Every time someone finds out that I have both a fellowship for this summer and a sabbatical for the spring, he or she will ask me about my travel plans. As I previously pointed out, I’ll be travelling the 15 or so feet from my bed to my office chair for the majority of both my fellowship and sabbatical.
But I really can’t complain. In the last 18 months, I’ve added four stamps to my passport. I’ve been to Oaxaca, Mexico; Dublin, Ireland; and Berlin, Germany. I’ve tramped across a good chunk of New Zealand in January. I spent a week in Louisiana doing research last summer. I went back to Louisiana last November to go to a Dean’s Conference and managed to catch a Katrina exhibit at the state museum.
The Adirondacks
circa December 2006
Sadly, we won’t be traveling much this summer. I have a lot of research to get done in a short time frame and sometimes that just has to take priority. Plus, The Coach is going back to coaching football which seriously cuts into his summer break. That said, The Coach and I will be taking a road trip to the Adirondacks to visit my grandmother in the rehab center. Originally we were going to leave in early June, but The Coach let his passport expire — a problem because we are going to spend a couple days in Niagara Falls to celebrate our (belated) 20th anniversary. Now, we’re going over the July 4th holiday. I just hope that his passport gets here in time. Otherwise, I’m leaving him in the USA while I wander over to the “good” side of the falls. LOL.
The Capitol
Circa January 2009
Since it’s been a couple of years since we’ve managed to take a trip over the Christmas break (snow kept us home two years ago, exhaustion kept us home this year), we’re going to try make a holiday trip to Virginia/Maryland/D.C. — if the weather cooperates. The Coach wanted to take me to the Newseum to see the Katrina exhibit, but it’s leaving in September so I guess I’m a bit screwed on that part. I do, however, want to see the “new” National World War II Memorial (How did I miss this?) and I would like to go back to the Spy Museum. Plus there are parts of the Smithsonian that I have never seen and I haven’t managed to make it to the Holocaust Museum. [Who knows -- if gas prices don't get too high maybe we'll forego Niagara and go to NYC and DC this summer?]
Vancouver
Borrowed from the ‘net
Come January, I’ll be finding my way to Vancouver to go to a conference. Seeing how I’ve never actually been anywhere north of San Francisco (well, except the Seattle airport on my way to Alaska), this will be my first true “northwest” experience. I still haven’t decided how I’m going to get there or how long I’m going to stay, but I plan on bringing my camera and spending some time taking in the sites. I guess I should buy a tour book sometime in the near future, eh?
Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico
circa Christmas 2007
Come April, I’ll be making my way to New Mexico. I am in love with Santa Fe and the rest of the state’s not half bad either. I want to go back to Bandelier when it’s not so cold out, I need some green chile from the Frontier Restaurant in Albuquerque, and I have a huge craving for Cowgirl BBQ’s World Famous Butternut Squash Casserole. Seriously, I could live on that stuff if only I had the recipe. I really want to do the Trinity Tour, but alas — the tour may not fall during The Coach’s spring break. I guess I could drive out there by myself and buy him a ticket to fly in later. There’s still time to think about how I’m going to handle this.
Amsterdam
Circa May 2006
It’s really hard to think much farther ahead than next April. I would like to do a research trip to The Netherlands and Great Britain, but I have to find some funding to support my trip. Seeing how I’ve already had three CLAFDA grants, two FRCWA grants, and two summer fellowships, I’m a little worried that I will be perceived as sort of a funding pig {oink, oink} — but damn it, it’s not like I’m goofing around on the University’s dime.
You know, a trip to Amsterdam would really motivate me to study my Dutch. Hmmm …
