I'm a late bloomer myself, so I don't hold anything against my Crape Myrtle tree for choosing to bloom almost a month later than the neighbor's. Sometimes I wish it were a more exciting color than white, but we should strive to accept some things and people for the way they are, shouldn't we?
I've been shooting this tree for a couple of days, hoping to get a photo for a special project I'm working on. I like this one, but am not convinced that it's the one I want. We'll see.
It's been a bit hectic here, as you can imagine. Nate leaves for Erskine on August 23, so we are busy getting him to doctor appointments and shopping for dorm supplies. It's tax-free weekend here, but I'm not really mustering up the courage to go out and battle the crowds in the 90+ heat to save 7.5%. I might go to Wal-Mart today. Yup. Wal-Mart. On a Sunday afternoon. But I need his bedding and there is a pretty nice store here in Tega Cay. We'll see.
Taylor and I spent a few hours cooking yesterday for a story I wrote this morning on tailgating food. We did a cranberry walnut coleslaw recipe that I got from buddy Rena and a marinated shrimp recipe I got from buddy Sarah. We also made another batch of peach lemonade because Mensa Boy didn't get any of it last time. This was the second food story I've done in a week. The other was my annual treatise to the South Carolina peach. That one should be in next week's paper, so I'll post some photos and recipes next week.
It's been great having Taylor with me in the kitchen. Periodically I have to tell him I don't want help, though. Cooking is, after all, my hobby. So sometimes I like to just put on some tunes (typically Norah Jones), pour a glass of wine and just cook. But he does have a knack for it. Especially grilling. He pulled off some wonderful butterfly chops last week that absolutely were fantastic. They were done perfectly, very moist and yet cooked through. It took me a long time to perfect pork chops on the grill without drying them out. He's also become a bit of a grilled corn aficianado, although our attempt to cook cobs on the cast iron grill pan on top of the stove was not so great. We had copious amounts of smoke alternating with very slow cooking as we turned the heat up and down to find the right method. He finally decided he'd rather do that outside from now on, too.
I started back to work on Thursday. I was surprised to roll up to the building only to find everyone else already there. Apparently we were still on the 4-day workweek, so I had to work 10 hours that day! Since I didn't show up until 7, I was stuck there until 5:30 or 6. More like 6:15, since I kind of dithered around at lunch. But, it did mean I had Friday off, so that was cool. And this next week will be the last 4-day work week. So one more Friday off!
That's it. It's Sunday afternoon, which means NAPTIME!
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The Bat Tower
This is the AT&T building in downtown Nashville. Buddy Chris says they refer to it as the bat tower. I can see why.
And many thanks to the anonymous reader that identified the red sculpture. It is called "Ghost Ballet," and was done by artist Alice Aycock. Anonymous put a link to a Nashville photo blog that tells about it and has a photo from an entirely different perspective. Take a look.
Here is Aycock's official website. Definitely worth a look.
Yesterday's quest for a new comforter for our bedroom was fruitless, but I may go back today and pick up one I saw in Macy's. I kept getting stymied by the browns because I keep thinking the walls in our bedroom have a sort of rosie-ness to the brown color. But really I won't know how it works out until I bite the bullet and buy one. The thing is, I DESPISE doing returns so I'm trying very hard to get as close to what I want as possible.
Today will be doctor appointments all around and a lot of extra errands. Yuck. But then they will be out of the way!
And many thanks to the anonymous reader that identified the red sculpture. It is called "Ghost Ballet," and was done by artist Alice Aycock. Anonymous put a link to a Nashville photo blog that tells about it and has a photo from an entirely different perspective. Take a look.
Here is Aycock's official website. Definitely worth a look.
Yesterday's quest for a new comforter for our bedroom was fruitless, but I may go back today and pick up one I saw in Macy's. I kept getting stymied by the browns because I keep thinking the walls in our bedroom have a sort of rosie-ness to the brown color. But really I won't know how it works out until I bite the bullet and buy one. The thing is, I DESPISE doing returns so I'm trying very hard to get as close to what I want as possible.
Today will be doctor appointments all around and a lot of extra errands. Yuck. But then they will be out of the way!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Broccoli Pesto Lunch
One of my favorite tomato-season lunches is pasta tossed with pesto and tomatoes. You may recall that in this post I mentioned Broccoli Pesto & Fusilli Pasta, a recipe I found on one of my favorite food sites, 101 Cookbooks. At the time I said I didn't even shoot that supper because their photos are so much better than mine anyway.
But when I took the leftover pesto, tossed it with the leftover fusilli, threw in the rest of the chard and tossed in a yellow heirloom tomato, I pretty much couldn't resist shooting my lunch.
I've done a bit more food photography these last couple of days as I've worked on my annual peach story for the paper. I made a peach lemonade and then some peach pasta, which we put on top of some excellent butterflied pork chops that Taylor grilled up for us. I will post those after the story is written. Which I really should do today.
This is my last week of summer. And not even a full week. I start back Thursday. I'm sad to see the summer end, as I've really enjoyed just relaxing and not working...either physically or mentally. There is a lot to be said for having a job that stays at the job and doesn't follow you around in your head like writing does.
I will spend the next three days doing those summer things that should be done before school lets out. A couple of doctor appointments and then I need to get eye exams done for the guys too. But I will also start the "dorm shopping" this week. This will probably take up quite a bit of time in the next few weeks. That list is rather long. Nate received his roommate info and room assignment in the mail Saturday, so we should contact his new roommate to see what he has so we can coordinate stuff like televisions and microwaves and refrigerators. Also lofts. Erskine has loft kits we can buy for $50 and Nate wants to do that. If Matthew does too, then it will be easier to figure out the dorm room. We'll see the room a week from Saturday during orientation and we can map it out and plan it then. But tax-free weekend is this weekend, so we should do some buying now.
And that's it for today. I'll need to start figuring out how to balance the blogging with work and jazzercise and home care. Blogging kind of went by the wayside there for a while.
But when I took the leftover pesto, tossed it with the leftover fusilli, threw in the rest of the chard and tossed in a yellow heirloom tomato, I pretty much couldn't resist shooting my lunch.
