The View

This is the view from the front window looking south. I know it is south because I have to walk in that direction to get to Franklin Street, and on all the maps Franklin Street and UNC Chapel Hill are south of me. It feels like I am looking north, and I am hoping in a week or two to become acclimated enough to accept the directions really are what they say they are. It may not be too clear in this image but their is a great deal of bamboo around this place. It is almost like a jungle. The outside of the duplex looks like shit. The place has asbestos siding that has had no maintenance since it was put up. The inside is quite nice though. All hard wood floors and wood walls. It feels very dark with all the trees. In an attempt to lighten the place a sky light was placed in the living room (not a very professional job) and it does brighten the place.

I went for a nice walk with Carol today. She is off to a EBLIB conference for the next 6 days. (Keg arrived only 10 minutes after she left. The party begins in fifteen minutes.). I was facing south on North Columbia when I pulled the trigger. With scenes like this it is easy to walk early in the morning. Here are a few more images from my stroll.



If anyone knows what this plant is I would love to know.

And finally the magnolias are in bloom.

Rain

It is raining here in the south. A gentle rain falls from cold gray skies. Current temperature is 54 F.

I went for a tour of Chapel Hill yesterday. A short trip, I was gone for three hours and wandered about the city, took two busses and saw some more of the area. I saw the bell tower, and the other day I saw the Old Well at Chapel Hill. Apparently people get upset if you say it is only a fountain now.

On my way home I stopped in at a used book store. I wandered through the aisle and looked at all the options. I ended up with two books I have long desired and one I just decided to take home with me. The two desired books are a Domanski and a Pinsky. The other book is a field guide to North American trees. I thought it might be nice to have with all the different trees that are squeezing me out of the house.

I was sitting on the couch last night reading and thinking a little (occasional thoughts do magically appear in my mind) when I realized the apartment would feel a great deal like the old farm house if only we had gas lamps instead of these harsh and bright electric. It was a combination of the trees, the hardwood floors and wood walls, and the cat.

Today I have been mucking about. The weather looks like rain, and I am unwilling to go out and get wet. Others may enjoy a good soaking, but I am not a west-coaster.

My boxes have arrived at Greensboro. They are inching closer and closer. Not that I need anything from them, or at least not too much. I will have them come Monday for sure.

This photo is from my walk this morning.

News from Down South

This image is not from down south. This image is from up north. The cold and gray/brown north. It is how my truck looked as I pulled away Friday morning. Well, the rental truck. The mattress was not as hard to load as I had feared. I put both parts into a big king size mattress protector and they slid quite easily onto the truck. I had more difficulty with the big easy chair which sits in just ahead of the round table. The truck had no place to tie the load down with so I wrapped the rope around the load. Unfortunately, the wind picked up as the day went along, and I was afraid the whole truck load was going to blow out. I was lucky though, and lost nothing. The trip up to Cold Lake was boring. It is the ugly part of the season there. I placed my camera in the ashtray (those things still come in handy for things other than cigs), but saw nothing I wished to photograph. The few days I spent in Cold Lake were pleasant. I was able to see Audrey on Saturday and say goodbye. And on Sunday I saw Carol, and we had a great visit. I enjoyed my time with Barb, but she made me cry when I left. I will miss her and the rest of the family.

This next part is embarrassing. I left Carol's place at three and headed off to the city. Most of the trip was uneventful. The weather became miserable when I arrived at edmonton. I was headed off to Leduc for my room for the night, and, well, to be totally honest, you see, umm...there is all this new construction and my sign to turn was down and I ended up way south of edmonton. No, I was not lost, just not quite where I wanted to be, and with no sure path to where I wanted to arrive. I did arrive at my hotel finally. I flopped down and slept as soon as I checked in. I did not set my alarm quite right and nearly slept in the next morning. I did have time for a quick shower before heading off to the airport. Truck was dropped off on time, and I was entering the departures area at six.

