So long, fair well, auf weidersehn, good bye!

See you next year Mexico!

Depression Era Goodies

Most of you know that I have been collection antiques of all shapes and sizes since college.   I brought with me to Mexico a circa 1930 aluminum teaball.   I've had this little gem for about 19 years.   I'm always entranced looking at the dull silver finish and the details that went into this little piece of kitchenware.   I even find the dents that have accumulated over the years interesting.   

Sadly, everything made today is meant to be disposable.   Will we have any such gems to hand down to the youth of today and would they even appreciate them if we did?

More from Mexcio

Dad and I rented a couple wave-runners yesterday and had a blast on the ocean.   We were both able to stay on the whole time, however a couple girls that were out there with us ended up getting flipped off of theirs.   If any of you ever have the opportunity to ride one of these, do it.    It was a blast.

Also, I saw something in the sky that I had never seen before.   There was a large rainbow/halo around the sun in the early afternoon.   I am assuming it's from water-vapor in the air, but it was really unusual looking.    The ring around the sun in the photos below are actual photos and not the result of the camera lens.

I head back home tomorrow.    Hopefully since I am flying in the middle of the week the airport in Cancun will be quiet and customs in Phoenix will be quick.   I've learned that Saturdays are not the day to fly in or out of Cancun.

Today was a good day.   We went down to the beach around 10am to relax.   The cabanna boy came over around 11 and we order some cocktails.   The margaritas are good here, but lately I've been having a craving for mojitos.   Mom and Dad have been drinking Pina Coladas.   We also ordered shrimp tacos and chicken quesadillas  for lunch.   Took a swim in the ocean.   The water is great, but it's really rocky when you first get in, and there are also submerged tree stumps too.   Once you get out where it's deeper the bottom is all sand.   Came back to the room around 2pm, took a nap and then headed into Playa del Carmen for dinner.   I bought a couple Cuban cigars and am looking forward to smoking them this week.

On a side note, my friend Ben in Portland contacted me yesterday about an opportunity to purchase a men's boutique clothing store up there.   I've been in contact with the owner and have been going over the numbers.    It's an exciting proposition, but I'm not yet convinced it would be profitable.   

Mexico

It's in the 90's, breezy and humid...I love it.   I arrived in Cancun yesterday afternoon and met up with my parents at the Royal Hacienda.   Below is the view from my balcony.   I've already had a few cocktails on the beach of course. 

SCAM

I was so excited yesterday, I received my first reply about a job I had applied for on Craigslist!   I diligently followed all their instructions for the application process.    I clicked on a link to download their "required" browser for the position and was directed to this: CLICK HERE.

WTF!    Obviously disappointed, I didn't complete the application.  

Arizona

I'm back in Phoenix.    I arrived so early in Vegas yesterday that I decided to drive on through.  I made it home at about 8pm last night.   My friend Michael was here to greet me and inform me that it was actually Wednesday, and not Thursday as I had thought.    

The drive through Nevada was long.   It had snowed recently so the landscape was different than when I had come through on my way up.   Parts of the desert were completely covered in show, and most of the mountain tops were covered in white.

Hoover Dam was just as busy as the last time I drove through.    I was able to get a few shots of the new bridge being constructed above the dam this time.

In all, I drove through 5 States and approximately 3,000 miles on my personal Oregon Trail (Lewis and Clark's was over 8,000).   I arrived home with plenty of time to do laundry, relax for a day and then pack again to meet up with my folks in Mexico.

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow would keep me from reaching Susanville tonight.   Surprisingly, I drove through all three on the way here.   I saw goats, sheep and herds of deer on the drive today too.   OH, and I pumped my own gas.

I'm heading to Vegas tomorrow.   VEGAS BABY, YEEEAH!

On The Road Again

Sent my resume out to about a dozen job postings I came across yesterday, no feed back as of yet.   I did get an email from a recruiter I contacted, stating they would be going over my resume and getting back to me.   I had gotten some good feed back from this company, so I am hopeful something will come of it.

