Stranger in a Strange Land

[Mr Standfast]

 

This...

 

 

[John Morrison]

21 minutes ago, Thyrsis said:

First time we went to Aldi Ian bought a ‘centre aisle’ security camera and an arc welder. Has he used either of them? No.

I don’t take him with me any more.

 

 So his ruse worked! 😎

[AlbertSnapper]

Back in April with the first lockdown I went to Gloucester Services on the M5 motorway twice to do my shopping !

 

At least there I could get sausages/bread/cheese etc. (all tasty local produce) Expensive, but at least the shelves were full, unlike with the supermarkets and the panic buying.

 

Maybe I shall have to shop there again come January 1st !

 

 

Edited December 13, 2020 by AlbertSnapper

[geogphotos]

Xmas challenge. Go to the pub with mates at lunchtime, drink until you realise that all the shops have shut, then spend 20 minutes doing your entire  present shopping at the BP garage. Taxi home. 

 

The ghost of Xmas past 😃

[AlbertSnapper]

1 hour ago, AlbertSnapper said:

Back in April with the first lockdown I went to Gloucester Services on the M5 motorway twice to do my shopping !

 

At least there I could get sausages/bread/cheese etc. (all tasty local produce) Expensive, but at least the shelves were full, unlike with the supermarkets and the panic buying.

 

Maybe I shall have to shop there again come January 1st !

 

 

 

[AlbertSnapper]

Just now, AlbertSnapper said:

Just now, AlbertSnapper said:

 

 

 

Ignore.

 

I am clumsy.

[Allan Bell]

2 hours ago, sb photos said:

 Perhaps I should have a bulk delivery of cat food,

 

Good heavens! You are not THAT poor surely.🤢

 

Allan

 

[Mr Standfast]

1 hour ago, AlbertSnapper said:

Back in April with the first lockdown I went to Gloucester Services on the M5 motorway twice to do my shopping !

 

At least there I could get sausages/bread/cheese etc. (all tasty local produce) Expensive, but at least the shelves were full, unlike with the supermarkets and the panic buying.

 

Maybe I shall have to shop there again come January 1st !

 

 

 

 

Take yer camera...

[Allan Bell]

Just now, Mr Standfast said:

 

 

Take yer camera...

 

If you can't afford the food at least you can get a photo of it.

 

Allan

 

[Ed Rooney]

Aldi and the other big super markets have a place in walking distance of me, but I'll be going to the nearest, M&S, until my arm heals and I can walk further and carry more. There was an Aldi in Seville. 

 

[AlbertSnapper]

1 minute ago, Mr Standfast said:

 

 

Take yer camera...

 

1 minute ago, Allan Bell said:

 

If you can't afford the food at least you can get a photo of it.

 

Allan

 

 

I could buy the food as a business expense, and then photograph it  !

[Betty LaRue]

5 hours ago, Thyrsis said:

You’ve not experienced driving in the UK Betty?!? 

Pre Covid we used to go by bus the 3 miles into Oxford, now (very occasionally) we go in by car. 

A few days ago the journey in was a bit slow because of roadworks. On the way out the traffic was backed up all the way past the car park  so we went the long way round, about 8 miles. Took us about 40 minutes to get home! Could have walked it in that time! 

Hmm, I don’t believe I want to experience driving in the UK! It was hard enough on the island of St. Croix driving on the WRONG side of the road, without dealing with heavy traffic. I’d love to visit, though.

The neighborhood Walmart is about 3 miles away. It’s not a superstore selling everything, just groceries...normal market stuff. It’s handy also for the drive-through window to pick up my meds at the pharmacy. Three or four minutes to get there by car.

Never having been to the UK, I’m picturing the towns, villages as much denser population-wise than here. So if more people live in a square mile there than here, it explains the traffic. Plus our main traveling city streets are 4 lanes, (2 each way) so no getting stuck behind someone. Residential streets are 2-lane.
I know some of you have traveled to the US, does it seem like there are more wide open spaces here? Of course, if you only visited NYC or Los Angeles, your viewpoint would be skewed. When taking road trips, my husband and I avoided those cities like the plague, not wanting to turn into skeletons while caught in the crush.  We took the highways that circled around. Even doing that, sometimes we were in stop & go traffic for longer than we liked.

[Thyrsis]

Just now, Betty LaRue said:

Hmm, I don’t believe I want to experience driving in the UK! 

 

I don’t much like it either!

We’ve done two road trips in the US and it was a much more pleasant experience. Boulder to San Diego and Phoenix to  San Francisco. Apart from much less traffic the roads are much cleaner. Litter is a real problem here. 

[Betty LaRue]

1 minute ago, Thyrsis said:

 

I don’t much like it either!

We’ve done two road trips in the US and it was a much more pleasant experience. Boulder to San Diego and Phoenix to  San Francisco. Apart from much less traffic the roads are much cleaner. Litter is a real problem here. 

