As is the wont at the end of the week, we find ourselves squarely ensonced in that day of days, the final 24 hour period prior to the weekend, our old buddy "Friday." You and I both know what's coming next...Yes, kids, it's once again time for me to display pointless photographs with not-so-witty descriptions! It's (yet another) PHRICKIN' PHOTOBLOG PHRIDAY (fireworks, mishaps, shenanigans, goins-on).

The common thread for all of today's photos is "being on vacation and stuff." Personally, I love going on vacation, just like I'm sure all of you who are reading today do. I really enjoy the preparation, the planning, the anticipation and, of course, the "big payoff" of actually going to where you planned to go. Except for that whole "hating people" and "despising air travel," vacations pretty much "kick ass" and I've gone on one or two in my time. As such, I'm gonna gloat about humbly mention (and display pictures of) some of the vacation travels that my wife and I have been fortunate enough to experience. That crap all starts...Now:

You know the drill with the clicking.


Today's vacation destination photoblog starts off in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This was the last leg of a trip which my wife and I took about 2 years ago...As you can see, it was a dreary, overcast day. This is a view looking East (I think) from the top of Cemetery Hill, which was one of the battlefields at Gettysburg in the Civil War and is so named because it is where Evergreen Cemetery, and now a national cemetery, reside. Our hotel was also right here, directly bordering Evergreen...It was friggin' haunted, just so you know...


Jumping from a spooky, somber photograph to one of unbridled, childlike joy, here is my wife and her twin sister being stalked by a giant friggin' black bear who is armed (and dangeerous, I'd presume) with giant building blocks. This shot was taken during the Boston leg of the trip which I mentioned above. Man, that bear is creepy...eww...


Whaddaya say we get the heck outta cold, dreary Boston and down to Sunny central Florida? Here I am, in the rental car about 3 years ago, with that familiar expression of joy on my face. I really WAS happy, too, I had just got done swimming in the Atlantic and was feelin' fine! Of course, my joy soon faded (and fast) when I realized that my reasoning was flawed, I do, in fact burn at sea level and I burn REAL REAL bad...2nd degree, blistery bad...ouch.


And here I am in Mexico, exploring Mayan ruins! Ok, I lie. I'm still in Florida, but I may as well be in Mexico...This is actually the "Mexico" portion of Epcot at Disneyworld. This is after my "swimmin' and gettin' burned" incident, so I was actually in considerable pain while the picture was being taken...We ended up stopping to eat in "Mexico" when we visited Epcot, which turned out to be a mistake...I realized later that Canada, Japan and...Well...Just about everywhere else would've been a better choice...Live and learn...


And, through the magic of SCIENCE, we find ourselves transported to the US/Canada border from our East coast trip 2 years ago...This is the crossing at the Peace Bridge from Buffalo, NY to Ft. Erie, ON. I HAD to go to Ft. Erie, you see, because that's where Don Simmons is! I was SO EXCITED to go to Don Simmons! Oh, yeah, and we went to some big waterfall afterward...That was neat too...


And here I am, 2 years ago, in Niagara (Canadian side, eh?), being a cheap-ass and avoiding paying cab fare, or even a measley $2.50 Canadian for the tram-thing, to be transported down to "the Falls." No, instead I pocketed my cash and hoofed it down some steep, half-hidden dirt path in the rain...All in all, it was worth it...We did the Maid of the Mist thing and bought some stuff at the gift shop and ate at Tony Roma's...Heck, I still have some Canadian currency from this part of the trip...I had to give the Gore-Tex jacket back to my dad, though...


and *zap*, we're back in Gettysburg...This is a monument that stands in the center of the national cemetery on Cemetery Hill. I thought that it was quite majestic, so I snapped this picture of it. I was also hoping that I could capture some "ghostly images" while in the cemetery, but that didn't quite happen...Still, gaze upon the monument...It makes you sleepy...You now want to give the monument money and a nice backrub...You know you do...Don't lie...


What better way to end a vacation photoblog than with a picture of a Masonic statue? This is a monument that is near the cemetery which commemorates this whole masonic brotherhood thing where two Generals, each on opposite sides of the war but each Masons, came across each other in battle...one was mortally wounded and the other delivered his watch, or somethin', to his family because of the Masonic connection...I'm not a Mason...Still, the statue was pretty friggin' cool...

Ok, kids...That's it...Have one of those "nice weekends," now...Thanks for stopping by...

Labels: get outta town, Phrickin' Photoblogs