I've done a bit more food photography these last couple of days as I've worked on my annual peach story for the paper. I made a peach lemonade and then some peach pasta, which we put on top of some excellent butterflied pork chops that Taylor grilled up for us. I will post those after the story is written. Which I really should do today.
This is my last week of summer. And not even a full week. I start back Thursday. I'm sad to see the summer end, as I've really enjoyed just relaxing and not working...either physically or mentally. There is a lot to be said for having a job that stays at the job and doesn't follow you around in your head like writing does.
I will spend the next three days doing those summer things that should be done before school lets out. A couple of doctor appointments and then I need to get eye exams done for the guys too. But I will also start the "dorm shopping" this week. This will probably take up quite a bit of time in the next few weeks. That list is rather long. Nate received his roommate info and room assignment in the mail Saturday, so we should contact his new roommate to see what he has so we can coordinate stuff like televisions and microwaves and refrigerators. Also lofts. Erskine has loft kits we can buy for $50 and Nate wants to do that. If Matthew does too, then it will be easier to figure out the dorm room. We'll see the room a week from Saturday during orientation and we can map it out and plan it then. But tax-free weekend is this weekend, so we should do some buying now.
And that's it for today. I'll need to start figuring out how to balance the blogging with work and jazzercise and home care. Blogging kind of went by the wayside there for a while.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Just Like His Father
"Here Taylor," I said as I handed him my old cell phone.
"Sweet! Is it broken?" he asked enthusiastically.
"Uh. No. It's your own cell phone," I told him.
Well of course that made him even happier. I asked him if he minded getting my old one. "I don't care," he said.
Cool kid, huh?
"Sweet! Is it broken?" he asked enthusiastically.
"Uh. No. It's your own cell phone," I told him.
Well of course that made him even happier. I asked him if he minded getting my old one. "I don't care," he said.
Cool kid, huh?
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Red Sculpture in Nashville
I have no idea what this sculpture is. It's in downtown Nashville and I've googled around quite a bit trying to find out the name, artist, etc, all to no avail. We had a good time speculating on it.
It's going to be 100 degrees here today. But right now it's very pleasant on my patio with my smoothie and coffee. I need to leave for Jazzercise in a few minutes and I'm experiencing quite a pull to just stay here and enjoy the outside as long as I can.
Yesterday I took Taylor and Fred to my friend's pool and we hung out there for a couple of hours. It's so incredibly relaxing to just float around listening to them play and talk and catching a bit of NPR. We'll probably do that again today. After the run to the farm, of course. And I need to get on the ball with a couple of food stories. One with peaches, the other with "cheap eats."
It's going to be 100 degrees here today. But right now it's very pleasant on my patio with my smoothie and coffee. I need to leave for Jazzercise in a few minutes and I'm experiencing quite a pull to just stay here and enjoy the outside as long as I can.
Yesterday I took Taylor and Fred to my friend's pool and we hung out there for a couple of hours. It's so incredibly relaxing to just float around listening to them play and talk and catching a bit of NPR. We'll probably do that again today. After the run to the farm, of course. And I need to get on the ball with a couple of food stories. One with peaches, the other with "cheap eats."
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Guitar Shop
I'm in a black & white mood today. Probably because we watched a b&w foreign film last night, "Angel-A." I enjoyed the movie, but wouldn't give it my highest rating. It was a bit risque but I thought worth it for the story. An angel comes to help straighten out a loser in Paris. The movie was in French with English subtitles, which I always enjoy.
I shot this in a guitar shop in downtown Nashville last week. I never did take note of the name of the shop.
Oh by the way! Had a wonderful supper last night! Broccoli Pesto & Fusilli Pasta from the website 101 Cookbooks. It was superb. The photo on the website is delicious. I didn't even bother shooting my own.
I shot this in a guitar shop in downtown Nashville last week. I never did take note of the name of the shop.
Oh by the way! Had a wonderful supper last night! Broccoli Pesto & Fusilli Pasta from the website 101 Cookbooks. It was superb. The photo on the website is delicious. I didn't even bother shooting my own.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Payback
I am a stalker. I stalk my friend Rena when I get a chance. Usually I leave something on her car for her when I'm out shopping near her work. It might be a stick of gum, an orange with a smiley face drawn on it, a jar of wild capers...whatever jumps into my hand and says "I need to be on Rena's car.
The other day, with Lis' assistance, I wrote a message on several pieces of post-it note paper and stuck it all over her car. The post-its were perfect for Rena because they said "blah blah blah" on the top, which is something she always says. Most of the pad of 100 notes was left so I stuck the pad on her back window so she could use them later.
The prank was good. The execution was good. But the notes did not stand up to the light breezes we had that day. Rena and her boss had to pick them up from the parking lot ground, grass and bushes when they got off work. The next morning she stuck them on my mailbox. Her timing was impeccable. She managed to stop by minutes after I'd come in from walking the dog, and just before Mensa Boy left for work.
She did not leave me the blank ones.
These are the days winding down to when I go back to work on July 31. Days that are quite hot in the middle, but pleasantly cool and breezy at the beginning and end. I'm spending a lot of time on the patio reading during those times. I like this schedule.
The other day, with Lis' assistance, I wrote a message on several pieces of post-it note paper and stuck it all over her car. The post-its were perfect for Rena because they said "blah blah blah" on the top, which is something she always says. Most of the pad of 100 notes was left so I stuck the pad on her back window so she could use them later.
The prank was good. The execution was good. But the notes did not stand up to the light breezes we had that day. Rena and her boss had to pick them up from the parking lot ground, grass and bushes when they got off work. The next morning she stuck them on my mailbox. Her timing was impeccable. She managed to stop by minutes after I'd come in from walking the dog, and just before Mensa Boy left for work.
She did not leave me the blank ones.