Did it feel weird to drive on the wrong side of the road to you? Your road trips here gave you a taste of the American desert, sometimes beautiful, especially in morning and evening light.

[Thyrsis]

6 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Did it feel weird to drive on the wrong side of the road to you? Your road trips here gave you a taste of the American desert, sometimes beautiful, especially in morning and evening light.

 

Ian drove not me.  He used to do a lot of car shoots abroad  so he’s used to driving on the wrong side!  I’m a good passenger but a really bad map reader....sat nav saved our marriage!  Driving through the Mojave desert was amazing, we came across a place called 29 Palms Inn and spent possibly the most magical night of our lives there. 

Edit: (spoke about this place back in this thread in June!)

Edited December 13, 2020 by Thyrsis

[Bryan]

2 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

I know some of you have traveled to the US, does it seem like there are more wide open spaces here? Of course, if you only visited NYC or Los Angeles, your viewpoint would be skewed. When taking road trips, my husband and I avoided those cities like the plague, not wanting to turn into skeletons while caught in the crush.  We took the highways that circled around. Even doing that, sometimes we were in stop & go traffic for longer than we liked.

 

We've driven around the east coast of the USA, from Richmond up to north of Boston. No problem driving on the right as we have holidayed most years on continental Europe. Things I had problems with were the tendency of people to overtake on both sides on the multi lane roads ( although that is becoming increasingly common here), the ability to turn right against a red light ( in some states/situations). toll roads, and the signage which is sometimes a tad sparse. That said an enjoyable experience overall, the Skyline drive through Virginia was magical, and most of the roads in the north were relatively empty. Then you had the country/folk radio stations which we enjoyed. 

 

Driving the UK is not a nice experience. The major routes are very crowded, and maybe because I am becoming even more grumpy as I get older, I find that the standard of driving here is in freefall. People can't be bothered to signal, clearly don't understand how to signal on roundabouts, there is too much tailgating,  speed limits are routinely ignored etc etc.  Before covid hit we were increasingly using the trains and buses to get around, and I look forward to returning to that when things get sorted.

[geogphotos]

25 minutes ago, Thyrsis said:

 

Ian drove not me.  He used to do a lot of car shoots abroad  so he’s used to driving on the wrong side!  I’m a good passenger but a really bad map reader....sat nav saved our marriage!  Driving through the Mojave desert was amazing, we came across a place called 29 Palms Inn and spent possibly the most magical night of our lives there. 

 

 

So you don't drive, don't navigate, don't take the photos, but do provide the magical nights 😃

[Betty LaRue]

1 hour ago, Thyrsis said:

 

Ian drove not me.  He used to do a lot of car shoots abroad  so he’s used to driving on the wrong side!  I’m a good passenger but a really bad map reader....sat nav saved our marriage!  Driving through the Mojave desert was amazing, we came across a place called 29 Palms Inn and spent possibly the most magical night of our lives there. 

My husband was stationed on the Mohave at the Victorville AFB. We were there for 18 months until he mustered out. He was offered a job at 29 Palms, but we were so young and homesick we went back to Oklahoma. I never got to see 29 Palms, but he did.
I remember going to a ghost town called Calico ghost town. I wonder if it’s crumbled into the sand by now.

The reason I mentioned the beauty of the desert is because I had 18 months of watching the light paint the hills, mountains around it in beautiful purples, blues, oranges and pinks. Back then, there were Joshua trees everywhere. The last time we went through the Mohave, most of them were gone. I think they are protected now because so many people were digging them up and transplanting them into town properties.

That was back in film days and we were shooting black & white film when and if we could afford a roll, which was almost never. If I bought a roll, I took pictures of our baby girl to send home.  I remember having a Polaroid camera for awhile that shot color, but after a few years, the color shift was horrible.
We watched a wildfire burn over the mountains, and like ignorant kids who knew nothing about wildfires, we drove with our baby up into the burning mountain with our baby to rubberneck.  After all, we thought, the road wouldn’t catch fire.  Our guardian angels must’ve been watching over us. We turned around when we began to get a snootful of smoke, because of the baby.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjzj7nL5cvtAhUQPq0KHRyZCgoQwqsBMAt6BAgQEAM&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D6eMQAkV30X8&usg=AOvVaw0J-R0cVthzIVU__cGDBDEF

Edited December 13, 2020 by Betty LaRue

[Betty LaRue]

52 minutes ago, geogphotos said:

 

 

So you don't drive, don't navigate, don't take the photos, but do provide the magical nights 😃

My husband drove most of the time, but I am an excellent navigator who always planned our routes and got us there. Funny thing, I could get us into a tricky off-road spot, but could never reverse directions in my head to get us out. Must be connected to the affliction of left-handedness.  Thank heavens my husband paid attention to landmarks going in, so he could get us out. You know the old “turn left at the tumbled down barn, right at the cow pond....straight past the lightning-struck dead tree.” Those landmarks. 😁

[Betty LaRue]

2 hours ago, Bryan said:

 

We've driven around the east coast of the USA, from Richmond up to north of Boston. No problem driving on the right as we have holidayed most years on continental Europe. Things I had problems with were the tendency of people to overtake on both sides on the multi lane roads ( although that is becoming increasingly common here), the ability to turn right against a red light ( in some states/situations). toll roads, and the signage which is sometimes a tad sparse. That said an enjoyable experience overall, the Skyline drive through Virginia was magical, and most of the roads in the north were relatively empty. Then you had the country/folk radio stations which we enjoyed. 

