So it seems like all I do is go running around the country... Seems like a great life, right??? Well let me tell you, it is...
After being home for about a week, again I was off. This time my girlfriend had some work to do in New Orleans and I got to tag along to take some pictures. While she was working I was pretty quiet, like I should be. I had the fortune to see and hear some very interesting things. Little did I know that some 5 years later the residential areas of New Orleans were still being reconstructed from hurricane Katrina. It was eye opening to see first hand what condition it was in. I got to see some of the new building practices and hear about what different groups were still doing to help. Parts of it gave me hope for humanity because there were still so many people willing to give and work for the good of people they don't even know. While smaller portions of the companies did profit from the work being done the larger parent companies are non-profit and working from donations and government aid. Here is a list of just a few but there are more...
Project Home Again ~ http://www.projecthomeagain.net/
Make It Right ~ http://www.makeitrightnola.org/
Global Green ~ http://www.globalgreen.org/
Now it wouldn't be that great of an adventure if it was all work and no play. So we made sure while in this city to do some walking around. We hit the much talked about Bourbon Street. When we first arrived we ventured out just a little but it was a little bit too crazy for how tired I was from traveling. Later we made a good evening and night of it though. Somewhere in the middle I realized what I thought was so funny, It reminded me of the stories of old pirate ports, think Tortuga from the pirates movies. Everyone running around crazy and loud and drunk... All having a very good time... After walking and stopping by here and there we stopped by a really nice little place that had live jazz going and it was really good. We had walked by earlier and stopped outside to listen but it was too packed to find a seat. Not the case when we came back. It was a great night of fun and adventure, but like most was over too fast and in the morning we were off back towards home..
(I didn't feel any of my pictures of this trip were artistically pleasing enough so I am not posting them...)
We actually had a weekend at home and we decided we still needed to get out and adventure. If you haven't found out already it is addicting, or maybe its just me... If you have ever spent time in the south, then you know they don't seem to be too big on nature or parks or nature parks. But, in the Atlanta area there is one and its not too bad. It is Stone Mountain Park. Well I wouldn't call it a mountain by standard terms. It is a nice hike though, except for the children running rampant and the people completely lacking in outdoor etiquette. After hiking it I decided, I will from then on refer to it as "Big Ass Rock Park".... It has a random memorial in the middle of it and after you hike to the top you cross over the center and arrive at the gift shop, bathrooms, food stands, and of course the cable car that leads to the top... According to their website it has a great view of a carving in the rock, I would say it does a fine job of obscuring it for those that use the two appendages that have grown out of the lower half of their torso... A little harsh, maybe, but none the less...
From time to time I do have to work, but I find ways for even that to be an adventure. While I was out on tour one of the people I had met convinced me to look into the Spoletto Festival. I did, and it seemed like a pretty good gig. I had a little time between some regularly scheduled programs and they were willing to hire me for the time I could commit to. So again I had a few days at home and was off to Charleston, SC. I was busy enough that I didn't get out to do too much but my girlfriend came to visit for the weekend and we made it out to the beach. It was a great spot and Charleston was a great little city full of good and interesting restaurants and bars and seemed like there were often things to do and when there weren't it is right there on the ocean.
Once my time there was up, I was off to Myrtle Beach. Did I not mention before that my family decided to rent a beach house for a week??? Well they did and it was pretty sweet! Turns out we made it just in time for Bike Week! I had for a long time heard and thought Myrtle Beach would be a nice place to be. It especially is if you like mini golf, that shit is everywhere. Im pretty sure within the first half hour of being allowed into the house I was in the ocean. You just cant get me near a large amount of water and expect me not to get in it. My activities over the course of the week consisted of; playing in the ocean, drinking, long walks up and down the beach, playing cards and games with family and friends, checking out all the amazing bikes all over the place, drinking, mini golf, caught a movie, going out to bars filled with bikers, cooking, watching the moon rise over the ocean, and about anything else you could do on a great vacation... I also had some nice time to stop and reflect on life, where mine is, and how I am happy.
My hope for you is that you are happy. If you are think about why and treasure it. If you find you are not, figure out what will make you happy and go after it. If you just don't know what will make you happy, well, its time to try new things until you find what you are looking for...
Yep that is the moon rising... Next time, I will share a 2,440 mile road trip and a couple of national parks.
"Lost time is never found again."
~ Benjamin Franklin
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