Tour de Friends - Sicily/ List of Casualties

I'm currently in Sicily, not quite able to sleep because it is only 10pm at home and 4 am here. Also, it's gorgeous.

Hazy with heat, the sky and Mediterranean blended the atmosphere together into a mystic grey-blue everywhere. We drove fast in a red convertible on windy roads past green orchards. The olive trees are combed out in straight long lines like the laundry hanging from the balconies... And that was just from the way home from the airport.

Adrian's brother greeted me at the airport wearing a hat with my photo on it:


More photos to come, of course. But let's talk about something sad instead:


So far the casualties for my Tour de Friends has amounted to the following items (some of which have been returned/replaced):

Two Flights
One pair of jeans
Two shirts
One pair of underwear
One denim skirt
Two bras
One cell phone charger
Two cell phones (I lost another one in Chicago)

And, it is very possible, at this moment that I should include in this list One small red suitcase. Yes, the ONLY suitcase I was bringing to Italy. Today, I had to go buy a pair of new underwear and a clean shirt. Keep your fingers crossed that it comes to the airport tomorrow for me to pick up. I'll let you know if you should start playing taps.


xo!
Much love from a broad abroad.

West Virginia is for Buddies

photos are credited to amy and rachel. thank you.

Chicago

The events that occurred in Chicago and surrounding suburbs between the dates of Saturday July 8 through Tuesday July 11 are far to illicit for publication in this forum.

Thank you

Montana is beautiful

It's been so long since I've had an opportunity to write anything about all of my travels. I should start with Montana, because that's where I left off. I had a fantastic, relaxed time in the tiny city of Helena.

The main street is called "Last Chance Gulch" because there was miners looking for gold, and this site was their "last chance" before they packed up and returned home. Luckily they struck gold, otherwise this beautiful little capitol wouldn't be what it was. The city itself looked like a real old west town. Bars were more like saloons and coffee shops were more like...Okay, well they were like coffee shops, but in general everything had a smalltown atmosphere. The whole valley is made up of 70,000 people, which is about one tenth the size of Baltimore. Everyone seems to know everyone and they literally tip their cowboy hats to say hello on the street. Amazing. What do I love more than friendly people? Friendly people in cowboy hats.

I went there to visit my friend Sarah from college. Sarah, to put it mildly, is awesome. She originally found herself in Montana doing trail work for an americorps program. She led crews of people out in the woods and cut down trees with chainsaws and moved boulders. She made barbed wire fences and, simply, was tough as balls. She met this awesome guy, Chris, while she was out there and has been living with him in the city of Helena. She recently started working for the state. She sleeps on her hair and goes to work with bed head that looks (there is no better word for it) totally rad. She and Chris, under no dispute, are the cutest couple in Helena, Montana.

My trip began by flying out from Seattle. I sat next to a woman named JoAnn who loved to talk about all of her physical ailments. This would be annoying to me if she hadn't told me that I reselmbled Lindsay Lohan, after that, I couldn't help but love the woman.

When I arrived into Helena's tiny airport, Sarah and Chris were there to greet me with a sign with stars all over it. I saw Sarah through the glass as I was walking up and immediately began perspiring with excitement. She looked so beautiful. Her muscles were all strong and her face was red and sunny and healthy. It was obvious that this mountain air was doing her great. Sarah and I hugged for a long time, both of us sweaty from being so excited to see the other person. Isn't it weird that we both perspired from excitement?

Let me talk about this mountain air - This was one of my favorite parts of Montana. We were leaving a bar my first night there and it smelled just like an airfreshener from a car shaped like a tiny tree. I realized, that my whole life, I've associated that smell with cars instead of conifers and suddenly felt really silly for never really understanding before what those tiny trees were trying to imitate. Once, when Sarah and I were hiking a very tiny section of the Appalachian Trail, I was hiking up a pretty steep section when I announced "this is just like a stairmaster" - and Sarah pointed out that a stairmaster is supposed to imitate hiking, not the other way around. It seems like when I'm with Sarah, I really get to the truth of things, doesn't it?

The first night I was there Chris and Sarah took me to Blackfoot Brewery immediately so I could have a taste of delicious local beer. It quickly became one of my favorite tastes ever and may have put Brewer's Art, here in Baltimore to shame. Afterward the team made me a delicious falafel welcome dinner and Ted, sarah's old roommate came over with a sweet tart to go along with it. Ted is simply fantastic. I felt instantly close to him. My favorite part was at the close of everyday saying "I'll see you tomorrow." And, as simple as that, we were instantly friends as though we had been for years. Montana is so fun. We all went to Jester's the local dive bar and on to the Gold Bar, saloon on Last Chance Gulch that had gambling machines. I got to meet Sarah's former co-crew leader Nick and swap stories until late in the evening.

