European Adventure, Days 2 and 3: Arcos and Ronda

So we actually made it to Spain! We sat at the terminal at Dover pretty much all day Monday, but for some reason, it didn´t seem that bad. There were a bunch of nice people there (some of whom had been waiting for 5 days to make it on a flight). We flew on a C5--which is a huge cargo plane. It was pretty awesome. The best part was that there was enough room to lie down on the floor and go to sleep.



We made it to Spain early Tuesday morning, rented a car, and headed out to the hill towns of Andalucia. We went to Arcos de la Frontera in the morning (a beautiful white-washed city built on the side of a cliff, with small winding roads similar to venice). Then we set off to the next little town, Ronda, and that´s about when we hit a wall. Not literally, although, driving in Spain where we don´t know what any of the traffic sign mean, it´s probably fortunate that we didn´t hit a wall. And that we´ve actually found our way to the places we want to go. Anyway, we were both about to fall asleep by the time we made it to Ronda...so we found a hotel and took a nap.



We spent the evening wandering around the beautiful little village, again white-washed and built on the side of a cliff with an impressive bridge across a gorge. Anyway, this afternoon we´re heading to Granada, and tomorrow we are going to do some rock climbing. So fun!

European Adventure, Day 1: Dover

Just to give you a little explanation of the entries that are to follow, Justin and I decided on Saturday night that we should just take the risk, and hop on a military "space-a" flight to Europe. The reason this is a little risky is because it is not uncommon for people to get over to Europe only to find there is no room on the flights coming back. This could be bad as we checked the prices for tickets heading back from Europe, and they were all about $2,000 each. So, you can see we are taking quite a gamble. Our original plan was to head to Italy, but reports of people getting stuck there were pretty high, so we changed our plans to go to Spain. And after a quick conversation with Cousin Ted about what to see in Spain, we both became very excited about our destination.

Day 1:
We were going to try to get up really early and make it to Dover AFB in time for the flight that was heading to Spain at 8:40 am. But let's be honest, Justin and I decided at 7 pm Saturday night to go to Europe, so we didn't exactly get to bed early, and we decided that we'd just aim for the 12:40 pm flight instead.

Here's what was supposed to happen next: We would leave our house at 8:00, drive two hours to get to Dover (Delaware) and hop on the flight to Spain at 12:40.

Here's what really happened: We left our apartment at about 8:55 am. We were cruising right along, an hour later than planned, but still plenty early for the 12:40 roll call. And then, at 9:43, our plans came to a screeching hault--or at least traffic did. Now, we all know that DC traffic isn't known for being kind and accommodating, but this was probably the worst traffic experience I can recall. You know things are bad when passengers are getting out and walking alongside their cars, and when the driver of the car in front of you gets out, grabs his deodorant, applies it and gets back in the car. It literally took us about four hours to go two miles. By living at 9 am we thought we'd for sure make the 12:40 flight, and if not, we thought that there'd be no way to miss the 4:20 pm flight later that afternoon. But...we did! (Actually, we arrived about 4 pm, only to find that the 4 pm flight was canceled.)

Anyway, it turns out that a tractor trailer somehow went over the edge of the Bay Bridge (the one bridge across Chesapeake Bay from Maryland heading toward the beaches of Delaware) so one side of the bridge was closed. And it is kind of a weird sight to see a huge truck in the bay, so there was plenty of rubber-necking.

Long story short, we ended up staying the night in Dover and actually had a great time. We watched the Olympics (which I LOVE), and screamed at the top of our lungs for the USA swimming relay team, and found an amazing little place for dinner. (Justin ate a 24 oz. steak. That is a lot of meat!!)

Now we're off to hang out at the terminal and hope for the best. If we don't get on the flight today, our European vacation may turn into a New England vacation...but here's hoping!

Happy Birthday America

So, these pictures probably won't look super patriotic (we have no pinwheels, tiaras or sparklers), but this was probably my favorite 4th of July in memory. Here's why:

1. We got to spend time with Ali and Jim
2. We did not capsize into the Charles despite the fact that Jim (though he be a certified helmsman) had never had anyone else in his boat, or sailed on a red wind day. I did get soaked with river splash, hoewever.
   
