We hang out at Beth, Nate and Kezi's house in Seymour all day, making tomato sauce and canning it. Everyone pitches in. We use the onions and tomatoes that they have grown in their garden all summer. There are 18 quarts by the time we are finished. It helps that they have a very powerful food processor.
Corinne helps Kezi, age 9, type a letter to her cousin Anya in Ithaca. We play Milles Bornes. Kezi is learning French as part of her home-schooling, so the cards are actually a teaching tool. It is one of the games that Nate and Beth are selling.
In the evening we take them all out to a nice dinner at TGI Friday's in Appleton, WI. There used to be beautiful apple orchards there, but they have all been cut down to build housing developments with million-dollar homes.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Day 102- Tuesday, 9/29/09, ON THE ROAD
The trees and fields are really showing their Fall colors now. We are all bundled up. Corinne's hands are so cold that her rings are falling off.
Wisconsin county roads are named with letters, A through Z, then AA through ZZ. "Gina" the GPS says "Double East" for "EE".
We stop for lunch at The Abby Cafe' in Abbottsville, WI, Wisconsin's First City. It is a very cute restaurant with unusual sandwiches and meals served on Fiesta Ware. The owner has quite a collection of Fiesta Ware on display.
Corinne has an Apple/Cheddar/Bacon sandwich and we have the best coleslaw we've had in three months. They have a Rachel sandwhich, which is like a Reuben made with turkey instead of corned beef. Their sauerkraut is sweet and has grated carrots in it.
We are supposed to stay at the Outagamie Country Fairgrounds, which has a campground with water and electricity. When we arrive, the water has been shut off, and there is noone there to talk to.
Bob finds us another campground in DePere, WI, about a half hour away, so we head there and check in. They have no sewer, so we will have to dump our grey and black water tanks when we leave, but they have water and electricity. They also have fancy metal fire rings, with cutouts of deer at the top.
In the evening we connect with Beth, Kezi and Nate in their home in Seymour, WI. They have two cats and two birds, along with their old dog Bobo. They have already eaten dinner when we arrive, so we bring them Dairy Queen treats. Corinne has a ChocoCherry Blizzard for dinner, and Bob has a Banana Split.
Wisconsin county roads are named with letters, A through Z, then AA through ZZ. "Gina" the GPS says "Double East" for "EE".
We stop for lunch at The Abby Cafe' in Abbottsville, WI, Wisconsin's First City. It is a very cute restaurant with unusual sandwiches and meals served on Fiesta Ware. The owner has quite a collection of Fiesta Ware on display.
Corinne has an Apple/Cheddar/Bacon sandwich and we have the best coleslaw we've had in three months. They have a Rachel sandwhich, which is like a Reuben made with turkey instead of corned beef. Their sauerkraut is sweet and has grated carrots in it.
We are supposed to stay at the Outagamie Country Fairgrounds, which has a campground with water and electricity. When we arrive, the water has been shut off, and there is noone there to talk to.
Bob finds us another campground in DePere, WI, about a half hour away, so we head there and check in. They have no sewer, so we will have to dump our grey and black water tanks when we leave, but they have water and electricity. They also have fancy metal fire rings, with cutouts of deer at the top.
In the evening we connect with Beth, Kezi and Nate in their home in Seymour, WI. They have two cats and two birds, along with their old dog Bobo. They have already eaten dinner when we arrive, so we bring them Dairy Queen treats. Corinne has a ChocoCherry Blizzard for dinner, and Bob has a Banana Split.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Day 101- Monday, 9/28/09, SETTLED
Today is Yom Kippur. Corinne drives back into Minneapolis to attend Shir Tikvah's services. Bob stays "at home" in the RV, working on trip planning.
Services are held at the Unitarian Universalist Church to accommodate the crowd. The UU Church used to be a synagogue, so there are Stars of David on the Ceiling and on the pews.
However, there is no "Eternal Light", supposed to represent the ever-presence of God, so there are many references made to the fund-raising needed so they can have a portable one for future services.
It is a huge Reform congregation with a new young Rabbi. He is very animated and very kind. The Cantor is their music director, a professional singer and actor with a beautiful tenor voice.
We are all fasting, since dinner last night, until sunset. Many people have brought bags of food to give to the Food Pantry, to represent the food they might have eaten today.
There is a choir, led by a middle-aged woman in a white suit who used to be a high school music teacher. It is fun to watch her conducting. The harmonies add much emotion to this solemn day of repentance. There are also pianists, floutists, violinists, violists, and guitarists. I'm not used to having music during Conservative services at home, but I like it.
During the two-hour break in mid-afternoon, a professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Minnesota leads a discussion about similarities and differences between Judaism and Islam. I learn that the Quran, the word of Mohammed, has not been edited much since it was first written down. However, there have been many changes and interpretations of the Old and New Testaments.
Ramadan intersects with the Jewish High Holy Days sometimes, but not always. The Islamic lunar calendar does not have the added "catch up" month every few years that the Hebrew lunar calendar does.
In the early evening, we end the service by coming closer to the podium, linking arms and swaying while repeating a prayer called Havdalah led by the Rabbi. This prayer separates the Sabbath and Holy Days from the everyday work week. A braided candle is lit, spices are passed around for smelling, wine and Challah bread are blessed.
I am very moved by the thought that Jews all around the world are celebrating being sealed in The Book of Life by God at approximately the same moment. This synagogue has been very welcoming and although I miss my friends at home, and my family, I feel a sense of belonging here.
The sunset is amazing, a blazing orange sky with gigantic pink clouds. It is still windy, and we hear that this is part of a cold front which has come in from Manitoba.
Services are held at the Unitarian Universalist Church to accommodate the crowd. The UU Church used to be a synagogue, so there are Stars of David on the Ceiling and on the pews.
However, there is no "Eternal Light", supposed to represent the ever-presence of God, so there are many references made to the fund-raising needed so they can have a portable one for future services.
It is a huge Reform congregation with a new young Rabbi. He is very animated and very kind. The Cantor is their music director, a professional singer and actor with a beautiful tenor voice.
We are all fasting, since dinner last night, until sunset. Many people have brought bags of food to give to the Food Pantry, to represent the food they might have eaten today.
There is a choir, led by a middle-aged woman in a white suit who used to be a high school music teacher. It is fun to watch her conducting. The harmonies add much emotion to this solemn day of repentance. There are also pianists, floutists, violinists, violists, and guitarists. I'm not used to having music during Conservative services at home, but I like it.
During the two-hour break in mid-afternoon, a professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Minnesota leads a discussion about similarities and differences between Judaism and Islam. I learn that the Quran, the word of Mohammed, has not been edited much since it was first written down. However, there have been many changes and interpretations of the Old and New Testaments.
Ramadan intersects with the Jewish High Holy Days sometimes, but not always. The Islamic lunar calendar does not have the added "catch up" month every few years that the Hebrew lunar calendar does.
