Snowboarding: One Last Photo...

" In 1985 Meadow opened its slope sided Medical Center providing the same medical care and treatment as one could receive in a Portland emergency room. The medical center is staffed by professional doctors, nurses and EMT's, and boasts state of the art technology, including an x-ray machine to help doctors in their examination and diagnosis of injuries"

And that medical centre is where I spent the afternoon of our first day on Mount Hood! 

After my rock star morning, and a diet lunch I was ready to take on the mountain once again. Lora and I headed for the ski lift, this time without instructor. After some struggling at the bottom of the lift, we travelled up the mountain separately and then promptly fell on our asses as we dismounted. We struggled to the top of the slope, and continued to fall over every 5 metres until we reached the bottom of the slope. Jeeeeez... it was cold and tiring!

2nd attempt. This time I really fell off the ski lift hard and BOUNCED my head (in new helmet) on the ice! ouch! This time the descent was a little better, I mananged a few metres before my first crash. Then I got right back up and it started... I was boarding, I was riding the mountain... I felt in control, I was moving at speed down the slope... Woo Hoo! 

Then I was moving at more speed. Then more. I soon realised that I was not confident enough to turn right and left at these speeds so I guess I would continue on my STRAIGHT LINE down the mountain, collecting speed as I went. By the time I was 3/4 of the way down the slope I was beginning to panic a little about stopping... hmm.

Easy right? Turn your right knee outwards, dig in your heels and stop. Easy.

At the bottom of the slope that is exactly what I did, and the board did stop successfully. I however did not.

WIPEOUT!

I think I first landed on my right ribs (all air I have ever breathed was removed from my body on impact). I continued to flip and this time landed on my left arm, before one more turn to bring me to a stop in a heap on the snow, knees twisted in a way that is just not natural!

My first thought was that my lungs were punctured, due to the fact that there was no air left in my body (winded)... then the pain in my arm began to pulse! I could feel it was damaged in 2 places. Problem is now, I can't shout because I can't breathe. And I can't move to tell anyone either... and there is a ridiculous blizzard so I'm not convinced they can see me either. Maybe I would just get covered over and have to stay there.

An off duty ski patrol found me on the floor and administered first aid. This basically meant that he had to let snow inside my jacket and poke me in the spine. I was FREEZING! In a state of Shock, Hypothermia and Hyperventilation they moved me (on a sledge) to the medical centre on the mountain. 

Oops.

1, Snowboarding

Time to hit the Slopes! 

Its a long drive down from Seattle to Mt Hood, so we are up, the car is loaded (to its maximum capacity) and we are off. Seriously, Snowboards, boots, shopping, DVD's (even maybe a VHS or 2), we have everything anyone could ever need for a week on the mountain! 

John Denver is the Gambler on the 90's car stereo (or car MONO might be more appropriate) as we cruise across the state border! We hit Portland, grab some diet lunch, and begin our ascent up the mountain... 

For those of you that have not been to Oregon, and seen Mount Hood, let me try and explain. Mount Hood stands completely alone. If you check the skyline, you will see Portland city, a whole load of green (pine? redwoods?) and then suddenly a MASSIVE snowcapped mountain towering above everything. If you turn 180 you will also see Mt St Helens, that also stands alone on the skyline... Its cool. 

Side Fact: Wikipedia claims that Mount Hood is the Oregon Volcano most likely to erupt. (thats where we'll be living) but surely there its the only one big enough to cause a threat? (St Helens has had her day!)

We arrive at Collins Lake Resort a few hours later. Let me tell you, the last 30 minutes climbing through a blizzard, with 6ft of snow at each side of the road, was a little hairy. Can I please remind you of our ride...

Yes, 1990.

We are all 'geared up' and ready to roll. Tomorrow we start our lessons. Both myself and Lora are complete beginners, Lora ski's... I once went to spain on a ski trip 10 years ago...We are beginners on a board.

The lessons start early, we spend a good hour at home modeling our new helmets. We even wear them in the car, If you were in Scatje, in those conditions... you'd wear a helmet too. Trust me. 

Karl is our instructor. Me, Lora and some other chick who does not have a cool helmet. It is fast established that we all know nothing! We spend the next hour just dragging our boards up the baby slope, to slide back down mostly on our backsides. It is Tiring!! and we're in a snow blizzard. 7" fell during our first day on the slope. 

