NOTE: I didn't take this photo (or the one below). I didn't take any because I left my camera in my backpack to stay dry. It was my attempt at living in the moment. And when I made the decision, I didn't know how cool it would be. If this photo is yours, 1) thank you for letting me use it and 2)please don't sue me. :-) I don't mean to sound cliche here, but if you ever find yourself in the Dominican Republic, put 27 Charco on your todo list. I usually don't like trying to sway people into doing what I liked, as I am a much bigger fan of the serendipity of travel, but so much about this place is great, I've gotta recommend it!
Firstly, from a purely geographic standpoint, it's awesome. The river has cut a series of narrow canyons, deep pools, and varying waterfalls. It's somewhat like I imagine the slot canyons of Utah to be like during a flash flood. The canyons would be gorgeous to walk through even without the falls and river, with neat rock layers and formations every which way. Then there's the experience: they do you up in a life jacket and helmet* and let you jump, swim, and slide your way down. Because I arrived too late (after the always confusing act of getting anywhere), I only got to do 12(-ish) of the 27(-ish)* falls. I got to jump* the highest cliffs, slide the best chutes, and go through some spectacular canyons. I can only imagine what I missed in those upper 14 waterfalls. Also, my guide* told me that the water level the river changes drastically depending on the rains, so some chutes would be faster with more rain, but the cliffs not as high. Finally, there's the story behind the place. You can read all about it on their website (linked above) but basically, through the help of peace corp, they got it to be a national reserve where the government helps monitor things and keep things safe and fair, and some of the money goes back into the communities in the form of money for schools, etc. The guides share everything so they don't fight (like the hassle that ruins the experience at so many other places). All in all, it sounds like a good good thing that's happening there. So are you sold yet? Don't you just want to be there right now? I do, again, and I was just there! Next time, though, I will get there early enough to do all 27 and take my camera in a sturdy plastic bag. Next time... |
Friday December 12 2014 | File under: travel, Dominican Republic |
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The first thing I like to do when I arrive in a new place, after securing a place to safely lay my head, is to head out and walk. No map, no destination, no expectations—just walk. On the functional side of things, it really connects with and orients me to the area. But it also serves to help me truly be in a place, rather than experience it through the lens of whatever guidebook, website, or friend's recommendations I have gotten. Just walking allows me to follow whatever minor whims occur at the moment and see where they take me. There's always time at the end to visit any highlights just walking might have missed.
Take Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, my current whereabouts, for example. Today, my first day here, I must have walked at least 8 miles, and I saw a lot. Of the "you should see this" list, I happened upon the presidential palace, Independence Park*, the malecon*, and the Columbus Lighthouse*. But I also happened on all sorts of other cool stuff, like this crazy Ricola statue* and this amazing fort/castle, places I probably would not have found if I was on a mission to any place in particular. I had lunch at a place that's never been mentioned in a guide book* and got lost resulting in the opportunity to practice my Spanish in asking for directions home. And I earned the 3 ice creams I stumbled upon. Yep, this hit-the-ground-walking routine really works for me. My feet my be tired and my socks more pungent than normal, but I wouldn't have it any other way. |
Wednesday December 10 2014 | File under: travel, Dominican Republic |
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Click here for the rest of the story. (Or if you want to view the online version, you can find that on goAnacortes.com, at least for the time being.) |
Thursday November 6 2014 | File under: wheel, misc |
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This Wheel of Fortune experience (previous covered here, here, and here) just keeps on giving! The big night of the airing of my episode, I put out word that I'd be watching it at H2O and I'd love it if anyone interested would join me. And people came out in droves! It was the party of a lifetime, with so many good friends and family, all interested, exciting, and supportive!