In the early evening, we end the service by coming closer to the podium, linking arms and swaying while repeating a prayer called Havdalah led by the Rabbi. This prayer separates the Sabbath and Holy Days from the everyday work week. A braided candle is lit, spices are passed around for smelling, wine and Challah bread are blessed.
I am very moved by the thought that Jews all around the world are celebrating being sealed in The Book of Life by God at approximately the same moment. This synagogue has been very welcoming and although I miss my friends at home, and my family, I feel a sense of belonging here.
The sunset is amazing, a blazing orange sky with gigantic pink clouds. It is still windy, and we hear that this is part of a cold front which has come in from Manitoba.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Day 100 - Sunday, 9/27/09, SETTLED
Our RV park neighbors' son is getting married outdoors today. It is drizzling. We feel badly for them.
"Gina" the GPS says "Staycoach Drive" for "Stagecoach Drive". We're puzzled about how this robotic reading system works. Is it a typo, or does she have a speech impediment.
The weather clears up a bit and we head for the Minnesota Renaissance Faire in Shakopee. There are jugglers of flames, clubs, bowling balls, garden weasels, sometimes while precariously balanced on a tightrope or slipping on banana peels. Comic fire-eaters blow flames at each other. "The Danger Committee" knife throwers cut cucumbers while they dangle from their assistant's mouth. Yikes!
We buy some beautiful ceramic numbers mounted on a cedar board for our house.
The temperature starts out at 70 degrees and drops to 59 degrees while the wind howls at 30 mph. This makes all the stunts even trickier.
At 7:00, after the Faire, Corinne drops Bob off at the RV and drives to Minneapolis for Yom Kippur evening services, Kol Nidre, at Temple Shir Tikvah. She never makes it, though, due to rain, construction, and the fact that she forgot to read their web site which said that their High Holiday services had been moved to a different, larger location.
She finds the note on their door too late to get to the new place. So she drives home and listens to Kol Nidre on the internet.
"Gina" the GPS says "Staycoach Drive" for "Stagecoach Drive". We're puzzled about how this robotic reading system works. Is it a typo, or does she have a speech impediment.
The weather clears up a bit and we head for the Minnesota Renaissance Faire in Shakopee. There are jugglers of flames, clubs, bowling balls, garden weasels, sometimes while precariously balanced on a tightrope or slipping on banana peels. Comic fire-eaters blow flames at each other. "The Danger Committee" knife throwers cut cucumbers while they dangle from their assistant's mouth. Yikes!
We buy some beautiful ceramic numbers mounted on a cedar board for our house.
The temperature starts out at 70 degrees and drops to 59 degrees while the wind howls at 30 mph. This makes all the stunts even trickier.
At 7:00, after the Faire, Corinne drops Bob off at the RV and drives to Minneapolis for Yom Kippur evening services, Kol Nidre, at Temple Shir Tikvah. She never makes it, though, due to rain, construction, and the fact that she forgot to read their web site which said that their High Holiday services had been moved to a different, larger location.
She finds the note on their door too late to get to the new place. So she drives home and listens to Kol Nidre on the internet.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Day 99- Saturday, 9/26/09, SETTLED
We just make it to the Farmer's Market in Savage after getting lost a couple of times. The GPS didn't help. We have lunch at a little bakery.
Corinne buys an outfit from a boutique called "Giggles" at 50% off. We stop at Walgreens and get flu shots. We'll be fighting with MVP to get reimbursed for them.
We drive around Burnsville and are disappointed by "The Heart of the City". The only thing of interest is the Theater Center.
Bob's daughter Beth and her husband Nate are visiting in Minneapolis for a Homeschooling Convention at which they will be marketing the educational games they sell.
We drive to Minneapolis a little early to explore. When we get there, we are tired and there is nothing we really have time to see. There is a nice city park near their house. We park our car, put the seats back, and take a much-needed nap.
In the evening we enjoy a nice dinner with Nate's cousin Rhonda and her husband Darwin in Golden Valley, MN, near Minneapolis. They have a daughter Mary Jo who is the same age as Nate's daughter Kezi. We have a lovely time on their patio eating BBQ while being warmed by their chiminea.
Corinne buys an outfit from a boutique called "Giggles" at 50% off. We stop at Walgreens and get flu shots. We'll be fighting with MVP to get reimbursed for them.
We drive around Burnsville and are disappointed by "The Heart of the City". The only thing of interest is the Theater Center.
Bob's daughter Beth and her husband Nate are visiting in Minneapolis for a Homeschooling Convention at which they will be marketing the educational games they sell.
We drive to Minneapolis a little early to explore. When we get there, we are tired and there is nothing we really have time to see. There is a nice city park near their house. We park our car, put the seats back, and take a much-needed nap.
In the evening we enjoy a nice dinner with Nate's cousin Rhonda and her husband Darwin in Golden Valley, MN, near Minneapolis. They have a daughter Mary Jo who is the same age as Nate's daughter Kezi. We have a lovely time on their patio eating BBQ while being warmed by their chiminea.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Day 98 - Friday, 9/25/09, ON THE ROAD
Tom and Gina have to get up at 5:30. They are leaving for KS to help their daughter with her house. We say goodbye and then at 6:00 go back to sleep in the RV for a few hours.
It rains, for the first time in 6 weeks in Minnesota. After breakfast at Perkins, we drive to our next RV park, 20 minutes outside of Minneapolis. It is a good day to stay inside, work on the blog, and finish the thank-you notes for our wedding gifts.
There are malls as far as the eye can see on both sides of Highway 13 in Egan. We decide we want to go to a movie in Burnsville, but forget to set our clocks ahead. By the time we look up, it is time to go to the movie and we have not had dinner.
We treat ourselves to popcorn, M & M's and slushies for dinner. We use our Regal Gift card at last.
It rains, for the first time in 6 weeks in Minnesota. After breakfast at Perkins, we drive to our next RV park, 20 minutes outside of Minneapolis. It is a good day to stay inside, work on the blog, and finish the thank-you notes for our wedding gifts.
There are malls as far as the eye can see on both sides of Highway 13 in Egan. We decide we want to go to a movie in Burnsville, but forget to set our clocks ahead. By the time we look up, it is time to go to the movie and we have not had dinner.
We treat ourselves to popcorn, M & M's and slushies for dinner. We use our Regal Gift card at last.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Day 97- Thursday, 9/24/09, ON THE ROAD
Sumac is prevalent on the roadsides now, in cranberry and blazing red.
There are potato fields near St. Cloud, MN. A passerby stops his car and picks up stray potatoes that the machine turning over the field leaves behind. This reminds me of the biblical verse about leaving gleanings for the poor in the fields.
Two hours before Cottage Grove, we are in suburban sprawl. There are malls, stores, car dealers, corporate offices, and more malls. We so much prefer travelling through farm country.
