Flight NW117 to Phoenix- There's palm trees outside folks!

I don't think I have ever had such an uneventful trip, as my plane ride to Phoenix Arizona. Unless you count as an event the man that wouldn't wake up to allow me passageway to the lavatory. But eventually we had some turbulance and he woke up. (Thankfully) But that isn't that exciting. I got into the airport checked in went to my gate and took off. I was excited to see my friends Erich and Danneth Hofmeister but was encompassed in a book as I flew. My plane arrived 24 minutes early (when does that ever happen?), but it was still late. 11:24pm, 12:24 my time.

I didn't realize how accustomed I had become to seeing snow. When I arrived and looked out the window it didn't looke like a frozen wasteland. Instead I saw palm trees and greenery, the last palm tree I saw was in Scotland. Not that I expected to see a blanket of snow outside, but it still was odd to see a different landscape.

I realized once again that it is nice to have bright purple luggage. The Hofmeisters arrived shortly after I aquired my bags. They then took me on a wonderful unscheduled tour of the one of the shifty parts of town as well swinging through downtown Phoenix. Unscheduled a.k.a. - we took a wrong turn and didn't quite know how to get back to where we were going a.k.a. - we were slightly lost.

I will most likely be keeping up on my blog if anyone would like to continue to read. For those on facebook the main location of my blog is hilldancer.blogspot.com. I think it is nicer to read on there. It automatically transfers to the notes on facebook so you can check that out. I realize that this trip is not as exciting as previous ones. But I love to write so if you want to read I will try to provide.

Walker Wedding

The Walker Vacation is over and what a trip it was!

Walker Family Vacation II

Three years ago my family went to Seattle for vacation. It was one of the most fun weeks of my life. Today at 9:4opm we are leaving again to go to Seattle. This time it is for my brother Colin's wedding. It is a weird thing to have your sibling get married. But Colin is marrying Kristi who already feels like a part of the family. We are all waiting and ready to welcome her into our family.

The downside is that I am feeling sick today. I hope to feel better soon. I probably haven't been taking care of myself as well as I should be. Thankfully I am for the most part completely packed.

We will arrive home on the 2nd of July. It is going to be a great week!

Interesting Things About Italy

Their Hot Chocolate in Italy is wonderful. I first had some at a little cafe in San Lorenzo. It was extremely thick and tasted like warm chocolate pudding. The consistency was similar. We went to Perdonone Wednesday afternoon and went to a place that was famous for its chocolate. The window display was beautiful, and there were all sorts of items carved from chocolate.

There was a chocolate fountain near the sitting area. Raia was fascinated, and I thought it was pretty cool too. We ordered hot chocolate. It arrived in a beautiful glass cup and we both dipped our spoons into it. It was basically like eating melted chocolate. It was dark chocolate, which I don't normally like, but it was not as bitter and I loved it.



You can buy your train tickets very easily. There is automatic teller, and then there are human tellers. It is very simple and the automatic ones have a touch screen and you can pick English.
Once you get your ticket it will say where you are going on it but not any other information. So when you buy the ticket you have to make sure you look at the schedule in case you have to switch trains. Long train rides have assigned seating, short ones don't.

I didn't know this until I sat in someone else's seat on the way to Milano from Venezia. I then tried to find my own seat, but sat in the wrong car. But the men who were supposed to sit in my seat motioned to me that it was okay. They just sat next to me. It was very confusing and I couldn't really relax because I thought that someone would come to their seat and then where would they be?

You also have to make sure that you validate your ticket before you leave the station. There are some bright yellow boxes. This is to make sure that you don't reuse your ticket. The time and date and location get printed on the top of the ticket.



Also the Italians drive on the right side of the road. The correct side that is, which just happens to be the right. I was able to ride in the front seat of a car and it felt so good because it was so normal! When I ride in the front seat here in Scotland it makes me feel like I should be driving!

The Italians always eat dinner around 7:00-7:30pm. They thought it was crazy that we ate dinner as early as 5:30pm here. Raia asked me if we got hungry before bed. I thought about it and I guess sometimes we do, but not often. It was an interesting thought to me. I get hungry at 5:00pm usually, so I don't think I could wait that long. Unless of course we have a late dinner. But I don't need to rattle on about dinner times...

