Begee for dear life. That was not the reaction she expected.
There’s something fundamentally wrong about feeling the air on your face while in a plane. That’s two strikes.
Our pilot, Mike, flew us over South Beach, out over Katama Bay looking for great white sharks (think “Jaws”) – luckily (or not) we didn’t see any because the water was too choppy. We went up and over Chappaquiddick Island, where we got our first glimpse of the Cape Poge Lighthouse. We zoomed up and down, all around, to meet the other biplane, and Erin’s fingernails dug deeper into Begee’s poor arm. He was still giggling and enjoying every second, not even minding that he couldn’t see the pilot or the fact that there was nothing but a leather cap between his head and the sky. Unfortunately, Begee wasn’t able to take as many pictures as he might have liked, as there was no way Erin was letting go of his arm.
Mike had asked before we got in the plane if we would like to do some fun stunt stuff – rolls and dives and the like – for free. He’d throw it in there for us. This is an experience people usually pay extra for. “We’ll see when we get up there,” Erin said. “Sure, sure,” Mike said. “Most people calm down once they’re airborne. They see how stable biplanes really are.” Erin has never been in the category “most people.”
“You alright there, Erin?” He kept asking over the headset radio. He was sitting behind us, but still could tell how terrified she was. Was it that obvious? Maybe it was the fact that with every right turn, she turned as far left as possible without leaning out of the plane. Maybe it was the fact that her head never left the forward-facing position. Maybe he could just smell the fear.
We flew over David Letterman’s house, Meg Ryan’s house (who we later saw at the grocery store – Meg, if you read this, you’re too skinny for your lips!), the “Jaws” and Ted Kennedy bridges, the beautiful coastline all around the island, and the resort where we’re working this summer. Mike even slowed down and turned back a little so Erin could take a picture of the resort, but that meant she had to move her head from the forward-facing position to one facing directly to the ground below, so no picture was to be taken. Oh well. We’ve seen the resort. We know what it looks like.
We flew low over the ocean. Begee especially enjoyed this feeling. Erin especially did not.
Once we circled in for landing, Begee became the sad one and Erin the happy one. She was never so happy as to see a grass runway! Begee was sad the flight was over so soon and wanted to do more, especially the loop-de-loops. Erin just wanted to kiss the ground.
Once we got out, we couldn’t wipe the smiles from our faces – Begee because of the amazing and exhilarating flight, and Erin because it was over. Mike said, “Look how happy she is to be on the ground again!” and then discussed with us how to conquer such a fear of flying in a biplane. He said Erin was by far his most terrified passenger. Great – what an accomplishment. He offered to take us up again when Erin is ready. “You’ll know when you’re ready,” he said.
As we write this entry almost a month after, she’s still not ready.
Begee, however, is anxiously awaiting his second flight, leather helmet, cool goggles, and all.
We showed up for a romantic sunset biplane ride over Martha’s Vineyard and got strapped in. Something feels fundamentally wrong about sitting in front of your pilot. Maybe that should have been Erin’s first clue that this would not be her dream come true anniversary celebration.
We put on our leather caps (yeah, because those will protect our skulls, right?) with the cool goggles connected to them, and they pulled the seatbelt tight. All was secure, and before we knew it, we were off!
Taking off in a flight on a grass runway is interesting. In fact, the Katama Airfield, where we got our biplane flight, is one of the last remaining grass airports in the country. There may be a reason for that.
Begee was instantly in heaven, laughing and smiling in that weird way that he does even on rollercoasters when everyone else is screaming, while Erin was instantly terrified, clinging to Begee for dear life. That was not the reaction she expected.
There’s something fundamentally wrong about feeling the air on your face while in a plane. That’s two strikes.
Our pilot, Mike, flew us over South Beach, out over Katama Bay looking for great white sharks (think “Jaws”) – luckily (or not) we didn’t see any because the water was too choppy. We went up and over Chappaquiddick Island, where we got our first glimpse of the Cape Poge Lighthouse. We zoomed up and down, all around, to meet the other biplane, and Erin’s fingernails dug deeper into Begee’s poor arm. He was still giggling and enjoying every second, not even minding that he couldn’t see the pilot or the fact that there was nothing but a leather cap between his head and the sky. Unfortunately, Begee wasn’t able to take as many pictures as he might have liked, as there was no way Erin was letting go of his arm.
