Big Pocono

So, i did call that guy back, and he is very sweet. But i felt nothing. And here's a quote from the afternoon lunch we had today... "If it's easy, it's not that hard."

People always say that love finds you when you're not looking? Well, bad dates can also find you when you're not looking (or in this case, when you're checking out at the grocery store). Did i mention the 25 year old who's still living with his mother? i am officially 0-for-2 in Philadelphia.

At least i have a cooler date tomorrow. A friend-date. Is there a word for that? i met this girl who's an engineer but has never seen Big Bang Theory, one of my favorite shows and very geeky. So she's coming over tomorrow for a mini-marathon. The second season comes out on September 15, so if she digs it i can see us doing it again. Either way, she's pretty cool and has great close friend potential.


On to the Pocono hike...

So, the pictures of the views didn't come out so well. Turns out, Camelback Mountain is on the outskirts of the Poconos, and while it's quite high, the surrounding terrain is less impressive. But it was so nice to get out on the trail again. Kansas didn't offer much, and of course i was pretty slack about finding the trails it did offer. So it's been over two years, i think, since i set bootrubber to mountain, and it was long overdue.

view from the top

Indian trail... the path was quite rocky, but being the coordinated person that i am, i had no trouble with balance...

An inunnguaq i built along the trail... it's an Inuit structure meant to communicate that "someone has been here before you." Something about that has always made me smile. my mother gave me a glass inunnguaq when i left for Kansas.

For this i have no explanation. i kept taking pictures of fungus. There were SO many different kinds!!!! These little guys were my favorites.

A little more traditional...

At one point along the trail, i found this rock, which was just begging to be sat upon with a notebook and pen. What did i write? Oh, that's between me and the mountain.

The Indian Trail on Camelback loops around the side of the mountain and offers this view at it's southernmost extent. The drop off is... precipitous, let's just say. However, given my astounding surefootedness, i was unconcerned.

After completing Indian Trail, i headed out along South Trail where i was promised two more vistas. In truth, there was only one, but it was my favorite of the day... i love the lake in the lower right. It was a hot day, and i would have given my right boot to dive in.

College friends will remember this. my mom was robbed as a parent with my birthday always falling in the first week of school. It was never celebrated properly when i was home because of this, and once i started college, she would always have to drop me off 600 miles away a week before my big day. But at Clemson, the dining halls had this program where you could order a cake and a pizza and have it delivered to your child in the dorm on their birthday. my mother did this religiously during the three years i lived on campus. Since then she has had to find more and more creative ways of getting a cake to me on my birthday, but she always manages.

This year was more difficult than others, because i had just moved to Philly and didn't know anyone. Or so she thought. Turns out, Shelley's uncle and his finacee live here, and she enlisted them to take me out to dinner. We arranged to meet on my way back from the Poconos, and lo and behold, they had a cake. my mom is good.

i was a little worried that the meal would be awkward, since i had only met John once, and never met his wife-to-be, but it was quite pleasant. They brought me a small gift... a stuffed duck holding a sign that says "birthday girl," and it was tied with a ribbon.

When i got home, i tried to put the ribbon on Sao with a little bow. i thought it would be a pretty thing she could wear around for the occasion. She ate it instead. (And thew it up later, of course.)