Toilets in Italy were unique in that they all had different ways to flush them. Sometimes there were buttons on the floor. I never did see one that looked similar to the ones we have in the U.S.

Flickr Photos

Hey, I am safe and sound at Dalkeith again. I put some photos on my flickr site. I don't have much time right now to write about it all, but please feel free to check it out.

Udine

Today Raia and I left the school and went t Udine. A lovely city. We hiked up to the top of a hill that was a castle and it overlooked the city. We arrived at the perfect time because at 12:00 all the church bells were ringing around the city. They didn't all ring at once, so we were able to look around and watch them ring. It was a beautiful sound.

I am now at her sister's house. Not sure about the name of the city. I heard it but forgot how to spell it. I will get back to you on that.

Tomorrow I am going to Milan. I will spend a few hours there and then go back to the airport to fly to London. I will probably be spending the night in the airport. One reason is that my flight comes in at 11:30pm and it is so late that I don't feel comfortable traveling around the city by myself at that time of the day. I might have another idea by then, but as of right now that is what I am going to do. My bus leaves Saturday night, so I am not sure if I will try to ge a new bus Saturday morning. Or if I will keep that time and try to see a little of London.

I need to go, we are probably going to eat soon, Raia is making dinner.

The Alps

How does one describe viewing the Alps out their bathroom window while they are brushing their teeth? I suppose I just did. I apparently arrived at the right time, the mountains are covered in snow and the sun was brightly shining on them both yesterday and today.



Last night we had a beautiful sunset, the colors reflected off the mountains beautifully. This photo is from the bathroom window.

Raia and I went on a walk to find a spot to take a photo but it turned out the best one was from the upstairs window. This other one has a great view of the sunset and of the grapevines.



This is the Alps from the airplane window.

The Longest Day Ever

(I will correct things later, sorry no pictures yet. I only have 30 minutes online.)

How does one describe yesterday? I will attempt to, but it won't nearly be as accurate as it was. It was a day of travel, to say the least. I think I took every mode of transportation possible, except a boat and a bicycle. I woke up early around 6:30am and laid in my bed for a moment. I realized that the next time I lied down I would be in Venice Italy. It was crazy for me to think about and I wasn't sure if I truly believed it. I packed right away and had breakfast, I let Melissa know which train I would like to take to get out of town. There were two, one at 8:48am and one at 9:48am, and I decided to take the early one.

I wasn't able to go to a church service that day, but I took a nice morning walk to talk to God and see the area. The sun was out, but it was still a chilly morning. I enjoyed looking at the house and all of it's ordinate parts. There were walled in garden areas that I assume in the summer would be bursting with flowers. I came inside to finish a couple things and then I headed to the train station with Bob. I was so thankful to them for having me stay there. It was a blessing even though Katy couldn't have been there with me

I took the train to Glasgow and then onto the Prestwick Airport which is an hour out of town. The trains to me have more of a subway feel than a train that goes across the country. I arrived and checked in. I think I was the first one because they just put up the sign for Milan Bergamo. This airport is pretty only flights from Ryanair, which is a discount airline in the U.K.. If you get there right away for a ticket you might only hav to pay .01 GBP. after taxes maybe $20. But if you want to check in a piece of baggage that is another $16.

Anyways, I checked in way too early. Probably 2.5 hours before me flight was supposed to leave. I went through security and found that the waiting area, for the amount of people present, was pretty small. It is because there were only two gates that people walked through and a ton of flights. I am not sure what was up but there were about 3-4 different large groups of people that had matching shirts and gear. It looked as though they were young people who had adult leaders with them. I think they must have been going to a convention of some sorts, or coming back from one.

