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Oct. 3rd, 2009 09:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormdogI'm here in lovely Columbia, Missouri, in my hosts' living room. I've been having a really great time getting to know ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
faeriecat and the rest of her household, one of whom I'd exchanged email with, the rest of whom were basically new to me. All of them are really neat people and are lots of fun to hang out and talk with; the company on this trip is awesome! Thank, all of you, for putting me up.
My trip out of Kenosha Friday night was ok. Southbound 294 was horrific, and probably added an hour and a half to my drive. I finally got there around two in the morning, at which point I briefly said hi to my host, G (who greeted me with a homemade cookie! *bounce*), and snuggled in under blankets in his sofa bed. I'm sure I passed through some neat places on the way, but unfortunately, it was too dark to see them. I could almost-sort-of see the Mississippi as I drove over it, and that was cool. It was a little two-lane bridge, and I liked that.
Today, after leisurely meeting the rest of House Cthulu in person, G and I went out for some Thai for lunch, and my first trip to a Wal-Mart in quite some time. Did you know they sell, like, meat and foods and stuff now? *shrugs* Then he and Faeriecat and I drove out to explore an abandoned women's prison. My local guides on this trip told me that it had been in use up until some major flooding on the Mississippi river that covered the building up to the second floor. These days, it's used by SWAT teams and other tactical police groups for training. That being the case, when we heard loud and authoritative voices inside the building, we elected not to enter.
Instead, we drove back toward the house and stopped at a cemetery we'd passed on the way out. It was a relatively large yard of graves surrounding a small, old church. The stones dated back to the late 1800s. Most of them were fairly plain, but the old stonework was really appealing to me.
As well as the upright stones, there were a good number that were flat on the ground, and we found some that were in the process of being covered up by a shallow layer of loam and grass, only portions peeking out through it. They brought up mixed feelings in me. Though it's sad that the resting places of these people seem to be on the verge of disappearing into the earth, a part of me couldn't help but think how peaceful a scene it was; to be covered up and embraced by the earth, not once, but twice over.
We got back to the house for dinner; Faeriecat had made some yummy baked macaroni and cheese with spinach. Mmmm! And then it was back out to the site of Fearfest, the local haunted house that she and G are working at this season.
N and I got a tour of the place before the action started. I tried to take a few pictures, but I hadn't brought my 50mm and it was a little dark for the lens I had; no biggie. It was a really nifty setup! But a creepy one too. And as Faeriecat walked us through what would happen in each of the rooms as the patrons made their way through, I could easily imagine the whole experience being pretty terrifying. I'd been willing to go out and give at a run-through as a guest, but I think I'm glad I got to see it the way I did instead.
I also enjoyed hanging out in the backyard a little bit with the actors. There were a couple of raised firepits that folks were gathered around, and I realized how much I love and miss sitting around an outdoor fire in the Fall. I love the smell, the feel, the energy, of a camp fire.
And finally, N and I went back the house to meet up with C and House Cthulu's little girl, another G, leaving the two performers to their unsettling (hopefully!) work. I watched a very strange cartoon called Stoked! on TV (weird, weird animation), read a story that G wrote and tossed pillows and plushies back and forth with her, and have now settled in with my laptop to look at pictures and bore you all with the details of my day.
I hope you're all having a good weekend too!
==========
Oh; I almost forgot the picture!
Abandoned Women's Prison
faeriecat and the rest of her household, one of whom I'd exchanged email with, the rest of whom were basically new to me. All of them are really neat people and are lots of fun to hang out and talk with; the company on this trip is awesome! Thank, all of you, for putting me up.My trip out of Kenosha Friday night was ok. Southbound 294 was horrific, and probably added an hour and a half to my drive. I finally got there around two in the morning, at which point I briefly said hi to my host, G (who greeted me with a homemade cookie! *bounce*), and snuggled in under blankets in his sofa bed. I'm sure I passed through some neat places on the way, but unfortunately, it was too dark to see them. I could almost-sort-of see the Mississippi as I drove over it, and that was cool. It was a little two-lane bridge, and I liked that.
Today, after leisurely meeting the rest of House Cthulu in person, G and I went out for some Thai for lunch, and my first trip to a Wal-Mart in quite some time. Did you know they sell, like, meat and foods and stuff now? *shrugs* Then he and Faeriecat and I drove out to explore an abandoned women's prison. My local guides on this trip told me that it had been in use up until some major flooding on the Mississippi river that covered the building up to the second floor. These days, it's used by SWAT teams and other tactical police groups for training. That being the case, when we heard loud and authoritative voices inside the building, we elected not to enter.
Instead, we drove back toward the house and stopped at a cemetery we'd passed on the way out. It was a relatively large yard of graves surrounding a small, old church. The stones dated back to the late 1800s. Most of them were fairly plain, but the old stonework was really appealing to me.
As well as the upright stones, there were a good number that were flat on the ground, and we found some that were in the process of being covered up by a shallow layer of loam and grass, only portions peeking out through it. They brought up mixed feelings in me. Though it's sad that the resting places of these people seem to be on the verge of disappearing into the earth, a part of me couldn't help but think how peaceful a scene it was; to be covered up and embraced by the earth, not once, but twice over.
We got back to the house for dinner; Faeriecat had made some yummy baked macaroni and cheese with spinach. Mmmm! And then it was back out to the site of Fearfest, the local haunted house that she and G are working at this season.
N and I got a tour of the place before the action started. I tried to take a few pictures, but I hadn't brought my 50mm and it was a little dark for the lens I had; no biggie. It was a really nifty setup! But a creepy one too. And as Faeriecat walked us through what would happen in each of the rooms as the patrons made their way through, I could easily imagine the whole experience being pretty terrifying. I'd been willing to go out and give at a run-through as a guest, but I think I'm glad I got to see it the way I did instead.
I also enjoyed hanging out in the backyard a little bit with the actors. There were a couple of raised firepits that folks were gathered around, and I realized how much I love and miss sitting around an outdoor fire in the Fall. I love the smell, the feel, the energy, of a camp fire.
And finally, N and I went back the house to meet up with C and House Cthulu's little girl, another G, leaving the two performers to their unsettling (hopefully!) work. I watched a very strange cartoon called Stoked! on TV (weird, weird animation), read a story that G wrote and tossed pillows and plushies back and forth with her, and have now settled in with my laptop to look at pictures and bore you all with the details of my day.
I hope you're all having a good weekend too!
==========
Oh; I almost forgot the picture!
Abandoned Women's Prison
