#some people on this site need to take a long walk off a short pier

[little-bloodied-angel]

As someone who's permanently physically disabled as a result of an abusive relationship some of y'all's takes on Izzy are fucking UNHINGED. Like "I hope you never go near an abuse survivor, EVER, in your life" levels of revolting. I shouldn't be struggling for breath with a panic attack after trying to scroll through a blog for pictures but here we are.

Nobody, nobody, can ever deserve being physically mutilated by someone they trusted. Nope, not the assholes either. And nobody can do that to someone else and claim it was their fault for being an asshole. And nobody can traumatize MULTIPLE PEOPLE and point to that other person as the source of the problem. What the FUCK are you talking about.

(ok to rb but if you start arguing that "well, actually" I'll block you)

#me #personal #izzy hands #abuse tw #israel hands #israel basilica hands #negative #swearing #edward teach critical #some people on this site need to take a long walk off a short pier #actually disabled #actual survivor #not me getting VIOLENT flashbacks to my ex threatening or outright hurting other people if i didn't comply #the guilt i still carry from that is devastating #fuck off #mutilation

[henryobsessed]

I Took You Home - A Rocking Chair

Summary: Reba gets to meet her son

Word Count: 1700

A/N is at the end of the chapter

Warning: None 

Previous Chapter 17

Chapter 18

The next two days were a blur for Reba, she slept a lot, and it was a potluck when she awoke who would be next to her. Today she awoke feeling better, the pain medications were not making her feel so sleepy. She had awoken to Henry sitting by her side, he had a hold of her hand, but his attention was on his phone. The tiny cries of a football game could be heard coming from the phone's speakers which must have been set to low to allow her to sleep. His face broke into a huge smile and she could see him trying not to jump out of his seat, his body holding the adrenalin in. She could feel the tangible excitement radiating through his hand as she heard the tiny voice say "touch down for the chiefs"  

She chuckled lightly at him causing his attention to leave the phone and move to her. "Good morning" he leant over and kissed her gently on the forehead. Settling back in his chair he asked "how are you feeling? Can I get anything for you?" Reba thought for a moment before requesting her greatest desire "Can you organise for me to see our son, I need to see him" a softness crossed Henry's face and a small smile lifted as he said "Ok, I'll go talk to the nurses" with that he stood and left the room. Reba was grateful he didn't question her or ask if she was really ok to move. No matter what she wanted to see her baby today.

Henry returned with a nurse, a young man who seemed to be conversing comfortably with him. "Well good morning, my names Adam. I believe you would like to take a trip?" his big smile and a warm voice filled the room. While chatting away with Henry about the American football game he checked her observations and got her some medication. Smiling broadly at her he said, "I'm going to get a chair for you, by the time I get back the medications will have taken effect and it will make the ride more enjoyable." She smiled back at Adam matching his enthusiasm "thank you"

Together with one in a wheelchair the other walking beside they entered the room. For Henry this room was now very familiar, he had spent every spare moment he was not with Reba with his son. For Reba, this was her first time and it was quite overwhelming. As Henry pushed her closer to the clear box that held their tiny infant her heart rate increased, tears started to swim in her eyes as Henry stopped the chair and placed his arm around her. "Sweetheart, this is our son" His tiny little body rose and fell in time with the breaths that left his little milky pink mouth. His little feet kicked out as he stretched and yawned. Reba wanted to sob, wanted to break the box open and grab her little man and hold him close. Yet at the same time, she knew he needed to stay there to be protected for just a little while longer to keep him safe.

A nurse came over and opened the box allowing her to reach in and touch her boy. His skin was silky soft and warm, she ran her hand over his little body checking his toes and fingers. Through her soft tears she said, "Hello little one, mummies missed you" As if registering her voice his lids opened and looked at her with the bluest pearlescent eyes. Henry's hand rubbed her back as if to comfort her as they took in the sight of their son. Clearing his throat, he asked, "So what shall we call this little one, did you have an Idea, Reba?" Her son held her gaze as if asking his own silent question. "I was thinking of my father's name, and now that I have seen him, I think it fits well. What do you think about Angus?" she waited for a response from Henry never leaving her little one's face "Mmmmm, Angus, little Gus. I like that, Angus Collin Cavill is that ok Reba?" swearing Angus heard them his mouth turned up in a smile then burped. Laughing she shifted her gaze up to Henry's smiling face "I think he likes it"

They stayed with little Gus for as long as they were allowed then Henry walked her back to her room. She was tired after her first excursion to see her son and ended up falling asleep almost as soon as Henry helped her back into her bed.

     That evening after resting Reba was sitting up watching the news, Sandy was with her and she had just assumed that Henry was with Gus. Hearing the loud chatter of people, she wondered who on the ward was receiving so many guests. It wasn't until the noise got louder that she saw Henry followed by an older Man and Women plus 4 strapping tall men who looked older than Henry bar one. Henry had an apologetic smile on his face as he bent down to kiss her forehead and whispered " I'm sorry I held them off visiting for as long as I could" Heat radiated up her cheeks as she restrained herself from slapping Henry for not warning her. Her hair was a mess and she was thankful she had just finished expressing the evening's milk.

They all stood looking slightly awkward until Reba decided Henry needed a nudge "So are you going to introduce me? Or do I need to guess who these charming people are?" swallowing then chuckling Henry set about the introductions "Well, Reba this is Maryanne, my mother, Colin my father, and my four brothers Piers, Niki, Simon and my youngest brother Charlie. Everyone this is Sandy Reba's closest relative and ........" Turning to Reba with soft eyes and a cheeky smile "this is Reba, the mother of my child and soon to be my wife"

Nervously she looked at Maryanne and Colin not sure what response Henry's declaration would bring. What she got was more than she could have imagined. Colin and Maryanne's eyes sparkled, and a huge smile broke out on their faces. The boys all smiled big smiles and just nodded their heads. If anyone had walked into the room right now, they would have laughed seeing all these goofy smiles surrounding Reba. Her biggest wish now was that she would be able to introduce Gus to his family for she had an inkling that he would be smothered in love.

Two days later Reba was discharged, her wound was healing well and they needed the bed. Grateful to Henry's family they had organised another hotel room so that Henry and Reba could be close to Gus. He had been doing well but they wanted him to gain a few more grams before he could come home with them. Arriving at the hotel Reba was sore and tired, the effort it had taken to make the short journey made her wonder how smart it was of the hospital to send her home. They walked slowing to the ground floor room. Once inside she laid carefully on the bed grateful this hotel had spent a bit extra for nice mattresses. Just as her eyes started to close, she felt the bed move and warm body cuddled up behind her. Snuggling back, into his embrace she fell asleep with a smile on her lips.

-------------------------------------

Henry awoke to the feel of Reba tucked into his arms, he had slept lightly, well aware of every movement Reba made. He wasn't sure if she was ok with him sharing a bed yet, but she had relaxed in his arms and he took that as a sign it was ok. He slowly got up and looked at the time, 4 pm just enough time to go up and see how Gus was going. He kissed Reba on the top of her hair and left a note next to her bed. Henry had felt familiar love with his Nieces and Nephews, he would do anything for them. What he felt for Angus was so different there was a constant pull to be near him, to make sure he was safe.

Arriving at the NICU, he took his normal place. The big plastic box was gone and now his son lay with a heat lamp above allowing more access. As he sat a nurse came over, she smiled at his son and said "Its almost his feeding time, he has reached a weight we are happy for him to have skin time would you like to do the honours?" an overwhelming sense of panic hit him at the request. His son was so fragile would he hurt him by holding him? Seeing Henry's reaction before he had a chance to answer the nurse said with a comforting voice "You don't need to worry you won't hurt him. We will be there the whole time and help you out"

https://realbabymilk.org/skin-to-skin/ Image from this site not my own image

He breathed a sigh of relief and nodded his agreement not trusting his voice. They walked him over to a rocking chair that was big enough to hold his frame, next they asked him to open his shirt so Angus can have some skin on skin time with him whilst feeding. Finally, they bought Angus over they laid him in his large arms, looking so tiny he made sure he was laying back, so Gus rested against his chest. He watched as they handed him the bottle, he stroked his cheek as he had done with his nephews causing Gus to start a sucking motion as Henry gave him the bottle. So many emotions ran through Henry's heart and mind, every goal he had ever reached, the highest heights of his career could not compare with what he was feeling right now with his precious son in his arm.  

Unbeknownst to Henry, Sandy had come to see Angus. The view she saw she committed to memory to share with Reba. The big man, relaxed shirt open, with his tiny son tucked safely in his arms. Still the greatest image was the look of love on Henry's face as he gazed at Angus with unabashed tears silently running down his cheeks.

Next Chapter 19

A/N This one took longer than I wanted I hope the next few will flow a bit easier. The image of Henry's large chest being a pillow for his little son had me crying. My husband and I are attempting our last round of IVF at the end of this year I could picture us in this situation. (we have been unsuccessful so far)

nice side note - I was a 4 pound 5-ounce baby in a humid crib my dad would come in and sing to me every day - he worked at the hospital as an orderly. I almost made Henry sing and I know he can from Hellraiser but he makes such a deal about not singing in his interviews that I decided to keep to his ethic.

As always your comments are such an encouragement. :) 

I have Tagged people who follow me and who I follow if you want to be removed or added please let me know :)

@keanureevesisbae @darkverrmin @viking-raider @littlefreya​ @madbaddic7ed @the-soot-sprite @thelastsock@lovetusilver20@crimsonrae @demivampirew@ladyreapermc@henrycavillobsessed @nitannichionne@runawayolives @heartfelt-pen @omgkatinka @star017 @llly113 @sad-ghost-of-garbage @ayamenimthiriel @starstruckkittyangel@lebguardians @summersong69 @notyouraveragemochii @imneonpanda @carriebee1 @ivyfatale @thereisa8ella @lucy930@sarahmichelle5 @stuckupstucky @cleodoramer @kmuir1@elliepower @xobriellaxo24 @xxxkatxo @supernovacocorocha@hennerslionhat @xo-mery-ox @waitedforlove743 @ladamari68@coksy @wickedrum @harleyfranquinn @mysticalstrangerearthquake @justrae9903 @willkatfanfromasia@daddys-littlewhitegirl @cavilladdict @lebguardians@theblondetumbleweed @snowbellexx​ @radaofrivia@geralttheewitcher @acdd22 @thullyana​ @fanfictionaddiction99​ @beckythfc1882 @heyheyharry​ @sauve-et-libre @shy-violet-soul @elliepower @msamericanrebel​ @minion-of-the-lord @xxxkatxo​ @oh-for-fic-sake​ @omgkatinka​ @pterodactylterrace​ @ruthoakenshield​ @inanna999​ @libbymouse​ @witcherfan​ @enchantedbyhiddles @pixie1484 @ygritteherz​ @sausagefest1996​ @zeppelinandmarleymoo​ @ruthoakenshield​ @thereisa8ella​ @lunedelorient​ @bloodyinspiredfuck​ @lebguardians​ @wednesdaybraids​ @ivyfatale​ @absolutepie @princessrainbowmeow​ @liareese97​ @cavillstanevans​ @magdelen69 @peakygroupie @wonderfulfluffer @luna-aestas​ @oddasahatter @lunedelorient​

#i took you home #henry cavill #henry cavill x ofc #henry cavill fanfic

[guksauce]

✨Paradise✨

Description: Ryung Nam-joon finds herself caught in a dream she never thought she’d have after receiving an invitation from her older brother Kim Nam-joon, to join him and the 6 other members of the worldwide famous K-Pop group BTS, on the road to start a new chapter in her life.

Word Count- 3,727K

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Chapter 2 •Here We Go•

When I woke the next morning, the overwhelming smell of freshly brewed coffee seeped in through the crack at the bottom of my room door and right under my nose. Warm, enticing, and begging me to leave the comfort of my bed.

“Good Morning Sis.” Namjoon. I smiled hearing my brothers voice and groaned in response after joining him at the counter, pulling the rope to my robe tight around my torso. He set a piping hot mug of coffee in front of me and handed me the cream.

“I know, I know. Come on, drink up sunshine, we got some beaching to do.” He ruffled my hair after my lack of response from being sleepy and walked to the door, calling the others. Instructing them to come to my room for breakfast, I shivered and hugged the coffee closer to my body, inhaling deeply the honey scent lifting in billows of steam. Trying my best to come to life.

“Morning Ryung-ssi.” Jimin, as perky and bright as always, pushed through the door and came straight to me and began to rub his hands up and down my arms. I thanked him for shaking away some of my sleepiness before taking a seat next to me. Namjoon made quick work behind the counter, busy cracking open eggs and whisking them in a bowl when Jin walked in and helped him prep the bacon after greeting the rest of us with heavy sleep still in his eyes. Third was Jungkook who, shuffling through the door rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, plopped onto the chair next to me and rested his head on the counter in protest of being awake.

“Jungkook-ah. How do you want your eggs?” Namjoon asked and Jungkook closed his eyes, his face turning to me as he answered.

“Omelet. Please.” His voice was deep and thick with remnants of his uncleared throat, gravely and low and oh so-...! His eyes flashed open to me then and I realized I’d been staring like an idiot at his face since the moment he’d sat next to me. “Morning Princess.” He spoke quietly under the small conversation the others were engaging in as the last 2 members joined us. Every blink felt like it was all in slow motion while listening to him call me the pet name he’d given me in his rough voice. His hair fell over his sleepy eyes and his lips were just visible over his arm, a kind smile on his face.

“What about you Ry. How do you want your eggs?” Joonie asked, grabbing another plate from the cabinet, his silver hair shifting to one side as he reached high.

“Um…” I started and tore my gaze away from Jungkook and instead raised the mug to my lips to calm the butterflies in my stomach, sipping down the liquid relaxation before answering.

“Ill have one over medium please. Thank you Joonie.”

“You got it kid.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day was only just beginning but the sun was already high in the sky and baking us as we gathered our things from the backs of our cars. My hands and arms and anything else that could hold something were becoming fuller by the second; floats, sunscreen, towels, chairs, beach balls, you name it, I brought it all to ensure that we all would have fun while we were here.

“Do you need help, Princess?” I heard Jungkook ask from in the distance. I looked up and snickered to myself watching him hold his hand up as a visor over his eyes and scrunch his face up adorably, and noticed the others had already gone without us as I dropped one of the many items trapped in my grasp. He laughed shaking his head and ran to me.

“Yes please.” I surrendered some of the items to him and he happily took them, carrying everything he had as well with ease. Together we trailed behind the others, our feet kicking up the baked sand under our toes.

“I love the beach.” Jungkook expressed with an ever-growing smile on his face as he stared out to the horizon, tiny frothy white swells washed up onto the shore under the clear sky and became crystal sheets when it retreated to the deep blue. I watched his face as we finally stopped and laid all our accessories on the ground. The sun kissed his skin, his eyes closed, and his long lashes brushed his cheeks while he grinned as though nothing else in this world made him happier. I was envious of the way he saw things sometimes. A special kind of admiration I would never quite understand. I had a moment of thinking that I wished he would look at me like that.

“Ryung.” Namjoon called from his spot 3 chairs down and I spun to look at him. I knew I was blushing and I hoped he would mistake it for sunburn, but I looked up at him anyway and raised my eyebrows in question, too embarrassed to say anything.

“Have some water.” He demanded and glanced at Jungkook who also had looked to my brother when he’d called my name.

“What?” He asked Namjoon. My brothers shoulders were rigid and his eyes bore into Jungkook’s before flicking back to me.

“Uh…nothing.” He smiled and brought me the water bottle in his hands.

After setting up my towel and chairs, making a little area for myself to lay out on, I glanced at the men around me.

“Aiishh…” I was suddenly and awkwardly aware that undressing in front of them was something I hadn’t fully thought out. I cursed myself under my breath, remembering how revealing my swimwear was. It was a green and black striped bikini I had bought last summer for when hot days like this required a dip in the pool.

I took one more glance around at the guys as they all already started stripping from their street clothes, revealing different shades and patterns of swim trunks and muscular chests. A light breeze ruffled Jungkook’s hair as I turned to look at him and watched him pull his shirt off. The rare site of his abs made me shiver, causing me to look away before he could notice my stare and shimmy out of my shorts. Reaching up to let my hair down, I noticed a pair of side glancing eyes looking my way as Taehyung ran his hand through his own, the platinum strands catching the sunlight in all the right ways. I shook out my waist long waves and smiled to myself as I bent down to pick up my beach skirt from my bag. When I stood back up to wrap it around my hips, Jungkook’s eyes were also on me and his hand rubbed the back of his head innocently as he tried to hide that he was staring. He looked away after his eyes trailed from my legs to my face, only to catch Tae looking at me as well.

“V!” He called and Tae jumped, walking over to him. They traded words that I couldn’t quite make out from this far away.

“Here, Ill get your back.” Joonie offered and I turned my back to him as he squeezed some sunscreen onto my shoulders. Jimin was in front of me then, his hair billowing in the breeze when he swiped a little of the sunscreen from Namjoon and put some on the apples of my cheeks, rubbing it in with his thumbs.

“Thank you.” I said and poked his belly. He giggled adorably, as expected, and spun away from me toward the water with his arms out.

“We don’t want you to burn your pretty face so, you’re welcome.” He called with his whimsical voice and smiled up at the sky.

“Let’s go snorkeling.”

High noon was good to us today. The sun was shining and warm, the sky was an incredible blue, and the water felt amazing. Though I was beginning to worry my skin would be burnt if I stayed in the water any longer, the fun I was having with the guys made it worth the risk. Some of them were competitively tossing a ball to each other while Jimin, Yoongi, and myself picked up seashells off the ocean floor and showed our findings to each other to admire.

“There’s a shop at the end of the pier that takes people snorkeling. We should do it.” Jin followed up. It sounded more like a demand, but his face showed no signs of seriousness as he crossed his eyes at me and stuck out his tongue. I shook my head and laughed but nodded at him.

“I think that’s an awesome idea.” I said and looked to the others to see what they thought.

“Then let’s go.” Jungkook said, looking back at me. I looked away immediately and glanced at Joonie. Thankfully his attention was on Hobi, their arms were thrown over each other’s shoulders, flaunting their bromance.

“Did I do something wrong?” Jungkook asked warily as he swam up next to me. His eyes were soft and sad. I shook my head no.

“No. No, of course not. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Liar. What’s wrong with you.

“Ok.” Was all he said, his smile not reaching his eyes as he nodded and swam ahead of me to catch up with the others.

The walk to their pier was long and awkward for me. Joonie’s expression was different when he looked at me again and I wished I could read his mind just to see how he was feeling. I was a little bit scared, to tell you the truth. It wasn’t that I was afraid of my brother, rather afraid to disappoint him. And this look…I couldn’t tell if it was disappointment or not. But I’ve only looked at him. Why would Joonie be disappointed that you’re looking at him? Relax. Not only that, but Jungkook seemed particularly awkward as well as we all pulled the fins onto our feet.