3. We got to break a Happy Birthday America pinata made by Jim. It turns out that Jim has been making a plethora of pinatas. (Although technically Will was the one to actually break it, we all benefited from the spoils.)
4. I was reminded how much I enjoy playing frisbee.
5. We wandered around Boston's Freedom Trail, felt the spirit of '76 and were filled with patriotism from the cradle of the revolution.
6. Watched the best failed western TV show pilot ever made.
7. Spent some time on a slightly chilly, uncrowded beach. (Although, it turns out that I did not get tan.)
8. The best fireworks show I have ever seen in my life...accompanied by the Boston Pops and Rascal Flats.
9. Besides one minor spot, we did not hit traffic the whole way home.
10. Did I mention hanging out with Ali and Jim?

It really was a fantastic weekend in Boston. Here are the pictures:

Look what Justin made!!

Well, as if Justin didn't already do everything, we can now officially add "artist" to his long list of qualifications. Believe it or not, he made this from scratch. Well, he didn't make the license plates, but he did cut them out and build and paint the backdrop. We got the idea for this about a year ago when we saw a similar work of art at the National Portrait Gallery.

Anyway, Justin decided that he could make one...and it turns out that he was right (which is good because the one at the Portrait Gallery cost $4,000). Besides the suggestion I gave him to actually plan which color of license plates he was buying (so that all of the Western United States didn't end up the same color) he did the whole thing himself. And it fits in so nicely with our vibrant red couches. Bravo, my love! (Watch out Dan Bradshaw--you're not the only "arteest" in the family now!)

Here's a better view...

And here it is when I used the flash...you can tell which license plates were really old because they didn't reflect...

Pretty sweet!!

Ride Like the Wind...

...the Black Wind, that is. You may or may not have been watching my g-chat tagline over the past two months, but it has basically been taking various forms of "I want a bike." And it turns out that I finally got one. I only crashed twice on my maiden voyage. The first time was kind of embarrassing because we had just made it to a pedestrian-heavy intersection in Old Towne Alexandria, and I kind of forgot that my foot was attached to the pedal. When I went to step down, it just tipped my bike over on top of me. Oops. I almost fell on top of a man walking by on the sidewalk. He was looking at me in shock (no doubt wondering why I all of a sudden tipped over). Anyway, I digress. The bike that I finally chose is called a "Vent Noir". That means black wind in French. So when I say I'm riding the black wind, I mean it.

Justin and I decided that we should bike for a cause, so we joined Booz Allen's Bike MS team (hence the sweet flaming jerseys). What that means is that we ride our bikes in the hopes that our friends and family will donate money to a good cause. I'm only about $200 short of my goal. And just think, if all of my friends were to contribute just a few dollars, I think I'd reach my fundraising goal in no time! If you are interested in being one of those friends who want to fund research to cure MS, please click here. All you have to do is type in Bethany Scott, and make a TAX DEDUCTABLE contribution. (Do you like how I'm using my blog as a fundraising forum? Anything for a cure! (Actually, my grandpa died of MS when I was two, so I actually have a reason for supporting this cause...)

This weekend we did a training ride out in Purcellville, Virginia. I decided not to put sunscreen on my arms. Big mistake. Now my legs are speckled, and my arms are red striped (there's a sweet line in the middle of my bicep where my sleeves were). Oh well. It was really fun. I rode 32.5 miles--my new personal record. And I'm in way less pain than I was last weekend after only 25 miles. Good times!

In other news, the prophet said to plant a garden, so that's what we did. And when I say "we", I mean Justin planted a garden, and I sat there and watched him, and then took some pictures. I was giving him a lot of praise for his good work, so I'm pretty sure I contributed to the successful beginnings of our summer salads. Here are the pictures:

Justin planting tomatoes.

Looking at me and planting tomatoes...

