Where did my weekend go?  Saturday was consumed by a wedding and reception (two locations).  Sunday went to moving friends with three pickup trucks.  Call it a redneck convoy, I suppose.  We’d probably have been ok if not for the trailer hitched to the oldest truck.  *sigh*  The wild-esteem will recover.  I did get free lunch (Pollo Tropical) and dinner (homemade vegetable soup), plus a loaner car, which comes in handy after my clutch/transmission started acting up recently and nearly left me stranded this morning on the way to my friends’ house.  I’ll have to see what the mechanic says, but I’m not spending big dollars on a car I’m ditching in 6 weeks when I head west.  Looks like another month or so of bus rides to work.  Oh, well.  More fodder for my writing.  It’s almost a mini circus without the smelly animals on most days.  Never dull, just another 30 minutes or so added to my commute.  Joy.

We finally established that Friday’s WiW was set in Poland.  Now we just need some brave soul to identify the correct city (not Warsaw)–if anyone cares. 

I’m going to attempt some screenwriting for an hour or two in an effort to salvage something of personal interest from the weekend.  Have a great week everyone.  Maybe I’ll post something film-related this week.  It has been a while…

Well, it’s no-tax-on-clothes-purchases this week again in Florida.  So, I took advantage of the Back-to-School/summer sales and did one of my least favorite things Friday night–shopping.  Ugh.  Here’s the scorecard:

$21.98 – 1 pair of black David Taylor dress slacks
$  7.50 – 3 pairs of black Dockers dress socks (-$2.50)
$  7.50 – 3 pairs of navy Dockers dress socks (-$2.50)
$16.00 - 3 colored “pairs” (?) of Dockers briefs
$  7.00 – 1 gray NordicTrack muscle shirt (-$7.00)
$  9.00 – 1 black Structure tank top (-$3.00)
$17.49 – 1 blue $70 Pacific Trail jacket  (75% off) 

$86.47  – Subtotal

$  0.00 – Tax (normally 7%, saved $6.06–oboy…)

I’ve rarely used a jacket here in the tropics, but I figure I’ll need one in the desert, at least at night.  Remember, wildcanes are nocturnal.  I was greatly amused at this “west coast” jacket being on sale, just as I was when I bought L.A. Gear shoes on sale a while back.  Signs are everywhere, it seems.  Don’t these things happen in threes?  Hmmm…

I went to a wedding @ 12:30 today, reception @ 2.  Ever not be in a mood to go to a wedding?  That’s where I found myself today.  It turned out ok, but I left before the bouquet and garter tossing.  I got my first garter–reluctantly–about age 6 when it fell at my feet and the jumping guys around me mysteriously turned to stone.  I caught two more over the years before I started avoiding the ritual.

BTW, no one has yet guessed yesterday’s town.  Ok, I’m done here for today.  Time to change into some writing clothes and tinker with screenplays.

WHERE IS WALDO  IN THE WORLD WAS WILDCANE?

Can you guess the town pictured below?  I’ll add hints until someone guesses right.  Plus, I narrow it down by replying to guesses in the comments.  So don’t be afraid to strike out; you shouldn’t have to labor too hard. 

Below is one view of the town square.

PHOTO CREDIT:  traveling companion #1 or #2

Below is a big marker in a big cemetery.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Steve the wildcane

A view of one street in town.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Steve the wildcane

A town is only as good as its band(s)…

PHOTO CREDIT:  Steve the wildcane

HINT #1:  Uncommon language is official one here.
HINT #2:  Name features two of the same uncommon letter.
HINT #3:  It’s < an hour’s drive from Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
HINT #4:  This slavic nation once drove the Turks from Vienna/Europe.
HINT #5:  Pope John Paul II was born an hour or two west of here.
HINT #6:  The nation borders 7 countries and the Baltic Sea.
HINT #7:  Fryderyk Chopin is the nation’s most famous composer.
HINT #8:  Pope J.P. II was a bishop in this town before going to Rome.

WiW 7   WiW 6   WiW 5   WiW 4   WiW 3   WiW 2   WiW 1

Have you heard about the rubber sidewalks?  The number of discarded tires in the U.S. per year boggles the mind that pictures them in one pile.  Oddly, I found this recycling article while watching a History Channel program on “boneyards”–first Navy ships that have been mothballed (how and why and when they are reused) and now aircraft.  Do you feel safer knowing we have $200 million B1 bombers sitting in storage waiting to be pulled out for the next Kosovo?  *scratches forehead*  I didn’t realize how much steel is recycled either.  Lots of WTC steel is being recycled, some into a warship called the “New York,” first ship so named in over 50 years.

I haven’t been very creative this week, but I have been productive.  I’ll try to make up for it this weekend.  I’ll probably put up another WiW Friday.  Those are quick and easy, and some of you seem to like them.  I’m also thinking of writing a poem for my next blogring challenge.  Been a while since I’ve posted poetry, I think.

Back to productivity.  Less than two months till I hope to hit L.A…

I checked the weather last night, and the news was 100% humidity.  Now today, it’s raining like dogs and cats.  (C’mon–tell me you’ve seen Die Hard III?)  I’m considering becoming a fish, but I really don’t like to swim.  I love to be around water, but not in it.  Anyway, it’s a great day to stay inside and compute by battery power.  I have gotten around to some sites today, but my eyes need a break. Maybe I’ll get to more of you tonight.

I did scan a bunch more photos last night, so I’ve been working with them some today.  I’m stocked for two or three more WiW posts, for those of you who have been following along.  If not, you can check out the WiW index I finally put together.  I’ve been amazingly productive for a Saturday morning in which I had three scheduled activities (all canceled) and might even do some creative writing this afternoon.  Wouldn’t that be something?  Yeah…

WHERE IS WALDO  IN THE WORLD WAS WILDCANE?

