Why I Love Twitter.

I love Twitter. There I’ve said it. It’s not for everybody. I may be addicted. But I don’t care. I love it anyway. The question is, why? I think there isn’t just one answer to that. But one thing I do know, is that I love feeling connected to a larger world: a world beyond my geographic and experiential boundaries. Maybe it’s similar to the urge I had when I was in junior high to have a pen pal in a foreign country. Only this is immediate and I have many, many “pen pals”.

Take for example @familyonbikes. I started following Nancy and her family over a year ago when they were somewhere in Central America on their bicycling journey from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. I was attracted to their spirit and sense of adventure. I was fascinated (although not envious) of a family who would set off with twin 10 year old boys and take 3 years to bike the length of the Americas. They have shared their adventure through their blog the entire distance. They are now in Bolivia and I have experienced some small part of their journey every few days through their tweets, photos, and videos. We’ve shared a few laughs via twitter. And many of us have given words of encouragement when the trip was going tougher than expected. And this morning I got up to watch the Vogel family via Skype on @GMA Good Morning America as they were spotlighted on a Family segment. I’m sure many of their followers across the US were doing the same, cheering them on and wishing Tim a Happy Birthday. For about 5 minutes there, the world got very small. (check them out at http://www.familyonbikes.org/)

One of my favorite adventuresome tweeps of all time is @aeevans (formerly @bus2antarctica). I heard about him through a National Geographic tweep @marilyn_res just as he was starting his epic bus trip from Washington DC to the tip of Tierra del Fuego (seems to be a popular route these days). For the 6 weeks or so it took him to travel, I, along with a whole fan club of tweeps, followed his every word as he described his journey through words and photos (he has since published an article in National Geographic Traveler Magazine). He is now off exploring Greenland and again sharing his journey, discoveries, and observations in 140 characters or less. He really is one of the best at creating wonderful word pictures in so short of space. A recent tweet from Greenland:

Everyone smiles here. Everybody waves, even from half a mile away. Out of the emptiness, acknowledgment of another human life

Then there is a new “follow” of mine: @followengine. 28,000 miles, 5 Continents, 26 countries, and 1 Fire Engine: a Charity trek by a young man who lost his father to lung cancer. This will be an epic adventure as he, along with a series of “crews”. will drive the truck around the world raising monies for 3 charities and raising awareness. They have just finished Stage 1 (the Mongol Rally) which ended in Ulaan Bataar and they are now headed to the Chinese Border. Their website maps their GPS coordinates, has a blog, and information about how to donate. Here’s a recent tweet:

It's not often in life you camp in a field and then suddenly a train on the Trans-Siberian Railway rattles past. Glorious!!!!!!

I follow birders and nature lovers across the United States even a woman who used to live on a narrowboat on a canal in the Midlands of England and loves to band birds. I tweet with Tampa and St Pete locals which has enriched my experience of getting settled in a new place. I follow people who are clever with words, talented with a camera, adverturous in spirit. I've reconnected with an old friend from the Pacific Northwest experiencing her through her very clever words. Yes, I follow a few dogs and cats (ones with pretty darned clever owners if you ask me) and even a Canadian squirrel. I follow a British expat who lives in Bali and who Jerry and I met In Real Life (IRL) last year when we visited Bali,  I’ve started searching out interesting Italian tweeps in preparation for my 2011 fall travel plans. I follow bakers, readers, writers, animal lovers, travelers, and food lovers. Basically I follow people with interesting things to say and who are generous in spirit. I can't wait to find out who I meet up with next.

