Thanksgiving Beach bums

This is the front porch of the cottage we rented for the long weekend at Seabrook (10-12 miles north of Ocean Shores). I thought I had died and gone to heaven to find I had my own room with a TV, no less. Of course, I had to waste hours the first night watching "what not to wear" type shows just because I could.
Mom, Dad, and I headed to the Ocean Crest resort for Thanksgiving dinner, which was excellent! I ate my first brussel sprout and officially became a fan of the dreaded veggie. Mom and Dad both arrived in various stages of upper respiratory distress and at the end of the weekend, I am happy to report, they were both doing much better (the coughing chorus was beginning to wind down).

This shot was taken from the hillside by the beach. Out in the distance, you can see the specs of people digging for clams. This was the only cloudy day of our visit- the light shining through the clouds was spectacular! The cushiony compact sand at the beach made for a good place to go for a jog- not much wind for kite-flying.

"Zombies of Mass Destruction" Nov. 17th

This is a shot of new friends and I (from me going clockwise: Debra, Tamara, Torrey, and Eric) before donning our zombie outfits and makeup on location for the filming of Zombies of Mass Destruction. This is taken at the waterfront in Port Gamble on the Olympic Peninsula. When Torrey first mentioned this opportunity to be extras in a zombie movie, I thought of all the reasons I would not want to do this- ie: scary makeup, cold conditions, late night, what if I have scary dreams (mommy!), etc. But then my adventurous self dared me to do it. I couldn't resist the idea of saying that I was an extra in a zombie movie! I took a bunch of pictures of us in our makeup, but the flash gave everyone red eye and I have to say, we looked like a believeable group of zombies- maybe too scary to post.

So, this was our scene: It was the middle of the night in Port Gamble, Washington- we, the zombie extras- are poised spread out in a large number in an open field, ready to eat something living and acting like zombies- completely stupid, unaware and incoordinated. Floodlights fill the space, set to give all the zombies sinister, long shadows. A flaming (on fire) stuntman comes running out from amid the crowd and exits the scene, immediately doused with water and fire extinguishers. 20 seconds or so and our scene is done. I am the zombie way in the back, facing away from the camera near the white picket fence. Be sure to rent the movie and look for me!

I learned a lot from this experience. These are experiences that yes, do add to the richness of life. 1. I learned how to look and walk like a zombie. 2. It takes a lot of work to create one scene in a movie. 3. People volunteer all kinds of time and talents to movies- amazing! 4. You can meet some interesting people at a shoot for a zombie movie. As they say, it takes all kinds.

In Philly, it's just called a cheese steak

Good news- I'm headed to Philly in January. I'm looking forward to the adventure, learning, and new friends. But I am going to be very homesick and miss being close, or somewhat close to my family and friends. (Please pardon the pictures are all out of order.)

Al Capone's home at the Eastern State Penitentiary. I think I can see his ghost!


Halloween night at the haunted Eastern Pennsylvania State Prison. It was operational from the mid 1800s (I think) and closed in the early 1970s. It looks like a fortress and it was seriously spookified inside.





This is the view I had from my hotel room at the Loews. Awesome, huh? The bed was so comfortable- too bad I couldn't sleep- I was too nervous about my interview. No need to be nervous though- everyone was wonderful and I was offered a fellowship position. I get started January 2nd! Now is the real difficult part- getting my ducks in a row. Since returning home, I have felt so overwhelmed, it has me temporarily paralyzed. I'll blog instead of being productive.



Oh, hey, it's the liberty bell. I was walking by and - there it was! It's a few short blocks from the hand center.












Art museum steps- Melissa (my fellow fellow) and I checked out the Renoir exhibit before pounding the pavement to find an apartment.


















At the top of the steps at the art museum where Rocky made his mark. I wonder if I had photoshop, I could make it say "Robynn". Hmmm I think I'm onto something.