I pick it up quite well after the first hour, Im turning right, and left... then face planting into the powder. Perfect. Its not long before both of my feet are strapped in, and I'm snowboarding! Lora and other chick are not so fast to pick it up... I feel like a rock star... there lies the issue!

Lesson 1 over. Time for lunch... mmm diet sandwich and a yogurt! 

My ass hurt.

Just one Rock & Roll weekend...

Scott and Tim drove up from Portland to hang out for the weekend... We had some drinks, had some laughs and jumped into Scatje for a trip to the EMP... the Experience Music Project just behind the spaceship on a stick thing, downtown. 

EMP is basically a shrine to music, focussed on the Pacific North West. Who knew Nirvana were a product of Seattle? Who thought Seattle was so rock and roll?! Some cool Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix bits and pieces and ALOT of guitars! 

The highlight of the whole place for me however was the recording booths. Basically, a whole load of rooms full of instruments, where you can pretend to be a rock star for 5 minutes at a time. Hilarious. We were angst ridden teenagers for the afternoon, I think the term is EMO!

Also a cool print exhibition tracking the history of the gig poster, a particular print style that finds its origins in the North West. Hatch Show Print. Nice.

@ Home in Seattle!

First week in Seattle! Whoop Whoop!! 

Me, Lora, Scatje and a damn sick cat. The neighbourhood was perfect, the apartment AMAZING, and the company even better! This was going to be the best 8 weeks. 

Priorities:

1, Cruise the neighbourhood:

2, Relax with my homie

3, Not kill the cat

Seriously, we have rented an amazing apartment, with one flaw... Leo the cat. The day before the owner left for a trip to Nepal, Leo took sick.. like seriously, almost dead, and now... he is our responsibility. No really. The deal is this, we are supposed to take care of a sick cat for the next 8 weeks. And how do we need to take care of him.. by chasing him around the house, pinning him to the work top to stick a syringe of vile tasting medicine down his sick throat. Oh, and once thats done, feed him "cat soup" to stop him from starving... with a syringe!!! Seriously, if you've met me and Lora, and more importantly seen us operate as a team, you know that this is going to be a true nightmare. Between my dry heaving, and Lora snorting, there is not a pair of safe hands between us. Just to add, Lora hates cats. 

Following 2 days of chaos, cat food on the ceiling, and some vomiting, Leo was sent to the vets to receive real care from responsible people! I hope he survived. I will never be able to own a cat again...

All was looking up, beautiful city, great friends, and a list of new things to work on.

Number 1: Snowboarding!

Scatje* & Homie (Lora)

* I should explain... our ride for the next 8 weeks was Scatje, a 1990 Toyota Corolla (above) with the most complicated seat belts I've ever seen BUT... with a really cool sticker on the rear window! 

Seattle park.

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Finding a creative outlet?

I've been looking for a creative outlet for the past few months... Something to get lost in for hours, something that provides a sense of satisfaction when completed... well I think I found it.., let me introduce you...

BEFORE

AFTER
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French English relations.

What's the plan Stan?

Its 2009... Vacation over. Holidays over. So now the journey can begin...

The plan when I took this time off was to learn some new skills, experience some new environments, make some new friends and generally free my mind to decide on my future direction... 

When I told people I was taking a year off their initial assumption was that I would  travel... and trust me, for me also that was the natural path to follow. Find some extreme areas of the planet that would challenge my mind, freak me out, scare me into reality. Well, thats not how i was feeling in January, the last thing I needed was instability and the unknown. What I needed was a nice mix of the familiar... my first plan was not to travel to deepest darkest Peru... but to head to Seattle to spend 8 weeks living in an apartment, in a neighbour hood.. LIVING life in a new place, with my good friend Lora. 

Lora also had some free time while she was between jobs, so the timing seemed perfect. I headed to Seattle in January with a list of things I wanted to achieve...

1, Learn to Snowboard

2, Teach myself to better use my camera

3, Resume Kickboxing lessons

4, Road Trip nearby states (visit Vancouver etc)

5, Just live life at a new pace!

The apartment was perfect (apart from a cat incident), the neighbour hood offered everything I needed. The Plan was a perfect one...