I linked arms with Jungkook and Joonie, hoping to get rid of some of the tension and smiled to all of them before we jumped into the water.

“Be careful guys. Ready!? Jump!”

The bubbles settled and the pier disappeared behind us along with the sound of everyday life. There was a whole other world down here and I felt my eyes grow brighter the more we saw. Hobi held my hand on the way down and a tiny school of fish swam around our body’s as we got closer to the reef below us. It was alive and busy, fish of different shapes and sizes wove in and out of undulating plant life, and the starfish were vibrant pinks and oranges glowing against the blue of the water.

Out of the corner of my eye I spotted some crabs, bobbing their bodys inside huge shells and I swam to them, admiring one shell in particular. It was white with fiery red spikes spiraling down the sides and came to a sharp point at the end. Jungkook was there then, his hand around my wrist as he admired the same shell before looking to me, raising his eyebrows and pointing at the shell and then back at me.

My eyes widened and I nodded, understanding what he was asking, and watched him swim to the shell and grab it, checking the inside to make sure there wasn’t a crab in it and swam it back to me. He took a moment to look it over and then held it out to me. I locked my eyes with his and tried to express how much I loved it by holding it up to my face and hugging it. Bubbles floated from his mouthpiece as he laughed at me and I too laughed, letting some bubbles escape before hugging him to me. When we pulled away from each other, my hair got caught in his goggles and he laughed again. I blushed, embarrassed by my ability to get myself in small messes like this all the time and held his shoulder while he untangled me. He jerked his head in the direction of the others and I nodded to let him know I was ready. Pinching my chin softly, he offered me his hand and I hesitated before taking it and looked around for Joonie. I gave in and he pulled me along with him.

The 8 of us explored for a bit longer, the underwater paradise seeming to have raised everyone’s spirits. The colors we saw were exquisite and the fish we saw some of us had never heard of before. When we got back to the surface, everyone immediately started talking about everything they had seen and collected. Jin was in awe of the Sand Dollar he’d found laying in between some coral, waving it in front of Joonie and Yoongi’s face as they laughed. Jimin was carrying handfuls of tiny seashells he’d collected and Jungkook ended up finding a dead starfish, turning it over in his hands next to me. I, however, could not look away from the massive shell in my hand, its red spikes glistening in the sunlight as I looked it over. Beside me, Jungkook walked close, his arm brushing against mine every couple of steps. I tried not to freak out and kept my focus on the shell, pretending that every time his skin touched mine it didn’t send sparks through my body.

“Thank you again for getting this for me. It’s so beautiful.” I didn’t look up at him, afraid he’d move away if I did.

“No problem Princess.” He said and I smiled as someone ran into my shoulder walking the other way, their voice obnoxious as they spoke too loud over the small crowd that walked around the pier.

“Where shou- OWE.” I stumbled into Jungkook and gasped as the shell fell from my hands and crashed onto the floor and broke into 5 big pieces. “Awwww my shell!” I whined and bent to pick up the pieces and Jungkook kneeled to help me.

“What an asshole…” He started and then yelled to the guy. “HEY, WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING!” I grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.

“Ah, what the hell man.” Yoongi said to the guy as well.

“No, don’t. It was my fault. I wasn’t looking either.” I said, my eyes starting to water as I stood, cradling the pieces in my hands.

“Hey, its alright. Ill fix it for you. Don’t cry Ryung-ssi.” He cooed, wiping away the straggler tear that fell over my cheek. “Here. Put it in my bag. Ill fix it I promise.” He said, stuffing the pieces of my shell between his clothes so it wouldn’t break any more than it already had, throwing the backpack back over his shoulder. “Hmm? Ok?” His finger lifted my chin to look up at him and wiped my cheek with his thumb to get the last tear as he grinned and I nodded, smiling. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Namjoon with his arms folded over his chest, watching our interaction. I cleared my throat and stepped away immediately, bowing slightly before thanking Jungkook again and walking forward, passing the others. I stole a peek in his direction once id got to the front of the group and frowned seeing the hurt expression on his face. I almost walked back to him to hug him because I couldn’t bear being the reason for his pain, but Joonie walked next to him with his arms still crossed over his chest.

Me: Can we go for a walk?

Dinner came quickly after our day at the beach. We currently all sat around a bar at the end of one of the piers sipping mixed drinks and beers, snacking on seasoned fries from the board walk. While the others laughed and drank too fast, I couldn’t help but think about Jungkook. Even though he sat just 3 chairs down from me, he felt too far.

Kookie: Sure, 😊 to the beach?

I smiled down at my phone reading his text. He was too good to me for the way I had treated him today. I didn’t deserve it.

Me: That sounds wonderful 😊

I left the table first and started down the walkway, looking over the edge into the clear water. He didn’t say anything when he joined me, holding his arm out for me to hold. I smiled and took it happily.

“You’re such a gentleman.” The compliment made him look down and chuckle as we stepped onto the sand and walked down to the shore. The water was warm and quiet as it gently rose and fell, washing over our feet. “I’m sorry for breaking the shell you got for me.” I said once we had walked for a bit.

“Don’t be sorry for that. I promised you id fix it. Its not broken that bad.” His reassurance was golden, making me lean against him as part of my tension melted away.

“And I’m sorry for…walking away earlier.” He stayed quiet and I began to worry.

“I’m sorry.” He said finally, his eyes never parting with the horizon before him.

“What? For what?” I asked, watching his face as a couple different emotions rolled over it, deciding what to say.

“The only explanation I could think of for you shying away from me for the second time is because I’m crossing a line. I’m sorry for whatever line I am crossing. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I think it’s because I’ve spent so much time with the guys, I just get comfortable around people really quickly now and-.” He was rambling and it was cute, but I had to tell him why before he assumed, he wasn’t being a total gentleman.

“Stop. Stop explaining.” I demanded, stopping in front of him, shaking my head. “You are an absolute gem. Don’t ever think anything less of yourself. Especially not on my behalf. It isn’t you. You’re perfect. It’s…my brother.”

“Namjoon? What about him?” He asked.

“He’s…I don’t know. Every time you and I so much as even look at each other, he’s giving us or me this look. Like he’s unsure of what to think about you and I talking to each other.” I said trying to keep it as general and unromantic as possible.

“Hmm. I guess I haven’t noticed…But you can’t blame the man for being protective of his little sister.” He smiled placed his hand on my elbow, pulling me back next to him so we could start walking again as I hooked my arm back with his.

“You aren’t wrong. But I’m not little anymore. I don’t need him to make decisions for me. I don’t know how to separate being his little sister and being my own person without hurting his feelings. I don’t want him to be upset.” The clouds in the distance were wispy and moving quickly over the water, the breeze growing cooler by the minute.

“I think you just said exactly what you need to say to him.” My eyes found his, already pulling at the corners from the smile on his face and I let my gaze drop down to his lips before smiling back.

“Can I ask you something?” After several minutes of just enjoying the last little bit of the setting sun, I dug back to the memory of us meeting. The uninterest it seemed he first held still crossed my mind from time to time.

“Shoot.”

“Was something wrong when we first met?” Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jungkook’s head turn to look at me before looking down at the ground.

“Ah, you noticed.” He said softly and chuckled. “The guys had been giving me a hard time about getting some of the choreography wrong. I’m not bragging but I usually am not someone who gets things wrong.” He paused, rolling his next words around in his mouth before letting them out. “I’ve been feeling a little self-conscious around them lately. I could be doing a lot better and I’m not sure what’s wrong with me. Its very frustrating.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes this time, much like they hadn’t when we first met.

“Oh. Well I think you do a really great job. I mean you must, or you wouldn’t be as admired as you are. There’s nothing wrong with putting in a little bit of extra work to make things come together. And the guys seem more than willing to help you practice. You’ve got them to lean on, so trust in them that they’ll do what they can.” I said, using my other hand to rub up and down his arm to comfort him, trying my hardest to ignore the way my hand followed the curve of his muscles. His hand caught mine as it ran to his wrist and I looked up at him. His eyes were glued to the view ahead of him.

“Thank you, Princess.” I could feel the brush of his thumb over the back of my hand like fire. “That’s exactly what I needed to hear.”

Now the moon was reflecting onto the water, silver gleaming waves crashing higher and higher up the beach. It had been a busy day and still I wasn’t tired, but I never wanted to sleep again. I could walk with Jungkook forever and never get tired of it. We talked about things I never even knew we had in common; Drawing, traveling, etc. All tiny and general things but we agreed that we would explore them all together as soon as free time became available. Now my mind was swirling with ideas of all the places we could go, the things we could see.

I felt so impatient in this life with these guys now, but more importantly, I felt newly inspired. I felt daring and adventurous. I needed to let myself live and that would start with a heart to heart talk with my big brother.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, giving in to the fire burning on my hand from his touch and gripped Jungkook’s hand tighter. All in Ryung. Here we go.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello lovelies! ❤️ I’m sorry it took me so long to get the next part out but I’ve been struggling to write this one. Honestly, I’m unhappy with this chapter as a whole but I do hope you all will enjoy it!

I hope you’re all having a wonderful day and night whenever in this world🌎🌍🌏 you are. Know that you are loved and keep smiling. Fighting!

#btsarmy #bts fanfic #bts jungkook #kookie #bangtan #fanfiction #fanfic #jungkook #jungkookie

[myneighborhood-thelake]

Monterey Bay Challenge Triathlon and the Ride Home 1998

I have divided this report into two sections:

Phase one is the triathlon race report. Phase two is the bike ride I did after the race.

PHASE ONE:

Monterey Bay Challenge Triathlon Swim: 1/2 mile 12:07 Bike: 16 miles 45:55 Run: 4 miles 27:10

Overall: 1:30:40

Average HR (est.)   177

I think that the course was a little short, but it was a lot of FUN!!!

Rating:  Excellent

After two dismal tri's this year (major blowout at Wildflower and DNF at San Jose), I wanted to do something fun.  In a nutshell - the Monterey Bay Challenge Tri was a blast.  I have not dedicated much time to sprint courses with IMC looming over the horizon, so I looked at this race as a fun hour and a half.  If you choose to read any further please remember that I like smalltown races that are a little disorganized - it reminds me of racing 10 years ago when races where low-key affairs.

I knew nothing about this race, so my goal was to follow the person in front of me and hope for a well marked course.

The wife and I spent the night about 5 miles from the race site.  We had a great dinner at a cafe on the beach and a good nights sleep listening to the surf.  On waking up I knew it was going to be a foggy swim.

CHECK-IN This race actually had race day registration - which was really good for me.  I paid me entry fee and looked around for the TA.  After a few minutes I just followed the people walking to a parking garage - Yup, there's the TA.

THE SWIM The fog was pretty thick, so I could not see the first buoy.  The waves were at 1-2 feet so they were not big enough to be called surf.  I was really stoked to be swimming in the ocean again.  "I can't see where I am going and there is a small swell - this is awesome!"  The swim reminded me of the daily training swims that I used to do around the pier in Ventura. I hit the beach in 12:07.  The run to the TA is up a concrete walkway - my HR was at 187....

THE BIKE I chose my regular glasses because the fog was still pretty thick.  Of course my glasses fogged up within minutes so I took them off and rode with my astigmatism.  The bike course was great.  There were plenty of sweeping downhills to really get the speed up, and there were several uphills to add some challenge.  I caught a few people and I was passed by a few people. A couple of guys drafted off me.  One of my Master's teammates passed me, but before he passed me he was kind enough to grab one of my wheel suckers by the saddle and yank them backwards.  For the last few miles I played 'cat and mouse' with some guy.  I really wanted to drop him, but we were pretty evenly matched.  I beat him to the TA by about 2 seconds.  My HR averaged about 179 for the bike.

THE RUN I hit my lap button as soon as I started running, but the timing for the race was about 200 yds from the TA.  The course was well marked.  I was passed by a few people, but I also picked off several people.  It felt really good to run hard and pass a few people.  I pushed pretty hard for the last 2.5 miles in hopes on catching one more person, but I did not catch him.  It was a good run.

I was very satisfied with my race.  The post race food was excellent, and the RD had a couple of kids walking around asking the racer's for their input about the race.  I have filled out race questionnaires in the past, but this made me feel like someone actually cares about the answers. Someone actually had the job of obtaining feedback - I like it!

This was a great race. It was short enough to fit in to any schedule, and it was challenging enough to make it worthwhile.  If you get a chance next year, put this one on your schedule.

PHASE TWO:

After the race I ate, drank AllSport and changed into my cycling clothes. I did not know how to get to Santa Cruz from Aptos, so I asked a fireman who had been on medical support for the race.  He gave me great directions and said that there would probably be headwinds on Highway One.  He was incredibly WRONG!!  I have fought headwinds before, but what I was about to encounter were beyond headwinds - they were Super-Mega-Headwinds.

My wife drove home and I commenced to cycling.  My legs were a little tired from the race, but I expected to feel a little sore.  The 13 miles to Santa Cruz were casual.  I relaxed and did some spinning to loosen up my legs. Once in Santa Cruz I stopped by the beach and Steamer's to enjoy the sunshine and fuel up.  Then I hit Highway 1........  The first 10 miles of 1 were ok, not too much wind and some good rolling hills.  I was not planning on setting any land speed records - I just wanted to get in a good long ride.  Except for the crosswind sections I was really glad that I had chosen to keep my race wheels on my bike for the ride home.

Then the headwinds came.  The way the terrain of the coast and the highway are laid out, the headwinds just appeared - full aero position at 15 mph. The road rolls and dips and curves, but the winds a pretty constant.

I stopped in some town that starts with a "B" to buy some fluids.  I needed some Chapstick, but I chose not to pay the $3.99 per tube asking price (OUCH!).  I rested for a few minutes and loaded up my water bottles then I hit the road again.  I was starting to feel fatigued.  I was eating (Gu's and Powerbars), taking salt tabs and drinking lots of fluids, but it was getting to be a long day.  I knew that I had to get to Pescadero Road before I could turn away from the winds and head up over the mountain, but I was not sure how far it was to Pescadero Road.

To give you an idea of the headwinds (actually crosswinds and headwinds). There is a picturesque little spot where the highway dips down almost to sea level in between two small rises.  At the bottom there is a really nice looking beach.  Unfortunately, the beach is made of sand which can be picked up by the wind and is quite painful.  I was sandblasted in the valley and I barely made it up the 2% grade on the other side.  The wind was pushing me back so hard that I felt like I was on a mountain bike trail.

I finally reached Pescadero Road and rode two miles to the town of Pescadero.  I had been on the bike for about 4 hours after the race and I was beat.  I called my wife for a rescue.  For the locals on the list, they know that Pescadero is a very curvy and narrow road.  I knew that it be at least an hour for my wife to arrive, so we agreed that I would keep riding up the road and we would meet.  I made it 8 more miles before I had to stop.

My odometer read 58.9 miles, but I am going to call it 60!!!  I averaged 13.6 mph which sounds really slow, and to tell the truth "IT WAS SLOW!!!" It was brutal, but I definitely got my long ride in.  If you ever want to ride on PCH, do it from North to South.  The ride from South to North is really hard.

It is now Monday, and I feel pretty good.  My legs are a little sore, but I am not completely beat.  I am really glad that I chose to call my wife. Looking back, it was a really great day.

[chthonicbeekeeper]

The Book of Joseph. Chapter 9

“Let us thank the Father who was

chosen by the Voice, the brother who

protects us from evil, and the brother

who listens to our heart.”

Sermon from the Project at Eden's Gate.

Two Seed’s had been reunited. There was still one more, but at least I now had a man at my side whom no one could refuse anything. John Seed may have become himself again, but we still needed John Duncan, the man who opened doors. The government was as helpful to John as it had been unyielding to me. Everything from personal data to confidential files became accessible.

This made it fairly simple to retrace Jacob’s steps.

We knew that when we were separated, when Jacob had deliberately set fire to the farm, he had been sent to a juvenile detention centre. Thanks to a senior official with a weakness for prostitutes, John quickly had the full report in his hands.

Jacob had been a bit of a troublemaker in juvie.

Rebellious and hostile to any figure of authority, he clashed with the correctional system. Despite this, some reports praised his sense of honour and his leadership skills. It seemed that the guards hated him, but his teachers believed in him.

Regardless, once he served out his sentence, he had the same prospects as the other juvenile delinquents: the army or a life of crime.

Jacob enlisted in the Marines.

In his military file — given to John willingly by a high-ranking officer who had gotten mixed up in some shady arms dealing — was a photo of our brother.

He had grown into a broad-shouldered man. His eyes still burned with a wild light, just as they had when we were children, still had that same flicker of insolence that seemed to tell our father he could beat Jacob as much as he wished, but could never change him.

He wasn’t as handsome as John, but his features were smooth and balanced — the type of man you would follow to war without hesitation, the type of man you would put in a military recruitment poster.

But in the military, Jacob had done more than just march in parades. He had been on the front lines and done several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He had been wounded and decorated multiple times.

As soon as he was back on his feet he would return to combat. This lasted until a medical report warned Jacob’s superiors that he was a broken man.

He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, the syndrome of those who have seen too much. The illness that is kept quiet. Later, Jacob would tell us of what he had experienced over there, everything that the reports kept hidden.

He himself had driven one of the bulldozers that buried enemy soldiers alive in their sandy foxholes. He saw the hands sticking up above the sand, still waving. He said they reminded him of a father who, during summers at the beach, lets his children cover him in sand with their buckets and shovels. The hands seemed to say, “Stop, that’s enough, it’s time to go home. Now, get this sand off of me!” But Jacob didn’t obey. He didn’t bulldoze the sand away. Eventually, after a final tremor, the hands became still. It wasn’t his father under there, but he wouldn’t have dug him up even if it had been.

He had hundreds of memories like that one. They could surge up at any moment, tormenting him day and night. He cried out in his sleep.

He had seen many comrades die, most of them young men barely out of childhood, who only realized it wasn’t a game as they bled out in Jacob’s arms. He himself had nearly died multiple times in merciless hand-to-hand combat. His face had been slashed by knives, his body shot with bullets, and there was still shrapnel buried in his scarred flesh.

He had killed soldiers; men like him who had brothers who wished to seek revenge in a never-ending cycle of violence.

But this macabre dance will one day end for a lack of fighters. All will die, while only a few righteous survive.

Jacob had killed innocent people too. He had taken and lost palaces. He had pillaged and he had shared his food with orphans. He had been a monster and occasionally a human being in the service of the greed that guided those from whom he took his orders.

He knew instinctively that he was liberating nobody and nothing. He was merely accelerating a change in ownership, nothing more than a process server hastening an eviction, using bullets and grenades instead of rubber stamps.

