That time of year again.

Well. As I said above, it's that time of year again. School started up Tuesday the 26th. So, now I'm spending the vast majority of my available riding time stuck in classrooms. The week got off to a lovely start by raining monday, tuesday, wednesday, and thursday. Once that all stopped, the weather returned to normal Boone August weather.... A blistering 70 degrees with a perfectly blue clear sky.

Classes so far are going well. There was a little scare on tuesday night, as the powers that be decided to switch around the classes needed for my major. So, I had to go talk to my counselor and see what classes would transfer and whatnot... it appears that I'm still in good shape academically, and on schedule to graduate in 4 years (Total). So... that's good.

I'm taking some interesting classes this semester; My 3d Solid Modeling class is going to be a good time. In that class, we have a 3d Scanner, so for instance, you can put a coffee cup into the scanning box, and it'll laser-scan the cup into a 3d image which we can then import into our 3d modeling program (Rhino3d 4.0) To complement the 3d scanner, we also have a 3d printer. Yes. A 3D printer. We can create a 3D object in Rhino, and print it out on this machine. It uses thin layers of a plastic material as ink and can print objects from Rhino (or other programs). As an example, the teacher printed out a spiral staircase, and some other 3d shapes. It's pretty dang awesome.

Also, I'm taking Physics, City and Town Planning, Accounting (Part of a business Minor), and The History of Rock and Roll (Where we'll be studying Led Zeppelin, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, et. al. So, all in all, I'm taking some pretty awesome classes, and it should be a rather fun semester.

Virginia goes to the beach!

While Aaron was working super hard at Tipsy Taxi, I had a last hurrah of the summer at Atlantic Beach with my lovely sister, Martha and a guess appearance by the fabulous Jennifer. Not really enough pictures for a fancy picassa link, but...

Here is the beach house. Motto: great location and crappy beds since 1934.

And this is some rock art, care of Jennifer. She's going to be famous some day.

That's all for today. Since it's back-to-school time again, Aaron and I really need to be getting to our homework and such. Maybe he'll post soon and tell you about his super-cool classes this semester.

Home Trip

Well, we recently went home to catch the wedding of Emily and Scott. It was an absolutely gorgeous affair, the ceremony was wonderful, held at the Lexington Presbyterian church. The reception was at W&L at the Castle House where guests were invited to sign the border of a picture of the couple in lieu of a guest book (which was a nice change from normal... how many people really hold onto a guest book? But a picture... well, odds are, that'll get hung somewhere.) Food was excellent, from appetizers to the main course. The DJ did a good job paying attention to the guests and choosing music appropriate to the crowd that was dancing at the time. All in all, a wonderful time.

Here are (from left to right) Jennifer, Virginia, and Rachel

The Bride and Groom!
Jennifer looking like she's about to get a little touchy / feely.
Virginia's Parents cutting a rug. They were on the dance floor for the better part of the night.
Also while home....... I met up with Brennan, Newhall, Lisa, and Dusty (AKA D-MAX) and went for a nice ride. We started off with a tour around the county, before returning to our favorite little mountain. Videos of this part of the trip can be seen at the following address : http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=775334E47FEC3F2D

Maria's Visit!

Photo Album here : Linky

So... Maria came to visit. This is her 2nd trip to Boone, and luckily, this time, it's a bit warmer.

Here, Virginia and Maria sit in an old wagon up at the Green Park Inn in Blowing Rock. They have a nice little bar up there, and Maria sweet talked the bartender into giving her the Wednesday special's cheap Margarita even though it was Saturday. Good Job!

Here's the lovely Miss Priss. She was a trooper on Sunday. We walked / hiked up the trails at the Rough Mountain overlook off of the Blue Ridge Parkway.. for such a tiny dog, the distance we covered would be equal to us running the New York Marathon.
This little abandoned kitten was at the Altapass Apple Orchard. I wanted to bring it home. Virginia wouldn't let me. I don't want to talk about it anymore.
Ahh yes, the Linn Cove Viaduct... a model of engineering. Last year, things were so grown up around the area that you really couldn't get a cleean picture of the viaduct... so... this year, the brush/trees aren't as bad... so I snapped a few shots.
Virginia and I at the Orchard again... hanging out under an Apple Tree... oh yeah... she loves me like WHOA.

Holy Crap. Look at what it is....

This may not merit it's own post.... but... we went to Harris Teeter to see what free samples they had around the store, and out front, we saw this..... what a great day!

Art around ASU Campus

Campus Art Photos here : Linky

There are several new outdoor objects of art around campus, so Virginia and I decided to go for a nice little walk one warm afternoon to check things out.

Virginia with her angel's wings.. this was a pretty cool metal sculpture... painted blue... but it was thin enough that it would kind of wave/flap/sway with the breeze.
Virginia reading the descriptions of each piece.. it was rather handy that we had something explaining each piece.
This was our favorite, and the favorite of the judges... the brass key tags were used to keep track of Miners in coal and ore mines. After a particularly bad cave-in, some 54 men died in the mine, and their brass tags were missing at the end of the day.. it was a really neat exhibit.