These are the days winding down to when I go back to work on July 31. Days that are quite hot in the middle, but pleasantly cool and breezy at the beginning and end. I'm spending a lot of time on the patio reading during those times. I like this schedule.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Car Finders
I saw this little sheep painted on the side of this used-car business while we were sitting at a traffic light in Ridgetop, Tennessee. We made a point of stopping there on the way out of town the next day and I'm glad we did, because then I saw the sign on the front door of the business. I wish I'd shot that, but for some reason I didn't think to. The sign had their business hours posted on it and then on the bottom it said, "In case of emergency call xxxxx." A phone number. I remarked to Lis that it's cool that they are thinking of people that might have an emergency need for a used car.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Get Lost
Anyone who knows me a little bit knows that I love signs. I've always been a sign reader. And package reader, too. Maybe it's because when I was growing up our television watching was limited? And of course we didn't have gameboys and movies to watch when we traveled in the car...which was how we always traveled. And we traveled a good bit. I always had a book with me and did copious amounts of reading in the car. But every trip was heavily punctuated with Mom and Dad saying, "Hey, look at that!" and pointing out the windows. When I do that with our guys they generally don't. (Look, that is.)
The sign above was on a business in downtown Nashville. I didn't even notice the name of the store.
This one is not so terribly interesting, but it caught my attention nonetheless. This high school in a suburb of Nashville (is it Hillsboro?) has a burro for its' mascot:
But I think I like this one best. It is on a closed feed store in downtown Nashville(you may have to click the photo to read the entire postscript on the bottom):
The sign above was on a business in downtown Nashville. I didn't even notice the name of the store.
This one is not so terribly interesting, but it caught my attention nonetheless. This high school in a suburb of Nashville (is it Hillsboro?) has a burro for its' mascot:
But I think I like this one best. It is on a closed feed store in downtown Nashville(you may have to click the photo to read the entire postscript on the bottom):
Monday, July 14, 2008
Truckin' Tigger
On our way to lunch at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville (an event that didn't happen because they don't open until 5 p.m.), we were sitting in traffic and noticed this truck driver had Tigger wired to his grill. Tig doesn't seem to mind too much.
We also saw this cool fish statue in front of the Boy Scout headquarters:
We also saw this cool fish statue in front of the Boy Scout headquarters:
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Writer Lis
Lis has been with Taylor and me as we've traveled to and from Minnesota. Here she is writing a letter in our hotel room the other night.
We arrived home last night around 7:30 or so and after about 90 minutes of unpacking and settling in, we chilled out (as well as you can when it's still in the 80s after dark) on the patio with some crunchy bread, rotisserie chicken and hoop cheese. A very pleasant wind-down to the journey.
Today will be church and then probably I'll have to look at this enormous stack of mail we have here, as well as assess the damage to our checkbooks. As I write this Bear is settling in too. He has a bone that was left in the garden, RIGHT OUT IN THE OPEN WHERE EVERYONE CAN SEE IT!, and is walking around with it trying to find a new hiding place. He's wearing a new harness I bought for him. It's a Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness with the leash ring on the front of his chest. I'd like to use that when walking him to keep him from pulling so much.
That's it for now. Here's a photo of the dying butterfly we saw in the grass at a gas station in Illinois:
We arrived home last night around 7:30 or so and after about 90 minutes of unpacking and settling in, we chilled out (as well as you can when it's still in the 80s after dark) on the patio with some crunchy bread, rotisserie chicken and hoop cheese. A very pleasant wind-down to the journey.
Today will be church and then probably I'll have to look at this enormous stack of mail we have here, as well as assess the damage to our checkbooks. As I write this Bear is settling in too. He has a bone that was left in the garden, RIGHT OUT IN THE OPEN WHERE EVERYONE CAN SEE IT!, and is walking around with it trying to find a new hiding place. He's wearing a new harness I bought for him. It's a Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness with the leash ring on the front of his chest. I'd like to use that when walking him to keep him from pulling so much.
That's it for now. Here's a photo of the dying butterfly we saw in the grass at a gas station in Illinois:
Friday, July 11, 2008
William Jennings Bryan: A Recurring Theme
I took this photo at Bryan Memorial Park in Selma, IL. As in William Jennings Bryan Memorial Park. Yesterday.
I took a photo of old William too. I'll probably just upload that one to flickr. (In case you are forgetting, Bryan was the prosecutor in the Scopes Trial, arguing that evolution was both "irrational and immoral." And no, he never became president, but many of us think of him as one. I suspect because he RAN for president 3 times. And is such a prominent name in American history.)
Today Chris, Lis and I went to downtown Nashville and walked around. I shot many photos and I'll post them when I get home. We had a great time just wandering around and poking in shops and taking in the architecture of the place. We stopped in at the Ryman Auditorium, but did not take the tour since it was $16 a pop. The auditorium has been called the "Mother Church of Country Music" which, I'm sure is in part due to the fact that riverboat captain Thomas Green Ryman originally built the building to be the Union Gospel Tabernacle. Interestingly, William Jennings Bryan once lectured from the stage there.
I got a great shot of a the bronze statues of Minnie Pearl and long-time love interest Roy Acuff. I'll post that later too.
And now this evening it's wine, hot dogs, corn on the cob, and fried zucchini for supper. Tomorrow morning we'll head for home.
Oh! I nearly forgot! Tambri sent me a text that there's been a BIG FIRE at Erskine College. Yikes!
I took a photo of old William too. I'll probably just upload that one to flickr. (In case you are forgetting, Bryan was the prosecutor in the Scopes Trial, arguing that evolution was both "irrational and immoral." And no, he never became president, but many of us think of him as one. I suspect because he RAN for president 3 times. And is such a prominent name in American history.)
Today Chris, Lis and I went to downtown Nashville and walked around. I shot many photos and I'll post them when I get home. We had a great time just wandering around and poking in shops and taking in the architecture of the place. We stopped in at the Ryman Auditorium, but did not take the tour since it was $16 a pop. The auditorium has been called the "Mother Church of Country Music" which, I'm sure is in part due to the fact that riverboat captain Thomas Green Ryman originally built the building to be the Union Gospel Tabernacle. Interestingly, William Jennings Bryan once lectured from the stage there.
I got a great shot of a the bronze statues of Minnie Pearl and long-time love interest Roy Acuff. I'll post that later too.
And now this evening it's wine, hot dogs, corn on the cob, and fried zucchini for supper. Tomorrow morning we'll head for home.
Oh! I nearly forgot! Tambri sent me a text that there's been a BIG FIRE at Erskine College. Yikes!