I don't think I have every been in a waiting room as loud as that one. Randomly and at different times the guys in the groups would burst into song. A few Scottish songs were sung, one about the "Oh wonderful bum!" of one of the ladies, and then they also sang about each of their leaders and how they were loved, "deep down in our hearts." It was hilarious! Then the other groups would catch on and sing some of their own songs. The last song I believe was simply the word "Cheerio" in a very catchy toon. They called each group separately so that they could board the plane. The tricky thing about Ryanair is that you aren't assigned seats, unless you prepay to be able to board first, it is on a first come first serve basis. So on the flight they got on they must have prepaid. When the groups were called by their number the group would stand up and cheer and then proceed to sing the cheerio song as they boarded the plane. I have to say that I am glad I was going to a different destination, because, although it would be fun, it would have been a very loud flight I believe.

They anounced that my flight was 20 minutes delayed. I grew a little nervous. I was suppose to leave Prestwick at 2:00pm and get into Milano Bergamo at 5:30pm (there is an hour time difference.) Then I had to get a bus to the train station. I knew there were a few trains to take. They basically all went to the same place in different ways. But I thought that one of them was between 6-7pm.

We got in line and went through the gate, we walked through doors and into a hallway where we stood for almost 40 minutes. I never did figure out what the problem was, but our flight left about 40 minutes later than its original time.

I was pretty nervous about this trip the whole day. I prayed that somehow I would have people that could help me on the way. Well on the plane two people sat next to me, a middle aged man and his mother. It was her birthday in the up-coming week and he was taking her to Venezia (Venice) Italy for her birthday. They both lived in Scotland and he had been to Italy several times already, talk about a God thing. They were actually staying in Bergamo that night and leaving on the morning train, but they talked to me about my trip and theirs, and it made me feel more comfortable. Hamish and Gene were their names. Hamish is pronounced with a strong A sound. Haa mish. They shared their easter candy (I would have been without any Easter candy if it wasn't for them,) a sandwich and even some drinks that they had with them. I was so blessed. I told them about my trip and about living in Scotland. It was a great two hours.

I was still really worried about my train. We arrived in Bergamo, and saw the Alps from the airport. Hamish got out his guidebook and gave me some numbers for hostels in case I didn't make the train. I was praying and praying that it would work out. They were staying in a very nice hotel in Old Town Bergamo, so there wasn't any possibility of me staying with them, it would be out of my price bracket. Hamish gave me his cell phone number and said that if I got stuck to call him, he would help me if he could. I was so thankful to have that to fall back on. They stayed with me as I got my luggage, it was the last piece, one reason not to sign in first. We went to the ATM and then found the information booth to get bus tickets.

It was a great info booth, the lady pulled up the train times for me and let me know when the airport bus would leave. It was 6:30pm, the airport bus left at 6:40pm, and the train left at 6:56pm. We all did not think I would make it. I was told the bus took 15 minutes to get to the train station. It looked bad... I had to try though. I didn't want to waste the money spent on my hostel, and the possibility of having to book something else on top of that. We all got on the airport shuttle. The minutes were counting down. It was 6:47pm and we were at a red light that just did not want to change! Eventually it did, I was praying all along that the train would be late. I didn't know how reliable Italian trains were but I hoped it would be possible. I had a map of Bergamo in front of me and knew that it was just one more turn and then the station would be there. I hoped that it was easy to buy a ticket.
6:52pm, I thanked Hamish and Gene for helping me, and looking out for me, and for feeding me. They wished me good luck and I jumped off the bus at 6:54. There was another guy who was in a hurry too. The ticket counter was right in the door. It was my first time talking to someone who knew just a little English. I said I wanted to go to Venice, and he asked if it was right now? I said yes!!! He issued the ticket, it was 12.25 euro, less than I thought. He told me that I had to put it in the yellow box, I nodded and said "grazie." You buy your ticket and then you have to put them in the box to prove that you used them only once. Hamish showed me on the bus and we talked about it.
The man said the train was coming on platform 1 (Bin 1). I rushed out to the open area and was thankful to see that Bin 1 was right in front of me. I breathed a sigh of relief because the train wasn't even there yet! It was 6:56 and I actually had to wait for the train. I told God that I was here, so it didn't really need to be late now. haha.

