Sarum

Well, I have hied me hence from London. A bus and I became intimately acquainted with each other on our mutual journey across the English countryside. It was a tumultuous relationship, and I ended it callously as I arrived in Salisbury.

I came here partly because that's how far I could get on the money that I made busking in London, and partly because I've never seen Stonehenge before.


I haven't made it out to the stones yet (Stonehenge is a ride out of town), but I spent today over at the cathedral here in town. It's not as big as Notre Dame, but I rather like it. It's cozy. Plus, they have a legible copy of the Magna Carta on display in the chapter house, and that is beyond cool.

This picture is of the hallway leading up to the chapter house. The dark stones you see on the ground are memorial stones- I haven't figured out whether anyone's buried under there, or if they're just memorials. Pretty cool either way- some of them are very old and nearly illegible now.


Here's a view of the cathedral, looking out on the courtyard. It looks so gorgeously grey and damp in this photo, which is (strangely enough) because it was grey and damp. I really like the color contrast of that stone and the sky and the grass.

Potatoes with prawn

Where the hell have I been, you ask? It's bleeding Beltaine and you haven't heard from me since near the ides of April, you state forcefully, looking for answers? I, impatient people, have been aboard the good ship Red Herring, taking passage to that fair isle that some people call England. That's right, ladies and gents- I made it out of Florida!


We arrived in London yesterday. I've been having a grand old time exploring the city. Never mind what you've heard about English food- good food is easy to find here in London at least.

This picture is from a cafe that I at lunch in today. The cafe is in the crypt of one of the big churches around the center of London. I screwed up the film speed, but I kinda like how it turned out.


I spent the afternoon looking for the Globe Theatre. Did you know that somebody reconstructed it? It's not really like I imagined it (less dirt and far more compliant with modern building codes) but it was pretty cool to see.

This picture is of a pedestrian bridge that crosses the Thames nearby to the Globe. I like the composition of it- all the bridges and railings mixed together, with the river.

I'm feeling a bit lonely- I haven't run into anybody particular yet. Ah, well. I think it's been too long since I made it into a proper city!

Cluck cluck cluck

Well, I finally got as far as Tallahassee. I wandered around, and found a Nunnehi village! Weirdest thing you ever saw- it's smack in the middle of the suburbs. Literally. There's houses all around, and then up atop this hill, there's this village. It's all mud brick and palmetto thatch, which is surprisingly cool in the steam bath that is the weather here.

This picture is of one of the villagers. She was just coming back from school (she attends FSU, apparently) and was headed to the kitchens to help with the cooking. It's a lovely picture- I like the way the posts line up, with her walking at the end of them.


This (as you could no doubt tell) is not one of the Nunnehi who live there, but is a local boggan woman. She took me home and offered to put me up for a few nights. She's from New Orleans originally, and hot damn, but that woman can cook. Her pulled pork is absolutely the ambrosia of the freakin' gods.

You see her here baiting the chickens. I'm not entirely sure why she was baiting the chickens, but it made for a nice photo.

Cow tippin'!

Not much to say; still in Florida. I caught a ride out of Lake City and am now stranded in The Middle Of Nowheres, Florida. Thank god 'Liza witched my wireless card, or I wouldn't even be able to access this diary.

I did get a couple of nice pictures, though, so I can't complain too hard. I like this photo because of the motion of it. Also, I love the way the light falls on her face and hands.

There's a music festival in a camping park out here, and there's people crawling all over the place. Upside: interesting people make for good photo ops, and also, hippies with VW vans tend to be free with hitchhikers. Downside: drunk people + my shoes = me needing to get new shoes, goddammit!


I don't think I need to say much about this picture. I think my favorite thing about it is the earnest, serious look on his face!

You're not gonna believe this...

Parted ways with Lauren out in the middle of nowhere (long story, don't ask). Anyway, I wandered into a state park out there and ran into a group of inanimae living in kinda a commune in the unrented cabins out there. They have their sylph keep track of which ones are rented and the park ranger's schedules, and just camp in whichever ones are empty.

I was kinda surprised to see inanimae living in human dwellings, but they apparently are kind of dispossessed- mostly mannikins (like the two in this picture) and solimonds. There are a couple crofted glomes and sylphs who feel really shafted by their glade brethren, and also a few kubera that I think just feel sorry for the rest of the crowd.

They were kinda hostile to me at first- they're not used to strangers wandering in on them- but they at least let me stay the night with them in exchange for News From the Outside. Those gnome mannikins in particular were desperate for information; apparently they originally hailed from somebody's yard in St. Augustine, and some unknown horrible something in their pasts was keeping them from going back. I was fascinated but couldn't get them to open up and tell me what it was, alas.

After I left Oleno, I pretty much walked to Lake City, where I am now. I'm hoping to catch a ride out of here in the morning.

As I was coming up to the hotel, This young troll came up to me, sword-and-freakin'-everything, and challenged my right to pass! I'm sorry- I know I shouldn't laugh, but he was just so cute. Kid couldn't have been more than 9. Apparently, he and his big sister (the noble lady in the back) were pretty much what passes for Kithain Law in this town. I convinced them to scrounge me a room (their parents own the motel) and I told Sir Og'n'Smog (I'm not making that up- that was his actual name) tales of valiant knights for his entertainment and edification.

I'm headed towards Tallahassee at this point, I think. Maybe I can catch a plane or a train out of there; I'm getting tired of Florida.

I'd like the Michael Jackson, please!

Went out with Valaethe and her lot again tonight. There's this coffee shop in the downtown here that sells good coffee and surprisingly tasty desserts, and occasionally has live jazz.

This guy is Elias Anderson, some muckety-muck in the Bes Din (so I was told) who was In Town On Business, and Valaethe was showing him a good time. I like the shot; he's got a good pensive look on his face- plus, you can just see the Starbucks sign in the back!

Apparently, when Starbucks first opened in Gainesville, they opened across the street from this coffeeshop (the most beloved in ye towne) as their piratical warning shot that they intended to take this town! A few years down the line, though, Maude's is still doing hopping business (at least it was when I was there) and the Starbucks was looking a little lonely...

Here's a shot of Valaethe really showing Elias a good time! I thought his face kinda complimented her dress. There wasn't particularly supposed to be dancing there, but they just up and started some. I can't blame them; it was a pretty good jazz band.

Anyway, I'm out of this town tomorrow. The eshu in this crowd, Lauren, is heading out West of here and I'm taking the opportunity. Valaethe and her crowd are nice enough, but time and the tide moves on...

Picturesque

Still hangin' out with the pool players. The boggan makes a damn fine pizza, and this town has a surprisingly large number of interesting places to hang out.

I took this picture of Doran and Valaethe (her Countessness) at the University. They were building god-knows-what out the back of the student union, but there was a nice little area in the middle of the noise and confusion with a lake and trees and a little trail. Very strange, how human people will build an area up but leave one little piece of pretty in the middle of it, like they're trying to remember what pretty used to be like.

Something I also found odd was the fact that this was an amphitheatre, that went down to only a lake rather than a stage. Do they have water-skiing shows? It's not really that big a lake.

Anyway, I think this picture caught that sense, of the pretty in the middle of this big, noisy construction area.
Here's a shot of Valaethe down by the lake. I like this one, because the flow of her clothes fits into the look of the water, and the color of the stone and railing so well.

Not sure how much longer I'll stay here- I might be able to get a ride out of here next week. In the meantime, I'm enjoying myself.