Gray Days Just Need a Splash of Color

Its a gray drizzly day today in Montreal. For our walk we decided to walk down to the Classic Boat Show (think wooden boats) at the Lachine Locks in the Old Port.  I debated whether to take my camera, since photography on a gray and rainy day is often not very interesting...but I thought: A Challenge! Let's Find the Color on a Gray Day.  So here is the result:

I Made a Friend Today at Marche Montreal (and got myself a Chickapug)

I've been on Twitter over a year now (@abaesel2)and have found interesting, clever, informative, and engaging people in the Twitterverse. Its always a real treat to meet one of my twitter friends IRL (In Real Life) especially when they turn out to be as charming and interesting as their tweets. And such was the case today, when I met Kelly Brown AKA @misskitteh9. Kelly, as she describes herself on twitter, is a digital artist, photographer, and Photoshop fanatic. I had seen some of her work on her Esty site: http://www.etsy.com/shop/kellydbrown and loved it. Today I got to see her AND her work IRL at the Marche Montreal.  Kelly has a wide variety of subjects from Paris and Montreal to alpacas and marmots, from gardens and butterflies to horses and handsome dogs.  And then there is Chickapug (or is that Pugadee?) Well, whatever you call the cute fella, I got my very own "Chickapug" (magnet) today. Wanna see?

Copyright by Kelly D Brown

The Marche Montreal is in its formative stages having just started its Saturday gatherings on August 12th. Located in a parking lot on St Dominique near Prince Arthur Street, the goal of the market is to provide a venue for artists, craftspersons, food vendors, musicians, jewelry makers and fashion designers, as well as secondhand goods sellers. Although still small, there were interesting things for sale today and a talented jazz guitarist was playing as we left. The market is just one block over from St. Laurent and easy to get to by car, on foot, or public transportation.  Here is a website with more info:  http://marchemtl.wordpress.com/

Oh and here we are....@missketteh9 and @abaesel2 at the Marche Montreal.

Stormy Skies

A few weeks ago I was cleaning out Mom's old apartment that had these kick-ass views of the Intracoastal Waterway in St Pete. A storm raced through while I was there and I caught a few pics. It's one thing I love about Florida and St Petersburg, the ever changing skies: clouds, rain, thunderstorms, and sun.

Long Time No Post and My Adorable Cat

I have been mainly posting on my "other" blog (www.thetravelingbaesels.blogspot.com) as of late. Life has been even more full than "normal", so something had to give. But I miss the freeform randomness of this blog, so i aim to be a little more regular here in the future. To start off the renewal is a random photo of my adorable hunky cat Captain Morgan enjoying the afternoon sun by my bedroom door.

View from our Window Tonight

This made me smile

These ski hat topped kiosks are all over downtown Montreal. Such a cheery sight on a cold windy day:

Hockey

I'm in Canada, its the Olympics, hockey is Canada's game (thats what Coca Cola, Michael J Fox and any person on the street will tell you), so I'm being sucked into the hockey fanatic machine. I'm learning about icing (not the kind that's on your cupcake), offsides (a little like in football but not really) power plays and boat horns (that's what the goal horn sounds like to me). At the moment I am watching the Canada Russia quarter final game (and with a score of 7-3 that boat horn has been sounding a lot) . And Canada is owning the game (after all its IS their game). and I admit...its pretty darn exciting...this really is a game especially made for those with ADD! so fast...half the time I don't even see the puck go in the goal (sometimes not even on the replay). I don't know what I'm going to do if Canada meets the US in the finals! But for now Go Team Canada!

Christmas Photos

The boys came over from Orlando for Christmas and we managed to get everyone together at the same time as we had a camera (and remembered we had a camera) for photos...even Sweetie and Luigi:

Outside The Fountains, Florida, December 26th 2009

In Montreal

Finally a moment to blog. These past few months have been so incredibly full of moving, finishing the house, moving again, selling our old house, the holidays, and more. I don't think i realized how weary i was until Jerry and I got to Montreal for this week's vacation. It is wonderful not to have to do anything of importance, no decisions to be made, no 7:30 meetings with one contractor or the other, no deliveries to receive. And its snowing, even more reason to read, blog, tweet, nap and eat by the fire.

Jerry is experimenting with crepes and pancakes these days. So today I got nutella/blueberry pancakes...yum...with good VanHoutte coffee. Next up...a bath while the Roomba does my vacuuming (poor thing is a little perplexed over the fringe on the oriental rugs!). Then back to the fire and Malcolm Gladwell's What the Dog Saw.

I've updated my travel blog and am working on getting up pictures on the house blog, so check it out:

www.thetravelingbaesels.blogspot.com and www.annettesspot.blogspot.com