We went for a hike the next day up Mt. Assention to get a really great view of Mt. Helena. The beautiful part about the city of Helena is that we literally walked two blocks away from Sarah's front door and we were at the foot of a mountain. It made me understand why she might not leave this place for a while.

The fourth of July we thought that we should celebrate in glorious American Style. We started this off by going to Target and McDonald's. That night, we went up to the south hills and sat overlooking the entire valley as everyone set off their own fireworks. You could hear the echoes of bangs and pops and hollers off the mountains as sparks of celebration danced all around us. It was almost like we were on an island surrounded by fireworks. Some near, some far, some big some little. A symphony of fireworks. Nestled there in the mountains, I understood what they were celebrating more than I would have if I were in a city that night.

Sarah works in a really cool office with this woman, Lonie, who seems to love adventure. It's always so nice when I get to meet people in a regular job who seem extraordinary, it reminds me that you can meet extraordinary people everywhere. And what luck that Sarah can have a new friend out of her job with the state of Montana. We talked for a long time Lonie, Chris, Sarah and I about politics and travel and everything else that gets our blood bubbling. Lonie is absolutely kind and invigorating, If Sarah has to be in a cubicle for now, I'm glad it's across the isle from this lady.

Lonie told me why Montana is ACTUALLY big sky country. It ends up that the height of the mountains actually reduce the amount of moisture in the air making the view unobscured. You actually can see more sky out there!

Every Wednesday in the summer the whole town gets together for this event called "Alive at Five" where there is beer and food and music on the lawn to the library. Ted, Sarah, Chris and I went and was surprised to see that almost everyone came out for this event. I got to people watch for a long time and settle into the idea of what it would be like to live there. It seems like almost everyone is genuinely a nice, solid person. I felt like I was at a block party in the suburbs, where everyone is happy to say hello or send a smile your way. Sigh, how lovely is this life of Sarahs!?

I thought a lot about my job and my new career while I was out there. Things move slower in Montana and I had a lot of down time to catch up with myself. A few days later I wrote this little thing about what I was thinking:

When I first got a desk job, I thought there were such things as beautiful cubicles - like amber honeycombs. I'd nestle in, humble hornet, and work would please me. At first, I thought that poetry was in everything and I'd find it in every moment, phone call and photocopy. After sitting at the base of mountains this summer, where silence isn't sustained by and blended with the hum of fluorescent lights, CPUs and clicking, I realized that I was completely wrong before -- a fax machine is simply a fax machine and there is no part of office life that is sweet like honey.

...Except of course for job security and health insurance.

One of my favorite nights in Helena, Sarah and I got "dressed up" and for Montana standards, that meant a t-shirt and a jean skirt. We went to the fanciest restaurant in Helena and ordered cosmopolitans. A real girls night out. Immediately after our cosmos, we left to go to Jester's, the dive bar to order either a huge beer for $1.25 or whiskey. We sat, half drunk on barstools taking photos of each other and telling all the reasons why we were pleased to know each other. One of those reasons is that the cheap beer and whiskey was more appealing to Sarah than the pink girly drink.

The next day Lonie suggested that Sarah take some time off to spend with me. We met Ted and Chris and Ory (their old boss) for lunch at Chris' work. I got to meet the most incredible 5 year old girl, Brigid who yodeled for me and got to talk to Ory and Ted about Teddy Roosevelt for like an hour. "I like this man and how he has adventures, even if he was kind of a prick and an imperialist and shot rare animals." I was so glad they nodded in agreement.

After lunch Sarah and I took a nap in the park with no blanket and walked into town to shop. There are probably four shops in Helena. One of them was the yarn store. Sarah was excited for me to meet the woman who she knits with in the winter time. I learned all about needle felting and felt suddenly jealous of this slow, warm life that Sarah has there in Montana. I was thinking how me moving to New York City will be the complete opposite of most of the simple pleasures I found there in Big Sky Country.

That night we had our farewell hang out at this bar which is considered the meatmarket bar of Helena. We sat outside and Nick brought his dog out back. I got to Met Mel and Chris, two kids from Montana who were super nice, funny and awesome. After Chris and Sarah got tired, Ted, Mel and Chris and I drove out to East Helena for the Rodeo street dance party. What is a Rodeo Street dance party, you ask? It is the street party after the Rodeo where everyone dances to jammin' classic Rock and drinks Budweiser. Everyone has on denim, bangs and cowboy hats. Yes, even the boys have bangs.