I started out by giving a brief talk about the experience (audition process, taping day, etc.) and taking a few questions. Then we watched the episode on the big screen. During the commercials, I got up and talked about what was going through my head, what was happening behind the scenes, and tried to answer more questions*. Then [SPOILER ALERT], after enough time to really put people on the edge of their seat, I won! The place went wild. It was so much fun having the excitement that I felt then, that I've been having to keep bottled up, be shared by and with so many people! Then out came the desserts, lots of handshaking, hugging, and congratulations, and just so much smiling. This was truly a night to remember. A good time has had by all, but not nearly as good a time as was had by me. Thanks so much to all that came and shared in the event to make it special. And to those who watched it at home, posted about it on facebook, and generally shared in all the excitement with me, thanks to you too. Coming home from the party and seeing all the messages of congratulations and support was so amazing. And to those that missed it due to work, being abroad, or having local news preempt programming*, I'm working on getting a copy that I can send your way, so you can share in the fun, albeit a bit late. And lastly, a giant thanks to the Wheel of Fortune producers, staff, and crew whose show was the catalyst for all this fun. Thanks to you for such a great experience all around! |
Saturday November 1 2014 | File under: wheel, Anacortes |
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It's less than a week now until I make my big national TV debut* and word is building. I've got my facebook invite* out, gchat status blaring it, and I'm constantly hounding friends and family to spread the word. The Anacortes American even did a story about it! It's a good story with only super minor factual errors. Yeehaw for hometown media! And since I know the story won't be online forever (as opposed to this blog which will!), here's a scanned copy for posterity. |
Saturday October 25 2014 | File under: wheel, misc |
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Last week, I headed over to Spokane to help Jule reassemble a kick-ass play toy that he scored for the low low price of lots of work. With a record low of swearing*, we got it assembled with nary a problem. All told, Soren loves it. And I loved it too. I sure do like being helpful.
Since the assembly went so quickly, there was lots of time for other fun. Jule and I played frolf a couple times. Due to the changing seasons, pretty much everywhere you looked was gorgeous, esp. this course along the river. We checked out the Spokane trivia scene, which was good times. And I got some good bonding time with Soren. In between the work and the fun, it was just good times checking out Spokane, hanging with the fam, and just chillin'. Spokane ain't half bad, despite what people say, and I'm looking forward to heading over that way again once there's some ice skating to be had! |
Saturday October 25 2014 | File under: family, misc |
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I. Have. Made. Fire.
This was kind of how I felt yesterday when I got to use my wood stove* for the first time in my cabin. I've been gathering parts and scheming how things are going to work for what seems like a very long time. But it turns out that the installation process for a salvaged-from-the-woods stove isn't as easy as 1) carry heavy stove into place 2) light fire. But with persistence, I've got an almost standardly installed not-even-close-to-standard wood stove, and, it turns out, it runs great! I won't know how well it heats the space, how efficiently it burns the wood, or how easy it is to maintain until the cold weather sets in and I have lots of occasion to use it. But this initial burn was very promising. Smoke flowed where it should, heat was emitted as I expected, and starting and stoking it were straight forward. While the stove was cooking away, I spent a little time on a few other projects including plumbing in the drain for the sink, building a frame for the last uncovered window, and finishing up the siding on the outside. Yep, my little stone hobbit hole is coming along. I can't wait for the coming winter to enjoy the cabin as it should be enjoyed--reading a book by the wood stove with a cup of hot cocoa watching the snow fall outside the windows. |
Wednesday October 8 2014 | File under: quarry, cabin |
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As I mentioned back in January, I've been keeping a database of all the trivia nights I go to (or my regular team attend without me). We've now reached the 1 year point on the data and I'm like a pig in shit analyzing it. I think I really missed my calling in life: data analyst. Anyway, I wanted to share some of the fun stuff I've found. I'll try not to data you to death.