I saw a man and his young son that spoke English, so I resolved to sit near them so I could ask questions if I needed to know something. For one thing I had no idea where I had to change trains, and another.. Well I thought the yellow box thing you put your tickets in would be on the train. But no, from the train window I watched it roll away from me as the train picked up speed. I had talked to Hamish about how people would sometimes pay up to 40 euro if they were found without a validated ticket. So I asked and the man in front of me said it should be okay.

I settled in, but not completely, I was thankful that I had made the train, but I had no idea where I was supposed to get off. haha. A young guy who was reading book sat down across from me, and I asked him. We didn't understand each other fully, he spoke some English. But he gave me an answer that I shoudl get off in about an hour, I guess he told me where but I didn't get that part. Thankfully he helped me anyways. I had two stops, one in Brescia, and then one in Verona. He was getting off in Verona to visit his friend. He told me that his friend was famous, or at least wanted to be, and that his friend was so funny and smart that he probably would be some day. We got off at Verona and he left with his famous friend, after they helped me find out which train I should get on next. I was once again very thankful, because God led someone across my path to help me out. We had a good chat on the train from Brescia to Verona and he helped me learn how to pronounce some of the Italian words in my phrase book.

I got to Venice, it was 11:40pm and raining outside. The temperature was about the same as when I left Scotland, chilly. I had to get to the bus station in Piazzale Roma. A couple Americans helped me pronounce it correctly and I was off. I had a map and there were signs so it didnìt take me long to find it. I had to cross the grand canal on a tall ordinante bridge, and my first impression of Venezia was made. I thought it beautiful.

At the Piazzale, I once again had to find someone to help me. I had to get to the Aereporto because my hostel was near there. Everyone seemed to speak Italian. I prayed and asked God to help me hear someone speak English if there was someone out there. I thought I heard this philipino couple near me speak some English words, we were all waiting under a roof until our bus came along. They were about to run to one, but it turned out it wasn't right. It was then that we got to talking, they were going on the bus that went to the airport too. I had been wearing my hat, but took it off for some reason. My mom kept making comments on how different my long blond hair would look there in Italy. So I had been wearing the hat to keep it coverd, might as well not draw attention to myself.

I should have left it on, an older Italian man tried talking to me, he felt very weird, and I said I didn't understand what he was saying. The other couple was right next to me. The Phillipino man told him that I am English. The man said something about a hotel and then asked me if I was flying out. I said I was going to the airport, but because he felt weird to me I didn't say that I wasn't leaving town. The othe rman talked to him saying I wouldn't understand him. Thankfully our bus came and we rushed off to get on. That guy creeped me out, and I will always wear my hat at night from now on.

So folks, this is a long story but it doesn't end here. Our bus left at 12:40am. I was thinking to myself, "What am I doing up this late in a foreigh country?" Everyone on the bus got off before we got the airport. When I arrived I was the only one stepping off of the bus. It was 1:10am and the airport transit area was deserted. I had hoped a taxi would be there. On my map the hostel campground looked like it was right next to the airport. I considered walking, but I was too tired and had a backpack on me. I had no idea what to do. I walked into the airport but there was not a lot of people around, some people in busines suits were sleeping one benches with their briefcses as pillows. There were a few others who were cleaning shop windows. I walked back out. I had tried to talk to the bus driver earlier about how to get to where I was going. He didn't speak any English, except taxi. But when I came out of the airport he was by a phone station, it was bright orange and said taxi call phone or something like that. He pointed to it and after a long string of Italian I realized that I was supposed to call a taxi from there. The bus left and I attempted. It didn't work.

Finally I whipped out my cell phone and decided it was a good time to use it. It would be worth the 72 cents per minute. I called my hostel and asked what to do, the man said he would call a taxi for me and that it would probably cost 15 euros. That was more money than my 4 hour train ride, but I didn't have much of a choice right then. I was picked up by a taxi driver that seemd a little like a Italian hippy, if thats possible. He took the corners really fast, but he got me there quick. It was about a 5 minute drive.