After he was declared unfit for service, Jacob spent some time at a military hospital. Once his funds ran dry, he was simply tossed out into the street. That’s the way used-up soldiers have always been treated. They are decorated with medals, then told to take a long walk off a short pier. Maybe that’s what all the medals are for: so that they’ll sink and drown, and blot out those faces that reveal the atrocities they were forced to commit.

The file ended there.

Jacob was nowhere to be found. His pension was untouched, he had no driver’s license, filed for no public assistance, committed no crime.

Jacob no longer existed.

But I wouldn’t give up.

I knew that the site of our childhood pulled on the Seed’s like a magnet. If Jacob was alive, he would be there.

I decided to visit every homeless shelter in Rome and the surrounding area, those meagre forms of assistance that society deigns to provide to its human sacrifices, whether they are national heroes or just out of work.

The shelters were indistinguishable from each other.

All were bare, austere institutions, as wretched and out-of-the-way as the hospital where I had worked. Their residents were identical as well: same stooped posture, same grey faces marked by both excess and hardship, the same lifeless gazes.

Any one of them might have known war.

All of them had been defeated, in any case.

I spoke with the volunteers who worked with these men and women. They told me about the fits and the yelling. They spoke of the theft, the fights that often broke out over a piece of bread or a spot near the heater.

Rich and poor alike are always vying for the best position. In the end, the only difference between them is that the poor steal things that are worthless.

Even worse, the drifters who came to the shelter brought with them only what was strictly necessary. If it wasn’t a chipped knife, a lighter, or some spare change that was stolen, it was an item of inestimable sentimental value. I was told a story about an old man who cried for a whole week over a glass marble — a kid’s toy — that had disappeared from his pockets. I heard about a young woman who died of a broken heart after a dried flower pressed between two pages of an old book crumbled.

Everyone had some link to their past. If it wasn’t an object, it was a place that they revisited frequently, like the grave of a loved one, or a simple memory that they replayed in their head over and over.

Their world had crumbled around them, and yet they searched the rubble for something to keep as a talisman.

One day, in one of those shelters, I spied a silhouette on a cot. A man curled in the fetal position facing the wall. He was agitated and mumbling in his sleep, seeming to call out. I only understood two words.

The man was calling for Joseph and John.

#the book of joseph #far cry 5 #fc5 #joseph seed #john seed #jacob seed

[suitcasetales]

You Have Been Excused from Jury Duty

Those were the magic words in an email I received last Tuesday. It’s not that I wouldn’t have minded serving; it would have been a nice change of pace from work. But when the two weeks of jury duty exactly matched the two weeks of vacation Janet had scheduled, I played the “I work in a hospital and am married to a nurse who sometimes takes care of people with unknown COVID status” card. I guess it worked.

The next challenge is where could we go with a paranoid and scared-of- everything dog on such short notice? We googled ourselves silly looking inside a 5-hour drive radius and settled on the Outer Banks. Friday night at midnight Janet found this condo, we booked it Saturday morning and we drove to Kitty Hawk Sunday!

It is an interesting condo. The building is ocean-front but our condo is on the side so we only have a partial ocean view. The parking deck is level one; our condo is on the second and third floors but we have to go to the third floor to enter it. (The fourth floor condos are all one level.) Steps in general are a little rough on Cokie with her weakened back hip on the side with her mangled foot so we have been taking the elevator up to the third floor. For some unknown reason, getting her on and off the elevator has been easy. We have three balconies and the bedrooms and laundry room are downstairs on the second floor with the kitchen and living area on the third floor. We try to limit going up and down the steps as she will follow our every move.

The condo building has indoor and outdoor pools and large indoor and outdoor hot tubs. (Some of the fourth floor condos also have hot tubs on their balconies.) The COVID imposed limit is 5 people!

Our booking correspondence stated the outdoor pool was closed but people (including Janet) have been in it this week. There are two nice restrooms out by the pool and a zero entry, fenced-in kiddie pool. The ramped, terraced deck between the pool and the beach, includes a gazebo. The beach itself is quite narrow here but after walking a mile south along the beach this afternoon, our part didn’t seem so narrow. There are definitely sections of the Outer Banks that are in trouble. God forbid they ever take a direct hit from a hurricane.

The dog owners have definitely discovered these condos but unfortunately so have the cat owners. Perfect for some people; not so perfect for someone like Janet who is allergic to cats! Also, the pets are supposed to be less than 50 pounds but there are plenty of big dogs here this week. We have no pillows (“cushions” for the English) for the couches, no placemats and no coasters; we presume these have been removed under their COVID protocol. There is also no vacuum and no broom so their suggestion that if your pet sheds a lot you should sweep is not possible.

But for a last-minute trip during a long and drawn out pandemic, we will take it. We have had a lovely week. Once the morning fog has dissipated, the weather has been near-perfect. We have not tried to take Cokie down on the beach here; it is just too challenging and the crashing waves too close. Instead, we have been driving somewhere to walk her and we have been on some surprisingly beautiful hikes to places we, in all the times we have been here, never knew existed. An old dog can indeed learn new tricks.

Monday morning, we hiked in Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve, managing to snake together a couple of miles weaving and winding through its narrow paths. The wind on the beach was stiff but in the protection of the Reserve, we didn’t notice it. We ate our lunch sitting on the beach but soon retreated to the hot tub.

Tuesday, we went on a long hike combining all the dog-friendly trails in the Nature Conservancy’s Nags Head Woods Preserve. (We would love to return sometime without a dog to hike the other trails and go in their Visitor Center, still closed due to COVID.) 

The morning fog lingered a while but once we were headed to the beach with our lunch, the sun came out and we took a long walk on the beach up to the Avalon Pier.

Wednesday, we walked on the short and mostly boardwalk trail at Sandy Run Park in Kitty Hawk. This would be a nice and easy place for a family hike, even with a stroller. I think birders would savor all the places we hiked but at Sandy Run, the birdsong was most noticeable. 

That is a lot of turtles!

The afternoon weather was absolutely perfect — 79 degrees, no wind, no flies and no one smoking nearby. We settled ourselves in our beach chairs, reading, people- and dog-watching and enjoying the piping plovers (not the best picture but posted in case you don’t know what they look like), the seagulls and the pelicans.

But because we had not had a lot of exercise and it was such a beautiful day, we decided to go for a drive south and headed down Route 12 and over the new Basnight Bridge (the old bridge was called the Bonner Bridge) that connects Bodie Island (site of the handsome Bodie Island Lighthouse and ten zillion mosquitos)....

and Oregon Inlet to Pea Island. Home to a National Wildlife Refuge, dogs are not allowed on the west side of Route 12. We stopped and parked at the end of the bridge and walked through the sand out to the ocean, passing the historic Pea Island Life Saving Station. Cokie loved walking in the sand and almost went to the waters edge but there were people there and she does not generally like people.

Since we were down that way and would not likely return, we also drove over to Manteo, one of our favorite small towns. There were not too many folks around so we were able to get Cokie to walk on the boardwalks there and through a beautiful new neighborhood just east of historic downtown. We were pleased to see the independent bookstore still exists but alas, it is no longer the Manteo Booksellers. It also probably no longer has cats in it but that is a good thing!

This morning (Thursday as I write this), we went to Jockeys Ridge State Park and hiked out to the Albemarle Sound. Parts of this hike is hard on the ol’ hips as some places the sand is hard and easy to walk on while other places, it is soft and difficult. Plus you are either weaving your way around dunes or going up and over them. At least when you get to the Sound, you can cool off in the shallow water before heading back to the parking lot. Besides the enormity of the dunes, this Park is full of live oaks and has some really nice specimens.

The morning dew was still on this cluster and it was beautiful. And below, mushrooms growing in the sand??

After lunch, Janet and I walked on the beach again but this time we went south for a mile. We could not believe how bad the beach erosion was in that section. We thought “our” beach was narrow but further down, it was really bad. 

We took one final soak in the hot tub, dried off on the sunny deck, me overlooking the ocean and Janet reading her book. Not quite as warm as Wednesday, it was still a picture-perfect day at the beach.

Our last hurrah was to go and catch tonight’s sunset back on the Sound side. We even got Cokie to walk around some even though there were cyclists, walkers with strollers and people around. She probably wouldn’t do it again as she tends to have a very good memory about having been somewhere before and not wanting to do it again but hey, we are working on that. We just need more opportunities to practice.

If only I could get out of work like I got out of jury duty. Now that would be paradise.

[nationalparkposters]

Visiting Dry Tortugas National Park

Visiting Dry Tortugas National Park: Some 70 miles west of Key West Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico, lies one of North America's most inaccessible national parks. Renowned for pirate legends, shipwrecks, and sheer unspoiled beauty, Dry Tortugas National Park harbors unrivaled coral reefs and marine life, an annual birding spectacle, and majestic Fort Jefferson, the largest masonry stronghold in the Western Hemisphere. Getting There Accessible only by boat or seaplane, just 60,000 visitors make it to Dry Tortugas National Park each year. Compare that to the more than 330 million people who visited America's national parks last year. But it's really no surprise when you consider what's involved just getting there. The jumping off point is Key West, Florida, and from there, you can choose between an all-day boat ride, and half- or full-day seaplane trips, assuming you don't have your own vessel. Pre-Flight When I visited Dry Tortugas National Park, I opted for the seaplane flight and checked in at the Key West Seaplane Adventures office at 7:30 for an 8:00 am flight. Even though it was late March, the sun was just rising, and filtered by wisps of pink and orange clouds. When the remaining nine passengers arrived, we received our briefing, were introduced to our pilot, and then walked out on to the tarmac together to board the DHC-3 DeHavilland Turbine Otter Amphibian. The plane can carry 10 passengers plus the pilot…and when the co-pilot seat was offered up, I literally jumped at the opportunity! Our pilot has been flying to and from Dry Tortugas for years. He would make five trips to and from Dry Tortugas that day…and after dropping us off, his early morning return flight to Key West would be a solo one. Ready for Takeoff Once we had our seat belts fastened, and perhaps more importantly, our headphones on, the pilot began to narrate our early morning adventure as we taxied out on to the runway. I fired up my video camera…and before I knew it we were airborne heading due east into the morning sun, and just as quickly banking south, then west for a bird's eye view of Key West. It was only then that I had the exhilarating realization I would be setting down in a place I'd only been able to conjure in my imagination — turquoise waters, green sea turtles, bright coral, frigate birds, shipwrecks, and a coastal fortress some 170 years old. The co-pilot's seat offered the perfect view of Key West, its hotels, Duvall Street and Mallory Square, which quickly faded from view. The pilot pumped some music into our headphones…though I wasn't quite sure what to make of his first selection: Tom Petty's “Free Fallin'”! Flying at at 130 knots, we were quickly over an area called the “Flats,” a body of shallow water just 3–5 feet deep extending almost 20 miles to the west. Flying at just 500 feet above the water, these shallows are teeming with Loggerhead turtles and you could clearly see dozens of them swimming about as we cruised overhead. 25 miles out, we flew directly over Marquesas Islands, a coral atoll…and then over an area called the “Quicksands.” Here the water is 30 feet deep with a sea bed of constantly shifting sand dunes. This is where treasure hunter Mel Fisher found the Spanish Galleons Antocha and Margarita — and more than a half a billion dollars of gold and silver strewn across an eight mile area. They continue to work the site, and even today, there are regular finds of huge Spanish Emeralds. But it wasn't long from my vantage point in the cockpit before I could begin to make out Fort Jefferson on Garden Key, and further west, the lighthouse on Loggerhead Key. Fort Jefferson, a massive but unfinished coastal fortress, is the largest brick masonry structure in the Americas. Composed of over 16 million bricks, the building covers 16 acres. Florida was acquired from Spain (1819–1821) by the United States, which considered the 75 mile stretch connecting the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Ocean important to protect, since anyone who occupied the area could seize control of the trade routes along the Gulf Coast. Construction of Fort Jefferson began on Garden Key in 1847, and although more than $250,000 had been spent by 1860, the fort was never finished. As the largest 19th century American masonry coastal fort, it also served as a remote prison facility during the Civil War. The most famous inmate was Dr. Samuel Mudd, who set the leg of John Wilkes Booth following the assassination of President Lincoln. Mudd was convicted of conspiracy and was imprisoned on the Dry Tortugas from 1865 to 1869. The fort continued to serve as a military prison until 1874. Almost There… Our pilot banked the De Havilland to the right, providing a spectacular view of the islands and Fort Jefferson, heading the seaplane into the wind for the smoothest landing I've ever experienced — on land or sea — gently skimming the surface, and we glided effortlessly across the turquoise waters and headed towards shore. One more roar of the engines, a quick turn, and we were up on the beach ready to disembark. We arrived about 8:30 AM…and aside from the 10 passengers on board, a half dozen campers at one end of the Garden Key, and a few National Park Service employees, we had the island to ourselves. As I watched the seaplane take off, heading back to Key West, it struck me just how isolated we were in this remote ocean wilderness. I imagined the islands didn't look much different to Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, credited for discovering the islands in 1531. He named them Las Tortugas, or “The Turtles,” as the islands and surrounding waters were aswarm with loggerhead , hawksbill, leatherback, and green turtles. For nearly three hundred years, pirates raided not only passing ships, but relied on turtles for meat and eggs and also pilfered the nests of roosting sooty and noddy terns. Nautical charts began to show that The Tortugas were dry — due to the lack of fresh water — and eventually the islands were renamed as The Dry Tortugas. Taking advantage of the early morning light, I headed inside the fort, making my way up the spiral staircase, and stepped out of the old Garden Key lighthouse built in 1825. The lighthouse is no longer in use, since the “new” 167 foot tall lighthouse on Loggerhead Key, completed in 1858, continues to flash its beacon to mariners, warning of the shallow waters. The view from atop of Fort Jefferson provided a spectacular 360 degree panorama. And besides the few spits of land that make up the park, there was nothing but sky and sea in every direction. About the Park Dry Tortugas National Park, situated at the farthest end of the Florida Keys, is closer to Cuba than to the American mainland. A cluster of seven islands, composed mostly of sand and coral reefs, just 93 of the park's 64,000 acres are above water. The three easternmost keys are simply spits of white coral sand, while 49-acre Loggerhead Key, three miles out, marks the western edge of the island chain. The park's sandy keys are in a constant state of flux — shaped by tides and currents, weather and climate. In fact, four islands completely disappeared between 1875 and 1935, a testament to the fragility of the ecosystem. The Dry Tortugas are recognized for their near-pristine natural resources including seagrass beds, fisheries, and sea turtle and bird nesting habitat. The surrounding coral reefs make up the third-largest barrier reef system outside of Australia and Belize. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established Fort Jefferson National Monument under the Antiquities Act on January 4, 1935. It was expanded to it's current size in 1983, when the monument was re-designated by an act of Congress as Dry Tortugas National Park on October 26, 1992. Its charter: to protect the island and marine environment, to preserve Fort Jefferson and submerged cultural resources such as shipwrecks. Just 100 yards or so from Fort Jefferson is Bush Key. Home to a diverse collection of birds that frequent the islands, it features a mix of mangrove, sea oats, bay cedar, sea grape and prickly pear cactus, reflecting the original character of the islands. A great wildlife spectacle occurs each year between February and September, when as many as 100,000 sooty terns travel from the Caribbean Sea and west-central Atlantic Ocean to nest on the islands of the Dry Tortugas. Brown noddies, roseate terns, double-crested cormorants, brown pelicans and the Magnificent frigatebird, with its 7-foot wingspan, breed here as well. Although Bush Key was closed to visitors when I visited, hundreds, if not thousands of birds filled the skies and the sounds of their screeches and calls filled the otherwise tranquil surroundings. There is no water, food, bathing facilities, supplies, or public lodging (other than camping on Garden Key) in the park. All visitors, campers, and boaters are required to pack out whatever they pack in, so the National Park Service created a wi-fi hotspot — only at the dock — where you can scan a QR code and download a variety of PDFs to your phone or tablet. It's an idea that's bound to catch on with so many mobile devices, reducing the need to print (and throw away) paper brochures. Inside Fort Jefferson, a small visitor's center has a few exhibits and shows a short video. I stepped across the entranceway, and found an equally small office that houses the National Park Service employees who maintain and manage the park. Some of the best snorkeling in North America Although I was only on the half-day seaplane trip, I still had enough time for a quick swim and snorkel on the west side of Garden Key. In the late 1800s, the US Navy built piers and coaling warehouses for refueling, but strong storms destroyed them, leaving only their underpinnings. These pilings, and the deeper water of the dredged channel, now offer an excellent opportunity to see larger fish like tarpon, grouper, barracuda…as well as the occasional shark. Multi-colored sea fans swayed in the gentle current. Colorful reef fish — with their vivid and boldly patterned reds, yellows, greens and blues — were camouflaged amongst the bright coral and sea grasses. Today, turtle populations have diminished, but you may still be able to see green, loggerhead, hawksbill, and leatherback sea turtles. As I walked back to the changing rooms at the dock, the seaplane for my return flight was just landing and I realized my time at Dry Tortugas was coming to an end. If I ever have a chance to get back, I would definitely opt for the full day trip. A week later, after returning home to Colorado and was shoveling snow off of the driveway, a small plane passed overhead and I suddenly thought of my flight to Dry Tortugas : the bright sun, the crystal clear waters, the abundant life — above and below the water's surface — a surreal landscape so captivating, so remote, that even having seen it with my own eyes, I still somehow could barely imagine it. About the Author Rob Decker is a photographer and graphic artist who is currently on a quest to photograph and create iconic WPA-style posters for all 61 National Parks. Rob visited his first national park at age five and began photographing them at age seven on a 10,000 cross-country trip with his family. He would spend the next decade working on his own, building a wet darkroom with his grandfather in the garage and serving as head photographer for the high school yearbook. But Rob's professional training really started at age 19, when he had the rare opportunity to study under Ansel Adams in Yosemite National Park during the summer of 1979, less than five years before Mr. Adams passed away. Since then, he has visited and photographed 50 of the national parks in the US, including those in Alaska, Hawaii, and the Virgin Islands. Click here to see the current collection of posters. https://national-park-posters.com/blogs/national-park-posters/visiting-dry-tortugas-national-park?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=Sendible&utm_campaign=RSS

[elizaundey]

Avenue south residence brochure

It is said that New York City has a certain unusual quality about it. New York can either devastate an individual or raise their level of play, their desire or purpose in some exciting way. As they say, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere... or, you can leave with your tail between your legs.

As a native New Yorker, born in East Harlem, I know it to be unique, and I must say that it deserves the attention it gets as one of the world's most spectacular cities for all the following reasons.