2009: Now the Journey Begins!

2009 baby! Time to get this year off on the road...

Random Item

I met this young boyo when on my travels in the US... I took his photo simply because he was too cute. He was relentlessly perfecting his skills on his board... almost performing for my camera. His whole deal was cool, his haircut, his topsiders and the beach front location! I love it.

Holidays away from home...

Surely not I hear you cry?!!!

I decided that in 2008 Christmas and NY was going to be a little different. With someone new and important in my life this time round, the holidays were destined to be different! 

I rented a car, loaded it with every 'Rom Com' DVD I own, threw in some hiking boots and an extra 'Outdoor' scarf and headed up the A1 from Newcastle to pick up Frenchie in Edinburgh!!! YAY Scooooootland :)

We spent a week in a farm cottage in the middle of Perthshire, where we celebrated Christmas protecting ourselves from the freezing temperatures.. before packing down the Norwegian Pine and heading cross country to the west coast. We spent the night in a small fishing town called Plockton, before heading off on a mammoth drive around the Isle of Skype (I know). From there to a small town outside of Fort William, for a good nights sleep before tackling a section of the 'West Highland Way' . From Fort William we hit the road for the final drive back to the East coast, back to one of my favourite places... Edinburgh!

You have not experienced NY Eve until you have celebrated it in Scotland. Hogmany was spent in the shadows of Edinburgh castle, with a concert in the park. A whole new (sober) Hogmany celebration.. you know what. I had the best time, although midnight looks a whole lot different without beer goggles!!! 

Overall a great 2 weeks... I have grown up less than 100 miles from the Scottish border, and it has taken me this long to really appreciate how beautiful Scotland is. Some walking, some pub lunches, some small market towns, A lot of miles and a lot of great memories.  

I heart Scotland

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I Heart NYC

It is my belief that you cannot visit the East side of the USA without making a big effort to make it to New York City... and December provided the perfect opportunity!

I managed to route my Florida flights through JFK on the way home so that I could soak up some of that magical New York Christmas feeling! As expected, the weather was miserable, the rain was constant... well... I'm from Newcastle...

I laugh in the face of winter!!! HAHA

I Heart NYC

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New Friends

Let me introduce you to Jack and Polly. 

One afternoon in Florida, I randomly stopped my rental car at a fishing shack on the west coast in need of a diet coke break. Alongside the shack were 3 or 4 fishing boats, with the crews quietly cleaning down their equipment, some noisy gulls, trying their luck, hoping to catch some scraps from the boats, 2 or 3 massive Pelicans just basking in the morning sun, 4 small picnic tables where a lady was making fishing hooks, and another lady, sitting in the sun, sketching the whole scene. 

I ended up sitting there in the peace and quiet for some time, making notes in my book, doodling and watching the scene evolve on the ladies easel in front of me. After an hour or so, I begun sketching the lady herself. It's not something I normally do, sketch strangers sitting in front of me, I guess she kinda inspired me! When she turned around and spoke to me, I was sooooo embarrassed! How weird is it that im sitting there drawing a picture of her?! well she caught me, and she thought it was cool.. we talked a while, I gave her my picture and she invited me for lunch.

Let me be clear,  I am not in the habit of having lunch with strangers, or in fact with pensioners, but this is a philosophy I think i will try to adopt in the future.  Long story short, she invited me to eat locally at a small cafe, with her and her husband Jack.. amazing! (Blackened catfish sandwich and slaw in case you are interested)

Without intending to insult any of my American (or Ameripean) friends, my assumption was that this old couple were going to be an obnoxious, loud, U-S-A couple... how wrong could I be. They were the most intelligent, well spoken, well travelled couple ever.. I just listened and learned from 2 amazing people for the rest of the afternoon... I think the best day by far of my whole trip to the Sunshine state! 

Thanks for a great day Jack and Polly!

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The Draw of a Gulf Coast Sunset.

Every day in Pass-a-Grille, Florida there is a daily tradition at Sunset. Every night as the sun drops below the skyline, the locals meet at the beach at the site of the 'sunset bell'. Without fail for the past 20 or so years the bell is rung 10 times at sunset to end the day... the below explains why...