Mike had asked before we got in the plane if we would like to do some fun stunt stuff – rolls and dives and the like – for free. He’d throw it in there for us. This is an experience people usually pay extra for. “We’ll see when we get up there,” Erin said. “Sure, sure,” Mike said. “Most people calm down once they’re airborne. They see how stable biplanes really are.” Erin has never been in the category “most people.”
“You alright there, Erin?” He kept asking over the headset radio. He was sitting behind us, but still could tell how terrified she was. Was it that obvious? Maybe it was the fact that with every right turn, she turned as far left as possible without leaning out of the plane. Maybe it was the fact that her head never left the forward-facing position. Maybe he could just smell the fear.
We flew over David Letterman’s house, Meg Ryan’s house (who we later saw at the grocery store – Meg, if you read this, you’re too skinny for your lips!), the “Jaws” and Ted Kennedy bridges, the beautiful coastline all around the island, and the resort where we’re working this summer. Mike even slowed down and turned back a little so Erin could take a picture of the resort, but that meant she had to move her head from the forward-facing position to one facing directly to the ground below, so no picture was to be taken. Oh well. We’ve seen the resort. We know what it looks like.
We flew low over the ocean. Begee especially enjoyed this feeling. Erin especially did not.
Once we circled in for landing, Begee became the sad one and Erin the happy one. She was never so happy as to see a grass runway! Begee was sad the flight was over so soon and wanted to do more, especially the loop-de-loops. Erin just wanted to kiss the ground.
Once we got out, we couldn’t wipe the smiles from our faces – Begee because of the amazing and exhilarating flight, and Erin because it was over. Mike said, “Look how happy she is to be on the ground again!” and then discussed with us how to conquer such a fear of flying in a biplane. He said Erin was by far his most terrified passenger. Great – what an accomplishment. He offered to take us up again when Erin is ready. “You’ll know when you’re ready,” he said.
As we write this entry almost a month after, she’s still not ready.
Begee, however, is anxiously awaiting his second flight, leather helmet, cool goggles, and all.
Why, yes, we have lived on an island! (originally posted 7/9/08)
Greetings from Edgartown Pizza in the heart of Edgartown, Massachusetts - on the island of Martha's Vineyard. Once, when we were applying to seasonal jobs in the US Virgin Islands, our potential future employer asked us, very smugly, "Have you ever lived on an island?" Why, yes, we had. At that time, we were, in fact, living on Catalina Island in California. We had also lived on Oahu in Hawaii and Mount Desert Island in Maine. None of those impressed her. We wonder if living on Martha's Vineyard this summer would fit the bill. Somehow, we doubt it...
Alas... Here we are on our 4th island. May this be our luckiest! If you remember from our blog last year, we haven't had terribly good luck on islands - Hawaii, we got our stuff stolen, Mount Desert Island was the only time we quit and left in the middle of the season (and still feel guilty about it! Sorry, Gabrielle!), and Catalina almost burned down four days after we arrived. Yeah, you could say we were apprehensive about coming to another island. But here we are...
Martha's Vineyard has been much different from what we expected. What did we expect, you ask? Well, most places we've spent the summer start their official season around mid- to late-May, being in full swing by Memorial Day weekend. We arrived here June 3rd (the day after Erin's birthday!), thinking we were really late, only to find no one here. The first day we went to the beach and found no one else there to take our picture, so we had to improvise (came out well, don't ya think? Nothing like a self-timer and a stand made of flip flops!). The stores were still not all yet open, and the ones that were closed around 5 o'clock in the afternoon. It was almost as if the sidewalks were rolled up as soon as the sun went down. It wasn't until after the 4th of July that the island really got into the swing of things. The summer season here will probably end by the beginning of September - such a short season! Dorothy, we're not in Alaska anymore!