The End of a Long Day
We saw these guys catching a catnap in the back of a pickup yesterday. We were all hurling down the freeway at 80+mph. It was nearly 90 yesterday, so I can certainly understand how workers could be so tired that they could sleep even in an open pickup truck.
I forgot to run this through the noise reducing software, so it's a bit grainy. And in the interest of full disclosure I should admit my stupidity in taking this photo:
I was driving. Lis took photos out the front windshield, but we weren't totally happy with the angle. So naturally I pulled up to where I was nearly tailgating the truck, (did I mention 80 mph?) and took the camera, one hand on the wheel, Lis' hand also on the wheel, and I got off two shots. And yeah, we had a minor child in the car.
We got to Chris' house outside Nashville right around 6 p.m. We had to let ourselves in because Chris and Kevin had to take 5-year-old Sammy to Urgent Care to have a pebble removed from her ear.
"I fell down and the rock got in there," she told the doctor.
In actuality she was in time-out for a dust-up she had with her friend Ryan when she stuck the pebble in her ear.
After a nice supper of spaghetti, which Lis made, we sat and drank wine and chatted. Today we will wander downtown Nashville for a bit, taking in the sites.
I forgot to run this through the noise reducing software, so it's a bit grainy. And in the interest of full disclosure I should admit my stupidity in taking this photo:
I was driving. Lis took photos out the front windshield, but we weren't totally happy with the angle. So naturally I pulled up to where I was nearly tailgating the truck, (did I mention 80 mph?) and took the camera, one hand on the wheel, Lis' hand also on the wheel, and I got off two shots. And yeah, we had a minor child in the car.
We got to Chris' house outside Nashville right around 6 p.m. We had to let ourselves in because Chris and Kevin had to take 5-year-old Sammy to Urgent Care to have a pebble removed from her ear.
"I fell down and the rock got in there," she told the doctor.
In actuality she was in time-out for a dust-up she had with her friend Ryan when she stuck the pebble in her ear.
After a nice supper of spaghetti, which Lis made, we sat and drank wine and chatted. Today we will wander downtown Nashville for a bit, taking in the sites.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Bear the Traveler
Here's Bear in the hotel in Bloomington, IL. We are staying at the Baymont Inn, a pet-friendly hotel. We stayed here on the way to Minneapolis (see the Beep Beep Flash Flash entry).
Bear seems to be quite the natural traveler. He sleeps well in the car and doesn't make a sound when we start or stop. He drinks when we give him water, and pretty much makes no demands on us. Last time, on the way up, he basically held his appetite and bowel habits most of the trip...except for that deposit he made behind the couch at Chris' (sorry!)...
We are staying here tonight (obviously) and then going on to Nashville tomorrow to sponge off Chris and her family for two nights. We'll pal around town with her on Friday and then head out for home Saturday.
It was a great visit, a good chance to see the family and hang out with buddy Julie (even though she about wore me out yesterday ripping wallpaper off the walls in the parsonage kitchen!). But I will be glad to have a couple of free-and-easy weeks at home before going back to work on July 31.
My friend Debbie Burgess, she of the Hungry Fox, has taken it upon herself to try to blog for 21 days straight to try to establish the good habit of blogging every day. I think I may try to do this with photography. I kind of gave up the 365 day flickr group because of the stress of coming up with self-portraits every day. Maybe just to take a photo every day will be a good step toward working on my photo taking and editing skills.
Bear seems to be quite the natural traveler. He sleeps well in the car and doesn't make a sound when we start or stop. He drinks when we give him water, and pretty much makes no demands on us. Last time, on the way up, he basically held his appetite and bowel habits most of the trip...except for that deposit he made behind the couch at Chris' (sorry!)...
We are staying here tonight (obviously) and then going on to Nashville tomorrow to sponge off Chris and her family for two nights. We'll pal around town with her on Friday and then head out for home Saturday.
It was a great visit, a good chance to see the family and hang out with buddy Julie (even though she about wore me out yesterday ripping wallpaper off the walls in the parsonage kitchen!). But I will be glad to have a couple of free-and-easy weeks at home before going back to work on July 31.
My friend Debbie Burgess, she of the Hungry Fox, has taken it upon herself to try to blog for 21 days straight to try to establish the good habit of blogging every day. I think I may try to do this with photography. I kind of gave up the 365 day flickr group because of the stress of coming up with self-portraits every day. Maybe just to take a photo every day will be a good step toward working on my photo taking and editing skills.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Mom's House of Whimsy
Yesterday I fooled around a bit with my camera...something I haven't done much of this summer. I decided to challenge myself by setting it on one focal length and then shooting with just manual focus. I'm pretty pleased with my results. I do have one shot, though, that I will do again with autofocus. I didn't bring a tripod and I need the vibration reduction to help with it.
But this is not that shot. These are some items my Mom has on the coffee table in her porch. The little green guy is made of a gourd. And the bowl is too. The statue is one of many she has that are made by Isabelle Bloom. (Just looked for a website and can't find one)
But this is not that shot. These are some items my Mom has on the coffee table in her porch. The little green guy is made of a gourd. And the bowl is too. The statue is one of many she has that are made by Isabelle Bloom. (Just looked for a website and can't find one)
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'
"Though the streams are swollen
Keep them doggies rollin'
Rawhide"
And roll we did. 19 miles from Cannon Falls to Red Wing, 19 miles back. All along the swollen Cannon River we kept our doggies pumping the pedals of our bikes.
My brother Ted and I met at Cannon Falls at 7 a.m. and took off about 15 minutes later. We stopped in Welch for a potty break and then went on to Red Wing. A guy at Welch told Ted there was "nothing at the other end but a McDonalds!" Dork. There's a whole freakin' town at the other end, loaded with gastronomic possibilities!
Farther into town. Away from the trail.
Right on the edge of town, where the trail dumps out, there're a couple of shopping areas with some restaurants that were not open. We rolled up to a gas station that said it had a restaurant attached and found it locked.
As we sat there on the bench outside the gas station, chuckling at our stupidity (we had spent several minutes lining up our bikes and meticulously locking them together before checking the door), a pickup rolled up.
"Are they closed?" the fellow asked. He looked about Dad's age.
Ted walked up to the open window of his truck and told him they were closed.