I arrived at the campground and was happy to find that I had my own cabin to myself. I didn't have to worry about roommates or anyone bothering me. The guy at the reception said they were not very busy so I should be by myself the whole two nights. I was so thankful. I lied down and breathed a sigh of relief, I was safe and sound in Venezia Italy. I had yet to see much of it, but I was so happy to finally sleep. I fell asleep at about 2:30am.

First Official Day of Spring Break- Saturday 22nd

This weekend has been pretty crazy, and quite amazing at the same time. I left early on Saturday to meet Ali and her parents in Edinburgh. We then went to church in the street. In honor of Easter our church was doing a evangelistic type event on top of Princes Street Mall. It is the most crowded area of Edinburgh. After that we went back to get my bag at their B & B and I was off.

I took the bus to Glasgow. It was about an hour drive. When I arrived I then tried to find the train station. It actually was very close to the bus station but every person I asked sent me a different way, so it took me a while to get there. I was able to see some of downtown Glasgow and I realized that I liked the city very much. It was pretty much packed with people on Saturday, along one stretch I could barely get by because there were so many people.
I got to the train and headed to Dumbarton. I was gonig to stay at Bob and Melissa Hill's house, Katy's sister Kim's in-laws. If that make any sense. They were very hospitable and I enjoyed staying with them. Did I mention they live in a castle? Yes it is called the Overton House and it is being rehabilitated (I know that isn't quite the right word but I couldn't think of it.) It is going to be a house of healing where people can come and rest and learn more about God on a deeper level.

The Hill's have groups of people come and stay there to help with the redoing of the place, that is actualy where Kim met Josh their son. She was with a group of people that can over to help rebuild.

The atmosphere of the house was completely different than that of my house. It was so peaceful and I could tell that God's presence was there. Where my house has ghost stories associated with it, and 20 years of partying students, this house had a feel of God's presence and of people coming together for the good. They have a tea room open Saturdays that serves food, tea and other beverages. The earnings go to help the house as well as to help the Hill's and their daughter Esther. The often have youth groups come in to help serve on Saturdays. I was there after they counted up for the day and laughed when they exclaimed jokingly- "great we can eat this week!" It was funny.

I ate dinner with Bob and Melissa and another lady that was staying there. I forgot her name, that stinks. Well we had a lovely time and it felt good to be in the Christian enviroment again.
I went to bed before 11pm, which is early for me, but I knew the next day would be crazy... and it was.

A Castle for Valentine's Day

I had promised to write about the Tantallon Castle. I thought I would write about my experience for Valentine's Day. At first I had not particular reason to write this today. After researching some of the castle I had found an interesting connection.

Sunday February 10th, 2008
We ventured off the bus and had to walk down a long driveway to arrive at the visitor center. They told us to walk past it and onto the castle. The mist was thick and off in the distance on top of the hill we saw a small stone structure. I had heard great things about this castle, but that building did not impress me too much. It was far away though, so I decided not to judge it too quickly. Our whole group was standing there together when it happened. Suddenly the mist parted and a large towering structure broke through. We all gasped in awe. Wow! It was a lot larger than we imagined it to be. The moment was almost too perfect for words. Laughter ensued because we realized we had all been thinking the smaller building was the castle.

I have not been to a lot of castles, yet, but I believe this one just may be my favorite. It was on the edge of the cliffs overlooking the North Sea. It was rustic and you could somehow feel the history that was there. I think the mist added to the effect.



We walked on a bridge, over what would have been a moat. We walked through a small room and into this large area. All of the wooden floors had given away, so you can see the different levels.








The map of the castle.
I think what I liked the most about this was all the passages and stairways that we were able to explore. Hardly anything was roped off or off limits. We were free to explore.



The backside of the castle was not as developed as the side facing inland. Perhaps because the cliffs were enough of a barrier.

The history of the castle dates back to 1358 according to Wikipedia. Throughout the centuries the castle fell into many hands. In February 1651 it was in the hands of an Alexander Seton who was placed as captain of the castle. He was the 1st Viscount of Kensington.

Oliver Cromwell's army invaded Scotland, Tantallon had a small amount of men who were disabling some of Cromwell's communications in south east Scotland. There were few men that occupied the castle. On hearing this Cromwell besieged it. February 14th 1651, during the siege, Alexander Seton was ennobled. (That is where today fits in, even though it is not too much of a connection.)