We see the first taxi we have seen since Seattle.
ROADKILL: Raccoon
We are on the Mississippi River. Somehow that doesn't compute with Minnesota, but then Corinne has never had much of a sense of geography.
Our destination is Bob's friends Tom and Gina McCauley. We haven't seen them in a couple of years. They treat us to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays, where Bob is very happy to get an excellent steak.
Just before sunset, we play bocce ball in their bumpy, downhill sloping front yard. Before the mosquitoes get us, the men manage to slaughter the women.
We plug the RV into an outlet in their garage overnight so the refrigerator can keep working. It's so nice to be able to stay in a real bed again!
There are potato fields near St. Cloud, MN. A passerby stops his car and picks up stray potatoes that the machine turning over the field leaves behind. This reminds me of the biblical verse about leaving gleanings for the poor in the fields.
Two hours before Cottage Grove, we are in suburban sprawl. There are malls, stores, car dealers, corporate offices, and more malls. We so much prefer travelling through farm country.
We see the first taxi we have seen since Seattle.
ROADKILL: Raccoon
We are on the Mississippi River. Somehow that doesn't compute with Minnesota, but then Corinne has never had much of a sense of geography.
Our destination is Bob's friends Tom and Gina McCauley. We haven't seen them in a couple of years. They treat us to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays, where Bob is very happy to get an excellent steak.
Just before sunset, we play bocce ball in their bumpy, downhill sloping front yard. Before the mosquitoes get us, the men manage to slaughter the women.
We plug the RV into an outlet in their garage overnight so the refrigerator can keep working. It's so nice to be able to stay in a real bed again!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Day 96- Wednesday, 9/23/09, SETTLED
Detroit Lakes has the Amtrak Railroad going through it, with a cute old station house.
Most attractions in the 10,000 Lakes area have closed for the season, so we have another Free Day.
Bob fixes the turn signals and the flashers on the tow dolly, which need to have the contacts cleaned. Corinne tries to make the computer run faster by cleaning up some old files.
The microwave latch and the door latch to the "residential" part of the RV still need work.
In the afternoon, we attend a birthday party of one of the long-term residents of the campground, Carolyn. It is held in the Recreation Room. She provides all the refreshments, including Sloppy Joes, Vodka punch, and brownies. We bring her a jar of Beer Jelly which we found in Oregon. She is very grateful not to have to spend her birthday alone with just her birds.
The new moon comes up a sliver, hovers above the trees, and within two hours has set.
Most attractions in the 10,000 Lakes area have closed for the season, so we have another Free Day.
Bob fixes the turn signals and the flashers on the tow dolly, which need to have the contacts cleaned. Corinne tries to make the computer run faster by cleaning up some old files.
The microwave latch and the door latch to the "residential" part of the RV still need work.
In the afternoon, we attend a birthday party of one of the long-term residents of the campground, Carolyn. It is held in the Recreation Room. She provides all the refreshments, including Sloppy Joes, Vodka punch, and brownies. We bring her a jar of Beer Jelly which we found in Oregon. She is very grateful not to have to spend her birthday alone with just her birds.
The new moon comes up a sliver, hovers above the trees, and within two hours has set.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Day 95 - Tuesday, 9/22/09, ON THE ROAD
The rolling hills of North Dakota are lush with acres and acres of sunflowers bending in the wind. Hay bales are scattered, lined up or stacked for a few hundred miles.
There is still some corn, but there are signs that it is being used to manufacture ethanol. This is a very controversial process. Consumers worry about how much corn it takes to make a gallon of ethanol and wonder what will happen to the edible corn supply. Will it drive prices up? Will the Mexican population have enough for their tortillas?
The evergreens are mostly yews, for windbreaks, but most of the trees are deciduous. About 50% of them are turning yellow or maroon.
There are little mounds of rocks in the fields where the farmers have piled stones dug from their fields while plowing.
It's amazing how many colors of green, tan, rust, yellow, gold and brown fields one can count in a five mile strip.
When we see some white cows drinking from a stream. Corinne wonders if they are holy Brahma bulls. Bob says they are just the beef for White Castle hamburgers.
I-94 is interrupted by major road construction. Once again we see the humongous vehicles and the huge staging area from which the workers radiate for 6 miles in both directions.
There is still some corn, but there are signs that it is being used to manufacture ethanol. This is a very controversial process. Consumers worry about how much corn it takes to make a gallon of ethanol and wonder what will happen to the edible corn supply. Will it drive prices up? Will the Mexican population have enough for their tortillas?
The evergreens are mostly yews, for windbreaks, but most of the trees are deciduous. About 50% of them are turning yellow or maroon.
There are little mounds of rocks in the fields where the farmers have piled stones dug from their fields while plowing.
It's amazing how many colors of green, tan, rust, yellow, gold and brown fields one can count in a five mile strip.
When we see some white cows drinking from a stream. Corinne wonders if they are holy Brahma bulls. Bob says they are just the beef for White Castle hamburgers.
I-94 is interrupted by major road construction. Once again we see the humongous vehicles and the huge staging area from which the workers radiate for 6 miles in both directions.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Day 94- Monday, 9/21/09, SETTLED
All night, the wind blew our TV antenna around, flapping it against the roof of the RV. It interferes with our sleep. We don't have a TV anyway, and wish we could just take it off.
This morning, the wind is 40 mph in strong gusts. Bob climbs up the ladder with string he has taken from one of our backseat storage bags and ties the antenna down.Very clever.
It's a free day, which we use for "system maintenance". We do laundry, get both vehicles looked at for their 3000 mile routine servicing, and buy some more gifts for family. Then we pay bills and take care of some paperwork.
Bob finds new running shoes, two pair of dress pants, and a short sleeved Western shirt on sale.
Corinne buys some tiny cowboy boots for her grandson Nathan. He's almost into a size 9! She sends a photo of the possible choices to Danielle on her cell phone and is very proud of herself for being such a techno-wizard.
The sunset is gorgeous, after a nasty, cloudy, rain-spattered day.
This morning, the wind is 40 mph in strong gusts. Bob climbs up the ladder with string he has taken from one of our backseat storage bags and ties the antenna down.Very clever.
It's a free day, which we use for "system maintenance". We do laundry, get both vehicles looked at for their 3000 mile routine servicing, and buy some more gifts for family. Then we pay bills and take care of some paperwork.
Bob finds new running shoes, two pair of dress pants, and a short sleeved Western shirt on sale.
Corinne buys some tiny cowboy boots for her grandson Nathan. He's almost into a size 9! She sends a photo of the possible choices to Danielle on her cell phone and is very proud of herself for being such a techno-wizard.
The sunset is gorgeous, after a nasty, cloudy, rain-spattered day.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Day 93 - Sunday, 9/20/09, ON THE ROAD
We awaken to the sound of rain on the little vent above our sleeping area in the camper. Fortunately, it clears up in time for the drive, but the skies are still cloudy all day (sounds like a song.... )
As we are driving, we see a flock of wild turkeys in a field. We have seen beehives in every state except The Beehive State (Utah).