"I'm hungry!" I shouted from the bench.
The guy said that sometimes Econo Foods has a pretty decent breakfast. He told Ted to stay put. He'd drive over there and look and come back to tell us.
A few minutes later he came back and said, "Well, how about Perkins?" By this time I'd checked my Magellan and saw there was one 1.2 miles up the road. Ted asked if it was that far. "Probably." was the answer.
"Throw your bikes in the back and I'll run you up there," he offered.
And so was my second hitchhiking experience of the trip.
I missed the guy's name. I made Ted sit in the middle in the guy's pickup cab (that was a humorous sight...260 lb, 6'1" Ted hunched in the middle of this mini-pickup cab and me by the window.)
The fellow, I'll call him Roy because Ted said he couldn't remember his name but it was an "old guy's name like Roy," was a semi-retired building inspector and part time project manager for commercial properties.
Nice fella. I was glad I sat next to the window. At the end of the ride he said, "Watch your arm, sweetheart," when he rolled up the window as we got out. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it. But it would have creeped me out if he'd called me that and I was in the middle.
So we had an enormous breakfast around 8:30 or 9 and then hit the trail to come back. Believe me, it was a LOT harder on the way back. Poor Ted had a racing saddle on his bike, which is not terribly friendly to the bottom. And of course we were getting slightly tired. And there was a breeze against us on the way back, as well as a lot of bike traffic on the trail. Everyone was out to enjoy a nice ride on the 4th.
We got back to Cannon Falls around 12, which kind of astounded us. Could we really have taken 5 hours to cover 40 miles? So we were standing there saying to each other "Well we stopped here, we stopped there, we had breakfast." Finally I said "You know, we prolly actually covered it all in about 45 minutes if we take out all the stops."
And then we were pleased.
Keep them doggies rollin'
Rawhide"
And roll we did. 19 miles from Cannon Falls to Red Wing, 19 miles back. All along the swollen Cannon River we kept our doggies pumping the pedals of our bikes.
My brother Ted and I met at Cannon Falls at 7 a.m. and took off about 15 minutes later. We stopped in Welch for a potty break and then went on to Red Wing. A guy at Welch told Ted there was "nothing at the other end but a McDonalds!" Dork. There's a whole freakin' town at the other end, loaded with gastronomic possibilities!
Farther into town. Away from the trail.
Right on the edge of town, where the trail dumps out, there're a couple of shopping areas with some restaurants that were not open. We rolled up to a gas station that said it had a restaurant attached and found it locked.
As we sat there on the bench outside the gas station, chuckling at our stupidity (we had spent several minutes lining up our bikes and meticulously locking them together before checking the door), a pickup rolled up.
"Are they closed?" the fellow asked. He looked about Dad's age.
Ted walked up to the open window of his truck and told him they were closed.
"I'm hungry!" I shouted from the bench.
The guy said that sometimes Econo Foods has a pretty decent breakfast. He told Ted to stay put. He'd drive over there and look and come back to tell us.
A few minutes later he came back and said, "Well, how about Perkins?" By this time I'd checked my Magellan and saw there was one 1.2 miles up the road. Ted asked if it was that far. "Probably." was the answer.
"Throw your bikes in the back and I'll run you up there," he offered.
And so was my second hitchhiking experience of the trip.
I missed the guy's name. I made Ted sit in the middle in the guy's pickup cab (that was a humorous sight...260 lb, 6'1" Ted hunched in the middle of this mini-pickup cab and me by the window.)
The fellow, I'll call him Roy because Ted said he couldn't remember his name but it was an "old guy's name like Roy," was a semi-retired building inspector and part time project manager for commercial properties.
Nice fella. I was glad I sat next to the window. At the end of the ride he said, "Watch your arm, sweetheart," when he rolled up the window as we got out. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it. But it would have creeped me out if he'd called me that and I was in the middle.
So we had an enormous breakfast around 8:30 or 9 and then hit the trail to come back. Believe me, it was a LOT harder on the way back. Poor Ted had a racing saddle on his bike, which is not terribly friendly to the bottom. And of course we were getting slightly tired. And there was a breeze against us on the way back, as well as a lot of bike traffic on the trail. Everyone was out to enjoy a nice ride on the 4th.
We got back to Cannon Falls around 12, which kind of astounded us. Could we really have taken 5 hours to cover 40 miles? So we were standing there saying to each other "Well we stopped here, we stopped there, we had breakfast." Finally I said "You know, we prolly actually covered it all in about 45 minutes if we take out all the stops."
And then we were pleased.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
The Weather Outside is DELIGHTFUL!
I snaked an arm out from under the covers this morning to grab my cell phone.
"Ok. Its July and I'm huddling in my bed not wanting to get out because its only 55 degrees and I left the windows open last night," I text(ed?) to Rena, Sarah, Tambri, and Chris.
Yup. July 3. 55 degrees. Bracing! I got up and put on my jeans, SOCKS (!) and my warmest t-shirt. Now at 4:45 p.m. it is a really nice 78 degrees out...warm enough for crops.
My morning expedition was to ride my bike to downtown Farmington. I strapped my Jazzercise mini-backpack to my handlebars and set out to gather provisions: 2 bottle of wine (a red Rioja from Spain and a Piesporter Riesling I hadn't tried yet), a movie (The Great Debate with Denzel Washington), a bag of Foglifter coffee by Millstone and a loaf of crusty bread from the Farmington Bakery. I was pretty amazed that I could fit the two bottles and the bag of coffee in my little backpack.
Mom went strawberry picking this morning. She left at 6:00 when I was still dead to the world. So for lunch I had a grilled cheese sandwich and a handful of berries. I finished reading my book, "The Titan," by Fred Mustard Stewart. GREAT BOOK! It kept me riveted...very hard to put down.
This afternoon we sought out National Camera Exchange and I bought a small folding reflector and 3 lens caps. I've lost 2 caps so I replaced those and bought another to have as a spare. And of course the obligatory Target stop. I bought some shirts for Nate that were on sale.
While Dad's in the hospital Mom has been carrying his wallet around in her purse. When we sat down for coffee, she said, "Hmm...this is like going to the bank." And she pulled out his wallet, took $20 out, and put it into hers. "I just made a transfer," she said.