Twelve days later (after "battering with grate canon") the castle troops were forced to surrender and Tantallon was left in a ruinous state.

St. Abbs Head

We had our first house trip and it was amazing.
More pictures are available on flickr if you click here.
I tried to put more descriptions like my mom asked.

We made two stops. The first was St. Abbs Head. A four mile hike near the cliffs that overlooked the North Sea.

It was a sunny day but there was a slight chill in the air. Even though the air was a wee bit chilly, after about a mile, all of our jackets were taken off and slung over our arms due to the sweat that accompanied a strenuous walk.

We hiked up to a light house nestled into the cliff. The rock formations were awe inspiring. These large masses of rock looked as though they were gently folded under and over, which in fact were formed very violently by volcanic activity.






On our way back around the loop we passed a tranquil loch. There was mud everywhere- and I believe there was as much sheep as there was mud. These jumpy creatures crossed our paths and photos many times.






When we arrived back to the place we started everyone took out their lunches and ate on the picnic tables next to the cafe. The building could almost be described as a strip mall in the way the little shops were laid out, but then again it had no appearance of a strip mall. First there were the toilets, then the small cafe, a little art gallery, a wool shop that was closed and then a little visitor's center, which was also closed.

As we were eating something remarkable happened. We looked over and could see a church a little less than a mile away or so. All of a sudden a mist started to roll towards us. It was like a cloud flowing as a wave over the countryside. In a minute or two the church was invisible and the countryside was covered.

You will hear more about this mist when I write about Tantallon Castle. Our second stop of the day. But it is getting late here and I need to read a little bit for my short story class and go to bed. It was a long day, but it awe inspiring, and so worth while.

What a 12 Megapixel Camera Can Do

Yes these are actual pieces of grass. They seem bigger but that is only because of my camera.
The top photo is cropped from the original.




One more photo this one was cropped as well.

A Dalkeith Welcome

We arrived on the bus at Dalkeith this morning and Patty, the resident director told us to hang out a minute. Then we suddenly heard bagpipe music and looked out the window to see who we were introduced to as Frank, playing music for us. It was a wonderful welcome to the Dalkeith Palace and we were all allowed to take photos with him.

I will be posting photos on my Flickr site from my day in Edinburgh yesterday. I ended up going to bed at 8pm (after a two hour nap) and woke up at 7am. I don't have much time right now to explain everything. We are headed out for a tour of the castle and grounds. I hope all is well at home.

San Francisco

San Francisco was a beautiful and somewhat ugly city at the same time. I suppose every city is. I got of the BART system and felt a little lost. After a call to my sister I figured out where I was going. I had nice cruise through Chinatown enjoying all the shops, found the way to get to the Golden Gate Bridge and generally just wandered around. It was a fun day. Sorry this is short I will write some more tomorrow morning. Here are some photos. I just found out a little bit ago that I lost some photos in the shuffle of putting them on my computer late last night. I resolve never to do that again at night. So here are some good ones of San Fran.

The Wedding of the Year!

IMG_5470
Originally uploaded by HillWalk.

I haven't had such a close friend as my friend Erich Hofmeister get married so it was really a treat and an honor to be able to go to his wedding in Guatemala. His wife Danneth Hofmeister is quickly becoming close to my heart as well. Please keep them in your prayers because they have not had her travel documents approved yet. The documents that will allow her to come back into the country. Erich had to come home last Saturday night by himself. They really need favor in the eyes of the U.S. Government and the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City.

I fully intend to talk about my trip

Day 1.


It was a blast! How can I explain it differently? From the very beginning when we arrived at the airport at 3:30am we were laughing. Traveling there we had the groom himself Erich Hofmeister, Mike, Erich's parents and his cousin Matt. None of us had any sleep. The result of which was a lot of hilarity and dumb jokes that were laughed at as though they were made by the funniest comedian in the world.