October 1, 2013 - Sept 30, 2014
In the past year, I've attended 118 trivia nights at 16 locations (mostly bars) in 5 states and international waters, though the vast majority of them were my local 3 goto spots (previously covered here). That's a lot of trivia, averaging more than 2 events per week. And while I'm in it mostly for the fun, the prizes aren't bad either. A compilation of the prizes we've won is ridiculous. From the inset, you can see that we did quite well for ourselves. And in addition to that, we had some real great one-off prizes: kayak tours, bike lights, Star Wars Trilogy on Laser Disc. But there were also some real doozies: finger painting of Steven Tyler by 9 year old, mini cupcake machine, a gift pack of variously-sized googly eyes. As the prizes seem to suggest, we're not bad, winning about half the time. Of the 141 events in the year, we logged 70 1st place wins, 34 2nds, 16 3rds, and 22 non-top 3 finishes. At one point in the year, we had won so many consecutive weeks at one bar that when our team was announced, from the back of the bar came the shout "Nobody likes you". Good times. The data has much more to reveal, like per capita winnings as a possible metric of contribution, but I won't bore you with that. Instead, I'll just keep nerding away until it is time for me to go to another trivia :-) |
Thursday October 2 2014 | File under: trivia, data |
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Why did I construct a giant changeable crossword on the top of my car? I like crosswords (as attested to here and here). I like fun things. And why not? If you can't do something silly every now and again, what fun is life?
A word about the process: first Della and I expertly* spray painted a white square atop the car. Then I meticulously divided the grid using a sharpie (and electrical tape for the outer border). The grid is 15x15, so standard daily size. Next, I bought some scrap magnetic material (from the nice folks at Chazzzam Signs & Graphics in Bellingham), like the stuff from those decal signs on the sides of construction trucks, and cut it into squares then painted them black. I used magnetic material for the black squares so that the grid arrangement can be changed to facilitate different puzzles. With the remaining magnetic material, I made the numbers. The idea is that random passersby can collaboratively solve the puzzle using those little fridge alphabet magnets. I will post the clues on the window and provide a little step stool to reach the middle of the grid. I foresee it mostly being unveiled at festivals and other semi-controlled parking areas, but maybe airport parking lots, park & rides, and even right out on the street will prove feasible. I wrote a custom car-themed puzzle to debut the project. The puzzle turned out pretty good, with only one answer I don't care much for. You can download the puzzle here (or .puz format here). Or you can stalk my car and do it in the wild! And no good, fun, silly project is complete without a few glamour shots. |
Thursday September 25 2014 | File under: games, transport |
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Circus, in this day and age, can be any one of many things: artsy skin-tight costumed acrobats of cirque du soleil to traditional elephants and lion tamers to prop based gadgetry to a bunch of hippies putting on a show at their converted rock quarry. But the thing they all have in common, in my mind, is fun. So when a circus comes through town, no matter what the type, I try not to miss it.
Well, Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey was passing through town on it's biannual tour of the country, so I just couldn't pass it up. While the animal laden 3-ring variety of circus isn't my favorite, it's still something I'm not wont to skip. And for good reason. While the animal bits were a bit hard to watch (except the tiny dogs atop tiny ponies) and the verve of the hosts and clowns were a bit lack-luster, the skills displayed by the highlighted acts were top notch and the overall feel of the show was fun fun fun! What made the show even more fun was remembering back to the last time* I went, when we* got to go behind the scenes because I knew a guy. And while the comparison of the last experience to this one shows either that the greatest show on earth is getting a little less great or I'm getting a little more circus snobby (probably due to my constant exposure), having that previous frame of reference was just plain neat. Yes, I love a circus. If I had my way, I'd be like a deadhead, but for following circuses. Imagine: touring the world seeing the best troupes and acts there were, getting to know the names, the sets, and the details. Yes, if I ever win the lottery, that's what I'll do: I'll become a circus-head. (It should be noted that part of my disappointment with this itteration of RB + B&B was the lack of juggling. No circus should be without a juggler. So RB, if you're reading this, give me a call.) |
Friday September 19 2014 | File under: circus, juggling |
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