The next morning at 4:45 I left to go the airport. Sarah and I sat looking out the window like puppies, waiting for the cab, sad to leave each other and too sad to talk about being sad.

The mountains before sunrise on the way to the tiny airport were back lit and beautiful and were the perfect bittersweet bon voyage for my journey on to Chicago.

Tour de Friends - Seattle Snapshots

These are some photos of Laura and her two friends Lauren and Adrian. Together the four of us took the wrong turn at Discovery Park and discovered, through the most adventureous adventure, this rugged beach. The four of us made a fantastic team.

Seattle

Post Card Version:
It's beautiful and green everywhere in this city and everyone is so friendly! I wish you were here!

Long winded/Everything-I've-done-so-far Version:
Day 1
My adventure started when I got dropped off at the airport. Wait, that's not true, the only adventure at BWI was surviving the long Roy Roger's line to get a roast beef sandwich. The adventure actually started in the Atlanta airport on my long layover there. Bored, and with 4 hours to kill I decided to settle into the nascar bar with my book on Teddy Roosevelt and a Miller Lite. With a scarcity of sitting places, the guy next to me offered that we might share a table. Nice enough. So, we talked a lot about airports and traveling and the other sorts of things one talks about in airport bars. He was from Chicago and offered to throw a party when Virginia and I were going to be in town. He was going to throw one anyway, he might as well plan it so that she and I could attend. He did lights for jam bands that go on tour. He had red hair and lots of confidence - it must have been his cool rock and roll job that instilled it in him. After he left (and picked up the check, I might add) I settled right back into reading and sipping. Ah, but in just a moment someone else asked if they could join me. I haven't even gotten past the third chapter! It was then that I realized I was doing exactly the wrong thing if i wanted to be left alone. I was sitting by myself at a table, the only young woman around, with a book about a former U.S. President in hand. I was practically holding up a billboard asking guys with goatees to tell me that they know everything about the Panama Canal or the Spanish-American War. The second guy and I talked a lot, in that political history sort of banter that I can only manage after a few beers, and a few more. It's funny how a pilsner helps me remember where I read things more than an ale, all of the power is in the beverage of choice. By the end of that conversation, I was sure my elixer was talking more than I was. Then, perhaps after too many glasses of free political banter, needless to say, I lost my cell phone.** Of course I did, I'm the sort of person who is either going to miss her plane or lose her cell phone.

** Desparate Plea: Oh! Please email me your cellphone number - I don't have it anymore!

I realized my cellphone was gone when they were closing the hatch to the plane and it was too late to go back. The men sitting with me on the plane consoled me with a bud light and some chex mix. They had southern accents and said "prisheated" instead of of "thank you", it took me the first four hours of the flight to understand that they were attempting some hybrid of "I appreciate it" that came out all squished together from their dixieland mouths. I asked them to repeat "mint julep" over and over again and they "abliiiiged." They were southern gentleman who didn't laugh too much when I dozed off and snored and ordered me a drink for when I woke up. We became great buddies, the three of us. Or, at least at the time, I was sure we were all great buddies. We looked at celebrity magizines, collectively completed (cheated on) a crossword puzzle, and made jokes and had the stewardess come back for a couple more rounds. I'd never pushed that little button that lights up. I always thought it was so obnoxious and made their job harder, but something about it was sort of delightful and she brought us our drinks so cheerfully. With the clouds out the window below, my new buddies, the reliquished fear of being cell phoneless, and this cheery woman happy to bring me crappy domestic beer, I felt as though this might, very well, be heaven.

As we decended, Mt. Ranier stood mammouth and glamorous beside the wing as the orange sun began to duck away behind the purple sky and then thousands of trees that started as specks slowly grew into collasal ambassadors welcoming me to this lovely emerald city.

Laura was there to meet me at the airport. She always loved frank baum growing up and it makes so much sense that she found herself here. "Isn't it fantastic!? she said, and then exclaimed "Emerald City!" In a quick flash, I instantly recalled the bushes she drew once with bread and butter flys nesting on them. These were bushes that were in the background in one of the scenes in the comic book that she and Jeanne drew that we all put out when we were 14 and 15. It sold in some stores near philly and gave us a lot of courage in our own capacity to do things on our own. It was one of those defining eras of your life that helps you sort of figure out what kind of adult you want to be and how you sort of have the option to do whatever you dream up. I think young girls don't often have this opportunity. And both Laura and Jeanne turned out to be these amazing women, no doubt, because of many experiences like our little comic book.