There are entire families of tumbleweeds, large and small, escaping to safety on the other side of I-94. The wind is so strong across the prairie that it bounces the RV sideways across the road.
ROADKILL: Porcupine
Far in the distance, we see pronghorn antelope grazing among the rounded hills covered with prairie grasses. They remind me of funny stuffed animals. There are fewer and smaller evergreens. Many of the other trees are turning yellow.
In the sandstone cliffs that appear occasionally among the grassy hillsides, there are erosion holes that were probably begun millions of years ago. Some of the cliffs have eroded into columns, so that they appear to be giant brown lawn leaf bags standing side by side at the edge of God's driveway.
Sometimes the wind has eroded the peaks and given them the appearance of little top hats, or mushroom caps. We stop at a scenic viewpoint in the National Grasslands, just over the North Dakota border. There is a tumbleweed stuck in the tow dolly and a smooshed cowpie on the roadside where we stop.
It is 75 degrees, windy and rainy when we arrive at our campground. For the first time, we have to don our raingear to take the car off the dolly and set up the water and electricity for the night.
As we are driving, we see a flock of wild turkeys in a field. We have seen beehives in every state except The Beehive State (Utah).
There are entire families of tumbleweeds, large and small, escaping to safety on the other side of I-94. The wind is so strong across the prairie that it bounces the RV sideways across the road.
ROADKILL: Porcupine
Far in the distance, we see pronghorn antelope grazing among the rounded hills covered with prairie grasses. They remind me of funny stuffed animals. There are fewer and smaller evergreens. Many of the other trees are turning yellow.
In the sandstone cliffs that appear occasionally among the grassy hillsides, there are erosion holes that were probably begun millions of years ago. Some of the cliffs have eroded into columns, so that they appear to be giant brown lawn leaf bags standing side by side at the edge of God's driveway.
Sometimes the wind has eroded the peaks and given them the appearance of little top hats, or mushroom caps. We stop at a scenic viewpoint in the National Grasslands, just over the North Dakota border. There is a tumbleweed stuck in the tow dolly and a smooshed cowpie on the roadside where we stop.
It is 75 degrees, windy and rainy when we arrive at our campground. For the first time, we have to don our raingear to take the car off the dolly and set up the water and electricity for the night.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Day 92 - Saturday, 9/19/09, SETTLED
Corinne goes to Rosh Hashana services at Congregation Beth Aaron in Billings, MT. This is a Reform Temple, but it's the closest to where we could find a suitable campground. There are only 4 synagogues in all of Montana. About 50 families belong to the congregation.
During the reading of the Torah, a South African congregant talks about seeing African villagers carrying their fire with them from village to village, just like Abraham did when he was going up the mountain to sacrifice Isaac.
The Rabbi is a student who is doing a year Rabbinic internship at this synagogue. She does a very good job.
GPS "Gina" says "Left Honking Road" for "Left on King Road". We get a good laugh out of that.
It is 92 degrees today. Bob goes to a park and uses the day to plan the rest of our trip.
In the late afternoon Bob meets Corinne and a half dozen members of the synagogue at a local bridge over a creek to do the Tashlich service. Rabbi Karen leads us in some responsive readings and we throw some old bread into the water to symbolize throwing our sins away and being cleansed of them.
During the reading of the Torah, a South African congregant talks about seeing African villagers carrying their fire with them from village to village, just like Abraham did when he was going up the mountain to sacrifice Isaac.
The Rabbi is a student who is doing a year Rabbinic internship at this synagogue. She does a very good job.
GPS "Gina" says "Left Honking Road" for "Left on King Road". We get a good laugh out of that.
It is 92 degrees today. Bob goes to a park and uses the day to plan the rest of our trip.
In the late afternoon Bob meets Corinne and a half dozen members of the synagogue at a local bridge over a creek to do the Tashlich service. Rabbi Karen leads us in some responsive readings and we throw some old bread into the water to symbolize throwing our sins away and being cleansed of them.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Day 91 - Friday, 9/18/09, ON THE ROAD
We are back in Montana again. Out West people use trailors from defunct trucks as advertising billboards, putting them close to the road in a field.
There are many log homes of various designs. Most seem to be built from kits.
Tumbleweeds cross the road. It is exceedingly windy.
Bob wants to invent a windshield coating so that insects will slide off instead of splatting on. Corinne agrees, since the ugly splatters make it hard to take pictures out of the front windshield at 70 mph when we don't have time to stop and she sees something spectacular.
PROFOUND SAYINGS BY BOB: Mountains are high. Redwoods are big.
Corinne drives to Billings to attend Rosh Hashana evening services at a Synagogue there.
There are many log homes of various designs. Most seem to be built from kits.
Tumbleweeds cross the road. It is exceedingly windy.
Bob wants to invent a windshield coating so that insects will slide off instead of splatting on. Corinne agrees, since the ugly splatters make it hard to take pictures out of the front windshield at 70 mph when we don't have time to stop and she sees something spectacular.
PROFOUND SAYINGS BY BOB: Mountains are high. Redwoods are big.
Corinne drives to Billings to attend Rosh Hashana evening services at a Synagogue there.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Day 90 - Thursday, 9/17/09, ON THE ROAD
We drive through three smokey areas. We can't tell what's burning, even though we see the smoke and smell it in the air.
There are odd low, triangular buildings built into hillsides that are insulated with hay or dirt thrown on the slanted rooftops. We wonder if they are storage for vegetables, like root cellars, or are they bomb shelters?
The terrain is changing from desert to wetland, and then back to desert scrub within a ten-minute drive. There is National Forest on the other side of the road.
Obviously Fall is upon us, as the aspens are turning yellow and orange.
There are odd low, triangular buildings built into hillsides that are insulated with hay or dirt thrown on the slanted rooftops. We wonder if they are storage for vegetables, like root cellars, or are they bomb shelters?
The terrain is changing from desert to wetland, and then back to desert scrub within a ten-minute drive. There is National Forest on the other side of the road.
Obviously Fall is upon us, as the aspens are turning yellow and orange.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Day 89- Wednesday, 9/16/09, SETTLED
This is one of the parks that offers us a free breakfast of pancakes, eggs and coffee. They are fabulous! We buy some sweet potato pancake mix and plan to try the sweet potato pancakes tomorrow - they will not be free, but they sound delicious!
ROADKILL: fox (or coyote?)
On the way to Craters of the Moon National Monument, we see mountains with creases that remind us of elephant hides.
There are dozens of ranches with hundreds of black angus cows.
One of the formations at Craters of the Moon is called Devil's Orchard. We see trees there with weird bunches of small branches. Finally we see a sign which explains that these clumps of malformed tiny branches at the ends of larger branches are called "Witches Brooms". They result from a fungus which causes unusual growth. Many early settlers cut these small branches off, causing the trees to die or become stunted.