The finished product. We have, tomatoes, peppers, parsley, teragon, sage, thyme, broccoli, green onions, strawberries, romain lettuce, green lettuce, beans, chives, cilantro, oregano, mint, peppermint, basil, rosemary, a maple tree and a pine tree. Not bad for a tiny balcony!!!

Lord of the Flies

This weekend, Justin and I headed to the Shenandoahs for a little adventure in the mountains. It turned out to be a beautiful day, and when I say it was a beautiful day, I mean that I was wearing a t-shirt all day and wasn't cold.


We started the day by hauling up the mountain. Fortunately, Justin was carrying 50 pounds of climbing gear, which made it possible for me to keep up with him. Once we got to the top, instead of chilling with the scout troupe that was up there, we kept right on going in order to bushwack our way down to a hidden climbing area. I took some lovely pictures of the foliage (or lack thereof) and of Justin climbing.


Throughout the time Justin was climbing, there were little gnat-sized flies buzzing around...and they were very pesky, but I didn't think much of it. After Justin finished the route a couple of times, we made our way back up to the trail in order to find some easier stuff for me to climb. The climb we found ended up being a little harder than expected. I made it about three-fourths of the way, and then had to have Justin hoist me up. In my own words, "I had nothing left to give." We packed up our stuff, and hiked our way back to the summit where we tried (unsuccessfully) to capture the beauty of the day. Instead, we got a kind of lame self portrait in the sunset.


Anyway, it turns out that all those pesky little flies were doing more than just buzzing around. I realized when we got home, that I was being eaten alive!!! I've declared myself the Lord of the flies, since apparently, they LOVE my blood. Justin got a few bites here and there, but I got 22 bites on one leg, and 33 on the other. I look like I have leprosy!

The Clothing-Coordination Connection and Conference

I have discovered a simple truth. I am much more athletic when I'm fashionably clad than when I'm not. I was first made aware of this strange clothing-coordination connection two years ago when I started dabbling in tennis. The summer before moving to D.C. I spent a lot of time playing tennis with people in my ward, and I was never very good, until I bought my sweet tennis outfit. You know, a cute little skirt outfit that the pros wear. I'm not exaggerating, but my skills jumped significantly on occasions when I was wearing the outfit, and dropped back down again when I wasn't. I only bring this up because I have recently decided that I need some fashionable climbing/hiking clothing.

A couple of weekends ago, I went with my friends Katie D. and Roz and Justin to hike around Sugarloaf Mountain in Maryland. We had a great time--it was briskly cold, and actually snowed for part of the time we were hiking. The only down side to the experience was the number of colors that I was wearing. Note the outfit below: You don't see the full glory of my outfit in the picture, but when it got really cold, I was wearing about 6 different clashing colors. I had on Justin's green pants (I don't own any long pants that aren't jeans, so I had to borrow from my husband, which is clearly sick and wrong, but I will try to refrain from pontificating on the evils of a fashion industry who fails to actually sell clothing that fits a woman over a certain height...), my puffy red coat from the GAP (my sporty coat comes from the GAP because it's the only company that makes tall sized coats with sleeves long enough for my arms...), pink gloves, forest green wool socks, and white and lavender shoes. I'm pretty sure that I would be way better at climbing if I only had an appropriate outfit...And a word about Justin's hat--he couldn't find his beanie when we were leaving, so he just grabbed his biking hat, which is designed to fit under a helmet--in case you were wondering why Justin was wearing a swimming cap. But despite our current fashion-faux pas, we all had a lovely time in the great outdoors. (And, just so you know, I ordered some North Face pants when we got home. I know that I am ridiculous, but I guarantee I am more coordinated when I don't clash...and when I'm not wearing my husband's pants.)

In a totally unrelated note, Justin and I had a great time watching General Conference this weekend. It was a spiritual feast...and an artistic inspiration!


We may need to re-read Elder Child's talk when it comes out in the Ensign...I can't recall exactly what Justin was going for on the pinky-toe (that is Justin's foot, by the way), but we decided it looks like the family beaver. Every knows that every family needs a beaver.