It is a fact that New York City is the commercial center of the United States, as well as the heart of American advertising, fashion, publishing, and radio television broadcasting. It is the distillation of industry, trade, communication, entertainment, sports and arts, and boasts a generous representation of diverse ethnic groups and faith. Simply put, it's the melting pot that America is renowned for. It has a positive effect on the creative abilities of its inhabitants. I want to mention that the Five main Boroughs that comprise and add to the fame of the city of New York are Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens and Staten Island. Each borough merits recognition for its magnificent landmarks, treasured historical sites, rich history and accomplishments. Yes, this diversity and non-stop electric action is what New York City is all about, and where millions visit each year to observe the riches and results of people's creative power.

As for the inhabitants and non-inhabitants of this enormous metropolis known as the "Big Apple", there are several groups of people: First, we have the native New Yorker. These are the individuals whose birthplace is New York City. Regardless to wherever they should Avenue south residence brochure  go, there will always be some emotional attachment to their roots. Secondly, we have the outsiders born elsewhere who seem to gravitate to the big city They establish residency with zeal, whether it is for the numerous opportunities presented by the city, or simply because they feel lucky to live near others of their own kind. The adventurous, productive type. Thirdly, let us not forget, the millions of frustrated commuters that travel round trip to get to and work in the city. Finally, with all the attractions and entertainment that the city offers, there is the never-ending flow of millions of day-trippers and out of town tourists.

Though New York City may have a lot of positive characteristics, there is also a strong negative side to living in a metropolis of this magnitude. As the city becomes progressively more crowded, there is a greater concern, irritability and outright hostility caused by the fact that the city is clogged with people. It is almost impossible to find an empty taxi, parking spot, or even a seat on the bus or train. This has hardened New Yorkers.

People brand New Yorkers as offensive because of their out spoken qualities. To some effect, it may be true, but to present all New Yorkers as crude is a misstatement. There is a significant number of civil and sophisticated New Yorkers. However, we do have some people that speak their minds when annoyed, not all, but some. But let's not forget the tremendous sense of humor that characterizes most New Yorkers. Colloquialisms form part of their everyday life, which can be also interpreted as rudeness, such as: "That one could grow potatoes with those dirty ears; " "Why don't you take a long walk off a short pier; " "Hey, don't spit in the air, it might fall on your nose;" "Don't let your mouth run off 'til your brain's in gear;" "Oy Vey! With those bags, she needs a couple of pairs of shoes;" "He couldn't make a noun and a verb agree even if his life depended on it;" "I hope she lives to a 150 and looks it," and so on and so forth.

Some individuals have been ridiculed for their unique 'Noo Yawker' accent. Here are some examples: "Gedoutahea, yer puddin me on!" "Yeah, I kum fum Noo Yawk." "Would ja ged a grip!" " Did'ju or did'ja," "Would'ju or would'ja," "Soopah (Super)," "Fur sure I'm ohn the fawth floor," "Wawda "(water), "I'll have a tooner samwidge," (tuna sandwich), " I wud be da foist to tell you if my brudda was na here," "Fugheddaboudit! I ain't saying nuttin," and, " My mudda and fodda are goin downashaw ohn Lawnguylund."

Accustomed to social, political and economic upheavals, crime, overcrowding, deterioration of neighborhoods, intolerable housing, extortionate rents and high taxes, native New Yorkers accept the turbulence that is associated with daily life as a normal and inevitable way of life. However, it still doesn't stop them from openly vocalizing their frustrations and tensions with expressions such as: "The apartments are so expensive, unless you live in a rat infested roach hotel," "Those pushcart peddlers will rob you blind, selling hot merchandise no less," "There's no place to park unless you pile the cars on top of each other," "Oy Vey! Some of the neighborhoods look like a war zone," "I've got gates on my windows and three locks on my door, doesn't that tell you something?" "I hate the summer, smells like last year's garbage is still out there........." and so on and so forth.

[fenvincible]

I wrote a thing.

I’ve been inspired by @writergrump‘s merman Arin AU. It’s super cool and I”m sure everybody in the fandom so far has read it, if you haven’t give it a moment and do so.  anyway, I was inspired and this inspiration took flight, they’re completely to thank for the fact that I’ve spent the greater part of the last two weeks researching the ocean and working on this! It’s my work but deeply inspired by them and their themes.   This is the first thing I’ve written for egobang, and if enough people like it I will continue and publish the rest! Thank you. 🖤

           Fatigue, heavy and hard, settled into his bones. He pumped his arms ferociously, feeling the freezing water suck the energy out of him, but still he pumped his arms and kicked his legs. The sunlight refracted through the water, but it wasn’t warm. He was still so far below the surface, fighting wasn’t helping as his body was continually pulled down. His lungs and fingertips burned from the lack of oxygen. Though the energy was sapping out of his body as he floated further from the surface he continued to swing his arms and kick his legs. He needed air.

           An exasperated yell escaped his lips but the ocean cut him short. Sea water eagerly, happily, filled Dan’s mouth and lungs, leaving the taste of salt on every surface it caressed. He was giving up. The lack of oxygen made life just fuzzy enough Dan didn’t realize he had stopped fighting the inevitable. Just as the haze in his vision was closing, the lack of oxygen causing him to black out, I see what looks like an angel. An angel with a tail? Sunshine blonde hair floating around their head, strong arms pushing me towards the surface, and a beautiful tail. Glistening in shades of purples and blues. I see a smile before the blackness takes over.

           Dan woke harshly, his breath burning his throat. Hair damp and body covered in the thin film of a cold sweat, almost like he had just been dragged from the ocean again. As Dan’s breathing slowed he practiced the grounding techniques he used in the years following his near drowning.

           In the sublime dusk of the early morning Dan looked slowly around his room. He brought his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around.

           “I see, a book, my favorite shirt on the ground, phone on the charger to my right, my computer on the desk in front of me, the picture of Debbie and Avi from last Thanksgiving.” Dan states, just above a whisper.

           “I can touch my blankets, my pillow, my hair, and if I’m lucky an awesome pair of boobs.

           I can hear the birds singing, the grandfather clock in the hall, my neighbors fucking dog, like it isn’t balls early in the fucking morning.

           I can smell the soap from my shower last night, and the coffee that started automatically brewing this morning.” Dan took a deep breath in,

           “Speaking of the coffee, I can already taste it.” Dan whispered, the cycle finished as he threw back the blankets and made his way to his bathroom.

           A quick moment later and Dan was standing in the hot jet of water. The dream quickly fading from his mind as he grasped at the smoky tendrils. All children had a near death experience, Dan thought. As he guided the soap frothed towel across his chest and down his arms. His was weird, he still feels the arms pushing him he still sees the plump pink lips. Dan spent years drawing and coloring the blue-purple tail that he associated with his savior. He understood what the doctors and his parents said. He has excitedly swam too far out, he got swept up in the current, his head was fuzzy as the buildup of carbon dioxide in his lungs drove his brain into insanity. He imagined the water angel, later classified by Dana as they conspired together as a mermaid, as he was miraculously able to break away from the current and swim to the surface.

           As he worked the towel down his legs and rinsed off the lingering bubbles Dan thought about the aftermath of his near drowning. His fascination with the ocean, with the aquatic life he was sure he had seen. Instead of developing a fear of the water, as some might do after nearly drowning, Dan had become fascinated, obsessed really. He excelled in the sciences throughout elementary school. Soared through his earth sciences classes in high school and got a scholarship to the University of California – Los Angeles. Here he began majoring in marine biology. His passion only growing year after year as he got involved with more sciences and formulated research theories.

           Now, in his final year of his undergraduate degree, Dan had the most coveted research opportunity in the entire school ahead of him. It wasn’t only due to his hard work, assuming that would be a lie. Dan knew, and thought about it with a smile, that his ability to be on the receiving end of this grant, was because of his bond with the physics professor.

           Dr. Brian Wecht was a strict looking man approaching his tenure at the University. With a PhD in physics and his interest in the ocean he had become one of Dan’s favorite professors. They had bonded quickly over late nights in the labs and theories on what types of life would succeed in the deepest parts of the ocean. When applying for the Universities largest yearly grant to investigate the depths of the ocean Dan had needed a professor to vouch for him. Brian offered to vouch as well as assist Dan in his application process. Without Brian’s help, Dan was sure he would have lost the grant to a graduate student researching something stupid, like the mating habits of dolphins. No, Dan wanted to research something real, and Dan’s research started today.

           By the time Dan was in the kitchen enjoying his coffee and a bagel his phone had been blown up. He had several texts from Brian and the other student on the research project, Suzy.

 Pumped?! Was all Suzy had sent, but her excitement was clear through the messaged.

Like Ron Jeremy’s dick! Dan quickly replied, knowing Suzy was probably on her way to the site.

           Brian had sent several

 Hey super butt baby

Wait was that professional?

Fuck it

I hope you’re ready

We are gonna start this project today

So call me daddy and get your ass down here ASAP

             Dan giggled quietly, finishing his bagel. As he typed out a reply to Brian, sometimes it’s impossible to believe the man has a wife, a child and a literal fucking PhD.

 That’s not at all professional, Wecht. Be there in a minute.

             Though early morning LA traffic was peaceful Dan knows that within forty-five minutes the freeways will be backed up and a fifteen-minute commute will suddenly take an hour. He was thankful that Brian had insisted they be on site before the sun was even up, preferring to get a head start on anything that might go wrong. The man was childish but brilliant, Dan thought as he pulled his car into the beach front area reserved by the University for the research students.

             “Dan! Hey!” Suzy shouted, almost tackling Dan in her excited hug. Dan might be considered brilliant by some peers and professors, if that was the case Suzy was a genius. She graduated high school a year early and entered the University at the age of 17 having already completed a year and a half worth of credit hours. She was two years younger than Dan but also a senior looking into grad schools. Her long black hair was only changed by the violet streak she kept. Face only marked by the eyeliner she somehow did every day, making her look as alluring as Cleopatra must have.

           “Are you ready? Are you excited? I got you a tea” Suzy handed Dan a warm paper cup that radiated warmth and the calming scent of Earl Grey.

           “I think I’m ready. I know I’m excited, I got up before my alarms. Thank you, what did I do to deserve you Scuze?”

           “You still don’t, but if you’re lucky you can earn if after today.” Suzy laughed. Leading the way to the pier, where Brian stood. She dressed casually in jeans and a sweater, good choices since the morning chill was still lingering, made worse by the cold ocean stretching out in front of them. Brian, on the other hand, looked stern as always. Blue eyes constantly assessing and taking in the world around him. Slacks and a navy button up completed the look of stern professor. The façade was broken the moment Brian saw Dan though.

           “Hey dick.” Brian broke into a smile, shifting his features harsh to soft and fun. “Are you ready to be in the water?”

           Dan nodded excitedly, hair bouncing wildly, beyond ready to utilize the Universities multimillion dollar submarine. Behind the layers of science and research questions that has brought him here, basically he was just a kid with a want to go deep into the ocean and see some cool fucking shit.  

           “Bet your ass! I am beyond ready, I am so wet for this.” Dan walked slightly behind Brian and Suzy as they moved down the pier, toward the submarine waiting for them. Ironically the University had painted the entire submarine banana yellow, when Dan had laughed and pointed out the relevance to the Beatles song released in the 60s Dean Terry had given him a blank stare. He realized the color of the submarine wasn’t inspired by John Lennon before he quietly sat through the rest of the meeting with Dean Terry.

           The submarine was fantastic and huge. Large enough to fit two people though today only Dan would be going down. A plethora of buttons and levers, gauges and displays ran over the front of the sub. Measuring everything from temperature, to depth, pressure levels. Tools to grab samples and take pictures were available. Today Suzy, Brian and Danny had gathered to take the sub as deep as they possibly could. The goal was a depth of about 3,500 feet, the ocean floor near California, if they got the submarine to that level with no issues their next mission would put them in Guam, to explore Mariana’s Trench.

           “Are you ready, man?” Brian inquired? Looking at Dan as Suzy went over the submarine, doing one of three more checks the team would do before Dan went under.

           “I- I think so. I had the nightmare again last night man. But, I want to do this. I need to do this.” Dan had told Suzy and Brian about his childhood, the time he nearly drowned and how that affected his life. “I’m gonna- gonna go change real quick.”

           Dan ran to the bathroom, taking less than a moment to change into a wetsuit, preparing for the worst case scenario. When he exited Suzy had finished her check of the submarine and Brian was having his go at it. Dan watched as the man moved methodically, going over every gauge, lever and reading in the submarine before checking the steering and controls. Finding those satisfactory he moved to the oxygen tanks and “just in case equipment stored in the submarine. Checking the pressure gauges to ensure they were working once more Brian gave a contended hum before nodding to Dan.

           “I think it’s ready for you.”

           Dan jumped into the submarine, feeling the water craft bob under his added weight as it adjusted. Dan checked his gauges and dials, everything fell within the required areas. The oxygen tank was full and the equipment where he could grab it quickly if things went awry. With a last, precautionary verbal check with Suzy and Brian they were finally ready.

           Dan was going to dive into the deep.

           The descent started normally, the readings remained well within their limits. Pressure gauges weren’t indicating any issues. Dan continued slowly. 250 feet, 500 feet. The pressure in the cabin remained stable. Oxygen levels were good. Dan started looking around. His goal was to simply descend and ascend safely, proving that the craft was ready for their trip to Guam.

           “Earth to ‘Sexbang’ I’m thinking a certain scientist forgot to check in with his anxious team.” Suzy’s voice broke through Dan’s thoughts as he took in the sights around him.

           “Right Scuze. I’m sorry. Readings look solid on my side. Is the camera feed okay?”

           “Camera feed is fantastic. Our readings look good. How are you feeling?” This time the voice was Brian’s, playfulness gone from his tone. Dan imagined him starting at the feed, icy blue eyes roaming the screen as they took in what Dan was seeing and looked for what Dan might miss.

           “I’m good. Oxygen is still filtering in well, not yet stuffy. We should add a music player to this damn submarine. I could really go for some Rush right now. Sing to me Brian?”

           “In your dreams.”

           Dan giggled, once again thankful for the automatic bond he had felt in Brian’s presence and for Suzy, a glue allowing them to get work done while having fun.

           “I’m continuing descent. Looks like we are at 1,500 feet now. I think when we get to Guam  we should start with margaritas on the beach.”

           “I’m only investing in those if Holly gets to come. I’m sure there’s a bird or two there she will be excited to meet.” Suzy added. Always ready to spend more time with Holly. Nothing was written in stone yet, but Dan was sure they were more than friends and roommates like they said.

           “I’ll appeal to the dean to allow Holly to come if you let us have one really nice evening on the beach, no paperwork.” Dan said as his descent reached 2,000 feet. Already imagining the fun they would have in Guam.

           “Deal.” Suzy’s voice was distracted. Dan heard shuffling as Suzy and Brian moved around the temporary set up.

           Time seemed to slow down as things went from great to terrible.

           The oxygen levels in the submarine dropped. The cabin erupted into a shrill wine as a red light bathed the dash in front of Dan. Something was wrong.

           “D-Dan! Dan, what’s happening?” Brian’s voice was brisk but concerned. The concern was enough to raise the hairs on the back of Dan’s neck.

           “I- Brian. I don’t know. All of my readings are fine. They’re not coming across as alarming. What about yours?”

           “Everything is good here Dan. Come back up. Slowly. Don’t go any further down. Come back up now.” Suzy’s voice was stern, using the mothering tone she often used when Dan and Brian got out of hand.

           “Yeah, I- uh, okay. Yeah.” Dan’s descent had just taken him nearly 2,300 feet below sea level. He was sure only a few seconds had passed, maybe even only one second before Dan heard a popping sound he knew wasn’t good.

           “Shit.” Was all Dan heard before water was rushing into the submarine. He didn’t have a spare moment to grab the oxygen. He didn’t have a moment to think.

           The water didn’t slow, didn’t hesitate as it rushed into the submarine, filling every space. The water didn’t hesitate as it pushed Dan, hard, to the side knocking his head against the metal siding of the submarine. The water didn’t hesitate as it began to fill Dan’s lungs and his vision faded to blackness.

           When Dan woke his lungs were still burning with the sting of salt water. Brian and Suzy leaned over him, concern written over their faces.

           “Dan! Oh my god.” Suzy gushed, hands automatically roving over the man, checking for any injuries.

           “Scuze?” Dan coughed. “What the fuck happened man?”

           Dan looked up to see Suzy looking uncomfortable, Brian looking nearly angry.

           “The sub.. something happened. The pressure gauges weren’t reading correctly. Something went wrong.” Brian stated, an unusual edge to his voice as he spoke. “The ships integrity failed about the time you hit 2,500 feet. I think you hit your head. I’m not sure, we should get you to a doctor.”

           “I- hit my head? How did I get out?” Nothing made sense, Dan should be dead not here asking questions about how he avoided death by drowning. Again.

           At this Brian and Suzy looked uncomfortable, Brian even looked angry. They both looked behind them, Dan followed their gaze.

           Stuck in a net was a sight Dan never thought he would see. A man with beautiful brown hair to his shoulders. A pink streak flowing through the hair. A look of dismay on his face as he struggled against his binds. What caught Dan’s eye, took his breath away was the beautiful tail the man had, starting just below his belly button, where a normal humans naval would have been. The tail was an array of pinks, and caught the sun in the most beautiful ways. Dan watched as Dean Terry looked over the creature, a cold curiosity in his eyes.

           “They wouldn’t let him get away.” Brian sighed, voice full of sadness and anger. “He saved your life and they captured him.”

#egobang #merman arin au #mermArin AU #fee writes.

[naturecoaster]

Manatee Adventure by ‘Yak is Fabulous!

Kayak-based manatee experience adventures can start about 8:30 am – and even be scheduled throughout the day at Hunter Springs Kayaks in Crystal River - which is where I enjoyed my latest manatee adventure. Most of the public, pontoon-based charter services start at 6:30-7 am. An hour's drive to Crystal River and my need for morning coffee make me grateful to start a little later. Upon my arrival, I observed a group oohing and aahing over photos taken by their manatee tour guide. Hunter Springs Kayaks provides this service - taking pictures and video of the manatee encounter and offering it to guests for purchase on a DVD.

Recent tour participants enjoy watching a slideshow of images of their adventure at Hunter Springs Kayaks. Image by Diane Bedard. A couple appeared soon walked up to the counter and checked in. Three of us would be going out on this manatee adventure with one of Hunter Springs Kayaks' professional guides – a semi-private tour by luck. Preparing for our Manatee Adventure We were shown the Manatee Manners video to help us understand how to interact with the West Indian Manatee upon an encounter.

