All week I thought my plane left in the early evening. On Tuesday I realized that for California my plane left at 7:00 am in the morning. Rush mode kicked in.... and I started freaking just a tad on the details and logistics. If you have ever went on a trip on your own, not really knowing where you will end up that night you know the feelings that were running through my body.
I was able to pack my gear in my carry-on - this time a little more secure with a Pelican Case divider I bought from B&H. I can fit almost all of my gear in this carry-on with a little room to spare. I also packed my suitcase full of clothes...my stay in CA was 4 nights and 5 days.... I needed to look cute at the wedding and all so I also had to pack my beauty aides ;-) Ladies, you know.... your own hair dryer, make-up and products. I did a trip to Boston a few months ago without these items and I felt a little lost. Not that it matters how you look really but it just feels good to feel the normalcy of your daily routine.
My flight took off from Appleton without any delays or weird things happening. Except that one of the girls I was planning on hanging out with got extremely sick and was unable to fly out. Beyond that major bummer - my voyage went off without any hitches... that is until my shuttle from the San Jose airport arrived at the address that Rachel gave me.
When I arrived at the house I noticed that the house looked under construction and a sign out front made it look like it was for sale. I ended up getting in the house and was greeted by Ali's uncle from Iran. He offered me tea and I sat outside and soaked up some sunshine. That sunshine renewed my soul from the inside out. I was so happy to have made the trip and on my own.
Later that day Ali came home to do a few things and offered to take me along with him while he ran some errands. When I got out to the drive and saw that he was driving a porsche convertible I was so happy that I agreed to go with him. He put the convertible top down and we were off - I could not stop smiling!!! We arrived at a botanical gardens and explored a trail looking for Rachel's friends. Ali and I hiked up a very steep path and talked about the wedding, their honeymoon and other stuff. Ali is a great guy, very down to earth and very much in love with Rachel. I was fortunate to have spent some time with him.
Soon after our little hike, we finally found Rachel's friends. Todd - a smart, plant loving botanist who was totally geeking out on all the neat plants and trees around. James - an accomplished sailor and beard boasting participant on the wiskerino.org site who is a grad student in Hawaii. Susannah - a sweet girl with a great laugh who is very intellectual and likes to talk theology. Maria - Rachel's dear friend and the girl who got things done. About the same time I finally met Rachel in person. I know everybody thought it was strange that I meet my friend for the very first time in person the days before her wedding. That is the thing about our Flickr group. We are pretty close...but we are all over the country. When we have the opportunity to meet up and shoot some photos we jump on it. I was very honored to have finally met Rachel face to face ;-)
Later that night Gwyn and I left the hustle and bustle of the Persian household and headed to our Super 8 Motel oasis. We dined at the Mexican restaurant at the hotel - I had my Negra Modelo and she had her 2nd burrito in 2 days! After that we headed up to our room and Gwyn started to make Rachel's veil... yes her veil. Gwyn is so very talented and does a great job visualizing and implementing her ideas.
California was starting to become one of my most favorite places...
I was able to pack my gear in my carry-on - this time a little more secure with a Pelican Case divider I bought from B&H. I can fit almost all of my gear in this carry-on with a little room to spare. I also packed my suitcase full of clothes...my stay in CA was 4 nights and 5 days.... I needed to look cute at the wedding and all so I also had to pack my beauty aides ;-) Ladies, you know.... your own hair dryer, make-up and products. I did a trip to Boston a few months ago without these items and I felt a little lost. Not that it matters how you look really but it just feels good to feel the normalcy of your daily routine.
My flight took off from Appleton without any delays or weird things happening. Except that one of the girls I was planning on hanging out with got extremely sick and was unable to fly out. Beyond that major bummer - my voyage went off without any hitches... that is until my shuttle from the San Jose airport arrived at the address that Rachel gave me.
When I arrived at the house I noticed that the house looked under construction and a sign out front made it look like it was for sale. I ended up getting in the house and was greeted by Ali's uncle from Iran. He offered me tea and I sat outside and soaked up some sunshine. That sunshine renewed my soul from the inside out. I was so happy to have made the trip and on my own.
Later that day Ali came home to do a few things and offered to take me along with him while he ran some errands. When I got out to the drive and saw that he was driving a porsche convertible I was so happy that I agreed to go with him. He put the convertible top down and we were off - I could not stop smiling!!! We arrived at a botanical gardens and explored a trail looking for Rachel's friends. Ali and I hiked up a very steep path and talked about the wedding, their honeymoon and other stuff. Ali is a great guy, very down to earth and very much in love with Rachel. I was fortunate to have spent some time with him.
Ali seen here posing as Fidel Castro (minus the hat).
The beard was part of a beard growing contest at www.wiskerino.org -
the shave off day was February 29, his wedding day!
The beard was part of a beard growing contest at www.wiskerino.org -
the shave off day was February 29, his wedding day!
Soon after our little hike, we finally found Rachel's friends. Todd - a smart, plant loving botanist who was totally geeking out on all the neat plants and trees around. James - an accomplished sailor and beard boasting participant on the wiskerino.org site who is a grad student in Hawaii. Susannah - a sweet girl with a great laugh who is very intellectual and likes to talk theology. Maria - Rachel's dear friend and the girl who got things done. About the same time I finally met Rachel in person. I know everybody thought it was strange that I meet my friend for the very first time in person the days before her wedding. That is the thing about our Flickr group. We are pretty close...but we are all over the country. When we have the opportunity to meet up and shoot some photos we jump on it. I was very honored to have finally met Rachel face to face ;-)
Later that night Gwyn and I left the hustle and bustle of the Persian household and headed to our Super 8 Motel oasis. We dined at the Mexican restaurant at the hotel - I had my Negra Modelo and she had her 2nd burrito in 2 days! After that we headed up to our room and Gwyn started to make Rachel's veil... yes her veil. Gwyn is so very talented and does a great job visualizing and implementing her ideas.
California was starting to become one of my most favorite places...
