http://www.mepsnbarry.com Yikes! Did you think we were serious? Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:08:46 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en [caption id="attachment_786" align="alignleft" width="216" caption="Margaret and Barry at Mardi Gras in Gloucester, NC"][/caption] There's nothing like a little publicity to mess up a great local event. That must be what the folks in Gloucester, North Carolina were thinking when their down-east Mardi Gras celebration got written up in Our State magazine. ... http://www.mepsnbarry.com/adventures/2010/02/dancing-like-a-bunch-of-monkeys-in-the-snow/ A couple of weeks ago, we heard that some seriously bad weather -- namely, snow -- was headed to coastal North Carolina. Although it seemed counterintuitive, we could avoid the cold by going north. So we jumped in the Squid Wagon for a road trip. It will come as no surprise ... http://www.mepsnbarry.com/adventures/2010/02/plenty-of-cheer-to-go-around/ [caption id="attachment_731" align="alignnone" width="750" caption="Left: Sam (Seattle) and Tina (Seattle), Middle: Bob (Seattle), Michael (Seattle), Tom (Yelm, WA), Right: Jon (Beaufort, NC), Jacqui (Bellingham, WA)"][/caption] Since the fall, we've gotten word that seven dear friends are struggling with life-threatening illnesses. Initially, I felt shaken and helpless, wishing I could help. Now ... http://www.mepsnbarry.com/adventures/2010/02/seven-precious-friends/ Last fall, I went to Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, not because the town's name is so cool, but to document an amazing chicken pot pie recipe. I've been raving about Pennsylvania Dutch pot pie ever since. A couple of weeks ago, Barry found leftover Christmas turkey and gravy in the fridge. Could it ... http://www.mepsnbarry.com/adventures/2010/01/tastes-like-chicken/ How do you write a poem? Fill yourself full of tears. Let their blackness rise up, up Until they overflow And fill your inkwell. Then set the tears To the page. This is not the poem. Keep writing until the ink runs dry. What you find beneath the tears Is the poem. ### http://www.mepsnbarry.com/adventures/2010/01/how-do-you-write-a-poem/ About a week ago, I wrote about our decision to stay here in the boatyard for the holidays. At the time, I was feeling sorry for myself, and my tone was so wistful that friends and family responded with consoling emails (my favorite was the invitation from Australia). Then the celebrating ... http://www.mepsnbarry.com/adventures/2009/12/everything-but-the-christmas-tree/ We've done so much traveling this year, together and apart, that we decided to stay here in the boatyard for Christmas. Theoretically, we're supposed to be working on the boat, although the weather and our respective cases of bronchitis are hampering our efforts. I hate the thought of coughing into ... http://www.mepsnbarry.com/adventures/2009/12/bunny-pants-on-elf-duty/ There are many things to be afraid of in the boatyard -- rotten balsa, corroded stainless, falling off the ladder, stepping on a copperhead, and coming face to face with a bear are a few. But last night, the really scary things came out for a Halloween party. Luckily, there was ... http://www.mepsnbarry.com/adventures/2009/11/new-boatyard-uniforms/ The biggest hazard to my style of travel is inertia. When I'm going, it's hard to stop and interact with people and places. When I'm stopped, it's hard to get going again. It's also hard to know which way to go when I start again. In Columbus, after my backwards-loop with Hank, ... http://www.mepsnbarry.com/adventures/2009/10/looking-for-pot-pie-nirvana/ [caption id="attachment_601" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Smile for the camera!"][/caption] When I arrived at Hank's apartment in Ohio, ready for our vacation together, he gave me a present. "Here," he said, handing me a toothbrush. "I got one from my dentist last week, and he said to give you one, too!" I've never met ... http://www.mepsnbarry.com/adventures/2009/10/smiling-so-much-you-need-a-new-toothbrush/