On this particular day in November, I made some new friends in Pass-a Grille, and guess what? I was invited to ring the bell :) If you ever find yourself on this small peninsular south of Tampa, on the Gulf coast, check the book in the history museum, and look out my name! Perfect end to a perfect day.

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Destination Disney!

The first thing on the plan was a VACATION! time to take a break and spend some time reconnecting with the family. Where better to do that than Disney World Florida!!! Me, my big brother and his family, and his wife's family in a HUGE villa in Davenport... Fasten your seat belt! :)

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Summary of the Summer

Summer 2008, The Pictures speak for themselves.

What's Next?

So arriving back in Newcastle, back to my old bedroom was a weird thing... weirder than I even imagined. Its amazing how we all regress to our teenage years as soon as we cross the threshold into our mam's place!! Why is that? Why is it that now I struggle to communicate further than a grunt? Why is it that I now spend my time locked up in my bedroom watching MTV? Why is it that I suddenly lose all domestic skills? Unable to wash a cup, or operate a washing machine? ... I guess its a phenomenon we will never really understand. Lets just say, this trip home was a text book case!

Click here for a PHOTO ALBUM of Newcastle

Airport Surprise

The big day day arrived in November, the day I left Amsterdam as a resident and travelled back to the motherland. As you can imagine, this for me, was a BIG day... and some unusual things happened to make sure it was an unforgettable one...

I probably never mentioned the fact that no-one has ever really seen me off at an airport, or collected me at the arrivals gate. I have this constant dread of coming through the arrival doors with all of those faces waiting, anticipating the arrival of their loved ones, only to be faced with me. The looks of disappointment are soul destroying!!! Where are the marching bands and home made signs for me???

Well forget all of that, for this trip was to be different. Not only was I escorted to the departures gate by some GREAT friends... I was also greeted at the other end by an unusual sight... Im not sure who was more embarrassed!! 

8 Members of my family dressed as my childhood FEAR, Grotbags 8 of them!!! I kinda wish I had been horribly delayed so that they were left there a little longer... made me laugh though.. A lot!

Seriously...Just another unemployed afternoon

The last thing to do before leaving the city... visit the Town Hall, and officially de register. De Register, and collect a fancy piece of paper that OFFICIALLY tells you that you have no home! Nice. 

So, imagine... its official, your a little nervous about the future, you don't really have a set plan... and on leaving the town hall and the first thing you see is this... Rub salt in it why don't you.

So what do you do on a day with Lora when you both are unemployed and homeless? Obviously you head to the place you know best, the place where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came...Tabac! 

Several glasses of Vino later = Summary of Life (see below)

Preparing for the big day...Show your support!

Words cannot describe this night in Amsterdam... This girl is the best!

October 2008: Prinsengracht 153.

Before finally saying goodbye to my apartment (sob) the place need to be spotless! Cleaned like it has never been cleaned. So marigolds in hand, there is nothing like an impromptu party to say goodbye. Claire, Ulrika, Karyn, Jacqs and Lora.. Seriously... Ridiculous!!! I love it.

Jacqs cleaning the floor...

6 Bottles of Prosecco + Inhalation of cleaning fluids = This...

My badge for the evening... 

October 2008: Halloween

My Last day as a member of the employed fell on Halloween. So what better way to celebrate!!! Dress up like a bunch of buffoons and break dance! 

I discovered a hidden talent for costume making this week... Check the Marshmallow (Stay Puffed) costume! I think its a masterpiece. (That's Rachel by the way)...

C'est Magnifique! 

Rachel & Lora

Incredible! This is one of my favourite photos. 2 of my best boys

... one being THE boy ;)

You are never too old to dress up and act like a Buffoon. 

November 2008: Doei Amsterdam

A kitchen, some julienning, some searing, a whole lot of vino... and some farewells :(

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WTF

WTF? I hear you cry... Louise! Tell us there is more to life than this... 

Is there a world outside of the office? Can people really exist without a daily dose of Powerpoint? What actually happens in the city on a Tuesday afternoon? 

Well its been almost 5 months since I was released from captivity, and following a short period of readjustment, I am here to reassure you that there is a world and an existence beyond the four walls you are probably staring at right now.

I started the journey with big ambitions, big ideas... you might go as far as to say I had developed a strategic plan. So lets throw that plan out of the window and see what actually comes when you have time and space to live...