Thank you!

I just want to thank everyone for their well wishes via email for my birthday. As Spencer said, it is difficult to be away from so many of the people I would love to spend my birthday with - the emails made me very happy. Thank you all very much!

Retrospective

Yes, these photos remind us of a simpler time, when life was full of buggy-rides and licorice-whips; when a cup of coffee was only 5 cents and even the poorest soul could ride the trolley-car across town. There was never a need for the modern convenience of contemporary life. Things all moved slow and we were happy. After all, what was the rush? Where were we trying to go? The further we traveled, the more we came to realize that home was where we wanted to be.

In these fleeting glimpses of the past, we recall the good feelings of nostalgia. Taken over 300 years ago and yet in remarkably good condition, the images are those of a man and his automobile, one of the first ever built; the oceanfront walkabout space-glass viewers; and a pair of well-dressed, homeless musicians playing the Jazz in an old, abandoned junk shop. --SPH

Julie's B-Day in Santa Cruz

It is hard, as we all know, to spend a birthday far away from most of the friends and family. Nonetheless, we had a nice coffee and cake, a windy, but pleasant trip along the coast, beers and dinner on the patio, and a game of bowling. All in all, I think J was pleased.

The pictures do not document the very private and personal affairs of the day, but instead serve to display some the splendor that is Santa Cruz, California. The first is a walk through the woods, for which we had the company of a very friendly local dog. The second
is on the boardwalk. The third is further North on the coast. --SPH

San Diego

The visit to San Diego to see the Tim and Joy was short and sweet. My back is pink as a pig's ear from a day spent by the pool, as are others'. We deprived Tim of the ability to study and get work done, and also made him to suffer the humiliation of returning to school on Monday looking as though he had left the Ivory Tower and seen the light of day.

We also met with an un-pictured professor of Julie's and Tim's who looks a lot like Agent Mulder. He informed us that pederasty is making a comeback in academic philosophy, and I, for one, could not be happier. --SPH

Vegas Baby!

Oh Sin City. How we wish you had been interesting. We arrived in Vegas around 4pm - settled into our room at Caesar's Palace (which, for only $100 more, we could have upgraded to a suite with 2 plasma screen TVs and a view of the pool...we declined...). We walked around, inhaled exhaust from the many automobiles, spent $7 on the slot machines, and went to bed early - the glitz and glamour lost their appeal very fast. The next day we hit the road pretty early and headed to San Diego where we are now. We've had a great time here - and we plan to leave tomorrow morning to head up towards Santa Cruz, which will take 2 days. We've had beautiful weather, got ourselves a little sun kissed yesterday by the pool, and look forward to more of the wonder of the West Coast as we travel slowly back up towards my homeland... --JW

That Canyon Certainly is Grand!

Only pictures can describe the wonder of the grand canyon. We had the great luck to view a spectacular sunset in an amazingly secluded area. The silence was astounding. Our experience there was great - except for the freezing cold night we spent in the tent...but the heat would return again as we made our way to Sin City the next day -- Vegas receives a 2/10 review from us -- more on that in the next post...
Today we spent a great day by the pool in the sun of San Diego. Tonight we have drinks with an old instructor of mine from UofT who just happens to be teaching here at UCSD. Small world! --JW

New Mexico and Beyond!

Colorado led to more deserty landscape as we entered New Mexico. I was surprised that we did not see any cacti until well into the state. I guess my expectation of rocky mountains meeting cacti filled deserts was not realistic. We landed in Taos in the early afternoon and spent 2 lovely days there. The weather was perfect for the touristy thing of walking around, peering into art galleries and watching for local wildlife. We spent an afternoon and evening in Santa Fe where the sun was warm, the company great and the burritos delicious. From there we departed for the cooler climate that we found in the Grand Canyon... --JW