Sunday Ride!!

Josh and I took a ride today.... this was the Route... about 185 miles. Started on the parkway, headed North to Galax VA.


After Galax, we headed out on 58 West, towards Independence, VA. Along the way, we realized that we had put on a hundred miles or so, and still had a good way to go, so we figured we'd get some gas. However, it seems that the gas station owners in the area had a different idea... No gas station in the area was open.... So, we really didn't end up getting gas until we made it towards Damascus, VA.

Josh cleaning his helmet.
Josh's sweet ride.... his Honda Shadow 1100
Man.... that tank bag looks awful full....
Ohhh..... that's why it looks so full..... what a great end to the day....

Big Update!

Well, this week's update is kinda big, with some changes... I've added the past two weeks or so, plus I've tried to incorporate Picasa's Web Albums into this whole deal. So, on the right side of the Blog, there is now a link to the photo Albums, and at the top of each updated part of the blog is a link (Linky) to specific albums for each section.

Secondly, I've added the Blog Roll at the bottom of the page, these are just a few blogs that Virginia and I read.

As always, I hope you enjoy! Feel free to leave comments to let me know what you think, and please subscibe (Using the nice little button on the right side) to ensure that you don't miss any Blog Postings in the future!

Back from the Beach, out on the mountains!

More Pictures from out Motorcycle Adventure Linky
This was the route for Friday. I looked on the visitor bureau's website, and they really don't offer any recommended motorcycle rides around the area. Boone/Watauga Visitor's centers... feel free to contact me to give you some good motorcycle rides around the area... There are all sorts of motorcyclists around here.... So, the next stop was Mapquest. After looking around for a little bit, while Virginia was standing close by tapping her foot, waiting to go... this is what I picked. So, with the Route picked out, we put on our gear, dropped off Virginia's car to have the oil changed, and hopped on the bike at about 10:15.

These were the intended stops... add in the morning stop at Crossnore to walk around, and get some coffee and a muffin and brownie... and a stop outside of Roan Mountain to have some BBQ for lunch....

First stop on the trip was at the Town of Crossnore. Crossnore really didn't appear to be too much more than the Crossnore school. This school is based on christian values, and is mainly attended by middle-school / high school aged kids from broken homes. They educate the kids, and teach them useful skills (Working behind a register, being part of a business, weaving). I think it's a pretty neat idea.

Virginia is hanging out in the Labyrinth.. which is supposed to give you time to walk, and reflect, and meditate and whatnot... but... I don't have the patience for all of that.... I step over the little walls, and I'll meet you in the middle. I've been in a Labyrinth somewhat similar before... but this one... man... if you stick to the path, it takes like 30 minutes to walk this dang thing.

Right next to the Labyrinth was this neat little creek with a metal log and little metal people walking across. Also neat, so Virginia tried to join in the fun...
Ok, this was the next stop on our little riding trip... The Altapass Apple Orchard. The place is right off of the Parkway, at exit 328.3 . They also have a website. So, I thought it was kind-of going to be a big deal. We get down to it, and it's kind of a shack. They have all sorts of cool jams, jellies, butters, spreads, and chutneys all over the place. They sell fudge, and ice cream, and have little kids toys available. Also, they have almost daily live music playing. So, the store, while being a shack, was still kind of neat. But then, we walked out onto the porch for a view of the orchard. The orchard is a little less than impressive, with a fair amount of trees, but weeds growing 4ft high between all of the trees, so you can't really walk around. I think they offer some sort of hay rides through the orchard, but I was ready to get moving again.
Here is the bike parked at the orchard. We were travleing light, with just helmets, jackets, and a tank-bag. It was a gooood day of riding.
Another shot from the front of the orchard's store. Yeah... they didn't mention online that you had to get on a dirt road to get down to the place. But it wasn't too bad, the gravel was pretty sparse, so it really didn't create any real traction problems.

Ok... this is the last picture from the Orchard. I decided I should probably go to the bathroom before we got on the road again... and was greeted by this sign. THANK GOODNESS!! At long last, I know what I've been doing wrong... why my toilet always gets plugged up, and my trash can always smells so horrible.

This lovely water wheel was at the Roan Mountain visitor's center. This place was pretty neat, but we probably spent a little too much time there.
This was at a little museum of sorts at the Roan Mountain center... This desk was soooo Old School... like... you don't even know.
Virginia's inside of the visitor's center with some wood tools. Notice that the section of stump in the back is almost as tall as Virginia. That's a pretty dang big tree.
We went out hiking on this trail from the Visitor's center out to some old abandoned mine. In true Appalachian style, there was no-one up at the mine, no safety provisions, you could have just walked down into the mine if you wanted to. At the visitor's center, we picked up a pamphlet explaining the things we were supposed to have seen while walking the trail. We're both pretty sure that the pamphlet was written by someone's kid. Either that, or someone who had never heard, spoke, or written the English language before. I've gotten stereo instructions that were written better. But... you don't need a pamphlet to have a good hike. Here, Virginia samples some of the local wildlife. She had a little episode, and thought she was a deer.