We climb a cinder cone smaller than the one we hiked up in Lassen Volcanic Park. It is more tightly packed down, and therefore a lot easier to climb. The view from the top is not nearly as impressive, but we look forward to the challenge and climb it anyway.
Inside one of the smaller craters, caused by laval "spitting" we see snowpack still unmelted deep inside. This spitting results when activity is beginning to slow at the end of the cycle of the volcano.
We climb up to see the largest crater. Bob's philosophic comments: "It's deep."
Out here there is "just a whole bunch of nothing". Bob is disappointed that he hasn't heard any "Howdy!"s or "reckons". Corinne is disappointed that we still keep missing every rodeo that comes to town.
A funny thing happens to me today. I am on a hiking trail at Craters of the Moon National Monument, and I hear Hebrew behind me. I turn around to see two middle-aged couples walking together. As they get closer and pass me, I sing out "Shalom!" They stop in shock and say "Shalom! How did you know we were Israeli?" I told them I understood Hebrew, and we chatted for a moment.
Then I ask them how long they were going to be out West, and they say a week more. "So you're going to be away from home for Rosh Hashanah too," I say, sympathetically. "How are you going to celebrate?"
"We're going to skip it this year", they reply, with a hint of sadness and resignation in their voices. "But it's a choice we made".
Even though I feel for them, it is such a relief to talk to someone Jewish, and so "beshert" that it happened 2 days before Rosh Hashanah in the middle of Idaho!
I contact a Synagogue in Billings, Montana and hope to be able to attend their services. Still, I feel as though they have been sent to me by God just to help me feel less isolated.
As we get closer to our campground, we spot many beautiful, large, black and white birds. Later we find out they are magpies, the "Pest of the West". The white flashes on their wings are very dramatic.
When we get "home", we realize we have been sunburned, probably by the reflections from the sparkly volcanic rock. We are surprised, thinking we have been toughened by now.
At every campsite, we have a signature. We're the ones with the little white plastic fold-out bistro table leaning on the side of the RV.
ROADKILL: fox (or coyote?)
On the way to Craters of the Moon National Monument, we see mountains with creases that remind us of elephant hides.
There are dozens of ranches with hundreds of black angus cows.
One of the formations at Craters of the Moon is called Devil's Orchard. We see trees there with weird bunches of small branches. Finally we see a sign which explains that these clumps of malformed tiny branches at the ends of larger branches are called "Witches Brooms". They result from a fungus which causes unusual growth. Many early settlers cut these small branches off, causing the trees to die or become stunted.
We climb a cinder cone smaller than the one we hiked up in Lassen Volcanic Park. It is more tightly packed down, and therefore a lot easier to climb. The view from the top is not nearly as impressive, but we look forward to the challenge and climb it anyway.
Inside one of the smaller craters, caused by laval "spitting" we see snowpack still unmelted deep inside. This spitting results when activity is beginning to slow at the end of the cycle of the volcano.
We climb up to see the largest crater. Bob's philosophic comments: "It's deep."
Out here there is "just a whole bunch of nothing". Bob is disappointed that he hasn't heard any "Howdy!"s or "reckons". Corinne is disappointed that we still keep missing every rodeo that comes to town.
A funny thing happens to me today. I am on a hiking trail at Craters of the Moon National Monument, and I hear Hebrew behind me. I turn around to see two middle-aged couples walking together. As they get closer and pass me, I sing out "Shalom!" They stop in shock and say "Shalom! How did you know we were Israeli?" I told them I understood Hebrew, and we chatted for a moment.
Then I ask them how long they were going to be out West, and they say a week more. "So you're going to be away from home for Rosh Hashanah too," I say, sympathetically. "How are you going to celebrate?"
"We're going to skip it this year", they reply, with a hint of sadness and resignation in their voices. "But it's a choice we made".
Even though I feel for them, it is such a relief to talk to someone Jewish, and so "beshert" that it happened 2 days before Rosh Hashanah in the middle of Idaho!
I contact a Synagogue in Billings, Montana and hope to be able to attend their services. Still, I feel as though they have been sent to me by God just to help me feel less isolated.
As we get closer to our campground, we spot many beautiful, large, black and white birds. Later we find out they are magpies, the "Pest of the West". The white flashes on their wings are very dramatic.
When we get "home", we realize we have been sunburned, probably by the reflections from the sparkly volcanic rock. We are surprised, thinking we have been toughened by now.
At every campsite, we have a signature. We're the ones with the little white plastic fold-out bistro table leaning on the side of the RV.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Day 88- Tuesday, 9/15/09 - ON THE ROAD
The ragged, jagged peaks of the Bitterroot Range in the Rockies are very dramatic, especially in silhouette. Some are full of pines, some bare and brown with scattered scrub.
We pass through Darby, MT, an old timey town. Bob sees a Bald Eagle, but Corinne misses it. Some of the mountain roads are wide enough to look like ski areas, but we don't see any lifts.
When we stop at a gas station, there is a sad sign about a recently missing motorcyclist who has been lost in the mountains. Everyone is keeping an eye out for signs that he may have gone off the road somewhere into a culvert.
The Salmon River winds its way for miles at the foot of the mountains.
As we arrive in Arco, we see 80 years of high school classes' numbers painted in white on the mountainside.
We have noticed that, despite the 75 mph. speed limit on the highway, the speed limit is 25 mph through the little towns, some with populations of as few as 77. Arco has a hand-painted sign that says "15 mph within city limits". Who said you could do 80 mph in the West?
We pass through Darby, MT, an old timey town. Bob sees a Bald Eagle, but Corinne misses it. Some of the mountain roads are wide enough to look like ski areas, but we don't see any lifts.
When we stop at a gas station, there is a sad sign about a recently missing motorcyclist who has been lost in the mountains. Everyone is keeping an eye out for signs that he may have gone off the road somewhere into a culvert.
The Salmon River winds its way for miles at the foot of the mountains.
As we arrive in Arco, we see 80 years of high school classes' numbers painted in white on the mountainside.
We have noticed that, despite the 75 mph. speed limit on the highway, the speed limit is 25 mph through the little towns, some with populations of as few as 77. Arco has a hand-painted sign that says "15 mph within city limits". Who said you could do 80 mph in the West?
Monday, September 14, 2009
Day 87 - Monday, 9/14/09 - SETTLED
In the pines around our campground, Bob spots a gorgeous bird. We find out it is a Clark's Nutcracker, a large grey bird with black wings, white wing tips, and white under his tail. He is eating the seeds out of the large pine cones. That explains why there are bits of pine cone all over the ground. This is a migratory bird which passes through Montana in the Fall and Spring.