We arrived it was like dejavu when we stepped out of the plane and the smell that assailed me reminded me so much of the last time I was there. I thought "this smells like Guatemala." I now understand my friend when we arrived in S. Korea when he said "Oh that wonderful smell of Korea." (He had been their previously.)

Were so happy to see Danneth when she arrived to meet us.

That day was filled with getting to know Danneth's family, eating, having fun, and getting tuxes fitted. A wonderful time. It was Danneth's mother's birthday so we all went out to eat to one of their favorite restaurants. It was beautiful. After that Danneth and I went to go get Emily at the airport.

She brought us to Alejandra's family's house where we would be staying. We were not very talkative the first night. Em and I were both exhausted. She had been traveling since 5 in the morning until 10:30pm and I had about 5 hours combined total of sleep the last two nights. It was crazy.

Leaving the Country!

That's it folks! I am leaving the country. I wasn't completely pleased with the election results and I have decided to move to Guatemala!!



No I am sorry that is a lie. I am not moving just going to visit. My good friend Erich Hofmeister is getting married on the 11th of November in Guatemala City. I along with Erich and his family my and our friend Mike will be leaving at 5:22am tomorrow morning. Yikes! My lovely sister Emily will be joining us that evening.

I wasn't lying about not being completely please about the election results. My district the 5th District just elected the 1st Muslim to the US Congress. He is a man who is apart of a club that has some ties to radical Islamic groups. Looking at the list of his donors every single name was of Arab decent. After hearing about his Democratic Endorsement we thought for sure our man had a good chance, because of his radicalism. But apparently in my lovely district no one really cares who the person is they just see the "D" and vote for them.

Perhaps next time. A little more interesting was that our candidate was a Jew- and he was pretty slimed by Ellison. I can only keep praying. Thankfully the US House is only for 2 years.

Redding Municipal Airport

I decided that I liked it as soon as the airport was in sight. Emily laughed and said that I couldn't like it until I was there. I told her any airport that was so easy to drive into was a great place to be. It is six in the morning and I am relaxing in semi-comfy chairs in a place that feels more like a train station than airport. It is the smallest airport I've been at except for maybe one in China. I was happy to know that I couldn't get lost because there are only two gates and only two airlines that fly out of here.

We have not gone through security yet. I believe that they have everyone go together at the same time. Don't ask me why but I love airports. I suppose people who have to travel all the time may not enjoy them as much as I do. There is something about travel that always excites me. Something about a place where everyone is going to a different part of the glob. The stories that dwell within each passenger are fascinating to imagine.

I have a long day ahead of me. I will be flying to LA- then to Las Vegas and then finally home.
I will see you later they are calling my flight.

The Hot Rock that Wasn't Hot!

The most disappointing thing that happened (besides the buffet we went to- don't ask) was the "Hot Rock" at Lassen Volcanic National Park. I must admit that it was my own fault that it held disappointment.

On the way up the mountain I saw on the map a spot marked "Hot Rock." I naturally assumed that it was a hydrothermal type thing, and would be what the title seems to imply. On the way back I insisted on stopping there so I could touch it. We stopped and my dad and sis sat in the car while I jumped out and was all ready with my camera. My expectations were high as I approached. I reached out and touched it- but alas, it wasn't hot at all! It felt like a normal rock type temperature to me. The sign next to it said it used to be hot and that it came from the volcano. I didn't really care that it used to be, I wanted it to be now! I suppose I will have to get over my it. Sorry Dad and Em for making us stop.

Here it is- I suppose it looks cool, being so big and all. It is a 300- ton rock.

Bumpass Hell

On Saturday my dad and sister joined me as we took a drive from Redding to Lassen Volcanic National Park. It was a beautiful drive to get there. We had driven it the night before coming into Redding but we did not get to enjoy the scenery as we did today. It was a windey road that took us to the top and to the beginning of the trail that led to Bumpass Hell. The hydrothermal area was named after a man who worked as a guide who was a who had fallen in and burnt his leg badly. It was a 3 mile round trip hike at 8500 ft. in elevation. We had to take a few breaks, we weren't accustomed to the elevation and had a little shortness of breath. I will post some pictures for all of you.