The Manatee Manners video teaches us how to interact with local manatees. Image by Diane Bedard. The Manatee Manners video is required watching for anyone who goes on a manatee encounter tour – while it is legal to swim with manatees in Citrus County, passive observation is the method that is preferred. From the video, we learned why and how to use passive observation for the best manatee encounter without harming these gentle sea cows. We were offered question and answer time after the video by our guide. Every Hunter Springs Kayaks guide is crazy about manatees, and they come from all over the world to have the opportunity to spend each day sharing their love of Tricheus manatus while paddling through the Kings Bay ecosystem. Next, our guide is helping us pick our wetsuits and showing us where to change. We donned the neoprene insulators for comfort. Just know that wetsuits help a lot with the 72-degree water, but they don’t make many people look sexy.

Ready for action in our rented wetsuits. Image by Diane Bedard.

Hunter Springs Park is where we start our Kayak Manatee Encounter

What a beautiful morning it is in Crystal River, Florida: sunny and warm, but not hot. I made reservations for my guided manatee tour only a few days ahead. We went to Hunter Springs Park, which is owned by the City of Crystal River. There is a paid parking area, a boardwalk over the water, playground equipment, and a sandy kayak launch area, making it easy to get into our kayaks without toppling over. After getting settled in our paddle craft, we glide past some tour groups from the “Swim with a Manatee” pontoon tours who were hovering around a magnificent sea cow, watching it rise up to the top, catch a breath and then submerge to rest some more. The groups' excitement was palpable!

A tour group passively observing a manatee in Hunter Springs Park. Image by Diane Bedard. Hunter Springs is a beautiful aquatic environment. Fed by several fresh-water springs, the water is clear, and the designated swim area is a relaxing place to visit. Beyond the swim area were several pontoons anchored to allow visitors to enter the water and experience a manatee for themselves. The shoreline in the distance consists of seawalls, condos, apartments, and homes. Still, the manatees swim in here to eat the vegetation and enjoy the warmth of the springs environment. Nature Observation extends beyond the Manatees While we were anxious to get up-close and personal with a manatee, we didn’t want to crowd into other groups, so we glided off to Hospital Hole. As the humans were left behind, natural environments enveloped us.

Several ducks were swimming throughout the hospital hole area. Image by Diane Bedard. Off to our left was a flock of ducks paddling themselves around the open water. A group of three, five and ten-plus were swimming around a sign placed in the water by the governing authorities.

A seagull and a green heron perch atop a boat lift as we paddle by. Image by Diane Bedard. A huge seagull and a green heron were perched atop a boat lift, but we didn’t spot any manatees in the area, so we set off toward Three Sisters Springs. We ventured along the shore through Kings Bay and under a traffic bridge. Our Hunter Springs Kayaks Guide Spots Happy Manatees Our Hunter Springs Kayaks Guide paddled a SUP. This gave her a better view for spotting manatees in the water. She led us past the crowds outside the entrance to Three Sisters Springs and quickly found some resting manatees along the canal.

A manatee calf nurses on its mother. Image by Diane Bedard. TWO mother and baby manatee groups were a short way past the crowds, and we were able to observe the calf sucking milk from the mother’s teat. This was a special experience I had not encountered before. The passing of nourishment from a wild mother to its offspring is a sacred moment. So we did not disturb the little families, we ventured onward and up a canal lined by houses and seawalls on both sided. I quickly spotted two manatees from my kayak – again a mother-calf pair! I stopped and hovered silently in my rented kayak. Hoping for a photo op to share the experience with you, I was given the gift of a curious calf coming over to “check me out.” Forgive my baby talk... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye1_Vigi1nY A mother-calf encounter with a curious calf made me into a babbling idiot. Enjoy. Video by Diane Bedard. Over the moon, I communed with one of the wild ones and I was – and am – ecstatic. Too quickly it was time to return to our place of origin for the trip so we turned our vessels around, paddling back by the mother-calf families we had observed earlier, and the group of manatee observers outside the entrance to Three Sisters Springs and past Pete’s Pier where hundreds of gulls were lazing on the roof of this iconic marina. We saw Bird Island. Manatee Porn? On our way back through the canal, we came upon a herd of manatees making babies right in the middle of the day in the water we planned to transverse. We stopped and marveled. You can enjoy the miracle too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rur7LbnyM1Q Manatees make more manatees right in public! Video by Diane Bedard. Bird Island Bird Island was a privately owned island in King’s Bay. A home was built there with a nice dock. Eventually, the house was abandoned, and the birds just took over the island.

Bird Island shows what happens when birds take over a small area. Many trees are covered in bird feces. Image by Diane Bedard. Pelicans roosted in the saw palmettos, turning their leaves white with dung. It was quite an interesting site – and story – another reason that I prefer guided tours. Meeting our Manatee We headed back to Hunter Springs Park for the summit of our kayaking tour – getting in the water to be with a manatee. We anchored our kayaks just outside the ropes that define Hunter Springs swimming area and got into the chilly water. Now I was really glad for my wetsuit! Fifteen feet away was a manatee resting on the bottom within the swim area of Hunter Springs Park. Only our group had seen the 1,000-pound sea mammal with its long whiskers and short snout. The four of us floated over and observed its content demeanor, resting in about 8-10 feet of water. We were silent and marveled at the creature’s grey form from a short distance away. We made sure this manatee was not obstructed from leaving, should it decide to go and we were cognizant to not reach out and touch it.

Manatee by Andrew Wraithmell, courtesy of FWC. It is simply magical to be in the presence of such a large, docile creature who does not display fear-based behaviors. After many minutes, our manatee surfaced and made the “shoosh” sound of letting go of the air in its massive lungs and inhaled, silently returning to the bottom. My manatee tour group stayed in this scenario until our guide suggested that it was time to end on a high note and go back to shore. Reluctantly, we each left the sea cow’s presence and returned to our ‘yaks, loaded up and paddled back to our origin point. I have been on more manatee encounter tours than you can count on both hands, and it is always a fresh, spiritual experience. I recommend that you call Hunter Springs Kayaks to schedule yours today. Read the full article

[eachainn]

Rose made her way across the dunes, heading for the brightly painted house on the edge of the beach. She stumbled in the deep sand, glancing at the boardwalk that ran from the house into the water where a small pier was set up. Rose could see Sorey’s small boat there, the skiff beached since the tide was out. She gave the whole thing a good look over, wanting to check if Sorey was down there at all.

If he wasn’t at the research institute then he was either out on the water or at his house. With his boat still docked there was no reason to go down there, nor was there a reason to search the small town. Rose cast a quick glance at the island in the distance. The island and the town of Elysia were just a short trip, and Sorey could always be visiting his family over there. It was possible that one of them picked him up and took him over.

Rose shrugged and kept trudging. It wasn’t like it was an emergency, she was just dropping off papers that he needed to look over. With the Camlann Underwater Archeological Research Institute and the Hyland Marine Research Institute sharing the same building, ships and, for the most part, staff, it was common for papers to get shuffled around. She looked down at the reports, shrugging her shoulders. It looked like the usual round of data input for some of the old sites in the bay. Sergei had found them when he had been working through the seal data and passed them to Rose when she had come through. It was easy enough to make the walk down the beach to Sorey’s house, especially when she’d been intending to visit Brad in his houseboat a little bit further along. There were some expansions to the Sparrowfeather network that she wanted to make and it only made sense to ask him, even if he was semi-retired. Besides, she had to double check the time of the party she had been invited to. She didn’t want to be late to Natalie’s son’s first birthday party.

She clambered up onto the boardwalk, tipping her head to the side at the long line of wet wood. She glanced down the dock, shaking her head as she traced the line of water back to the ocean. 

It wasn’t a rare thing to see them, the seals that lived in around the bay and the island of Elysia had adapted well to the encroachment of people, especially since the town of Camlann was small. They seemed to have no qualms at all about the village of Elysia, but the village had been on the island forever. 

Everyone was just used to seeing the seals everywhere. The blind seal that HMRI had been nervously tracking since its birth was a common sight on the boardwalk outside of Sparowfeather’s. Rose was used to stepping over him while he was sunning or having conversations with him. He never responded more than huffs or rolling over to take better advantage of the sun, but he was just part of the landscape.

All things considered, Rose was sure she knew who had made this trail. There was one seal that seemed to be particularly interested in Sorey. Everyone knew to watch out when Sorey’s seal was around. It was just as fun to send the seal off in the direction of Sorey, especially since he had learned the trick to nod like he understood before bouncing off in the direction that they had pointed. Rose didn’t know how the seal always managed to find Sorey, but she wasn’t going to question it. It was just a part of living in Camlann. It was a sleepy old fishing town, sometimes filled with tourists but mostly filled with seals.

Rose shook her head and started up to the house, smiling she heard the sound of someone talking. From the way that the wet trial made it to the step and up into the house, Sorey’s seal had found him again. Sorey was probably just trying to shoo the seal out of his house. 

They were protected animals under Hyland law because Elysia was the one place these seals were found. The law kept humans from keeping them, but it did nothing to stop the seals from going where they willed. There were many shops on the high street that ran along the boardwalk who would have to shoo seals away. Considering how attached to Sorey the seal was, Sorey was going to have a hard time.

She bit her lip as she got closer, her amusement turning into confusion when she heard what Sorey was saying.

“Two right?” There was a pause, but that was apparently enough to answer Sorey’s question. “Alright, just promise you won’t leave a fish. Shaun must have hit a windfall and we have a bit more than we need.” There was another pause. “Just hold it steady like that. Thanks.”

Rose stepped into the house, shifting the papers under her own to knock on Sorey’s door. She paused part of the way through the motion, staring at the sight in the kitchen.

One of the Elysian seals was on the floor of Sorey’s kitchen, patiently holding one side of a Ziploc bag while Sorey held the other. He was dumping a cupful of sugar into the bag, Sorey twisting around to get another cupful. He dumped the second cup in, taking the bag from the seal to press it closed. It looked like he was about to pass it back to the seal when he spotted her, Sorey freezing in place. The seal peered up at him, turning her head around before freezing as well.

Rose stared at the two of them, her gaze dropping to the diver’s pouch that was carefully buckled around the seal’s neck. Rose stared at it before looking up at Sorey. “What are you doing?”

“Uh…” Sorey shifted in place, glancing down at the bag in his hands before looking up at Rose. He swallowed nervously, fidgeting with the bag. “I can…uh…I can explain?”

“You’d better!” Rose took a step forward, dropping the papers on the side table as an afterthought. She heard them knock against something, but she didn’t pay it any attention. “You’re giving a seal sugar, a protected seal.”

“Rose-”

“You work for the HMRI! You know all of this! I’ve seen you telling tourists off for smaller things.”

“Rose if you-”

“And what’s that around her neck? That’s not a tracking collar.”

“Rose, just…oh…” Sorey’s gaze dropped to something behind her.

Rose turned, taking a step back as she moved. She stared down at the seal that was making its way into the house. It wasn’t hard to recognize it as Sorey’s seal, although the seal didn’t look over at her. The seal just gave itself a shake, pausing to rub its flippers and belly against the front mat before continuing into the room.

The seal made a beeline for Sorey, not stopping until his nose was pressed up to Sorey’s leg. When Sorey didn’t respond, the seal arched its back slightly, peering up at Sorey. After a moment, it reached out to scratch lightly at Sorey’s leg. That was enough to get Sorey to move, Sorey dropping his hand down to the seal’s level. The seal pressed its head into Sorey’s hand, that seeming to be enough to get Sorey to speak again.

“We have a visitor.”

The seal jerked around, snorting as it saw her. Rose expected the seal to rush away, but the seal just stared at her for a moment. Then he dropped down on the ground and moved away, Rose turning to watch as the seal went into Sorey’s pantry. He must have known what he was looking for because it only took a moment for him to return with a box of tea held delicately in his mouth. He moved back to Sorey, scratching at his leg for attention.

Sorey glanced down at him before breathing out a sigh. He dropped to a crouch, reaching down to take the tea from the seal. Almost as an afterthought, Sorey kissed the top of the seal’s head. “Thank you, dear.”

The seal made a happy sound before stretching his neck to press his nose to Sorey’s cheek. Then he was moving off, heading for Sorey’s bedroom.

Rose leaned out to watch him go, her confusion growing. She expected Sorey’s seal to be used to his house, but not this familiar. She swallowed and took a step forward, peering down the hall towards the bedroom before her attention was distracted by Sorey bending over to tuck the bag of sugar into the diver’s pouch around the seal’s neck. He gave her a pat on the head before stepping back. “I’ll see you tomorrow. And apologize to Gramps for me. I tried.”

The seal bobbed her head before turning carefully in the space of the kitchen. Rose watched as she headed to the door, tempted to reach out and unbuckle the pouch from around her neck and hold it ransom. She froze when the seal stopped to look at her. The seal considered her for a moment before bobbing her head at her. At a loss of what to do, Rose nodded back. She watched the seal carry on out of the house and onto the wooden boards. Rose leaned out to watch her, almost tempted to follow.

“Rose.” She turned to look back at Sorey, watching as he put a kettle on the boil. He gave her a serious look before pulling out a chair and gesturing to it. “You might want to sit down.”

Rose considered him for a moment before edging over. She sunk into the chair, glaring at Sorey. “What was that?”

Sorey followed her gesture towards the door, staring out at where Rose assumed the seal was making her way back to the ocean with her two cups of sugar. Sorey stared out of the door before sighing and leaning on the chair across from her. “Natalie. She ran out of sugar for the cupcakes and needs to get them done today to ice them tomorrow.”

She narrowed her eyes, leaning forward to look at Sorey. She watched him carefully, looking for any sign that Sorey was joking with her. He was a shit liar and she could usually depend on it. But he wasn’t giving any of his usual tells, he looked completely serious, which was a problem. Rose huffed and slid down in her chair.

Sorey seemed to take that as a temporary surrender. He turned away to fiddle with the mugs and the tea, Rose content to give him the time for it. If he was making up a story, then there was plenty of time to get him to buckle. She was more than ready to just wait him out until he decided to tell her the truth.

The soft whistle of the kettle was the only sound that broke the silence, Rose watching as Sorey made up three mugs. The extra mug caught her attention, Rose staring at it even when Sorey set it at the table. She didn’t take her attention from it, not even when Sorey set her own cup of tea in front of her. Rose did reach out to wrap her hands around it, using the comforting warmth to center himself.

Sorey hadn’t broken over the lie yet, which was a problem. It either meant that he was telling the truth or he really believed what he was telling her. Rose wasn’t sure which one would be worse.

She sighed, her attention pulled from the extra mug of tea when the floorboards creaked. Rose leaned out, fully expecting to see Sorey’s seal making his way back into the main room of the house. Instead, she watched as Mikleo came out of the bedroom.

Rose frowned at the sight of him, trying to work out what was going on. Surely Mikleo would have been alarmed by the sight of a seal in their house, or he would have come out sooner with the shouting. If he hadn’t been in the house then she should have heard him come in, she had been by the only door.

She shifted in her seat as Mikleo came around the table to brush a kiss across the top of Sorey’s head before sitting down at the place set for him.

Rose stared at him, jumping to her feet when Mikleo set a carefully folded sealskin on the table.

It took her a moment to calm her racing heart, Rose shaking her head. It was a common practice for the Elysians to skin and eat a dead seal, or one that had to be put out of its misery. They had always lived with the seals and practically worshiped them, declaring them the messengers of Amenoch. There was a law in place to allow them to take care of dead seals on Elysia and on Camlann shores, once the HMRI had a chance to mark the death in their records.

She sighed and sat back down in her chair, looking at the pelt. Even if they were entitled to the pelts, they were a rare thing. Rose had only seen a few when she had visited Elysia to speak to Dezel. She supposed that Mikleo could have gotten one when he had gotten married, the Elysians kept their traditions secret and close.

Rose shifted her grip on her mug, staring at the pelt for a moment longer. She sucked in a quick breath when she recognized it.

No one could live in Camlann without getting to know the Elysian seals. Everyone who lived in the town could recognize the seals. They all had their official registration number and the nicknames of the people in town called them by.

This one belonged to Sorey’s seal.

She reached out to touch the pelt, jerking her hand back at the last moment. She stared at the pelt in horror feeling her stomach twist. “I just saw this seal. W-what is this? What…”

Rose looked up at Sorey, watching as he ran a hand through his hair. Mikleo was quick to claim his left hand, Rose catching the familiar shine of Sorey’s ring on his finger. She didn’t need to look at Mikleo to know where his was, around his neck like always.

She jerked her gaze away when Sorey sighed. She watched as he leaned forward, Sorey giving her a weary smile. “Rose, I’d like you to meet Mikleo.”

Rose blinked at him. “Yeah, I know him. The whole town knows him.”

“I know. And I’d like you to meet my seal.”

Rose looked at Mikleo as Sorey draped an arm over his shoulders. Mikleo’s expression didn’t waver, but he lifted the pelt slightly to show her the face. Rose recoiled slightly, but stared at the pelt. There was no denying that it was Sorey’s seal, the same seal that she’d seen alive and well just a few minutes before. Elysian rights or not, Rose was sure that she would have heard the process of skinning a seal. She should have heard Mikleo in the house too. But she hadn’t heard him, there had only been the seal and then there had been Mikleo. And Sorey had called the other seal Natalie and had been giving her sugar.

She wasn’t aware that she was shaking her head until Sorey leaned forward. “Rose, just…I need you to listen. My seal and Mikleo are the same person…seal. They’re the same.”

“That’s not possible.”

“And yet here I sit.”

Rose shot Mikleo an annoyed look, keeping it up even when Sorey started talking again.

“You’ve heard all of their stories just as much as I have. We both grew up hearing all the old legends of the Elysians. They always said that they came from the sea, came from seals. We just thought that they were old legends, but it’s true. They literally come from seals. All of them. I don’t know how, but it’s not my place to question it.”

Rose turned her attention to Sorey, watching him to see if he was lying. “So your in-laws are seals?”

Sorey nodded, a smile crossing his face. “Yes. Zenrus is the old seal that always naps on the pier, Laurence is the only always going into the coffee shop. Dezel spends most of his days napping by your store.”

“The hell he does!”

“Rose-”

“Dezel says you’re concerned about the new spice deal.” Rose froze as Mikleo spoke. He seemed to take that as permission to keep going because he leaned forward. “You’re worried that no one in Camlann will buy them because they’re used to the way that their food tastes. You’re considering only selling them during the tourist seasons and hoping that it takes off from there. But you’re going to hold off until you talk to Brad about it.”

Rose stared at him with wide eyes. “How do you know that?!”

Mikleo shrugged. “Dezel told me. He’s been looking up recipes for those spices to try them out. He’s tried out a few and you’ve got a market in Elysia. We’re always looking for new ways to do fish.”

Rose was sure that she looked like one of those fish, her eyes wide and her mouth open, but there was nothing that she could do otherwise. All of those conversations had been done in private, with only the blind seal as company. Rose had been sure that no one was around, because she didn’t want to be found talking to a seal. Besides, she hadn’t told anyone else, not even Brad.