We are excited to visit Lolo Hot Springs. Rt. 12 is part of the Lewis and Clark Trail. Although it is a beautiful drive, the Hot Springs itself is disappointing. It is privately owned and the "springs" has been made into a swimming pool. There are no other visitors and the owner is smoking. We decide not to pay the fee and head back home.
One nice thing about the scenery, though is the basoliths that are in the vicinity. They are gigantic rounded rocks formed in an area of the Cascade Range almost as big as Idaho originally. 54 million years ago, there was a meltdown of this part of the range which resulted in these unusual formations when they cracked and cooled.
There is a sign for a Moose Crossing, but unfortunately we see no moose. Many of the farms have beehives. Some have llamas and bison, as well as cows and goats.
Rosh Hashana is coming soon. We go in search of blintzes and fruit-on-the bottom yogurt. They are extremely hard to find in this area of the country. Noone here has even heard of blintzes and the only yogurts found in the stores, large or small, are the blended kind, full of gelatin and yuckiness.
Today at our campground, there are free cucumbers, and green and yellow squash. Fresh farm eggs for $1/dozen are waiting for us at the Rec Hall.
Tonight is Round Dancing. Bob comes for the snacks but does not stay. Corinne takes photos of the dancers' beautiful outfits, with all their crinolines, boots, and fancy cowboy hats. The caramel-covered brownies are really good.
We are excited to visit Lolo Hot Springs. Rt. 12 is part of the Lewis and Clark Trail. Although it is a beautiful drive, the Hot Springs itself is disappointing. It is privately owned and the "springs" has been made into a swimming pool. There are no other visitors and the owner is smoking. We decide not to pay the fee and head back home.
One nice thing about the scenery, though is the basoliths that are in the vicinity. They are gigantic rounded rocks formed in an area of the Cascade Range almost as big as Idaho originally. 54 million years ago, there was a meltdown of this part of the range which resulted in these unusual formations when they cracked and cooled.
There is a sign for a Moose Crossing, but unfortunately we see no moose. Many of the farms have beehives. Some have llamas and bison, as well as cows and goats.
Rosh Hashana is coming soon. We go in search of blintzes and fruit-on-the bottom yogurt. They are extremely hard to find in this area of the country. Noone here has even heard of blintzes and the only yogurts found in the stores, large or small, are the blended kind, full of gelatin and yuckiness.
Today at our campground, there are free cucumbers, and green and yellow squash. Fresh farm eggs for $1/dozen are waiting for us at the Rec Hall.
Tonight is Round Dancing. Bob comes for the snacks but does not stay. Corinne takes photos of the dancers' beautiful outfits, with all their crinolines, boots, and fancy cowboy hats. The caramel-covered brownies are really good.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Day 86- Sunday, 9/13/09, ON THE ROAD
Roadside walls on Hwy. 90 where they appear terraced are actually evidence of the glacial flood on the Columbia River Basin which left ripples of lava torn from the basalt as it was cooling.
Ten miles out from our campground, the terrain changes again, to lakes and white pine covered hills.
Who knew there was gold mining in Idaho? We also pass silver mines, saloons and old Spanish missions.
The ranch complexes have multiple buildings. There is usually a gateway made of gigantic logs in the shape of an upside down square "U".
At the rest stop, we luck upon another group of Navaho women who are selling their jewelry on blankets on the sidewalk. They are hundreds of miles from home, returning from a Pow-Wow in Idaho and heading back to Nevada.
Again Corinne finds piles of haystacks she wants to photograph. They are the round ones this time, piled high in alternating rows of perpendicular cylinders of hay. She finds the patterns beautiful, appealing to her sense of symmetry and mixed patterning.
The Clark Fork River seems a hundred miles long. It crosses under Highway 90 at least 10 times. Sometimes it is quiet, sometimes rocky and fully of whitewater.
We wonder how the Bitterroot Mountains that surround us got their name. Someone tells us that the Bitterroot was a food source for the Indians. I'd love to see what the plant looks like and taste it. Perhaps it has to be cooked to eliminate the bitterness, or even poisonous qualities.
When we arrive at our destination, The Square Dance Barn RV Park, there are fresh veggies waiting for us to take back to our "house", and a square dance that evening.
Not being square dancers, we are not allowed to join in, since everyone there is very experienced and we might mess up the squares. We enjoy watching, though. The people are very friendly.
There is a Western Wear shop in the barn and Bob buys a beautiful white shirt. He has been looking for one for months.
This campground is very unusual, in that the laundry facilities are free. The washers are outside under a roof. There are a dozen clotheslines strung up, and clothespins provided. We hang our wash on the lines, and by the time the dance is over, they are dry. I'm glad I have cute undies, since I'm not used to hanging my laundry out in public.
Ten miles out from our campground, the terrain changes again, to lakes and white pine covered hills.
Who knew there was gold mining in Idaho? We also pass silver mines, saloons and old Spanish missions.
The ranch complexes have multiple buildings. There is usually a gateway made of gigantic logs in the shape of an upside down square "U".
At the rest stop, we luck upon another group of Navaho women who are selling their jewelry on blankets on the sidewalk. They are hundreds of miles from home, returning from a Pow-Wow in Idaho and heading back to Nevada.
Again Corinne finds piles of haystacks she wants to photograph. They are the round ones this time, piled high in alternating rows of perpendicular cylinders of hay. She finds the patterns beautiful, appealing to her sense of symmetry and mixed patterning.
The Clark Fork River seems a hundred miles long. It crosses under Highway 90 at least 10 times. Sometimes it is quiet, sometimes rocky and fully of whitewater.
We wonder how the Bitterroot Mountains that surround us got their name. Someone tells us that the Bitterroot was a food source for the Indians. I'd love to see what the plant looks like and taste it. Perhaps it has to be cooked to eliminate the bitterness, or even poisonous qualities.
When we arrive at our destination, The Square Dance Barn RV Park, there are fresh veggies waiting for us to take back to our "house", and a square dance that evening.
Not being square dancers, we are not allowed to join in, since everyone there is very experienced and we might mess up the squares. We enjoy watching, though. The people are very friendly.
There is a Western Wear shop in the barn and Bob buys a beautiful white shirt. He has been looking for one for months.
This campground is very unusual, in that the laundry facilities are free. The washers are outside under a roof. There are a dozen clotheslines strung up, and clothespins provided. We hang our wash on the lines, and by the time the dance is over, they are dry. I'm glad I have cute undies, since I'm not used to hanging my laundry out in public.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Day 85 -Saturday, 9/12/09, ON THE ROAD
Bob wants to be able to buy cheap fishing licenses in every state where we travel and have discounts for people over 65.
There are fields upon fields of corn drying in the sun. The stacks of hay bales in the grassfields are sometimes as big as houses. Sometimes they are covered in green plastic, bungied down to keep them from blowing off.
A double tractor-trailer filled with square hay bales passes us. Corinne is fascinated with hay bales, but she would be more interested if they were round ones.