So finally, we made it up towards Roan Mountain. It was about 50 degrees up here. We didn't quite make it to the top of Roan Mountain because it was at about this point that we noticed it was 3:50PM... and the place where we dropped off Virginia's car to have the oil changed would be closing at 5. So... it was time to get moving.

Heh-Heh.. Virginia was supporting them.

Here are some crazy hippie type folks hiking the Appalachian Trail. It was a rather large group, with some beautiful scenery for them to look at.
Here's the point that we stopped at. From here, there was a sign that said there was a toll or entrance fee of some sort to get up to Roan Mountain. We needed to get back to Boone, and weren't really willing to pay whatever fee it may be, so the 1.6 miles to the place to pay didn't happen. But, we were only about 600ft worth of elevation away from the peak anyhow. So... from here, it was a kind of quick ride back to Boone, getting back just in time to get Virginia's car back. Then off for some dinner, some Sangria, and a little Catch Phrase. I don't think you could have a better Friday.

Beach Week!

Lots of More Beach Pictures, Plus Aquarium Pictures! Linky
We were at Atlantic Beach July 20th - 24th. I had to work the 19th, and it actually turned out to be kind of a late night...I don't think I got home until 4AM... so I was really less than happy when Virginia pushed me out of bed at 6:30 AM.. But, we made the trip to the beach, stopping to pick up Virginia's sister, Martha, at the airport along the way. Once getting to the beach, we opened up the house, tried to get a breeze running through, and I quickly laid claim to one of the two rooms with A/C. The trip was really great! It was relaxing, and laid back... no real plans to speak of.. we went and saw a movie one day, went to the Aquarium one day, but for the most part, I laid around on the hammock, read my books, and did a good bit of napping. Really, if the entire house was airconditioned, and had a good TV with cable, and maybe a bit of wireless internet.... it'd have been perfect. It was still relaxing and wonderful as could be.... but I'm a slave to the A/C. Maybe that's why I'm more of a Mountain person than a Beach person.

First up is the ever coveted double rainbow. We went out for a walk one night, it started to sprinkle a little bit of rain.... but the result was these wonderful rainbows.

Next up, a shot of the beach from the porch of the house.... Yes, it's really that close. The weeds are at the top of a sand dune, and right over the dune is the water. That's pretty dang awesome. You could basically get out of bed, go over the dune, get into the water, and then be back to the house in a matter of like 5 minutes.
Here I am at the Aquarium on the island. My head fit into the little cut-out on the crab perfectly. I have a picture of Viginia in the crab also, but my big fat head fills the hole much better. We scored a "Behind the scenes" tour and got to see the inner workings of the aquarium. I think our tour guide was pretty new, but she did ok.
Virginia and Martha outside of the Aquarium. One of the few pictures I got of the sisters where one wasn't making some sort of wierd face.
Virginia made a friend in the gift shop. The thing was HUGE... and of course, Virginia holding it made it look even bigger....

Will and Jennifer Came to Visit!

This is Jennifer. You may remember her from the earlier post of her crazy art experience at Penland. As you can see, she doesn't fit into the "normal" world nearly as well as she does into the art commune world. Her skin can't handle the harsh reality of the true world, and it tightens up to force her to make odd faces... really.

Here, Jennifer is accosting Will. You can tell by the look on his face that he absolutely enjoys this. Will came down to do a bit of motorcycle riding, and I think he had a pretty good time. We got a few nice rides in, and managed to stay out of trouble.























While giving Will and Jennifer a tour of Blowing Rock, we saw quite possibly the most disgusting Harley Davidson ever. Yeah, it's patriotic. It's also tacky... c'mon... flames and flags? All you need is a Skull somewhere, and you'd be good to go.
One of our favorite stops on the Blowing Rock tour is this lovely little hat shop. They have every hat you could ever possibly want, and they don't have any problem with you trying dang near every one on... So.. here is Virginia in a goofy hat!

Jennifer's a Crazy Art Person!

More Penland Pictures Here : Linky
So, Jennifer was at this Art School/Commune called Penland. It was a really interesting place; definately hippie/commune type.... but Jennifer fit in well... Other than the fact that she was missing the tattoos and piercings of most of the other attendees.

Jennifer was studying metalworking, in the old fashioned way... she was being a hardcore Blacksmith. she greeted us at the foundry, where she gave us a lovely spoon that she made from iron and brass. Here, Virginia tries to feed Jennifer with the special spoon.

Here's Jennifer hard at work. It was a really interesting process to watch... get the metal hot.... beat on it with a hammer... looked like fun..
Here, Jennifer cuts off a heated piece of iron with a hammer... what an awesome concept... cutting metal with a hammer.
And of course, we had to take the necessary group picture... the wall behind us was made out of all sorts of bent, twisted and beaten metal.. all sorts of neat odd shapes and toys.