The Biggest Little City in the World

I got so caught up in moving back to Chile, I completely forgot I took a trip out West this last summer to see friends and family.  One place I stopped was in Reno, Nevada to visit my friends Pat and Jocelyn.  I did a very poor job taking pictures on this trip so I ended up with just a few, but they were a few good ones!

As well as exploring the finer aspects of Reno I also went up to Lake Tahoe with Pat for the day.  I had a great time swimming in the brilliant crystal blue water of Tahoe.  A perfect summer day to enjoy living life.

Summering in New England

Like all good East Coasters, my mother and I summer in New England.  I guess not quite, but we did go to New England to visit a part of the USA neither of us had been.

 

After many airport delays we ended up with a short side trip to Providence, Rhode Island.  I am sure Rhode Island is nice, but that is about how I felt at during day one in New England.We hightailed it back up to Boston to have one very rushed day in Beantown.

 

From there we drove northeast to Vermont.  Vermont was amazing.  The culture, the land, the hills, and the beer.  People there may be sick of maple flavor, but I am not sure I can be.

From there we decided to take this trip international and bilingual.  Canada bitches.

 

After our foray in Vermont, we head due east and coastal to Maine.  America's top-hat did not disappoint.  It was green, oceany, full of lobster rolls, and sailboats. 

The High Trestle

The High Trestle Trail connects Ankeny north to Slater and then east to Woodward.  The section between Woodward and Madrid is the most notable part since it has a reconstructed railroad bridge.  The bridge is 18 stories high.  The trestle has been reshaped into an evolving pattern of squares to give a person riding through an illusion of passing through a tunnel.  With my friends Brian and Zane, we biked the majority of the trail.

Spring Cleaning

There hasn't been to much amazing adventures going on in my world.  Sometimes you just have to get some work done.  That doesn't mean that my life has been unexciting by an stretch, just not a lot a traveling.  The break has been nice in a lot of ways.

 

Ulysses

Galena, Illinois: A little town made famous for its proximity near the Mississippi, its surviving Victorian architecture, and its most famous resident Ulysses Simpson Grant. Mostly surviving now-a-days as a Midwestern hamlet, Galena embodies the idea that drives people to bed and breakfasts. It is a place my mother has been taking me since I was small and a favorite little town of mine. I believe I have been on a tour of Grant's home there around 10 times.

"Hey Brian, Did you see that? I know you have the time; they most definitely have the beer."

Political, sometimes what seem like obvious governance goes by the way side for other political reasons. This is news to no one. Recently, the voters of the city of Cedar Rapids turned down a proposal to build a flood wall for the Lower West side for all the typical reasons (no taxes are good taxes, it would destroy the river, or people should never live anywhere where they could be flooded). I had to admire what Galena did creating a natural flood wall to protect its downtown. Instead of making the downtown district worse, it actually greatly enhanced it by giving the city an inclosed feeling that made the whole city feel more intimate. The top has become a walking trail and the wall gives Galena a natural earthy feeling. It feels like a small town version of Cartagena.

Domestic Life

My life cannot always be exciting. I would love to have amazing pictures to continually show the world, but unfortunately I am busy working and that simply is not that thrilling. That does not mean I never whip out my DSLR and go shoot some photos. Mother Nature is still punishing me for my time spent swimming each day in the Caribbean and I continue to find enjoyment from fighting my mother's cats.

If you ever need a fun activity, you should try going to an Asian market and have someone there show you each weird item they have despite not speaking English. If you listen long enough they will sample all the cool fruits for you.

"Mom, can I eat the cat?"



"No"

Finally I had to take a picture of my 2011 tax return. I feel my tax return fairly shows how awesome of a 2011 I had.

Wintertime U.S.A.

I live in the Midwest. For whatever reason some long time ago, people decided that would be a good idea... or at least a very cold one.