We pass a factory that makes the irrigators that we have been seeing all through the state of WA.
The farm fields are beautiful, with infinite colors of green, and so many different patterns made by the plows. Corinne loves it when we see close up what she has been admiring from airplanes all her life. Her favorites are fields with dark green alternating with light green stripes, or golden/green stripes.
One of the crops we pass for acres and acres has lime-green tops. We wonder what it is. Maybe it is potatoes, since we pass a huge building called "The Potato Bruise Lab".
Dust devils are blowing across the road. Seeing flat farmland at 2000 feet elevation is a surprise. When the plows or trucks drive down the dirt roads on the farms, they create clouds of dust for what seems like 1/4 mile.
There are fields upon fields of corn drying in the sun. The stacks of hay bales in the grassfields are sometimes as big as houses. Sometimes they are covered in green plastic, bungied down to keep them from blowing off.
A double tractor-trailer filled with square hay bales passes us. Corinne is fascinated with hay bales, but she would be more interested if they were round ones.
We pass a factory that makes the irrigators that we have been seeing all through the state of WA.
The farm fields are beautiful, with infinite colors of green, and so many different patterns made by the plows. Corinne loves it when we see close up what she has been admiring from airplanes all her life. Her favorites are fields with dark green alternating with light green stripes, or golden/green stripes.
One of the crops we pass for acres and acres has lime-green tops. We wonder what it is. Maybe it is potatoes, since we pass a huge building called "The Potato Bruise Lab".
Dust devils are blowing across the road. Seeing flat farmland at 2000 feet elevation is a surprise. When the plows or trucks drive down the dirt roads on the farms, they create clouds of dust for what seems like 1/4 mile.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Day 84 - Friday, 9/11/09, SETTLED
On our way to visit Grand Coulee Dam, we pass three beautiful small lakes - Lenore Lake, Park Lake and Blue Lake.
Around us is volcanic rock and glacial waterfalls, with desert scrub in between scattered farms and ranches. So different from the urban landscape of the last few weeks in Seattle.
There are signs that say "Hitchhiking Permitted" here. We are surprised, not thinking that hitchhiking was permitted anywhere any more.
The hills on both sides are vertically striped basalt formed by lava cooling, with house-sized rocks that floated along the lava stream and then were left in odd places. They are called "erratics".
On the way to Grand Coulee, we stop at an unexpected Viewpoint called "Dry Falls". There we read about humongous ice floes that melted 15,000 years ago, blocking the mouth of the Columbia River, creating a giant lake.
The resulting floods after all the ice melted created waterfalls bigger than Niagara Falls, and took with it miles and miles of rock and gravel which were deposited as cliffs on both sides of the water. These were called Coulees, which are wide canyons.
Grand Coulee dams the Columbia River and creates power for the Northwest and California. The Californians didn't want to use coal, so they buy power from Grand Coulee.
This is how "Gina the GPS" says the name of where we are staying: "So Plake Harvey Resort".
School has started. Summer vacations are over. There are vacancies at all the RV Parks and most of the motels and hotels. We are often the only people at the picnic areas where we stop now.
Around us is volcanic rock and glacial waterfalls, with desert scrub in between scattered farms and ranches. So different from the urban landscape of the last few weeks in Seattle.
There are signs that say "Hitchhiking Permitted" here. We are surprised, not thinking that hitchhiking was permitted anywhere any more.
The hills on both sides are vertically striped basalt formed by lava cooling, with house-sized rocks that floated along the lava stream and then were left in odd places. They are called "erratics".
On the way to Grand Coulee, we stop at an unexpected Viewpoint called "Dry Falls". There we read about humongous ice floes that melted 15,000 years ago, blocking the mouth of the Columbia River, creating a giant lake.
The resulting floods after all the ice melted created waterfalls bigger than Niagara Falls, and took with it miles and miles of rock and gravel which were deposited as cliffs on both sides of the water. These were called Coulees, which are wide canyons.
Grand Coulee dams the Columbia River and creates power for the Northwest and California. The Californians didn't want to use coal, so they buy power from Grand Coulee.
This is how "Gina the GPS" says the name of where we are staying: "So Plake Harvey Resort".
School has started. Summer vacations are over. There are vacancies at all the RV Parks and most of the motels and hotels. We are often the only people at the picnic areas where we stop now.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Day 83 - Thursday, 9/10/09- ON THE ROAD
We drive through Stevens Pass in the Cascade Mts. The Cascades are jagged above the treeline. On the way, we visit Wallace Falls.
As we are driving up a big hill, we hear someone honking at us and pointing to our car. We pull over, thinking someone is trying to tell us we have a problem with our RV. This has happened twice before. Once we ignored the warning and found when we reached our destination that our car had slid nearly halfway off the tow dolly. So we are not going to ignore this signal.
Suddenly we see a very familiar woman standing on the shoulder of the road with something dangling from her hands: Joy and Ricardo have driven 80 miles to Stevens Pass to catch us, thinking we have left our binoculars hanging on the doorway to our bedroom. But they are not ours.
On the way home, they have picked up two hitchhikers from Albuquerque. We laugh at their craziness, but are grateful they are such good and loyal friends.
The road takes us through a tunnel in the mountain. There are many old RR trestles over clear creeks with small rapids. Thousands of fish are struggling to swim upstream.
The cliffsides along the road are so likely to have rockslides that the highway department has installed steel mesh overlays with 6 inches of cable going through the mesh.
Our campground tonight is in Soap Lake, WA, so named because the water is so full of minerals it feels soapy . The sand around it has a layer of salts on top. If you go to the edge near the water, the mud is like quicksand.
The campground provides you with a hose to wash off the mineral water before exiting the area. You are not allowed to enter their pool wearing the same clothes with which you swim in Soap Lake.
Fall is beginning to show itself in the changing colors of the trees and ground-cover. This makes Leavenworth, the faux-German town in the "Bavarian Alps" all the more charming. We eat weinerschnitzel and sauerbraten at a local restaurant.
The roadsides are covered with apple orchards. Under the trees are 6 ft. square wooden containers for the apple-pickers. There are miles of green apples, then miles of red. Corinne tries to photograph the boxes, but in her quest for the perfect composition, ends up with nothing worth saving. This goes in the category of "You Can't Have Everything".
This is not all the State of Washington one would expect. It is dry and desert-like, with sandy hills, scrub and sagebrush between the irrigated orchards. Many of the orchards use rows of cedars for windbreaks.
As we are driving up a big hill, we hear someone honking at us and pointing to our car. We pull over, thinking someone is trying to tell us we have a problem with our RV. This has happened twice before. Once we ignored the warning and found when we reached our destination that our car had slid nearly halfway off the tow dolly. So we are not going to ignore this signal.
Suddenly we see a very familiar woman standing on the shoulder of the road with something dangling from her hands: Joy and Ricardo have driven 80 miles to Stevens Pass to catch us, thinking we have left our binoculars hanging on the doorway to our bedroom. But they are not ours.
