Rocks on the side of a stream

This man has sat in the exact same spot every year to watch the Candor Peach Festival Parade, ever since it began many years ago. 
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He makes me happy. 

Old MacDonald

Overalls are a lost gem. I like wearing them because of the amount of practical pockets they employ. 

Mostly I like that they make my little fashionista sister exasperated. 

These are some quick snapshots from the Peach Festival in my previous post. Proof of how overalls are definitely making a comeback.

Hillbillies say hello

Deep-fried bagpipes serenade hillbillies who race in their underpants while drinking beer and eating peach cobbler … and a harmonica-tucked-in-the-pocket-of-his-overalls sheriff sits in a rocking chair as John Deere takes over the world. This is what I’ve decided would happen if you were to put all of the things found at the annual Candor Peach Festival into one of those giant claw machines at an arcade. 

I had a free day on Saturday --- So I donned my overalls (I somehow feel more secure in myself while wearing them here than I do in Seattle. Ahem.) and made my way to Candor, North Carolina for midday merriment. 

After a cup of homemade peach ice cream, an entry into the Plumbing Company’s television drawing, a healthy dose of slightly-saturated-in-fat deep fried ribbon fries, and a smile from the Peach Queen, I called it a day and drove back to the barn. 

Life is fun times. : )

It's always summer

I live in a barn! 

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I should probably take a moment to note that the South of the U.S. is very different than the North. Yes. It is. And the East of the U.S. is very different than the West. Truly.

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So ... therefore ....... the South+East of the U.S. is MOST different from the North+West. Mhmm. 

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I have scooted myself from Trendy Seattle down to the Carolinas where, unlike the Northwest, it seems to always be summer (sorry guys). I am here doing an internship with a magazine, and it is all very new and exciting (I seem to find myself in the "new" and "exciting" genre often these days). I live in a barn! I may have mentioned this. : )

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I was reminded of why I'm not a truck driver after having gotten lost a painfully embarrassing amount of times within my first 24 hours here. Also, after a rendezvous with the wrong side of the road (I'm blaming you, Australia) I find that, even though I have no idea what to do once I graduate .... at least I am learning what NOT to do. 

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I'll be hanging out with horses, humidity, and many hours-worth of projects over the next few weeks here before driving back to Illinois. 

Divorce the Dividing Wall

We met Auntie Jude in Canberra, Australia. She is an Aboriginal woman who is fighting for the rights of other Aborigines in the areas of national land, law, and representation. 
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We listened as she told her story through very tired eyes. It was difficult to watch, but so important to hear. 
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A few quotes from what she shared with us:
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“We’ve had 6 generations of genocide.”
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“Our place (Australia) was a perfect place, a beautiful place – a haven.”
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“I don’t want to get sucked into the system.”
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“This is democracy, I suppose. I’m living it – breathing it.”
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“All governments, per se, are just businesses …. Where does the humanity come into it?”
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“Closed doors where the inside dies more …”
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“Divorce the dividing wall.” 

Barnaby Joyce and Bundy on Tap

This post is looooong overdue. These are images from Canberra - our very first group trip with the Australia Studies Centre back in March. I shall make a list of all the important things seen and learned in the capital city of Oz! 
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> The name "Canberra" either means "Meeting Place" ..... or "The Valley Between a Woman's Breasts." There is no way to be sure. I wouldn't worry about it. 
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> The most important thing at the National Portrait Gallery, I gathered, were not the paintings of diplomats or the depictions of Australia's past royalty ... Nope. Two words to make your heart stop: Heath Ledger. I walked by his photograph several times, and there were always at least 10 girls just sort of gazing at the grandeur of his presence. Glued to his demised magnificence. 
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> Senator Barnaby Joyce (Best. Name. Ever.) is excellent at character assessment. He called his opponent, who was playing a game on his iPhone in the middle of their debate, a "Garden Gnome," among other things. 
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> We routinely fit all 28 of us into normal-sized elevators. There was much love. There was also just enough oxygen. 
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> We were told to NOT roll down the grassy green hill that Parliament House is built into, please. No matter how perfect it would be. It is built that way so that people can politely stand on the hill, and be symbols of how the government is never above the people is represents. 
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> Bundanoon, an Aussie city devoid of bottled water, brought to light the possible conspiracy of "Evian," the first company to present the idea of having people pay money for something that is free: Water. "Evian" = "Naive" spelled backwards? Hmmmmmmm-furrowed-brow-of-suspicion.
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> Also, the word "Bundanoon" now officially means "To not drink bottled water" in Flemish. This is key. 
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> Not enough time spent at the Art Gallery of Australia! For those of you who join me in knowing some things about artsy-fartsy stuff, there were pieces by Moholy Nagy, Toulouse Lautrec, Josef Albers, Pollack, de Kooning, and some Rothko, among others. (Some gorgeous Picasso line drawings, too!) 
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> We visited the War Memorial, which is said to rival London's War Memorial. Also, our trip took us to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy (a bit more about that in my next post). 
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To see more pictures of our group, and our time in Canberra, click here. Or visit alessandra-elizabeth.posterous.com.


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Click here to view more pictures.

Peter & Sally

Peter and Sally got married yesterday! 

There was much rejoicing, much dancing ... and the groomsmen had way too much fun decorating the getaway car. :)

Gyros and Yoga

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This morning I went to a yoga class with my housemate.  

My favorite part was probably when a neighborhood children’s parade, complete with a drum corps and twirling and Scooby Doo and girls in tutus, stationed itself outside the building just as the instructor talked about getting rid of distractions.

I have been trying to say “yes” more often – to things that are new, and that I haven’t tried before.

Like shrimp.

Like going to a 6am water aerobics class. Like eating lettuce in a gyro. Like wearing a strapless dress.

I have learned all kinds of exciting things over the past few weeks. I’ve learned that, unfourtunately, I am not allergic to shrimp (it has been my silent supplication for years to fall deathly ill from trying it so that I have a legit excuse for turning it down in the future). I’ve learned that grand battements are more satisfying when done in the water surrounded by 70-year-olds. I’ve learned that things are made with the flavors they contain for a reason, and should be eaten as a whole (a gyro with just meat on pita bread is more of just …. a ….. “not-gyro.”) Strapless dresses are only as terrifying as what you’re trying to prove by wearing one. A “Plank” in Yoga is the same as a “Plank” in Jazz … but neither is an excuse for Planking on a moving car or a train or a boat so that your friends in Sydney will think you’re cool.

Also, sometimes you have to kill your boyfriend’s cows. Also, sometimes he will make Mickey-Mouse-shaped pancakes so that you will like breakfast more.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that “yes” is a fun word to say. Sometimes. Most times. If you’re using your noggin’ in saying it. Say “yes” to doing hugs, not drugs. That kind of thing.

We are Junior Park Rangers

Some more images from Glacier ...