We also expected to see the rich and famous everywhere we went. Spike Lee has a home here, David Letterman has a home here, Meg Ryan, Richard Dreyfuss - they're all here, but we haven't seen them yet! You hear about Martha's Vineyard and picture celebrities lounging in their luxiourous surroundings and walking down Main Street perusing the stores, throwing down money like it grows on the trees in their fancy yards. It turns out, though, that Martha's Vineyard has three fairly normal towns with fairly normal populations. Majorly disappointing. Bring on the rich celebrities to sponsor our future traveling! We want to see Brad and Angelina!
We also expected perfect weather and to spend every minute at the beach, which we thought would be right outside our front door. Boy, were we wrong! One minute it's so humid here that you're sweating through your uniform, and then the next minute, the fog has rolled in off the water, blanketing everything. The island is also much bigger than we expected, and we have yet to ride our brand new bikes all the way to the beach (but we're trying!) - the beach is about 5 miles from where we live (we know, it's sad, but we're out of shape!). Also, there are all sorts of trees and plants here, some of which we seem to be allergic to (Erin's eyes haven't been the same since we arrived!).
On the other hand, sometimes it's good when things are not what you expect. We didn't expect to meet and work with a crazy Transylvanian who cusses in Italian, but she makes us laugh so much, even in the midst of all her fury. Erin wouldn't know what to do without her! We didn't expect to find the oldest carousel in America here, nor to have so much fun riding it and trying to catch the gold ring for a free ride. We didn't expect to hang out at the arcade, and we definitely didn't expect Begee to win an .mp3 player at one of the games, but we do and he did! We didn't expect to find Gingerbread Houses, which are so colorful and so elaborately decorated, but we have enjoyed walking around and looking at them. We didn't expect to be pinched by a crab while swimming in the ocean, but it's happened to each of us - twice! (Okay, so maybe that one isn't so good, but it's wildlife, right? That's something.) We didn't expect to find the shortest ferry ride in the world - the ride to Chappaquiddick Island costs $2 and takes about 2 minutes, but is worth it for the kayaking on and swimming in Poucha Pond. We expected lighthouses, but not 5 of them, and it's been fun driving to them all and walking around them, especially the Gay Head Light in Aquinnah (the cliffs there remind us of Big Sur, and our hearts go out to everyone there with the fires).
The thing about seasonal work is that you often go to places with preconceived notions of how they are and what they will be. If you are a tourist and only visiting the place for a day or a week, you may leave believing you've done and seen it all and thinking the place is like what you saw on TV or read in a magazine. Working and living somewhere, however, even if only for four months (yes, we have 94 days left - already counting!), really shows you the community of a place, its heart and its characters that make it special. It isn't the Martha's Vineyard shot glass or the t-shirt (though of course, we'll buy those too) that make us happy to be here - it's the guy we see on our way to work every day who rides his bike pulling a trailer with his dog in it, and it's being able to experience the 4th of July parade and fireworks and sample every bowl of clam chowder (Begee) or ice cream cone (Erin) on the island, trying to find the best ones (still looking!).
Being here in Martha's Vineyard hasn't been without its fair share of challenges (anyone want to be a shuttle driver or a front desk clerk? We desperately need staff!), but, as we turn that corner on Beach Road heading into Oak Bluffs and catch our first glimpse of State Beach and our first whiff of the salt water and sea breeze of Nantucket Sound, it makes us feel happy to say, "Why, yes, we have lived on an island!"
Alas... Here we are on our 4th island. May this be our luckiest! If you remember from our blog last year, we haven't had terribly good luck on islands - Hawaii, we got our stuff stolen, Mount Desert Island was the only time we quit and left in the middle of the season (and still feel guilty about it! Sorry, Gabrielle!), and Catalina almost burned down four days after we arrived. Yeah, you could say we were apprehensive about coming to another island. But here we are...