My first stop was at a cash changing place. I was disappointed there though, all the woman had at that moment were fives, and I did not want or need a pocket full of small bills. I entered the line for NorthWest at 6:05. I was through customs and the preflight check (I was picked as a extra checked person) at 7:10. I had time for a quick coffee and a bagel and a bathroom break before the plane began pre-boarding.

The flight was quiet. There were a lot of storms as we came nearer to St. Paul, but other than a few small bumps, there were no problems. Of course, we docked on one side of the airport and my next flight was on the other side. But the walk was nice, a good leg stretch, time to change my dollars into dollars, and grab a fruit salad and a drink. The flight from Edmonton to St. Paul was half full. The flight from St. Paul to Raleigh was stuffed. We left on time and came in about ten minutes late due to the pilot slowing down every few miles. The flight was nice, from Greenbay south there were very few clouds, and I was able to sit and watch the country. Most of it was flat until we got down near Tennessee. Then there were a few knobbly hills which are most likely some kind of mountain.

What I most enjoyed about the flight was walking with my bags in the nice warmth (93 on arrival) to the taxi stand. The ride was fun, I enjoyed watching all the green go by. Green green green. Traffic was thick, but not crazy. Though I was not driving so maybe it was worse than it looked. But it was green, green, everywhere green. Carol had a great vegan meal ready for me when I arrived. I was stuffed and it was delicious. My bed is comfy, and my room is cute. When I no longer have a huge mess of stuff I will take a photo and share.

I had a good walk this morning, and those images are placed earlier in the blog. I would comment on all of them, but I think they speak for themselves. The only plant I can name is the azaleas. It is very beautiful here. And a bit strange as the houses are set into these small pockets of forest. Hundreds of trees everywhere, and some of them are huge.

I am going to have to buy myself a compass though. I have no idea which direction I am facing. Though I would think west, it makes no sense when applied to the roads I came in on.

So far it feels good to be here.

Images from Chapel Hill

Sunday Morning

I am at Barb's this morning waiting for the house to rise from its rest and begin moving about. Later today I will head off to Carol's and then back to Edmonton for a few hours. Soon I will no longer be in Canada. 25 hours and my plane leaves.

The trip to Cold Lake was long and boring. There was a strong gusting wind that kept threatening to blow my bed out of the truck everytime I headed north. Fortunately, most of the trip is more east than North, but there were times when I wondered if it would stay in the truck.

I have been sleeping on the bed here at Barb's. It has been nice to have my own bed to sleep on, maybe I should cart my bed everywhere I go. Have bed will sleep anywhere.

My next post will be in Chapel Hill. I should have a photo or two to put up then as well. It should be warm when I get there as well, mid eighties!

35 hours until I am in Chapel Hill.

pre-moving post

My final final exam as an undergrad is complete. Strangely enough, I grew bored half way through the exam and had to struggle to keep working. I suspect my boredom will impact the grade I receive, however it is hard to care at the moment. I am finished with my undergrad work.

I might have imagined I would be feeling a wild elation as I left school, but…I am not sure how I feel. There is some regret, a portion of my life ends. There is some satisfaction; I have managed to achieve a long held dream. But I am neither extremely happy nor extremely sad. I looked around me at school and said “this will likely be the last time I look at the school,” and had no strong emotional reaction. Some of my lack of emotional exuberance may be because I will be in school for another two years. My undergrad years have ended, but not my school years.

The weather here is wonderful. It is bright, warm, and there is a hint of green in the grass. As I got off the bus at school this morning I could smell spring through the diesel. I guess I am leaving at a time that will ensure I do not get a spring this year. Summer is in effect in North Carolina.

This is my last post from my computer at my apartment. I am not sure when I will next update, or from where, but I suspect it will be in another country in another time.

I wonder. Can I forget academic writing for a few months and just have some fun with words?

Goodbye Edmonton
Goodbye apartment
Goodbye computer

4 days 19 hours