She sat back in her chair, looking between Sorey and Mikleo. She couldn’t figure out if she wanted to laugh and scream, because Sorey was starting to make sense. That could only mean that she was going insane. Or, that Sorey and Mikleo were telling the truth.  

She didn’t know which one was worse.

Rose looked between the two of them one more time before pointing at Sorey. “You married a seal!”

“I did.” Sorey gave Mikleo a fond look, Mikleo returning it. Mikleo leaned into Sorey, snuggling up to him in a very familiar way. It was the way that the seal away moved close to Sorey, and it made so much more sense; how the seal was so comfortable around Sorey, why Mikleo never wore his wedding ring on his finger, why Mikleo seemed to know exactly what Sorey had doing at the research institute before Sorey could talk about it.

Rose groaned and dragged her hands down her face. She glanced down at her tea cup, staring at the dark brew for a moment before picking up the mug. It felt warm and it smelled normal, which was what she needed. She needed something familiar and calming while she made everything make sense in her head. And, judging from the way that Sorey and Mikleo were snuggling up to each other, she would have plenty of time to do it.

#sormik #my fic #tales of zestiria

[travelasdesired]

This fall I decided to visit a new country. The country of Wales. Wales is a fairly small country with a huge personality. I traveled throughout the entire country on this trip but I’m dividing it into several parts, Llanduando and Conwy, Snowdonia and Caernarfon, Port Merion, St. David’s and Pembrokeshire, then Swansea and Chepstow. If you’re looking for a destination full of castles and breathtaking scenery look no further.

Things to consider before you go

The first thing to know about Wales and is probably one of the reasons it’s not a hot travel destination with tourists is that you really need a car. There is some public transportation but there is not a lot of it. If you really want to see the country you need your own car.

North Wales tends to be quite sleepy. Not that there aren’t a ton of things to do but a lot of places close at 6 pm. You can find restaurants open after 6 and some bars but if you’re looking to grab a coffee at Starbucks or a cafe after dinner you’ll be out of luck.

If you like castles and abbeys get the Explorer Pass. I knew I was going to be in Wales for the better part of two weeks so I invested. It allows you entrance into 28 sites throughout Wales. I purchased the 7-day pass to be used in 14 days for roughly $35 and it was well worth it.

The last thing to know is that much like the rest of Great Britain they drive on the left and they love their roundabouts. Although at first, this was a little nerve-wracking you quickly get used to it. One driving rule to keep in mind. Many of the roads are very narrow. Be kind and let others pass. The Welsh know their roads and tend to travel at higher speeds than posted. One Welshman told me, one of their biggest pet peeves is when someone is driving on the road at a slower speed and they don’t leave enough room between them and the next car for another car to pass in between. So be mindful when you’re driving in Wales to leave at least a 1 to 2 car length gap between you and the car in front of you.

First stop Llanduando

Llandudno is a gorgeous seaside town. It came to prominence during the reign of Queen Victoria as a place to visit and relax. That feeling is still very much the tone of this town. This was also my base for the first few days of my trip. Poised on the Northern coast this Victorian town is beautifully laid out and conducive to long walks along its huge promenade.

Things to do

Take a walk along the Llandudno promenade to the Llandudno pier. The pier is full of little shops and eateries where you can get everything from a souvenir mug to a fist full of candy floss.

Take a trip up to Great Orme. You can either drive up or take the Great Orme tram. If you drive, make sure you stop at the little kiosk and pay for parking. At the top, you will be greeted with sweeping views on three sides as well as some local sheep.

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Follow The White Rabbit trail. All throughout Llandudno, there are wooden statues of the characters in Alice In Wonderland. There is an interactive app you can download to find the White Rabbit. Along the way, you’ll meet the Cheshire cat, The Queen of Hearts and many other favorites.

Places to Eat

Being a resort town Llandudno has quite a few options. Here are some of my suggestions.

The Palladium, Wetherspoon’s – Each time I stopped in here it was packed. The food is good and there is truly something for everyone here. The restaurant was once a theater that was popular in the 1920s. They kept the decor and arranged the seating so you can eat in one of the boxes or in the orchestra. The main feature is that they kept those architectural elements of the theater which makes for a great dining experience.

LC Bar – Located two blocks from the Palladium this cozy bar had an affordable and delicious menu. Their Steak and Ale pie is divine and they had a blackberry Gin I wish I had brought home.

The Loaf Coffee & Sandwich bar – For a good breakfast and some tasty coffee stop at the Loaf. It’s only open for breakfast and lunch so make sure you hit it up early.

Where I Stayed

There are quite a few options for accommodations in Lluduano. I stayed at Del Mar. It was perfect. It provided on-site parking as well as a gorgeous full welsh breakfast every morning. The room was comfortable and the staff was lovely and very helpful.

Next Up Conwy

Conwy is a short 10-minute drive from Llundudno. I took the Hop on Hop off bus which left from the beginning of the Pier and dropped me off two blocks from the entrance to Conwy castle. Conwy is a medieval walled city with cute alleyways and several historic landmarks as well as great cafes and shops.

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Things to do

Conwy Castle – When you approach Conwy from Llundudno it’s the first thing you see. This imposing structure bars the way into the village of Conwy. Built by Edward I between 1283 and 1287, it is considered to be one of the finest examples of military architecture from the late 13th century. Most of the castle is open to explore with many of the turrets providing outstanding views of the village and harbor of Conwy.

The Smallest House in Great Britain – If you want to see a novelty head to the harbor to see the smallest house in Great Britain. It is 1.8 meters wide and has two floors. Bring cash because they don’t take credit cards.

Plas Mawr – A gorgeous example of an Elizabethan townhouse. Take the time to walk through the beautifully preserved house and garden. A free audio guide is provided so you can move through the house in any direction you like. This is included in the Explorer pass.

Conwy Town Walls – Much like in York the town walls are available to walk. It’s also included in the Explorer pass.

Places to eat

Bank of Conwy – I was fooled when I approached the Bank. I was looking for an ATM and thought it was a bank. Instead, I found a really great pub. With great food and a cool ambiance, this is a must stop.

The Press Room Cafe – Situated just below the castle this is a great little cafe with lovely desserts and coffee.

Tower Coffee House – This little cafe sits in one of the parapets in the city wall facing the harbor. It’s a great place to sit and enjoy tea especially when they have the fire going.

I loved this country and I cannot understand why it’s so underrated. From the people to the scenery there are few places that are so dynamic. For more information or if you want tips and help to book a trip to Wales send me a message. I would be more than happy to help you book your trip to this beautiful and pristine country. Until next time

Solo Trip, Llanduando and Conwy, Wales This fall I decided to visit a new country. The country of Wales. Wales is a fairly small country with a huge personality.

#Conwy #Conwy Castle #Conwy Walls #Great Orme #Hop on Hop Off Bus #Independent travel #Llanduando #Llanduando Pier #Plas Mawr #Smallest House in Great Britain #Solo Travel #Solo traveling #Wales

[mnranger5]

“Falling” in the NorthEast, Boston, MA, Portland, ME, Boothbay, ME, Whitefield, NH,  9/27/19 – 10/1/19

More than once on this trip, we heard people say they “SUMMER” in the Boothbay, Kennebunkport and in the rolling mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont.  One older gentleman, with a sweater draped over his back, sleeves tied around his chest, explained it on our evening ocean sail, as “Summering, as a verb.”  Well, we here in the Midwest have our own term - it’s called “VACATIONING.”  And since it is no longer summer, this trip is VACATIONING IN THE FALL.  But, in the spirit of rebranding words to sound like an East Coast Hoity Toity, this blog is all about Dyan and I FALLING across the northeastern United States.  

One of our bucket list trips was an east coast roadtrip which included indulging in an obscene amount of lobster and taking in the brilliant fall foliage in the White Mountain National Forrest.  So, for Dyan’s birthday, I booked this trip for her.  This turned out to be a wonderful getaway as we wandered around the NE with no real agenda.  Having no plans really allowed us to get creative with the journey and we ended up stumbling on some very interesting locations and activities.  And the people watching on this trip was priceless.  Surely worth more laughs than the best SNL skit.

9/27/19

Like all our trips, we were up early.  Our 6:50 flight took off just after sunrise and we surfed the clouds at 35,000 feet all the way to Boston.  A quick little 2-hour flight of smooth sailing is my kind of travel!

We Uber’ed over to the Courtyard Marriott hotel in downtown Boston.  This hotel is directly across the street from the TD Boston Garden, the venue for the concert we’d be attending later that night.  With the room not being ready yet, Dyan and I ventured out into downtown, in search of a lunch-time lobster roll.  We settled on Luke’s Lobster.  We ate at Luke’s on our first visit to Boston, and we both recalled it being delicious.  We ordered the lobster rolls, drizzled in warm butter and a side of clam chowder. The lobster rolls were fabulous, albeit pricey.  At $25 for a hot dog sized sandwich, it’ll leave you wanting two more.

After lunch, we walked around a bit more seeing some of the Freedom Trail sites.  We walked the entire Freedom Trail on our first visit in August of 2016, so this time we hit one main exhibit that had been closed for restoration.  Old Ironsides, also known as, the U.S.S. Constitution.  We toured the ship for nearly an hour.  An absolute highlight for me that I had been hoping I’d get to see since our trip in 2016.

For dinner, we chose Bell in the Hand Tavern, American’s oldest tavern.  This storied establishment has been around since 1795. Obviously, it’s been renovated, but the bones and stonework of the building are original.  Of course, their specialty is cold drinks and seafood. Yes please.  We got the best seat in the house, the table at the point of the restaurant.

Obviously, we ordered oysters and lobster rolls and beer.  While we ate absolutely everything on our plates, they were probably our least favorite lobster rolls of the trip, and most expensive at $28/roll.  The lobster was a bit dry, the buns weren’t griddled and the shredded lettuce under the lobster was wilted.  Complaining about having to eat lobster…first world problems.

After dinner, we walked a couple of blocks over to an establishment where everybody knows your name. And they’re always glad you came!

Yep, the original Cheers! bar.  It was here Dyan fell for unfiltered, “chunky” cider beer called DownEast Cider.

From there, it was over to the Boston Garden, home of the Boston Celtics and Bruins.  A storied facility, like its well-known brother down the street called Fenway Park.  But tonight, was not about Larry Bird’s basketball team or Bobby Orr’s hockey team. Tonight, was a different kind of birthday gift for Dyan.  Tickets to The Chainsmokers & 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) concert!  We had great seats too, sitting low on the side just off stage left.  Opening act, Lennon Stella, was underwhelming, as she played to about 5,000 fans that were in the process of filtering into the area.  Her set felt very small on the massive stage and worse, all her songs sounded the same.

The second band of the night were the Ausie Punk Rockers, 5SOS.  These guys were full of energy from the moment they hit the stage.  Easily could be headliners of their own show, they rolled out all their hits including their hard rock version of Easier, one of my favorite songs.  They did a sweet cover of Blink 182’s What’s My Name and closed their set down with an amazing rendition of Youngbloods.  5SOS was amazing, and we agreed we’d both go see them again.

The headliner was the DJ duo, The Chainsmokers.  This is one of our favorites.  While we aren’t part of the stereotypical rave or EDM crowd, we do love a good Chainsmokers remix on then Sonos while we’re cooking dinner for the kiddos! Anyway, the show was more like a spectacle.  There were more laser lights, smoke, pyrotechnics, flaming drumsticks, motorbikes, giant suspended metal globes (which the bikes rode in), and great music than any show I have ever been to.  The show was probably the best show either of us have ever been to.  They opened the set with Takeaway (with Lennon Stella) before hitting just about every hit they’ve ever made, like Paris, Something Just Like This, Don’t Let Me Down, Call You Mine, This Feeling, Who Do You Love (with 5SOS) before closing with Closer.  From 5SOS to The Chainsmokers, Dyan and I never sat in our seats. Boston got to see all my best dance moves!  It was an incredible concert.

9/28/19

By 8AM, we were checked out of the hotel, and Uber’ed back to the airport to pick up our rental car. We rented from Alamo.  Just our luck… Alamo had the ONLY line in the entire rental car reservation area.  We waited in line for about 30 minutes before reaching the counter.  Obviously, I rented as cool of car as I could get my hands on.  Afterall, this was going to be a roadtrip and we needed to drive in style!  So I selected the Mustang convertible class several months earlier.  When it was our turn to approach the counter, the attendant asked me the car class I was looking for.  I told her we reserved the standard convertible.  She shot me the most dead serious look and told me the last couple at the counter had just upgraded to the last convertible.  My jaw dropped as I searched for words.  Then she flashed her pearly whites at me and said, “Just Kidding!”

Within minutes, we were headed out to the garage.  Sitting right up front were two gorgeous Mustang convertibles.  One was bright red car under the “Standard Convertible” sign, and the other was silver under the “Premium Convertible” sign.  The silver was the 5.0L Mustang GT.  The lot attendant was a 16 year old gal who likely had no idea the difference in the cars.  She lead us over to the red car.  I asked if we could take the silver car.  She shrugged her shoulders.  We picked the silver GT and got out of the garage before anybody knew any better.

Our road trip had officially begun!  First stop, Salem, MA.  Salem is a cute little town that 100% plays to tourists coming to learn about the town’s history.  Specifically, Witches and the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 – one of the most tragic events of early American History.  

There were dozens of historical sites to see in a one-mile radius stretching from downtown Salem to the waterfront.  We only had time to hit a couple of sites, so the first site we visited is the Witch House, widely considered ground zero in Salem’s eerie history.  In 1692, the home was owned by Jonathon Corwin, a wealthy merchant and politician.  He was also the magistrate and judge in Salem who presided over the Salem Witch Trials. In short, Corwin oversaw the imprisonment of 150 people (witches, thought to be practicing witchcraft) and the death of 19 (18 of which were hung, and one pressed to death.  Our second stop of the day was at The Salem Witch Trial Memorial, just blocks from Corwin’s residence.  Each of the 19 killed in 1692 have their own granite slab indicating their demise.

Our reaction to Salem was mixed.  Interesting, yes.  Creepy, yes. Sad, yes.  It is too bad all those people had to die because a couple of kids were acting out (acting like kids when they don’t get iPad time) and their parents thought somebody was casting a spell on them.  Time for people to die.  Sheash! Obviously, the story is tragic and cruel, but the entire town plays to the story. Virtually every shop in the historic area has to do with spooky costumes, Halloween decor, dark presences and witches.  It really is a bizarre place to visit with a creepy vibe.  Doubtful we’d ever go back.

Next stop on the roadtrip was Kennebunkport.  This little gem of a coastal town is quaint, yet insanely overcrowded with tourist milling around.  The two hotspots, The Clam Shack and Arundel Wharf Seafood had very long lines, so we settled on Alisson’s Restaurant because it had immediate seating.  Talk about a sleeper!    This place gets none of the seafood hype but delivers up some fantastic lobster rolls! Dyan got the regular lobster roll, while I ordered the lobster roll trio “sliders.”  Finally a lobster meal that was filling!

Back on the road!  By 3PM, we reached Portland.  Our hotel, the Westin Harborview, sits beautiful perched up on the hill overlooking the Fore River dumping into the Atlantic Ocean.  While waiting for our room, we had a couple of drinks at Top of the East, the rooftop hotel bar.

Later that evening, we walked from the hotel to the waterfront as we evaluated all the seafood restaurants.  Obviously, we were having lobster again, but there was a lot of restaurants to choose from. The Fisherman’s Wharf had at least a dozen piers, all of which appeared to be working docks.  They all had shops, businesses, seafood markets and a few restaurants.  So many signs stating “Best Lobster Roll”, “Freshest Lobster”, “Most Lobster”, “Affordable Lobster”.  How do you choose?  We were drowning in choices.  We took a walk down Portland Pier seeing neon lights at the very end.  Must be another lobster joint…  As we got closer, the establishment’s sign came into view.  It wasn’t just any lobster joint.  Nope, this was Luke’s Lobster’s flagship location – a brand new facility that just opened in June of this year. Winner-winner-lobster-dinner!    Dyan and I got seated waterfront on the patio. We had an amazing view of the sunset at low tide.

9/29/19

It was another gorgeous autumn morning.  After a delicious breakfast at the Westin, we headed north.  With the heater blasting, and Dyan covered in our jackets, we cruised with the top down through the Maine Points.  

One of our stops was at Bath, ME.  Prior to the trip, dad gave me a tip that this is the location of Bath Iron Works (BIW), the defense contractor that builds the United States elite warships. While we really couldn’t get close to the ship, we did have a couple vantage points of the USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118), and Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.  This destroyer is widely considered the world’s most advanced surface warship.

As we crossed the Kennebec River, we got a different view of BIW, and saw a different ship currently being fitted.  It was the USS Lyndon B Johnson (DDG-1002).  The Lyndon B will be the third and final Zumwalt-class destroyer. With out of controls costs, and 29 canceled orders, the total project costs were spread over the three ships at a staggering price of 7.5 billion dollars per ship.  Yikes!

On our way to Boothbay, we made a wrong turn and ended up at Knickerbocker Park, a small island on the Black River.  

What a hidden gem this little park is.  We used this pit stop to walk a bit in the sun, and warm up!  

We arrived in Boothbay around 11:00, and proceeded to shop around the small town for about an hour. Dyan picked up a new wooden lobster marker for the family room picture shelf and also booked us a three hour afternoon sail to the nearby lighthouses on the Atlantic Ocean coastline.  

But first, lobster. We needed some in our bellies.  We had it narrowed down to two options.  McSeagulls or Mine Oyster.  Both on the water, both with seafood on the menu.  However, McSeagulls had this great cover band on their patio belting out some 80’s hits.  This was my kinda place.  Mine Oyster on the other hand seemed to be known for their oyster menu – not my thing. I remained silent, hoping Dyan would succumb to the great tunes bellowing from the bar.  Dyan chose Mine Oyster.  Of course, she did.  But this is her birthday extravaganza afterall, so whatever makes mama happy makes me happy!  We were promptly seated at the patio overlooking the Boothbay Harbor.  Full disclosure, other than for breakfast, we had lobster for every single meal thus far.  We kind of wanted to try some other fresh caught seafoods.  First up, Dyan got a small order of Oysters Rockafeller (sambuca flambéed spinach, garlic, shallots, bacon, cream and Swiss cheese) – the same style of oysters her and dad fell in love with while we were in Florida Keys for Alissa’s wedding.  I tried one, but it just reaffirmed that oysters are not my thing!  Dyan on the other hand was in Heaven.  We also got an order of fresh Maine squid, fried up into delicious calamari.

