Danielle and AJ

Medeski Martin and Wood at Erie Canal Harbor

A few weeks ago we drove to Buffalo to check out Erie Canal Harbor. One of AJ’s favorite bands – Medeski, Martin and Wood – was playing (followed by Umphrey’s McGee).

First of all, they were fantastic. (Sorry, our video quality is not). But we also had some time to peruse the harbor, and it’s impressive, too. We weren’t here for its unveiling in early July last year, but apparently $53 million of Buffalo/New York State/Federal grant money was spent to develop 12.5 acres of the waterfront. (Wonder if it’s paying off).

It seems as if people are enjoying it, and Buffalo Place Rocks the Harbor is certainly bringing some great acts to the area this summer, with most of them charging only $10-$20 as an entrance fee. The area boasts a pretty nice view, too.

Rediscovering home

After being home for a few months, we've realized that a lot has changed -- especially us. I think when people return to their hometowns they get a feeling of being smothered...didn't we grow out of this a long time ago, after all? I imagine lots of gen y-ers are feeling this as they go back to living with parents and relatives while waiting out this economic catastrophe.

We're no exception to feeling this way, but we're going to try to make the most of being here. And we're beginning to see that while we'll trek around the world to explore Asia, we've hardly ever ventured out in our own little region.

I've noticed a lot of people this summer are opting for "stay-cations" rather than spending a ton to go somewhere far away. While I'm a huge proponent of international travel, I'm also trying to appreciate the exploration you can do without driving too far. For us that means for the remainder of the summer, we'll be posting about Western New York history and culture.

We've both started jobs at the Chautauqua Institution. About four years ago I interned as a reporter for the paper there, and it's a phenomenal place to meet authors, academics and explorers. So expect some posts on the lecture/entertainment scene at CI.

We hope to get a new appreciation of where we come from and maybe some answers to where we're going. We also encourage others to do the same and to share their experiences of rediscovering their hometowns and regions with us.

Back to Spain and France

I wish the title of this post meant that I'd be traveling soon to Europe. Alas, I only have some memories of Spain and France that cost me far less than the price of an airline ticket to relive. And thanks to the Photoshop skills I've acquired since then, these pics look a lot better, too. (These will all be in my Etsy shop sometime this week or next).

 

The picture above is of the Alcazar of Segovia.

 

Next is Valle de los Caidos, or Valley of the Fallen, located outside Madrid.

 

In Barcelona is Park Guell, designed by Antonio Gaudi. This shot is overlooking the city, and way off in the distance,  the Mediterranean Sea.

 

This last photo (or at least the last I'm posting here) is of the Maison Carree in Nimes, France. I'll be posting more in the Etsy shop later, so stay tuned.

Memorial Day weekend

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. We didn't really have one while living overseas last year, so we packed up the car, put the top down and did some camping. It was gorgeous weather all three days, and around here, you have to enjoy every second. Click the links below to see the larger versions of the photos:

1. mainstreet, 2. basketball, 3. dustysaab, 4. camping, 5. usa, 6. mirror, 7. pinksky, 8. aves, 9. rhode

Finding the Keys in old photos

Back in high school I was using my dad's film SLR for a photography class. I guess that's what got me hooked -- that and seeing my images appear out of their chemical baths in the darkroom.

Sadly, I don't have use of a darkroom any longer, but I do have all those photos I developed. Over the weekend, AJ helped me scan them into my computer, and I especially loved reminiscing over my shots from Key Largo and Key West.

Who doesn't love boats and palm trees?

One Sad Ponderosa

I haven't been to Ponderosa since the second grade when I puked after eating the buffet. I blame it on the creamed corn. Regardless, I couldn't stifle a pang of sadness when I saw this sign.

Layoffs and closings are disgustingly common, as everyone living in the states knows at this point. I didn't really feel the state of hopelessness until we returned from Korea. I'm not sure if it's a feeling felt everywhere, but it's certainly dragging down this little town. While in line at the post office the other day, I heard this conversation between two older gentlemen:

Older Man 1: America's finished. It's done.

Older Man 2: Done.

OM1: You can just stick a fork in it. It's totally done.

OM2: It's totally done.

OM1: This country will never be what it used to be.

OM2: Never.

OM1: Never ever.

It went on this way until they started discussing the Cleveland Browns. (Nothing like football to distract us from a failing economy! Right now it's either that or Octamom.)

Country Roads

We spent Saturday at my Grandma's house in rural Pennsylvania, and I realized I had forgotten how rustic some of the old farm equipment looks in the yard or how the closed-up gas station on the corner has a vintage-America feel. I took out my camera and shot a set of nine photographs that will soon appear in my Etsy store.

I couldn't stop singing the song while I was shooting, so I've called this collection "Country Roads." I know it's not West Virginia, but, close enough.

It's a beautiful car

The scene: It was a beautiful Thanksgiving morning. The sun was shining, birds singing, and AJ was driving his '94 blue Saab hatchback to my house. Just as he was reaching for his coffee (in his favorite NPR mug), disaster struck.

Was the other driver paying attention? Who knows. Was she so high that she had no idea what was going on? Probably. All we know for sure is that AJ and his coffee mug were fine, but his beloved Saab's front end was smashed beyond repair.

Now, after two years of grieving and praying for an equally dote-able car, AJ's found another Saab worthy of all his attention.

'96 Saab convertible

Home again

We're back! We've been home from our trek in Korea for a month now and have had some time to readjust, eat all the food we missed so dearly and even send out some resumes. Sigh, it's just not as exciting as train rides in Thailand and gastronomic adventures in Korea.

You'll probably find us reminiscing about our travels occasionally; in fact, we intend to reflect a bit on what we've learned. As you can probably tell from the header, we're living at home again (...awesome), and our dogs are happily incorporating our international sensibilities into our daily lives (i.e. wearing furry hats from China). Don't worry, dressing up four-legged family members isn't the only thing keeping us busy.

If you've been keeping up with us over the last year, you know my ACL tore in Taekwondo, and though I won't be wearing an "I heart surgery" tee anytime soon, I CANNOT WAIT for them to cut open my knee and pull up that patellar tendon graft! Oh, to dance and jump and run again! Well, it's going to take six months of rehab for all that to happen, but at least AJ won't have to hold out his arm every time there's a too-big step in my way.

Speaking of the two-letter wonder, AJ's starting a freelance audio company ('cause he's got a degree), and he'll be recording bands soon. No word on the name of this operation yet -- Wolfman Productions and Wolfehower Sound were thrown around, but recommendations are much appreciated.

I finally have time to devote to the thousands of photographs I took last year, not to mention the ones I take on a daily basis. I'm starting my own Etsy shop to sell my photography, so take a look and tell me what you think.

As you can see, we have projects, but don't be fooled. We're also lazily sucking back cocktails (or in AJ's case Chivas), raiding the public library and investigating grad schools/PeaceCorps for far more time than is typically healthy.

-d