An adventure good for the soul

Now, this all happened on Monday, July 23. It's being posted a little late, just because I didn't yet have the energy to sit down and write it all out.

I woke up on Monday morning, finished packing the car, and then headed to the coffee shop in Naples for one last breakfast. I ran into two friends on the way, and we had a nice chance to say goodbye again. Then I got directions from the internet, got a little more coffee, and I was off on my way to Niagara Falls. The drive was very nice, and my new FM transmitter for an ipod was working perfectly. Instead of heading straight to the Falls, I took another road that led to Lake Ontario and I toured Old Fort Niagara, an old military installation where Lake Ontario meets the Niagara River. For almost two hundred years, it was one of the most important military posts in the country, as it controlled virtually all access to the continent. The fort has since been rebuilt and "historified," and the film and exhibits are very illuminating.

I spent a while there touring and taking pictures, and then I got back in the car and headed over to Canada to see the Falls. It didn't take long to get there, but one of the hardest things was trying to find cheap parking once I got there. Sure, I could have parked within sight of them if I'd wanted to pay $18, but I didn't, so it took me a while to find more reasonable lots. Then I walked around, went to the horseshoe falls, took lots of pictures, and the only thing I bought from the gift shops there was a bag of candy made with Canadian icewine. (Look it up.) Then I spent the last of my Canadian money in a tourist trap called "Lego Brick World," in which an entire town is built out of lego blocks. For the most part, it was completely assembled and displayed kits, but he did have some custom builds, including the Taj Mahal, the Statue of Liberty, and an amazing Golden Gate Bridge. Some Star Wars ships circled the display, but they were just the special edition kits, fully assembled. It was fun overall, but a little too tourist-y.

From there, I had another adventure trying to find the way to the bridge back to America. It took me several tries, but eventually I gave up, found the QEW highway, and then drove south to the Fort Erie bridge. The customs official searched my trunk (I must have looked suspicious), and then I found the highways home. I was passing Naples again around 10 at night, and I made it all the way to my parent's house in Hazleton before I found that I was just too tired to continue. So I rolled in around 2:30am, slept on the couch, got up at noon, and then headed the rest of the way home.

It was a grand adventure, and I'm a little disappointed to be home. It's nice and comfy to sleep in my own bed again, but I miss the area, the people, and above all, the work. I made arrangements to return to my job at Pella windows, and I'll actually be performing in "Tony n Tina's Wedding" this weekend in Atlantic City. I need to get ready for that, look at my script for "Red Light Winter," and then also learn my lines for "Romeo and Juliet." I promise I will try to keep this blog updated and exciting, but I will do my best.