Martha's Vineyard has been much different from what we expected. What did we expect, you ask? Well, most places we've spent the summer start their official season around mid- to late-May, being in full swing by Memorial Day weekend. We arrived here June 3rd (the day after Erin's birthday!), thinking we were really late, only to find no one here. The first day we went to the beach and found no one else there to take our picture, so we had to improvise (came out well, don't ya think? Nothing like a self-timer and a stand made of flip flops!). The stores were still not all yet open, and the ones that were closed around 5 o'clock in the afternoon. It was almost as if the sidewalks were rolled up as soon as the sun went down. It wasn't until after the 4th of July that the island really got into the swing of things. The summer season here will probably end by the beginning of September - such a short season! Dorothy, we're not in Alaska anymore!
We also expected to see the rich and famous everywhere we went. Spike Lee has a home here, David Letterman has a home here, Meg Ryan, Richard Dreyfuss - they're all here, but we haven't seen them yet! You hear about Martha's Vineyard and picture celebrities lounging in their luxiourous surroundings and walking down Main Street perusing the stores, throwing down money like it grows on the trees in their fancy yards. It turns out, though, that Martha's Vineyard has three fairly normal towns with fairly normal populations. Majorly disappointing. Bring on the rich celebrities to sponsor our future traveling! We want to see Brad and Angelina!
We also expected perfect weather and to spend every minute at the beach, which we thought would be right outside our front door. Boy, were we wrong! One minute it's so humid here that you're sweating through your uniform, and then the next minute, the fog has rolled in off the water, blanketing everything. The island is also much bigger than we expected, and we have yet to ride our brand new bikes all the way to the beach (but we're trying!) - the beach is about 5 miles from where we live (we know, it's sad, but we're out of shape!). Also, there are all sorts of trees and plants here, some of which we seem to be allergic to (Erin's eyes haven't been the same since we arrived!).
On the other hand, sometimes it's good when things are not what you expect. We didn't expect to meet and work with a crazy Transylvanian who cusses in Italian, but she makes us laugh so much, even in the midst of all her fury. Erin wouldn't know what to do without her! We didn't expect to find the oldest carousel in America here, nor to have so much fun riding it and trying to catch the gold ring for a free ride. We didn't expect to hang out at the arcade, and we definitely didn't expect Begee to win an .mp3 player at one of the games, but we do and he did! We didn't expect to find Gingerbread Houses, which are so colorful and so elaborately decorated, but we have enjoyed walking around and looking at them. We didn't expect to be pinched by a crab while swimming in the ocean, but it's happened to each of us - twice! (Okay, so maybe that one isn't so good, but it's wildlife, right? That's something.) We didn't expect to find the shortest ferry ride in the world - the ride to Chappaquiddick Island costs $2 and takes about 2 minutes, but is worth it for the kayaking on and swimming in Poucha Pond. We expected lighthouses, but not 5 of them, and it's been fun driving to them all and walking around them, especially the Gay Head Light in Aquinnah (the cliffs there remind us of Big Sur, and our hearts go out to everyone there with the fires).
The thing about seasonal work is that you often go to places with preconceived notions of how they are and what they will be. If you are a tourist and only visiting the place for a day or a week, you may leave believing you've done and seen it all and thinking the place is like what you saw on TV or read in a magazine. Working and living somewhere, however, even if only for four months (yes, we have 94 days left - already counting!), really shows you the community of a place, its heart and its characters that make it special. It isn't the Martha's Vineyard shot glass or the t-shirt (though of course, we'll buy those too) that make us happy to be here - it's the guy we see on our way to work every day who rides his bike pulling a trailer with his dog in it, and it's being able to experience the 4th of July parade and fireworks and sample every bowl of clam chowder (Begee) or ice cream cone (Erin) on the island, trying to find the best ones (still looking!).
Being here in Martha's Vineyard hasn't been without its fair share of challenges (anyone want to be a shuttle driver or a front desk clerk? We desperately need staff!), but, as we turn that corner on Beach Road heading into Oak Bluffs and catch our first glimpse of State Beach and our first whiff of the salt water and sea breeze of Nantucket Sound, it makes us feel happy to say, "Why, yes, we have lived on an island!"
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