Laura and I don't catch up too much on the phone or via email and just sort of picked up where we left off the last time I saw her, which was, goodness, years ago - 2? 3? We talked over food at this fancy-cute place called bleu bistro in Capitol Hill where she lives in Seattle. As I sat there, thoroghly pleased to be yapping back and forth in her company I was delighted that they had Mint Juleps on the menu. We stayed there until we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore.

Day 2
Laura and I woke up stinging with hangovers. Which, when you think about it, not only was i slowly drinking all day on my journey to arrive here, but I also gained two additonal hours of drinking in by crossing the time zones. It was quite an extra long day. We drank tons of water and one of those energy/get-rid-of-a-hang-over packages that's always hanging near the check out at gas stations. "Emergen-Cee" We ate ceral and went for a long walk down town. Laura got her passport paperwork taken care of and I got a new cell phone to replace the one i'd left behind in ATL. We ate at the resturant at Pikes Market. I had the freshed Salmon and the saltiest french fries. We walked back up the hill pleased, full, sore footed, and a tiny bit sunburned. When we arrived back home we collapsed on her carpet and stretched out and talked as the fan in her window blew on us.

I remembered getting an email from the FOUND people about their trip out to the north west and thought that the days they were speaking might end up matching up to my visit here. Pleased with myself for remembering, we looked it up and I was right on target. We got deressed in fresh clothes and headed out to the university bookstore. We got there an hour or so early and split a bottle of wine on the front porch of a coffee shop as all the teva-wearing strangers walked passed. Laura loved Davy and the reading and we had such a fantastic time (even though I've already heard most of what he said in Baltimore.) I left him a note like we were old buddies and let him know where laura and I were going if he wanted to have a drink or something. It was when I was signing my name to this little letter, i realized that it sort of looked like i was a complete stalker and then i worried that i actually was one. He's just so great. If it didn't already appear like I was flying across the country to adore him, I'd probably fly across the country to adore him.

After the reading Laura introduced me to some new people later that night. we were sort of still chattering endlessly about old stories thinking they'd be interested. but, for the first time in a long time, I wasn't much of a hit. I buzzed around them making a billion jokes and each one sort of fell to a dull thud. So of course my joking got sort of more frenzied. The end result? They din't seem to be beguiled by my obvious charm, but instead completely wary and frightened of it. Gasp! How could this be the case? Laura insists its because they're midwesterners. This, I more than suspect to be thoroghly untrue, but let it ease my pain nonetheless so I could fall asleep.

Day 3
Today, we first had a walk to recover the car we left behind at the bar the night before and a delicious brunch were we continued yapping on and on as we've been doing for the past 48 hours. After eggs and coffee (or laura's delicious omlet that involved duck and mushrooms) we met a stranger on the street who asked directions to a local tatoo parlor. Laura directed him, and as he started to walk away I asked him if he was intending on getting an implusive tatoo. I like the idea of someone waking up and deciding that today was the day to do something different and permanant. And, that was exactly the case. He told us about how his ex-girlfriend once said that he'd never have the courage, and today he woke up and decided that he did. He asked to see my tattooed back, and since, it seemed like such a good idea, I pulled up my shirt in the street for him to see half of it. And then, as easily as our conversation began it ended, as if it were the sort of exchange you have every day.

From there we stopped at Laura's studio (which is terrific and sunny and a little bit of ivy found it's way under the door and started growing inside) and from the studio to the bus to go to the art museum near the university. Yesterday, while driving around I saw a sign for a Maya Lin, Systematic Landscapes Exhibit, and coincidentally, had just been talking about her work and, everything was clicking together. We arrived after the friendliest bus ride I've ever taken where the bus driver actually gave a woman a free fare because she made him laugh. With my new student ID, I didn't have to pay admission and got to see a show by an artist I've really liked for a long time with an artist friend of mine who really appreciated it. The whole cluster of events was both so simple and incredible.

After the exhibit, we took the bus back to her best friends' house, lauren and adrian. These two are really easy to be around and welcomed me as an old friend of theirs simply because I was an old friend of Laura's. We lounged about, talked about top-secret video game technology, and ate ethiopian food. I liked that after the turn of events the night before, that I wasn't actually completely charmless or irritating and perhaps that was only a fleeting moment for me.

Adrian drove us back to Laura's place where we changed into our pajamas and watched Miyazaki's Spirited Away until Laura announced she was going to bed and I annuonced that I was going to try to remember all of the amazing things we did so I could tell each one of you. Considering that was probably about two hours ago, I should go to sleep myself.

I'll leave you with this. I love old friends and new cities and hope to write again on the Montana leg of my trip where I get to see Sarah and continue The US Friendship and Fun Tour 2006.