But oysters and calamri weren’t very filling.  The waiter told us that if we ordered the woodfired lobster dinner, he would personally guarantee that we’d never have better lobster in our life.  EVER.  That’s a hell of a guarantee.  Obviously, there was no saying “NO” to that claim.  And so, we had lobster for lunch, again.

It was served, pre-split for us.  The shells and edge of the lobster were a bit blacked from the wood fire.  But the meat glistened with a garlic/lemon butter.  It was obvious this place knew how to prepare lobster, and from bite #1, they made good on their guarantee.  We had had some great lobster on this trip, but the smokiness of the woodfire put this lobster in an entirely different category.  There literally was no comparison to this lobster. The meat literally fell out of the shell and into your stomach…not sure if I ever chewed.  Dyan and I spent 30 minutes peeling every tiny shred of meat out of every tentacle, tail orifice and claw.  This was one of the best meals I have ever had in my life.  And the fingerling potatoes served with it would have stolen the show on any other entrée except this one.  They were roasted perfectly in a butter glaze. Crispy skin and soft creamy middle. This restaurant  This meal could easily be the ONLY reason necessary to visit Boothbay.  Just wow. We sat on the patio for two hours drinking cold beers and watching lobster boats coming and going from the harbor.

Next up, was our sail boat ride on the Schooner Eastwind.  A perfectly relaxing sail for Dyan, but a working sail for me.  Within 5 minutes of boarding, we broke dock and were out into the harbor.  The captain and 1st officer needed assistance raising the sails.  

Obviously, I volunteered.  Me and another guy hoisted the main sail to full mast. Immediately, the wind caught the sail and we were heading south out to the ocean.  The trip took us past Burnt Island Lighthouse and Cuckolds Lighthouse. 

While no whales were spotted, some on the boat claimed to see multiple porpoises.  We did see a seal swimming through our wake which was pretty cool. It was a perfect day for sailing – bluebird skies, temps in the 60’s with some decent wind.  At the midpoint of our sail, we passed Cape Island, better known as Witch Island.  This island was owned by Margret Hamilton, better known as the Wicked Witch of the East from Wizard of Oz.  Apparently, she was a lovely woman and was known in the area for the being such a kind and sweet natured person!

After our sail, we headed out to Spruce Point Inn, our resort for the night.  Our cabin had a front row seat to a gorgeous Boothbay/Atlantic Ocean sunset.

We had a very comical end to the night that Dyan and I just could not stop laughing about.  It was 8PM and we were famished.  We took the shuttle back into Boothbay for dinner.  There was a quaint Italian restaurant, The Ports of Italy, that seemed to be the local favorite.  We didn’t have reservations, so it was a bit of a wait. Great people watching, however. Like, better than the state fair or airport.  Lots of old money and tourists made for an entertaining dinner.  Because this restaurant is quite small, the tables are virtually on top of each other.  After being seated, a younger couple was sat directly next to us.  They kept looking over at Dyan and I, clearly judging what we were eating.  I had this GIGANTIC plate of spaghetti in front of me and Dyan an equally large portion of lobster ravioli.  We chowed like nobody’s business.  We even ordered a second basket of bread just so we could mop up the sauce left on our dishes.  Meanwhile, the other couple was eating dainty salads with their glasses of vino.  They obviously could not believe how much food we had consumed.  They didn’t disguise their non-verbals very well.  Then we ordered dessert…not one, but two!  Cheesecake and lemon cake.  Obviously, those plates didn’t last long.  And the looks from our neighbors just kept on coming.  I could have eaten another basket of bread, but I refrained.  

After dinner, we walked around town.  Most of the shops were closed.  It was cold, as temps had dropped into the 40’s.  Neither of us had brought our jackets.  There was a shop that was open a couple blocks ahead of us with people streaming in and out of.  It was an ice cream parlor, and our hope was that they’d have some hot coffee.  We walked in, stood in the long line and glanced at the menu.  No coffee. We turned around and guess who was right behind us in line.  Yep, the couple from the Italian restaurant.  They must’ve really fallen off their rockers when they saw us in line – probably thought we were ordering our second desserts.  What a riot!

9/30/19

As beautiful of a resort as Spruce Point Inn is, we didn’t stick around long in the morning.  We were headed for the hills of New Hampshire by 9AM.  We stopped for a quick breakfast-on-the-road at Dunkin Donuts which brings me to a rant about the Northeast.  I am a pop drinker.  At several locations in the NE (including this Dunkin), we stopped to get pop – Dr. pepper for Dyan and Diet Pepsi for me.  Everytime we cracked a 20oz. bottle, there was no “PSSSSST”.  The pop was perfectly flat - no fizz, no bubbles, absolutely void of any carbonation.  It was like this nearly everywhere.  

By the end of the trip, the common denominator for the carbonation-less soda was bottles with this symbol on the cap.  Bizarre and disappointing because we probably wasted at least $10 on bad pop before figuring out not to buy pop with that cap.

The drive into New Hampshire was stunning.  We drove winding mountain roads as we climbed in elevation.  The fall foliage went from early signs of fall to full blown peak colors in a matter of an hour.  Brilliant reds and oranges cascaded down the mountains.  These are the colors that people rave about on NE fall road trips!

With the top down, we cruised along New Hampshire backroads that aren’t even recognized by the GPS. Around noon, we arrived at our stately resort, Mountain View Grand Resort, perched high on a hill in the White Mountains.  

The resort, built in 1865, is a massive, sprawling compound complete with a golf course, farm (with animals), mountain trails, pools, tennis courts and axe throwing. The place is magnificent. 

We were too early to check in, so we had a great lunch in the restaurant before heading outdoors to rent mountain bikes.  Yep, we were about to go mountain biking dressed in our Sunday-best.  And for the record, we aren’t bikers.  Renting bikes had as much paperwork as buying a new car. The Activities Manager, Mike, asked us our skill level, which prompted a response like “This is our first bike ride in 30 years.”  He laughed. He was planning to send us on Trail 1. He assured us it would be easy. He built up how much fun we’d have. “It’s a nice scenic view of the White Mountains.” We were sold!  His parting words were, “Stay right on the Old Farm Road (OFR) until you see a sign for Trail 1, then take a left.”  

Great! We were off.  OFR is a significantly long downhill  dirt road out the backside of the resort.  Within moments, Dyan and I were going WAY too fast on the loose gravel.

At this point in the story, I should mention that OFR has no clear signage.  There are several forks in the road to other dirt roads.  I recalled Mike saying “stay right”, so I called out to Dyan to take the right fork.  It led us into the resort maintenance area…a dead end.  We retraced our path uphill to the fork, walking the bikes up the steep road.  This was the first moment I regretted jeans and a sweater.

We headed back down OFR approaching another fork.  This time Dyan called out the right fork.  The road meandered into the woods and abruptly dead ended after a quarter of a mile.  Ugh, backtrack again.  This was annoying.

As Dyan walked her bike uphill, I rode my bike hard in a standing position, to get more power. SNAP!  My pedal flew out from under me as my foot slipped off causing me to nearly lose my balance.  The chain had popped off.  

Frustrating. I spent a few minutes getting the chain connected again, leaving my hands black with oil and nowhere to clean them off. After backtracking, we continued down OFR looking for Trail 1.  We came across a an unmarked trail.  Feeling like we had gone WAY TOO FAR on OFR, we decided to take it.  It turned out to be Trail 3, and Intermediate blue rout full of up/downs and rocks to dodge.  We obviously had gone the wrong way, but whow would we have known since the trails were not clearly marked.

As we huffed and puffed on Trail 3, we approached a fork in the road.  To the right was Trail 5, but straight was unmarked.  The unmarked trail turned out to be Trail 4, the most difficult trail on the mountain.  It was So steep, there were points we had to stop and walk our bikes.  My chain continued popping off, and Dyan’s bike wouldn’t shift into higher gears.  She was stuck doing uphills in very low gear settings – which made the challenging ride virtually impossible!

Trail 4 was the most challenging because it was super steep.  I swore under my breath a few times at the long meander downhill that OFR tool us on.  This was the payback.  An intense uphill with seemingly no end in sight.  After 30 minutes on Trail 4, we arrived at a junction with a sign that said, Trail 1!  Finally. Trail 1 gave us a nice easy ride out to the paved Mountain View Road where we could enjoy some of the beautiful scenery without having to worry what was over the next hill!  By this time however, Dyan was beat from her gear shifter not working, and I was a filthy mess from fixing my chain a half dozen times. When returning the bikes, Mike made a comment about how greasy my hand were.  I told him of our chain and gear shifting problems which caused him to react oddly.  He actually blamed the problems on us stating that while Dyan’s bike was gear shifting hard, it must have been user error because “it worked for him.”  He went on to tell me that I was obviously riding the bike wrong if the chain kept coming off.  He was quite defensive, so Dyan and I headed to the front desk to check in to the room – we had lots of plans this evening!

First up, we had a wine tasting in the 1865 Wine Cellar.  I can’t tell you the kinds of wine we tasted, but they were pretty tasty.  They also served cheese, crackers and fruit, which was a nice little snack before dinner.

And speaking of dinner, we had reservations at Stickney’s Steak and Chop Pub, in the iconic Omni Resort at Mt. Washington – a quick 15 minute drive from our resort.  This place is supposed to be a world-class steakhouse, but it ended up being anything but that.

We aren’t wine drinkers, but thought we might try it with our steak dinners.  We asked the waiter for a sweeter red wine.  Dyan and I chose differently based on his recommendations. Neither ended up being sweet at all. Mine tasted like jet fuel, and Dyan’s was like a glass of red vinegar (although, she didn’t complain about hers).  After one sip, I ordered a Diet Pepsi.  

For starters, we selected the crisp fried mozzarella, which was a giant brick of mozzarella with little fried coating.  We also both got the filet mignon.  I don’t know how you mess up a filet, but they surely did.  No seasoning not cooked very well and just overall a tough piece of meat.  That would be the worst $150 we spent on the trip.  Dinner was a bust, but at least we got a good laugh!

10/1/19

I had expected today to be a boring drive on the interstate back to Boston to catch a flight home. However, the drive turned out to have some really fun impromptu stops which ended up being highlights of the trip.

Being that we were only 10 minutes away from the Bernie Sanders territory, we decided to make the trip west to the N.H./Vermont border town of Lancaster for breakfast.  Then, we crossed the state line into Vermont and made our way down highways through the sleepy towns along the Connecticut River. Just outside of Lunenburg, VT, we crossed the Mount Orne Covered Bridge.  This was our first covered bridge of the trip!

We continued south winding along the river and valleys, taking in the vibrant red and orange foliage that canvassed the mountains.  It was the most beautiful fall colors we had seen the entire trip.

We joined up with I-93 in St. Johnsbury and headed southeast toward Boston.  

It didn’t take long for us to start gaining elevation as we made out way out of Franconia and up Cannon Mountain.

Just past the very intense black diamonds of the ski area were signs for Flume Gorge.  I recall seeing the first sign for the area and turning to Dyan and saying something like, “That sounds like a cool place!” Dyan looked at me and said, “I was thinking the same thing!”  Neither of us knew what a Flume Gorge was, but we took the next exit, because we were now on an adventure to find out.  The Flume Gorge could have been a trail, an amusement park ride, a historical site, a logging mill or maybe even a hotel or restaurant.  We didn’t even know where it was.  It could have been an hour away or maybe longer?  Just off the interstate we got our first idea what and where the Flume Gorge was.  On the exit ramp was a state park sign for Flume Gorge telling indicating it was less than a mile away.  Sweet!

The parking lot was in the middle of the mountainous forest, and it was packed with cars.  Hikers were milling around in their big boots, rain gear and cold weather clothes.  Dyan and I looked like we were dressed for a summer day on the water.  Shorts and flip flops.  The cold damp weather was not going to stop us from doing or seeing whatever this Flume gorge thing is…

We approached the visitor’s center where mountaineers stood in line for tickets.  When it was our turn, we asked, “What are we standing in line to buy tickets for?”  The ranger pulled out a map with hiking trails leading to Flume Gorge.  It was deep ravine with rushing water running through it creating multiple cascading waterfalls.  It was a 2-3 hour round trip hike, but if we used the shuttle, to the base of the gorge, it was a 1.5 hour hike.  The ranger told us it would be wet, slick and muddy.  I looked down at my flip flops, and Dyan’s cute canvas shoes. Our eyes met, smiling, knowing there was no chance we were leaving that place without experiencing the Flume Gorge. We bought tickets.

Because we were pressed a bit for time (we did have a flight out of Boston in 6 hours, and were still a solid 2 hour drive from the airport), we opted to take a shuttle to the base of the gorge.  The shuttle ride is super cool because it took us across the Flume Covered Bridge – the most photographed covered bridge in all of New Hampshire.  

After a .5 mile hike up a steep trail, we reached our entrance to the gorge (which is actually the exit because it’s where the water flows out of the gorge).  The granite walls shoot straight up in the air nearly 100 feet.  The pathway through the gorge is a narrow platform that has been constructed to walk above water level.  The water flows through the gorge, which is never more than 20 feet wide. If you have claustrophobia, this is NOT the place for you.  The walkway raises alongside the gorge wall as it zig zags across the water giving visitors the best views of the waterfalls.

It took about 45 minutes to make our way through the 800-foot long gorge.  And by the end, we were way up on top of the gorge, where the creek dumps in.   This was one of the coolest stops on our trip.

By noon, we made it to the Mustang and were about to get back on the interstate, but first needed some fuel.  We were in the run down resort town of Lincoln, NH when we stopped at Irving Oil. A Gas Station that will certainly leave an impression on you.  This is ground zero to the Betty and Barney Hill alien abduction.  The gas station is full of newspaper articles, pictures and documents explaining the events that had taken place.  Complete with alien blow up dolls and visitor t-shirts this gas station was an experience that caters to the tourists.

The remainder of our drive into Boston was not nearly as eventful.  We actually arrived a few hours early, so we sat at Constitution Beach Park and watched jets land over Belle Isle Inlet.  

Around 6PM, we were wheels up en route to Minneapolis.  There were some pretty good lines of storms over the NorthEast and upper Midwest, so our flight path diverted us way north over Sault Saint Marie in Canada before finally bringing us home.  The flight was over 4 hours, which was nearly double our flight time to Boston.

This trip solidified Boston as our favorite Big City to visit.  

[my-greatseo-love]

TWO WAY RADIO RENTALS SAN FRANCISCO

On the off chance that you appreciate dynamic, autonomous shore journeys, you share something for all intents and purpose with the developing number of voyage travelers who would prefer not to be crowded onto one of a long queue of transports at each port.

"In the previous three to four years, autonomous game plans have developed in light of the fact that a more youthful group of spectators needs something more than sitting on a transport," said Joe L'Episcopo, Holland America's Shore Excursion chief on the Maasdam,. "Some are decidedly ready with every one of the maps and writing and prepared to go when they get on." RADIO RENTALS BOSTON

As a "youthful" 60+ year-old cruiser, I want to orchestrate my own trips and discover it more often than not costs less. While numerous travelers center around the "great life" on board deliver, for me, the ship fills in as an agreeable inn that likewise gives the most advantageous and reasonable transportation to where I need to travel.

A month ago, I picked the Maasdam to visit five of the most well known ports on Canada/New England travels: Bar Harbor, Maine; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; Quebec; and Boston, where the voyage started.

Here are a couple of tips to enable you to design free exercises to capitalize on every day shorewards on a Canada/New England journey. The "On the off chance that You Go" sidebar incorporates contact data and costs.

Start PLANNING AT HOME

o Check (Tourist Office World Directory) for data about each port. With a Google search you are probably going to get anyone, however the official traveler departments' assets are supported.

o "Exploration cautiously to know the whole zone and the port's impediments. Try not to attempt to do excessively," prompts L'Episcopo.

o After examining the data, contrast what interests you and what is accessible on board send.

o Be certain to bring all contact data from home - names, telephone numbers, and email addresses.

ON THE SHIP

o If you come up short on research time at home, your mobile phone and the ship's web association are important.

o While tasting a tall hot foamy cup of bistro latte in the Maasdam's new Explorations Café, a digital café/library, it's amusing to surf the net and peruse through movement guides for more data.

o Before touching base at each port, call to affirm the time, spot, and cost of your shore trip.

o Whenever you make your own game plans, consistently make certain the administrator has the correct protection and hardware.

BAR HARBOR

The ship's biking visit ended up being my best decision. There were just eight of us (not 25 - 30!) who needed to ride along the rock carriage trails of Acadia National Park .

Luckily, our guide was a specialist inhabitant naturalist who likewise fixed my chain on a specific soak grade close Cadillac Mountain, the most noteworthy point on the eastern seaboard.

A short time later, there was simply sufficient opportunity to visit with a couple of local people over a chilly brew and sandwich at Gaylyns, a well known hang-out on Main Street. PHONE RENTALS BOSTON

HALIFAX

My neighborhood contact suggested the "Huge Three" activities: Pier 21; the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic; and the Deluxe Halifax City Tour of the Victorian Public Gardens, Titanic Grave Sites, and Citadel.

Wharf 21's intuitive gallery shows reproduced the piercing accounts of the million Canadian foreigners who had touched base at a similar dock where the Maasdam tied down. It was a disgrace that the greater part of the ship's travelers strolled directly past it, not recognizing what a magnificent encounter they had missed.

CHARLOTTETOWN

Ocean kayaking was a choice, yet for some obscure reason, the ship never again offered a biking visit through the island's quiet field on the Confederation Trail. In any case, it was anything but difficult to take a taxi to the Trailside Café at Mount Stewart, where my companion and I leased well-kept up bikes and protective caps.

Cautious not to hazard missing the ship's flight at 1:30 p.m, we went poorly far away from home on the trail's fantastic stone residue surface. Had we encountered an incident and couldn't contact the ship, we'd most likely be deserted. On the off chance that a ship-supported visit were deferred, nonetheless, the ship would pause.

Sentimental QUEBEC

Quebec is primarily French in inclination. The Old City's lower town is over the road from the ship, so you can without much of a stretch meander through the restricted cobbled paths of Petit Champlain's enchanting bistros and walkway bistros. A short time later, a 12-minute funicular ride whisks you up to visit the fantasy palace inn, Chateau Frontenac. Close-by, at a gigantic urban park called the Plains of Abraham, there are more open doors for acknowledging society, history and donning interests. Horseback riding, boating, and bicycling are other engaging outside undertakings in Quebec. To investigate the wide open , organize a private minivan to meet you at the dock. Unquestionably, the cost is correct.

BOSTON AND CAPE COD

In the wake of landing the ship at Montreal , I came back to Boston to meet my sister for the long Memorial Day weekend.

Our inn was advantageously near Boston Commons and the Public Gardens, ideal spots for a lively morning walk. Afterward, we strolled to Boston's Long Wharf to board the hour and a half quick ship to Provincetown, Cape Cod. The traveler office toward the finish of Provincetown's dock gave us headings to the island's trolley trip, bicycle rental shop, and Art's Sand Dune voyage through the national seashore.