Heading back to Phoenix today.     I'll probably make it as far as Susanville, CA again.   It's about a 9 hour drive.  I will miss the Oregon State law banning me from pumping my own gas.   It's been nice having a service attendant greet me and fill the tank while I sit in the car.

I managed to catch a 24 hour flu yesterday.   I noticed that I had a fever in the afternoon, and last night the commode and I became very well aquatinted.   Fortunately I think it's over.   I've been drinking water all morning to re-hydrate myself.   UGH!

I'm leaving Astoria today.   I had initially thought that I would drive up through Washington State and maybe check out Seattle, but I think I'll just make the short drive back to Portland instead.

Astoria 2

I am exhausted!    I've been walking up and down steep hills all day, and now I'm completely worn out.   After careful consideration I have decided that Astoria is a cute place to visit, but much too small for me to reside in.   I am heading back to Portland tomorrow to follow up on a couple leads before heading back to Phoenix.   Below are some photos I've taken over the past couple days...

Astoria

I'm in Astoria for the weekend.   It is everything the description I read said it would be.    It's VERY charming.   Surprisingly too, the weather here is the best I've had while in Oregon.   I had been expecting it to be the worst.  I checked into the Hotel Elliott.    It's a restored 1924 hotel in the middle of downtown.   

I've been searching for jobs online since arriving last night, it looks bleak for this area.   I plan on getting some input from locals today.    I also intend to walk around and take some photos, so the next post should have a lot.   In the mean time, I snapped a couple city photos from the roof of the hotel last night.   Enjoy!

The Oregon Trail

I've been having such a difficult time with the photos of this post, so I apologize for the delay.   I'm in Portland.   It's cold, gray and rainy...but it's a nice change from Phoenix.    

Coos Bay was a little disappointing.  It wasn't the seaside town I expected. It was also really cold and wet, so camping was not an option.   However, there were some pretty amazing sand dunes located here that stretched for miles up the coast.   

Also in Coos Bay was the McCullough Memorial Bridge, completed in 1936.   Another art deco gem of Oregon.

Since I arrived so early to my destination I decided to keep driving up the coast.    I got up to Florence and cut back inland towards Eugene and spent the night at a little roadside motel called the Broadway Inn.   While searching for an internet connection there I came across the funniest wireless account I'd ever seen.   Clearly this guy has issues.

Eugene was uninspiring, so in the morning I headed up to Portland and stopped in Salem along the way.   Salem is the Capitol of Oregon.   The Capitol building is once again in the art deco style and was built circa 1938.   It replaced an earlier building from 1876 that was destroyed by fire in 1935.   I am unaware of any other art deco capitol buildings in the country, so I think it's pretty unique.   I went inside because I was curious about what the dome looked like, and here is it.

There was some interesting public art on the Capitol grounds, but the most interesting to me were these column remnants from the previous structure.   I thought it was an interesting way of bridging the gap between buildings.

While in Salem I stopped at a coffeehouse, sent my resume out for a few jobs I saw in the area, and made reservations through Hotwire.com for Portland.    I ended up getting a room at the Hotel Vintage Plaza pictured below.   The very top of the hotel has a glass mansard roof, and that's where my room is.   Interestingly, the building to the left of the Vintage is The Hotel Lucia, which was where I stayed upon my first visit to Portland about 6 or 7 years ago.

After getting checked in, I immediately walked over to Jake's Grill.    I discovered it last October on a trip with my friend Loren.    They have the best happy hour prices.   Items from the menu that normally would be $12 are only $1.95!    Oyster shooters...DELICIOUS!   On the day I was there the staff was proudly walking around with a rather large Maine Lobster for the purpose of guessing it's weight.   Whoever guessed the correct weight got to eat it.    It was 5lbs, no lobster for me.

I am heading to Tillamook  tomorrow for cheese and then to then Astoria for a night or two.