Now tonight we'll have steak. I'm in charge of cooking that when Mom's at her piano lesson. Tomorrow I think Ted and I will ride the Cannon River trail. We'll see. The day will end at Julia's with a bonfire.
"Ok. Its July and I'm huddling in my bed not wanting to get out because its only 55 degrees and I left the windows open last night," I text(ed?) to Rena, Sarah, Tambri, and Chris.
Yup. July 3. 55 degrees. Bracing! I got up and put on my jeans, SOCKS (!) and my warmest t-shirt. Now at 4:45 p.m. it is a really nice 78 degrees out...warm enough for crops.
My morning expedition was to ride my bike to downtown Farmington. I strapped my Jazzercise mini-backpack to my handlebars and set out to gather provisions: 2 bottle of wine (a red Rioja from Spain and a Piesporter Riesling I hadn't tried yet), a movie (The Great Debate with Denzel Washington), a bag of Foglifter coffee by Millstone and a loaf of crusty bread from the Farmington Bakery. I was pretty amazed that I could fit the two bottles and the bag of coffee in my little backpack.
Mom went strawberry picking this morning. She left at 6:00 when I was still dead to the world. So for lunch I had a grilled cheese sandwich and a handful of berries. I finished reading my book, "The Titan," by Fred Mustard Stewart. GREAT BOOK! It kept me riveted...very hard to put down.
This afternoon we sought out National Camera Exchange and I bought a small folding reflector and 3 lens caps. I've lost 2 caps so I replaced those and bought another to have as a spare. And of course the obligatory Target stop. I bought some shirts for Nate that were on sale.
While Dad's in the hospital Mom has been carrying his wallet around in her purse. When we sat down for coffee, she said, "Hmm...this is like going to the bank." And she pulled out his wallet, took $20 out, and put it into hers. "I just made a transfer," she said.
Now tonight we'll have steak. I'm in charge of cooking that when Mom's at her piano lesson. Tomorrow I think Ted and I will ride the Cannon River trail. We'll see. The day will end at Julia's with a bonfire.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Running Around
We have been very pleased with what a great traveler Bear is turning out to be. The first day in the car he was a little unsettled, but not a lot. He didn't cry or anything. He just looked a little "on edge." Never really relaxed much that day. But by the second day he was all about enjoying the ride. He stretched out on his seat and dropped off to sleep, not really even moving around much. He did a good job in the hotel, not barking even once if people walked down the hall.
He's also had good house guest behavior with just one accident at Chris' and one at Mom's. Both poop incidents. I don't understand why they do that, but dogs seem to need to do something in a house the first day they are there. Every dog that has visited our house has done that too.
Each morning I get up and walk him around Farmington before breakfast. He also loves Mom's fenced-in back yard, running around and exploring the gardens. At Julia's he seems a little lost out there. Julia said they would let him out and he didn't come back. They would go looking for him and find him hunched over under a tree. I think he found some mulch pile in her back yard and rolled in it, though. He really smelled like gardening manure last night when I picked him and brought him back to Mom's. So he had a 10 p.m. bath.
Sunday was a little more exciting than I would care for. Dad ended up in the emergency room at the Northfield hospital and ultimately had surgery to remove portions of his bowel, which had perforated. He will be in the hospital until at least Friday, maybe even as late as Sunday.
Yesterday brother Ted, sister Julia and I took the kids on a bike ride down the Minnehaha Parkway. We rode from Lake Nokomis to Fort Snelling State Park. It was fun to ride the old neighborhood. Everything is in full bloom and Minneapolis has done a wonderful job updating the Minnehaha Falls area. Ted and I are thinking of another ride on Friday morning.
After the ride we went to the Malt Shop for an excellent lunch and then I spent the afternoon and evening at John and Julie's house. They moved into their new parsonage a couple of weeks ago so I helped with some unpacking during the afternoon. I was in charge of the workshop room in the basement, which I brushed out with a stiff whisk broom and then organized with all Julie's tools and such. It was a satisfying project. After cleaning up, we walked back to the 50th and Lyndale area and at the Blackbird Cafe, which is next door to the Malt Shop. I had a wonderful spring pea ravioli dish.
This morning I'm just hanging around and this afternoon Lis and I plan to go to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts to see the Frielander: Photography exhibit.
He's also had good house guest behavior with just one accident at Chris' and one at Mom's. Both poop incidents. I don't understand why they do that, but dogs seem to need to do something in a house the first day they are there. Every dog that has visited our house has done that too.
Each morning I get up and walk him around Farmington before breakfast. He also loves Mom's fenced-in back yard, running around and exploring the gardens. At Julia's he seems a little lost out there. Julia said they would let him out and he didn't come back. They would go looking for him and find him hunched over under a tree. I think he found some mulch pile in her back yard and rolled in it, though. He really smelled like gardening manure last night when I picked him and brought him back to Mom's. So he had a 10 p.m. bath.
Sunday was a little more exciting than I would care for. Dad ended up in the emergency room at the Northfield hospital and ultimately had surgery to remove portions of his bowel, which had perforated. He will be in the hospital until at least Friday, maybe even as late as Sunday.
Yesterday brother Ted, sister Julia and I took the kids on a bike ride down the Minnehaha Parkway. We rode from Lake Nokomis to Fort Snelling State Park. It was fun to ride the old neighborhood. Everything is in full bloom and Minneapolis has done a wonderful job updating the Minnehaha Falls area. Ted and I are thinking of another ride on Friday morning.
After the ride we went to the Malt Shop for an excellent lunch and then I spent the afternoon and evening at John and Julie's house. They moved into their new parsonage a couple of weeks ago so I helped with some unpacking during the afternoon. I was in charge of the workshop room in the basement, which I brushed out with a stiff whisk broom and then organized with all Julie's tools and such. It was a satisfying project. After cleaning up, we walked back to the 50th and Lyndale area and at the Blackbird Cafe, which is next door to the Malt Shop. I had a wonderful spring pea ravioli dish.
This morning I'm just hanging around and this afternoon Lis and I plan to go to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts to see the Frielander: Photography exhibit.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Beep Beep Flash Flash
The sights and sounds outside our hotel room in Bloomington, IL on Tuesday night.