 

Driving the UK is not a nice experience. The major routes are very crowded, and maybe because I am becoming even more grumpy as I get older, I find that the standard of driving here is in freefall. People can't be bothered to signal, clearly don't understand how to signal on roundabouts, there is too much tailgating,  speed limits are routinely ignored etc etc.  Before covid hit we were increasingly using the trains and buses to get around, and I look forward to returning to that when things get sorted.

The west and east coasts are higher traffic areas. Like you, the first time we drove up east from Virginia to Bar Harbor, Maine, I was shocked at the toll roads. I moaned they cost us as much as gasoline. There are some tolls in the middle of the country, but not every few miles like in the east, and many non-toll roads. We got off of them pretty quick in the east and took paralleling roads. We saw all the quaint towns (especially loved in Connecticut) rather than bypassing them. That's how you taste the flavor of the country. I was like a kid in the candy store.
I took one of my all-time favorite images on a small road in Maine. You guys have ocean all around you or not far away. Here in Oklahoma/Kansas, we are landlocked (flyover country) and it takes some traveling to reach a coast. I love the sea, and my joy to be near it knows no bounds. The harbors, fishing boats, sloops, lobster shacks, weathered buildings...I can’t get enough of them.
Best coastline in the west is the state of Oregon. So many beaches in California are chained off and private. A past governor of Oregon saw to it with laws that the people have access to the beaches.

https://www.oregon.gov/lcd/OCMP/Pages/Public-Access.aspx

Edited December 13, 2020 by Betty LaRue

[Nick Hatton]

10 hours ago, Robert M Estall said:

both Aldi &  Lidl  do these curious centre aisles with all manner of "STUFF" It's cheap and some  a bit nasty and I just don't see why it would be in a supermarket. I confess I have snagged a couple of bargains but I still reckon they could put the space to better use

I thought the center aisle was the only reason to shop their!

[aphperspective]

Where else could you buy a frozen chicken and a fishing jacket.

[Thyrsis]

2 hours ago, geogphotos said:

 

 

So you don't drive, don't navigate, don't take the photos, but do provide the magical nights 😃

Got to play to your strengths! 😇

[Marianne]

Having grown up and spent most of my life in NYC and environs I can't believe how light the traffic is elsewhere in the US except California where even the 6-lane freeways turn into parking lots, worse than driving in Manhattan (I usually take the commuter train and then use the subway or walk, but sometimes I drive in). I took the Tube when I was in London and in Edinburg pretty much walked everywhere (taxi to & from the airport) so never tried driving on the "wrong" side though I did find driving through the French countryside and stopping for a herd of sheep to be an unforgettable experience. 

 

My husband does all the food shopping - which takes a couple of hours, since he first has to wait on line to get into the store as numbers in the store are strictly limited. I hadn't been able to manage more than 15 minutes in a regular grocery store with the high aisles since I suffered from bouts of vertigo for a couple of years. I was ready to give it a try again when the pandemic started but couldn't take a chance getting dizzy mid-shop these days, though I've been vertigo free since January so hoping I'll be able to shop again when all this ends. He's a great cook and does a great job picking out fresh foods, so I'm lucky. 

 

The desert was a revelation to this east coast beachcomber. Loved it. Great for the arthritis too. 

[Bryan]

8 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

The west and east coasts are higher traffic areas. Like you, the first time we drove up east from Virginia to Bar Harbor, Maine, I was shocked at the toll roads. I moaned they cost us as much as gasoline. There are some tolls in the middle of the country, but not every few miles like in the east, and many non-toll roads. We got off of them pretty quick in the east and took paralleling roads. We saw all the quaint towns (especially loved in Connecticut) rather than bypassing them. That's how you taste the flavor of the country. I was like a kid in the candy store.
 

https://www.oregon.gov/lcd/OCMP/Pages/Public-Access.aspx

 

The toll roads in the US came as a bit of a unexpected shock, otherwise we might have tried to avoid them. France has a network of toll roads, but, if you're not in a hurry, you can choose to drive on minor roads and through the little towns. In recent years we've taken the ferry to Santander in northern Spain and then slowly worked our way north, not driving more than 200 miles in a day and taking up to five weeks to get home. We tow a small caravan and leave car and van parked whenever possible, using bikes to get around. Travelling in June the campsites aren't crowded and the weather generally kind. It's been one of the better aspects of retirement. By far the worst aspect of these trips is towing the length of England. I shudder at the thought !

Edited December 14, 2020 by Bryan