Back in Boston, we ruled against taking the city's prevalent Duck Tour in a World War II landing art painted to resemble a gaudy fair ride. As it drove directly into the Charles River, the guide urged travelers to proceed their "quack-quack-quack-ing.

Rather, a private guide met us at the inn for "Boston Your Way", a visit all the more engaging a National Public Radio group of spectators. While Maryglen Vincen's visits don't have a great deal of stun, she truly knows her "stuff" and can bring a vehicle into the restricted avenues of North End and Beacon Hill where the long queue of vacationer transports don't go.

Judy Zimmerman is a 20-year-experienced proficient travel essayist with claims to fame in cruising, western U.S. goals, delicate experience travel, spas and administration articles. Visit This Website=>https://www.ankerwireless.com/

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[sophiewriteswordsfromfaraway]

2: TEMPLE-HOPPING IN BANGKOK

DAY .5

We arrived in Bangkok in the late evening. After making our way through the standard airport immigration rigmarole, we hopped in a taxi cab and sped through the city to Siamaze Hostel. We checked in and headed to our beautifully modern and delightfully clean hostel room--a welcome change from our last location--for a much-needed night sleep. 

DAY 1

Considering we will be in Thailand for some time and another visit to Bangkok is certainly inevitable, we took the liberty of enjoying a lazy morning of free and delicious hostel breakfast: toast, eggs, and fresh pineapple.

Soon after, we left the hostel in pursuit of Tealicious, a highly-recommended and vegetarian-friendly tea house in the heart of Bangkok, and were able to experience two of the many forms of transportation (see no. 1 & 2 below) available in Thailand’s capital city. 

BANGKOK (& BEYOND) TRANSPORTATION: A CONDENSED LIST

1. MRT - Metropolitan Rapid Transit; the subway system connecting major areas of Bangkok

2. BTS - Bangkok Mass Transit System or Skytrain; an elevated train system

3. Taxi Cabs - self-explanatory

4. Tuk Tuk - auto-rickshaw; small metal cabin with a seat connected to/pulled by a motorbike

5. Canal (Khlong) Express Ferries - mid-sized water bus/boat; hop on or hop off at a certain stop along the river or canal

6. Motorbike/Motorbike Taxi - just as it sounds; you pay, hop on the back of a motorbike, and get from point A to point B

Both the subway and elevated train were easily navigable and rider friendly. Our biggest takeaway were the black, plastic tokens issued instead of paper tickets. You scan your token to enter the boarding area and then, upon completion of your trip, deposit your token into a slot to exit. What an incredible way to cut down on the use of paper and resulting trash in the city! Consider our minds blown. 

We found Tealicious tucked into a small alleyway off a busy thoroughfare. Our meal was just as scrumptious as we had hoped. Compared to Beijing, the vegetarian options in Thailand seemed endless. We capped off the meal with a decadent Thai iced coffee *que angels singing*. 

Next was a rainy walk to the Central Pier in order to hop on the Canal Express Ferry. The ferry doesn’t quite fit the bill of a traditional American ferry boat. It is an open-air, mid-size boat with seats on each side and a middle aisle for standing. Think of the layout for an elevated train car--but on the water. It flies through the Chao Phraya River and connected canals and stops intermittently at piers along the way for people to hop on or hop off. 

Our first stop was across the river at a Buddhist Temple called Wat Arun, which means “Temple of the Dawn.” The name comes from its pearly white exterior that reflects the early morning light. It was absolutely stunning. The entire structure is a mosaic of broken ceramic pottery pieced together to form intricate patterns and images. As we explored the exquisite temple and ornate statues, a Buddhist monk began singing a prayer at a ceremony on the grounds--the perfect soundtrack.

We hopped aboard another ferry to take us back across the river to our next temple: Wat Pho. This extraordinary site houses the largest collection of Buddha imagery in Thailand, including the infamous reclining Buddha statue. 

SOME OTHER WAT PH-UN FACTS (buh dum chh):

1. This temple is considered to be the earliest center for public education in the country.

2. There is a school of traditional medicine (herbs, massage, etc.) on the grounds.

3. It was completed in the 17th century. 

4. The reclining Buddha house in the main temple is almost 50 feet high and over 150 feet long. 

We explored the temple complex for several hours, admiring the intricate detail of every corner and soaking in the overwhelming grandeur of the temple interiors. Even a sudden rain storm couldn’t dampen the beauty: we found ourselves taking cover in a hidden courtyard garden with ancient, knobby trees and stone bird baths--an absolutely unforgettable experience. 

As the sky began to dim and the clouds continued to drizzle, we made our way back down the river. A short subway ride later, we arrived at a small cafe near our hostel for a quick dinner. Praise be for vegetarian Thai food. We finished dinner and walked back to the hostel to pack up and rest for the night. 

DAY 1.5

The next morning, we woke up early, enjoyed another lovely breakfast in the hostel’s pleasantly simple gathering space. We hopped in a cab and sped off to the airport. 

Ta-ta for now Bangkok. 

Away we go to Chiang Mai, our home for the next month. 

#greenhearttravel #teachabroad #bangkok #thailand #xploreasia

[myrish-lace-love]

Jonsa S7 Summer Challenge Day 2: Nature

Summary: Jon and Sansa are neighbors in the same apartment building who’ve grown closer over the past several months, and they’re in a relationship now. Jon’s a veteran with PTSD, so Sansa’s found a park they can go to that doesn’t allow fireworks. Sansa’s friends Margaery and Jeyne are along for the camping trip. and Jon thinks Margaery’s up to something. She is, but he’s wrong about her motivations.

Part 1 and Part 2 here.

***

Sansa squeezed Jon’s hand before they got in the car.

"I’m really happy we’re going, Jon. We can always leave, if–“

If the fireworks are too much.

“I know, sweet girl.” In truth, Jon felt better about this holiday than he had in a long time. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone anywhere for July 4th.

Anywhere apart from….best not to think about the ghosts in his apartment.

Sansa clucked her tongue. “Do we have everything? I hope we have everything. I know we checked twice, but–“

Jon put his hand on her waist. “We do. I’d bet money on it. A girl who used to organize a five-kid camping trip and a guy who knows how to pack on short notice for long trips? I think we’re okay.”

“But what if we–“

Jon kissed her nose. He could see the blue string of her bikini tied around her neck. She was wearing a short yellow sundress, and he felt completely outclassed. Talk about not boxing your weight.

“Well, we know we have the tent, because it’s strapped to the top of the car.”

They’d brought Sansa’s four-person tent for the two of them. The only tent Jon had slept one and a half people, and that would be assuming way too much on this trip.  

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“I know you have your wallet because I’ve seen you take it out of your purse four times, and I know mine’s in my back pocket. We’ve got the car keys, because the door’s unlocked.”

Sansa was smiling at him now. “And anything else we forgot, we can pick up on the way. Okay, but don’t blame me if we’re stuck without a lantern at night.”

“It’s on the left side of the trunk behind the cooler,” Jon said automatically.

Sansa laughed. “Fine, let’s go. I’m hoping we can get there before Margaery and Jeyne. There may still be a few good spots left, and I want us to get one of them.”

They’d made these arrangements last minute. Oberyn, Margaery’s boyfriend, couldn’t make it. Jeyne had stepped in. Jeyne had gone camping with the Stark family since she was ten years old. Margaery had been on more than a few Stark camping trips too, back when she was dating Sansa’s older brother, Robb. 

Jon was learning there was a history of competition between the three friends when they camped.

And it started early, based on the gleam in Sansa’s eye.

“Get ready Jon.  A minimum of pit stops, five miles above the speed limit–“

“Five?” Jon widened his eyes in exaggerated shock.

Sansa considered. “Ten then. Ten should be fine, we still shouldn’t get pulled over–“

Jon couldn’t help himself, he kissed her, being careful not to take it too far. Jon had noticed, maybe even before Sansa did, that Sansa tensed up when he did more than kiss her. He’d slid his hands under her shirt, once, and she’d trembled, even though she'd told him it was okay. She'd looked relieved and disappointed when he'd said they could wait. There seemed to be a point past which she didn’t want to go, when it came to being physically close. 

This morning, Sansa sighed into his mouth before pulling back. “What was that for?” Her eyes were a little glazed.

“How competitive you are. I love it.”

“Really? Most guys can’t stand it.”

Jon shrugged. “Most guys are idiots.”

“You’re not wrong. Let’s go. Traffic to beat.”

Plus Margaery and Jeyne, Jon thought.

***

They did, in fact, get there first, but just barely. Margaery flagged them down in the parking lot as they were walking to the campground.

“Doesn’t count Marg, we still beat you,” Sansa called out over her shoulder.

Margaery and Jeyne caught up with them on the sandy path approaching the woods. Margaery put her hand on Jon’s arm.

“Jon, it’s lovely to see you again.”

“Um, yeah. You too.” Jon took Sansa’s hand.

Jon had met Sansa's two friends a few times since he came back from vacation. Margaery hosted game nights at her house. That was the very first look Jon had gotten at Sansa’s competitive streak.

Jon tended to give Margaery a wide berth. She was beautiful, but he noted that down the same way he kept track of what color the sky was. Not that relevant. She also seemed a bit – predatory, to Jon. He was used to being hit on, but his “stoic and sullen exterior” as Sam put it, usually got rid of most girls in five minutes.

Margaery got too close for his comfort. And he couldn’t just ignore her, because she was Sansa’s best friend.

This whole social life thing was more complicated that he’d expected.

Jon got along with Jeyne better. She was quiet, but smart. Very smart. She and Sansa went neck and neck at Trivial Pursuit two weeks ago.

Sansa won, of course.

Jeyne adjusted her straw hat against the sun. “Our best bet’s probably the back of the park.”

Margaery hooked her arm into Jeyne’s.  “Lead the way, my dear.”

***

In the end there were only two campsites left, and they weren’t close together. Margaery and Jeyne would be almost ten lots over. Sansa called the site with the biggest fire pit, on account of winning the first race. They split up, and agreed to meet at the beach in half an hour.

Jon got to work. By the time Sansa had unloaded half the trunk, he had the tent set up. Didn’t seem like they’d need much mosquito netting – he’d only seen a few bugs buzzing around the trees.

He unrolled the sleeping bags and placed them carefully apart inside.

Plenty of distance between them. No implication there. Which was how he wanted it. They’d been together for two months, but Jon was willing to wait two years, if that’s what it took to make Sansa comfortable.

Hell, he’d sleep outside if it made her feel better.

Sansa came over and walked around the tent. “Wow. Can I keep you?”

Jon was perplexed. “Um, yes?”

Sansa shrugged. “Just used to doing most of this myself. The set-up part.”

“Don’t you have an older brother?”

“Yep, an older brother who used every summer as an excuse to flex for the girls nearby. At least after he turned fourteen.”

“Making camp and breaking it – one of the few benefits I offer.”

Sansa kissed him on the cheek. “More than a few, Jon. I packed up the coolers. Let’s go meet Marg and Jeyne?”

Part of Jon wanted to stay at this campsite with Sansa, just the two of them. But that wasn’t why they’d come, and it wasn’t what Sansa was hoping for. So he grabbed a cooler and they made their way down to the beachfront.

The beach was flanked by two stone bluffs, set like large stepping stones all the way down to the dark blue water of the lake. There were pine trees that transitioned to oaks and beeches closer to the water’s edge.

A canoe rental shop bedecked with fake Hawaiian grass stood off to the right, and a pier jutted out behind it. An official looking green sign from the park service made it clear there was No Diving and No Fishing without a Permit.

No worries there, Jon thought, remembering how Sansa had cried when she’d talked to Rickon over the phone about Finding Nemo.

There were striped blankets up and down the sand, but Margaery spied a good spot off to the left.  Floating pool chairs dotted the lake, and some kids were playing volleyball with a net a few feet out into the water.

After a few quick minutes setting up their blankets, they took a poll and figured out canoeing was the first thing they wanted to try.

“I’ll go get the boats,” Jon said.

Sansa tugged off her sundress, leaving her wearing only her navy blue bikini with white polka dots.

Margaery whistled. “Damn, Sansa, you look good enough to eat. With that red hair, you’re like your own Fourth of July party cake.”

Sansa merely shrugged, and rummaged in her bag for the sunblock. She started pouring it on. Jon had laughed when Sansa had told him before they left that she went through a bottle a day. She’d told him it was the only way to keep skin as pale as hers from burning.

She really did have beautiful alabaster skin, and her bikini didn’t leave much of it to the imagination. Jon was having a difficult time not staring at her.

“Aren’t you going to help her, Jon?” Margaery practically purred. Sansa was applying the cream to her neck now.

Sansa went still. Fear. Jon hung back and stayed where he was.

Sansa cleared her throat. “Jeyne, can you help me?”

Jeyne was by Sansa’s side in a flash. She pulled her brown hair back in a ponytail and got to work on Sansa’s back.

“Right then.” Jon started heading down the beach.

“Hurry back, handsome prince,” Margaery hollered after him. “Three lovely ladies, all alone on the beach, without their bodyguard, who knows what we’ll get up to!” Jon saw Sansa beckon Margaery over, but the sounds of kids calling back and forth drowned out what she said.

Margaery was getting on his nerves. She seemed ready to talk about sex at every opportunity. Or at least insinuate it.

The guy at the boat shop didn’t help either. He shifted his considerable bulk to get the forms and squinted at Jon from under his ball cap.

“Just remember, two hours maximum, or I gotta fine you.”

Jon nodded.

“Hey, you with them? The three babes?”

Jon didn’t look up as he wrote.

“C’mon man, how’d you pull it off? You got one tent for all four of you?”

“I’m with her,” Jon said shortly, and shoved the clipboard back into the guy’s beefy hand. He hadn’t said Sansa’s name, hadn’t even glanced back, but the guy seemed to get the drift.

“Okay, okay, buddy, easy, one-woman man, got it, what are you gonna do, shoot me?” He ambled off to the back of the store to get the paddles and Jon thought he heard him murmur “Christ, looks like he’s gonna shoot me, anyway,” as he stacked them in his arms.

Jon waved the three of them down and soon he and Sansa were in one canoe and Margaery and Jeyne were in another.

“Race you!” Margaery shouted, as Jeyne climbed in. 

“Sansa do you–“ Jon looked  back, and saw the fire in her eyes. It momentarily overwhelmed his dizziness at the sight of her in her bikini.

Momentarily.

“She is not winning Jon. No way. I don’t care that she and Jeyne did crew in college. Let me steer. I’m the canoe racing champion of Starved Rock, Illinois. If I can beat Robb and his buddies we can beat these two.”

“Yes ma’am,” Jon said, and he was pretty sure he was grinning as widely as she was.

They made it about halfway up the lake in the canoes and back, with Sansa and Jon in the lead the whole way. Jon heard taunts from Sansa and Margaery that would have made his army friends blush.

While Sansa was still crowing, both boats hit a submerged log. There had been no hint of it before – Sansa and Jeyne were each pros at navigating around the buoys in the lake that signaled “rocks ahead.”

All four of them went over. It took a good half-hour to right the boats, track down the paddles (thankfully they’d lodged on the bank of the lake) and get everyone back in.

Jon was surprised to hear Sansa shriek as she slipped on the wet bottom of the boat and almost went over again. He caught her, holding her steady. He was very, very aware of just how much bare skin he was touching.

“All right?” There it was again, the tension in her body. He couldn’t let go, like he usually did, because he wasn’t sure if she had her footing back yet.

“I am now.” She smiled. Her red hair was dark and plastered to her skin. She leaned in to kiss him.

“Oh for god’s sake, can we go back now? There’s a whole tent for you two to make out in, you know.” Margaery and Jeyne were back in their boat. Margaery’s arms were crossed and she did not look pleased to be drenched.

Jeyne smirked, showing a little tooth for the first time that day. “Just because you couldn’t convince Oberyn to come doesn’t mean those two can’t have a little fun, Marg.”

Margaery let out something suspiciously close to a hmmph before picking up her paddle again.

By the time all four of them paddled back, the sun was pretty low in the sky. They’d been out in the boats longer than their allotted time, but Margaery told them to leave that to her.

Which still meant Sansa, Jeyne and Jon had to haul the canoes ashore. The metal was hot enough to burn his hand. He got ready to wince and bear it.

“Here.” Sansa threw him and Jeyne a towel. “Use these.”

“You are such a mama bear,” Jeyne said with affection.

They heaved and finally both boats were safely on the beach.

Jeyne brushed her hair out of her eyes and found Margaery.”Yep, I think we’re going to be fine, folks.”

Margaery was leaning over the counter of the hut. She had plenty of cleavage in her green bikini, and the guy was getting an eyeful. By the way his mouth was hanging open, Jon suspected Jeyne was right. The guy would probably hand over the keys to the store if Margaery asked.

“All set!” Margaery chirped on her way back. “I’m starving, let’s go eat.”  

They made their way back to their blankets and dried off. Jeyne brushed sand off the cooler and set out sandwiches.  She took drink orders and tossed Margaery and Sansa a beer. Jon took a water bottle and so did Jeyne.

Sansa spread out her beach towel after they were done eating. “I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m going lie here like a lump and soak up the sun.”

Margaery wiped her hands on a napkin. “C’mon, Sansa, one game first. Cards?”

“No,” Sansa said quickly, and Jon hid his smile. Sansa wasn't the best cards player.

He pulled out his own towel and lay down next to Sansa. She opened one eye to look at him.

“Hey.”

Some of her hair had pulled free from her braid and was hanging in wisps around her face. Jon could tell her freckles were more prominent even after a few hours in the sun. Jon recalled what Margaery had said. Sansa did look delectable, lying on her stomach, with just two strings holding up her bikini top.

He realized it had been a long time since she'd spoken. He blinked, and smiled at her. 

“Hey.”

“I actually am going to sleep, you know.”

“Sounds great to me.” Jon yawned. It did. He was pleasantly tired. His muscles were sore, but in the good way. With the seagulls calling overhead, he could almost pretend he was at the ocean.

Sansa reached for his hand. He took it, and soon he’d dozed off.

When the first fireworks went off, a long ways away, Sansa’s eyes flew open.

Jon had tensed. But he’d known there would be explosions like this, even in a park specifically designed to be as far away from fireworks as possible.

Sansa squeezed his hand.

“I’m fine, Sansa. I’m all right.”

And he was. He’d be jumpy, but he’d dealt with that before. The occasional, distant noise was so much better than being in the middle of a city with pyrotechnics in each backyard.

“Really?”

“Really.” He ran his thumb over the back of her hand, and soon she was asleep again.  

#jonsas7summer #jonsa-creatives #my fic #neighbors au #jonsan fic