Wonderful hotel. We stayed at the Baymont Inn. It's a pet-friendly hotel, which I'd never stayed in before. Rather I should say I've never stayed in a hotel with a pet before. I guess I could have stayed in a hotel that allows them, but I've never brought one with me.
Anyway. My expectations were low. My parents had tried staying in pet-friendly hotels before with mixed results. The principle concern they had was that they seemed to be given smoking rooms, even when requesting non-smoking. Dad's theory was that they must just put all the "bad stuff" in those rooms...smokers and pets.
So Lis made the reservations (she's an AARP member) and I told her, "be sure sure sure it's a nonsmoking room!"
The hotel was spotless. And smelled crisp and clean. They were changing out carpet and furniture in some parts of it, so it was being remodeled as well.
We checked in, confusing the heck out of poor Bear as we kept taking him outside every 15 minutes trying to get him to pass some solid waste. But we did settle down and have a meal of Wendy's chili and salad. And wine. Then Taylor settled in to watch the tube and Lis and I repaired to the pool deck with our other glass of wine. It was a gorgeous evening out. No bugs, perfect temp. We settled in to bed around 10:30 and dropped right off to sleep.
Around midnight we heard what sounded like a loud clock radio beeping over and over. Lis got up to investigate and saw a red SUV parked under our window (we were on the 2nd floor) with the car alarm going off. The headlights were flashing and the beeping was persistent. We figured someone would come shut it off soon, so we went back to bed. About 3 or 4 minutes later it stopped.
An hour or so later it started up again. Lasted 3 or 4 minutes, stopped.
Every 90 minutes or so it would start again. All. Night.
I did not call the front desk. I figured someone else would. I actually slept through it for the most part. I'd hear the beeping sound, identify it, drop back off to sleep. I woke pretty refreshed except for a migraine, which was unrelated. So I was good. Taylor never knew about it. Lis said she was good.
We were in the elevator with our bags the next the morning and I said to Lis, "I see someone did stick a note on the windshield of that car." And the other woman in the elevator said they had complained to the front desk a few times during the night, once running into the fellow that was staying in the room right in front of the flashing headlights. The hotel staff didn't seem to know what to do.
That kind of blows my mind. They take your vehicle information when you register. Why didn't they look up who it belonged to, call his room, and tell him about the problem? If they couldn't reach him they could have gone to his room. And if that didn't work, they should have had it towed.
So Baymont? Nice hotel. Kind of stupid staff, however. At least at that one.
Wonderful hotel. We stayed at the Baymont Inn. It's a pet-friendly hotel, which I'd never stayed in before. Rather I should say I've never stayed in a hotel with a pet before. I guess I could have stayed in a hotel that allows them, but I've never brought one with me.
Anyway. My expectations were low. My parents had tried staying in pet-friendly hotels before with mixed results. The principle concern they had was that they seemed to be given smoking rooms, even when requesting non-smoking. Dad's theory was that they must just put all the "bad stuff" in those rooms...smokers and pets.
So Lis made the reservations (she's an AARP member) and I told her, "be sure sure sure it's a nonsmoking room!"
The hotel was spotless. And smelled crisp and clean. They were changing out carpet and furniture in some parts of it, so it was being remodeled as well.
We checked in, confusing the heck out of poor Bear as we kept taking him outside every 15 minutes trying to get him to pass some solid waste. But we did settle down and have a meal of Wendy's chili and salad. And wine. Then Taylor settled in to watch the tube and Lis and I repaired to the pool deck with our other glass of wine. It was a gorgeous evening out. No bugs, perfect temp. We settled in to bed around 10:30 and dropped right off to sleep.
Around midnight we heard what sounded like a loud clock radio beeping over and over. Lis got up to investigate and saw a red SUV parked under our window (we were on the 2nd floor) with the car alarm going off. The headlights were flashing and the beeping was persistent. We figured someone would come shut it off soon, so we went back to bed. About 3 or 4 minutes later it stopped.
An hour or so later it started up again. Lasted 3 or 4 minutes, stopped.
Every 90 minutes or so it would start again. All. Night.
I did not call the front desk. I figured someone else would. I actually slept through it for the most part. I'd hear the beeping sound, identify it, drop back off to sleep. I woke pretty refreshed except for a migraine, which was unrelated. So I was good. Taylor never knew about it. Lis said she was good.
We were in the elevator with our bags the next the morning and I said to Lis, "I see someone did stick a note on the windshield of that car." And the other woman in the elevator said they had complained to the front desk a few times during the night, once running into the fellow that was staying in the room right in front of the flashing headlights. The hotel staff didn't seem to know what to do.
That kind of blows my mind. They take your vehicle information when you register. Why didn't they look up who it belonged to, call his room, and tell him about the problem? If they couldn't reach him they could have gone to his room. And if that didn't work, they should have had it towed.
So Baymont? Nice hotel. Kind of stupid staff, however. At least at that one.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Hitchhiking in Mount Vernon, IL
I am very late with this entry. No real excuses. Sorry.
Tuesday we traveled from Nashville to Bloomington, IL. Lis and I like to get out and walk and see stuff, so after a couple of hours on the road, I asked Magellan to tell me about some points of interest. As it turns out we were just an exit or so away from Mount Vernon, IL.
The AAA information built into Magellan pointed out that the Appellate courthouse was where Abraham Lincoln argued cases and also served as an emergency hospital under the guidance of Clara Barton during a tornado in 1888. Magellan also said that there was an historic village to see in the town. So we told Magellan to take us there. And she did. Right to the center of Mt. Vernon.
We looked around and didn't really see anything that looked like a replica of a village, and no real signs about the Appellate Court. So we parked and started wandering around downtown. Taylor and Lis periodically said, "There's an old building. Maybe that's it." And so we would walk to that, ultimately finding an old church and a couple of other buildings.
Finally we saw a postal worker and asked her. She directed us down a street, told us where to turn after a bit, and we set out walking.
What turned out later to be something like 2 miles, we ended up outside the Cedarhurst Center for the Arts. We didn't go in there because we figured the village was on the other side, but as we walked by the center we were able to enjoy the many wonderful sculptures that dot their park.