Can you guess the town pictured below?  I’ll check back and add hints until someone guesses right.  I’ll narrow it down by replying to guesses in the comments, too.  This one is vary challenging!

That’s the town nestled in the hills.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Steve the wildcane

A look at the “business district.”

PHOTO CREDIT:  Steve the wildcane

Wildcane under a hot spring

PHOTO CREDIT:  Pavel, wildcane’s friend.

HINT #1:  This town is home to a glass manufacturer.
HINT #2:  This town is named after a Roman emperor.
HINT #3:  Reread the first paragraph carefully (two clues). 

WiW 6   WiW 5   WiW 4   WiW 3   WiW 2   WiW 1

Howdy ho, Xangans!  My roommate moved out over the weekend and my old desktop computer gave up the ghost, forcing me to reconfigure household computing (installing and uninstalling and reinstalling software).  Last night, people came to prep the condo for sale, so I  haven’t had much quiet time to think let alone blog or be creative.  Trying to recalibrate tonight.  We’ll see what tomorrow holds…

WHERE IS WALDO  IN THE WORLD WAS WILDCANE?

Can you guess the berg pictured below?  If not, I’ll be back later to add a hint every so often until someone guesses right.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Ana (Mexico) or Peter (Germany)–I forget

PHOTO CREDIT:  Steve the wildcane

PHOTO CREDIT:  Steve the wildcane

HINT #1:  No ‘t’ in the town or country name.
HINT #2:  Famous university is oldest in nation.

Rain every day lately.  Finally, it feels like the tropics again. I must soak up as much of these thunderstorms as I can before heading to the desert.  It’s such a great feeling right after a storm passes and the air is clean.  Right now, “my lake” (out my window) of inspiration is motionless in the darkness as the distant thunder rolls…

…and I’m installing software on my laptop.  Ick.  What a waste of a good passing storm.

I thoroughly enjoyed my holiday getaway once I got out of Miami, which was a bit of a chore as always.  I’ll skip that part.  All went well until I got back.  I’ll skip that part, too.  My “report” will be long enough as is.  Feel free to click away at any point.  I understand.

I flew to Nashville Friday night and rented a Mazda 6 with sunroof.  Zoom zoom zoom.    Then I drove 30 minutes northeast to stay with friends.  We stayed up too late yacking at each other and then foolishly got up early to do something I can’t remember.  While running errands, we went by Johnny Cash’s former house (now said to be owned by one of the Gibb brothers).  Oddly, though I’ve been to visit these friends many times, it never occurred to me to ask about the house on the lake until I saw Walk the Line recently.  I’m not a huge country music fan, but that movie is a good biopic with a great scene about Johnny’s first audition in a studio.  I think I watched that scene six or seven times.  Anyway, my young friend once delivered a pizza to Mr. Cash’s guardhouse before the star had taken the money out to the guard.  One quick phone call later, and my friend was inside with the pizza collecting cash from Cash.  Funny, I don’t recall hearing that story before either.  Such a great “brush with fame” story.

Saturday evening I drove 4 hours to Williamsburg, Kentucky.  It’s not that far, but the mountains make you take the indirect approach, and let me stress here how fine that was with me on this occasion.  Florida, for the topographically challenged, has no natural mountains unless you count overgrown hurricane refuse piles.  Four hours of driving through the mountains, alternating my gaze sideways and down with up through the sunroof at a clear starry night was most therapeutic.  I stayed two nights with an old college friend I hadn’t seen in about ten years.

Sunday, I visited my friends’ small church, played hoops with his ten year-old, went to a Chinese buffet for lunch, watched Hero back at the house, played video games with the ten-year old, zoomed ten minutes up the road to Cumberland Falls–the little Niagara of the south, which I hadn’t seen (coincidentally?) in about ten years.  By the way, it’s one of only two places in the world where you can see a moonbow.  Still haven’t caught one of those there.  Then we went to see Superman at a theater for $6.25, I think.  I was dumfounded.  Saturday night movies in Miami cost you $9 each, minimum.  For once, I splurged on lots of concessions without feeling guilty.

Monday, after a light breakfast, I drove about halfway back to Nashville and spent the afternoon with another college friend.  He and his wife are missionaries in Paraguay, home until mid-July.  They were one of the big reasons I made this trip now.  Got to meet their two newest kids, not having seen the family in about four years.  We enjoyed lunch and a leisurely visit until I left around 6 pm. for a BBQ and fireworks back at the lake.  It was a late night, but I slept in Tuesday.  My friend and I grabbed a quick brunch at Cracker Barrel, which has not yet invaded Miami, and then I headed off to the airport for an afternoon flight that “missed” the shuttle by less than 30 minutes.  By the time I got back to the office to pick up my car (and check the damage on my desk) and then get dinner, I was driving home in fireworks traffic.  Oddly, I got to see quite a display straight out my bedroom window as I sat at my computer checking email, Xanga, etc.

There you have it.  A whirlwind, “feel good” tour that brought me back refreshed despite abnormal sleeping arrangements/schedules.  Probably the best trip I’ve taken since Europe in ’99.  I’m so glad I went.  Sadly, I didn’t take a camera because I don’t like fooling with them in airports.  Consolation prize:  here’s Cumberland Falls from the internet:

Photo courtesy of wikipedia.

The falls average about 70 feet high and 125 feet wide,
located in the heart of the Daniel Boone National Forest.

Moonbow courtesy of this site.