Finally we came to a sign that sign that directed us to the village...to go down one more street. At this point Taylor said, "I want to go back to the car." I suspect we all did at that point. It was in the low 90s and we were pretty hot and thirsty and sweaty. Bear was dragging along on his leash. I told the other two that I would go to the car and bring it back. I suspected that we had come the long way to our present location and my internal compass was telling me that I could turn around and go straight down the street we were on and find downtown. I assured Lis that I would ask someone.
And so I set out and, after about 3 blocks, I saw an elderly gentleman outside a house pounding a "For Rent" sign into the ground. We had noticed a mailbox right there that had the name "T--" on it, and above the mailbox was another sign that said, "The house that Jack built." I had commented on it to the others when we walked by the first time.
"Are you Jack?" I asked the gentleman.
"Yes!" he said, with a quizzical look on his face.
I walked toward him with my hand outstretched. "I'm Karen and I'm lost," I told him.
He chuckled a bit and then I told him I was from South Carolina, traveling to Minneapolis to visit family with my friend and younger son. We had stopped here to stretch our legs and ended up walking pretty far from our car. I asked him to confirm my suspicion about where downtown was, and he immediately said, "Hop in the car. I'll run you down there."
And so we moved his extension cords out of the way and hopped into his Taurus.
"So when did you build your house?" I asked.
"Oh, my wife and I did in '67," he said.
"So you've lived here almost all my life," I said.
"Oh, I think I'm about three times as old as you are," he chuckled.
"Now Jack, I doubt that," I said. "I'm 48."
"Well I'm 86, so I guess almost twice then," he laughed.
As we drove back to the car (and here I proudly mention that I was correct about its' location...thanks to my great sense of direction), we visited for a bit about our lives. He lost his wife in 1992 and has three living children. One lives about 40 miles away and the others close to 300. He's a retired boilermaker and then did some arrangements for land leases to oil companies. "I still do a little of that," he said.
And we got back to the car. We exchanged email addresses and I got into my car to go back to the others.
The village was closed and is obviously a tourist thing...but it seems well put together. I was disturbed by the real gravestones that are just leaning up against the church in the village. My theory is that if old gravestones fall over or break, they should be left on the gravesite if they aren't going to be repaired. There is a great cemetery by the village. But we were too hot and tired to do any more walking around, so we left. We never did go back to the Appellate Courthouse to look around. That's the real attraction there, to my way of thinking. I guess you can call for a free tour. We'll have to do that some day.
So kudos to Jack, of "the house that Jack built!" Great guy!
Tuesday we traveled from Nashville to Bloomington, IL. Lis and I like to get out and walk and see stuff, so after a couple of hours on the road, I asked Magellan to tell me about some points of interest. As it turns out we were just an exit or so away from Mount Vernon, IL.
The AAA information built into Magellan pointed out that the Appellate courthouse was where Abraham Lincoln argued cases and also served as an emergency hospital under the guidance of Clara Barton during a tornado in 1888. Magellan also said that there was an historic village to see in the town. So we told Magellan to take us there. And she did. Right to the center of Mt. Vernon.
We looked around and didn't really see anything that looked like a replica of a village, and no real signs about the Appellate Court. So we parked and started wandering around downtown. Taylor and Lis periodically said, "There's an old building. Maybe that's it." And so we would walk to that, ultimately finding an old church and a couple of other buildings.
Finally we saw a postal worker and asked her. She directed us down a street, told us where to turn after a bit, and we set out walking.
What turned out later to be something like 2 miles, we ended up outside the Cedarhurst Center for the Arts. We didn't go in there because we figured the village was on the other side, but as we walked by the center we were able to enjoy the many wonderful sculptures that dot their park.
Finally we came to a sign that sign that directed us to the village...to go down one more street. At this point Taylor said, "I want to go back to the car." I suspect we all did at that point. It was in the low 90s and we were pretty hot and thirsty and sweaty. Bear was dragging along on his leash. I told the other two that I would go to the car and bring it back. I suspected that we had come the long way to our present location and my internal compass was telling me that I could turn around and go straight down the street we were on and find downtown. I assured Lis that I would ask someone.
And so I set out and, after about 3 blocks, I saw an elderly gentleman outside a house pounding a "For Rent" sign into the ground. We had noticed a mailbox right there that had the name "T--" on it, and above the mailbox was another sign that said, "The house that Jack built." I had commented on it to the others when we walked by the first time.
"Are you Jack?" I asked the gentleman.
"Yes!" he said, with a quizzical look on his face.
I walked toward him with my hand outstretched. "I'm Karen and I'm lost," I told him.
He chuckled a bit and then I told him I was from South Carolina, traveling to Minneapolis to visit family with my friend and younger son. We had stopped here to stretch our legs and ended up walking pretty far from our car. I asked him to confirm my suspicion about where downtown was, and he immediately said, "Hop in the car. I'll run you down there."
And so we moved his extension cords out of the way and hopped into his Taurus.
"So when did you build your house?" I asked.
"Oh, my wife and I did in '67," he said.
"So you've lived here almost all my life," I said.
"Oh, I think I'm about three times as old as you are," he chuckled.
"Now Jack, I doubt that," I said. "I'm 48."
"Well I'm 86, so I guess almost twice then," he laughed.
As we drove back to the car (and here I proudly mention that I was correct about its' location...thanks to my great sense of direction), we visited for a bit about our lives. He lost his wife in 1992 and has three living children. One lives about 40 miles away and the others close to 300. He's a retired boilermaker and then did some arrangements for land leases to oil companies. "I still do a little of that," he said.
And we got back to the car. We exchanged email addresses and I got into my car to go back to the others.
The village was closed and is obviously a tourist thing...but it seems well put together. I was disturbed by the real gravestones that are just leaning up against the church in the village. My theory is that if old gravestones fall over or break, they should be left on the gravesite if they aren't going to be repaired. There is a great cemetery by the village. But we were too hot and tired to do any more walking around, so we left. We never did go back to the Appellate Courthouse to look around. That's the real attraction there, to my way of thinking. I guess you can call for a free tour. We'll have to do that some day.
So kudos to Jack, of "the house that Jack built!" Great guy!
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