On the way home, they have picked up two hitchhikers from Albuquerque. We laugh at their craziness, but are grateful they are such good and loyal friends.
The road takes us through a tunnel in the mountain. There are many old RR trestles over clear creeks with small rapids. Thousands of fish are struggling to swim upstream.
The cliffsides along the road are so likely to have rockslides that the highway department has installed steel mesh overlays with 6 inches of cable going through the mesh.
Our campground tonight is in Soap Lake, WA, so named because the water is so full of minerals it feels soapy . The sand around it has a layer of salts on top. If you go to the edge near the water, the mud is like quicksand.
The campground provides you with a hose to wash off the mineral water before exiting the area. You are not allowed to enter their pool wearing the same clothes with which you swim in Soap Lake.
Fall is beginning to show itself in the changing colors of the trees and ground-cover. This makes Leavenworth, the faux-German town in the "Bavarian Alps" all the more charming. We eat weinerschnitzel and sauerbraten at a local restaurant.
The roadsides are covered with apple orchards. Under the trees are 6 ft. square wooden containers for the apple-pickers. There are miles of green apples, then miles of red. Corinne tries to photograph the boxes, but in her quest for the perfect composition, ends up with nothing worth saving. This goes in the category of "You Can't Have Everything".
This is not all the State of Washington one would expect. It is dry and desert-like, with sandy hills, scrub and sagebrush between the irrigated orchards. Many of the orchards use rows of cedars for windbreaks.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Day 82- Wednesday, 9/9/09 - SETTLED
Ethan wants to introduce us to the teacher whose class he took at Pilchuck Glass School in July. We visit John at his studio on Whidby Island, Cultus Bay Glass. We take the ferry with our car.
John proudly shows us around his garden, and he gives us many veggies to take home. There is art everywhere on his property, in the most unexpected places, on the walls inside and out. It is even sticking out of some construction that is in process on the grounds.
Whidby Island is a most picturesque and peaceful place. It feels a bit like Paradise, far removed from the troubles of the Real World.
John's wife Meredith has just returned from a trade show with her Stubborn Twig Designs greeting cards. They are based on prints of work inspired by bird books which she prints on glass tiles. Ethan buys some from her and give it to us as a gift. Awwwww.
John shows us a Monkeypod tree from Brazil. We have seen it before and wondered what it was.
ROADKILL: Rug and burlap bag.
Ethan names our GPS Lady "Gina".
Before we leave Whidby Island, we go to a little seafood restaurant and get dozens of fantastic mussels which even Corinne, who is not much experienced with such things, enjoys.
There are farms right on the bay. What a view!
We stop at Deception Pass to walk across the bridge and observe the swirly currents. Hundreds of birds fly over and under the bridge. Bob and I can't agree on whether they are geese or cormorants.
We pass a defunct drive-in movie theater with twenties of Airstreams parked in the back. Bob wonders if perhaps the Airstreams were for rent for patrons who got too excited during the movie.
John proudly shows us around his garden, and he gives us many veggies to take home. There is art everywhere on his property, in the most unexpected places, on the walls inside and out. It is even sticking out of some construction that is in process on the grounds.
Whidby Island is a most picturesque and peaceful place. It feels a bit like Paradise, far removed from the troubles of the Real World.
John's wife Meredith has just returned from a trade show with her Stubborn Twig Designs greeting cards. They are based on prints of work inspired by bird books which she prints on glass tiles. Ethan buys some from her and give it to us as a gift. Awwwww.
John shows us a Monkeypod tree from Brazil. We have seen it before and wondered what it was.
ROADKILL: Rug and burlap bag.
Ethan names our GPS Lady "Gina".
Before we leave Whidby Island, we go to a little seafood restaurant and get dozens of fantastic mussels which even Corinne, who is not much experienced with such things, enjoys.
There are farms right on the bay. What a view!
We stop at Deception Pass to walk across the bridge and observe the swirly currents. Hundreds of birds fly over and under the bridge. Bob and I can't agree on whether they are geese or cormorants.
We pass a defunct drive-in movie theater with twenties of Airstreams parked in the back. Bob wonders if perhaps the Airstreams were for rent for patrons who got too excited during the movie.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Day 81-Tuesday, 9/8/09, SETTLED
Today we go to a Salmon Ladder on Puget Sound and watch three different kinds try to swim upstream. Once they get out, they jump for joy, literally, doing backflips and coming fully out of the water, sometimes in twos and threes. It's really something to see. They use the smell of the ocean to guide them from the fresh water to the salt. Underneath the fish ladder there are acrylic windows that allow us to see the salmon as they enter, stop and try to acclimate themselves to the reversing current of the bay where it meets the sea, and finally scoot themselves out the other end to the ocean.
In addition we watch two sets of boats move from the ocean to the sound through the Ballard Locks. They have to be raised up 15 feet to get out. Watching the staff work with the ropes to guide the boats through is fascinating. Boats don't have to pay a fee.
In the evening we have a wonderful dinner at an authentic Oaxican Mexican restaurant that is nothing like the usual Tex-Mex that we normally get. The mole' sauces are sweet and the tomatillo is out of this world. Bob gets tamales, a special treat since his sister-in-law Carmen was not able to make us any when we were in Texas, due to her injured wrist.
In addition we watch two sets of boats move from the ocean to the sound through the Ballard Locks. They have to be raised up 15 feet to get out. Watching the staff work with the ropes to guide the boats through is fascinating. Boats don't have to pay a fee.
In the evening we have a wonderful dinner at an authentic Oaxican Mexican restaurant that is nothing like the usual Tex-Mex that we normally get. The mole' sauces are sweet and the tomatillo is out of this world. Bob gets tamales, a special treat since his sister-in-law Carmen was not able to make us any when we were in Texas, due to her injured wrist.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Day 80 - Monday (Labor Day) , 9/7/09, SETTLED
Joy and Ricardo have set up a brunch to be hosted by Joy's daughter Becca at her house in Burien. They have cooked everything in advance. Two of her other siblings Aaron and David were there with their spouses, but Devorah was absent, since she had to buy homeschooling books for her two girls.
Ethan and Heather enjoy the brunch, meeting some fellow Seattlites with one degree of separation.
We go to the local Goodwill and have a hard time finding a place to park. Heather and I both buy necklaces.
Heather is coming down with a cold, so we go back to the apartment to feed her some tea. Bob and Ethan go out to get Vietnamese soup, which is the perfect thing for a chilly day and soothes Heather's throat.
After supper, we watch a Netflix copy of "Stepbrothers" on Ethan's computer. We contemplate several times turning it off, but we stick it out, and it gets better towards the end.
Ethan and Heather enjoy the brunch, meeting some fellow Seattlites with one degree of separation.
We go to the local Goodwill and have a hard time finding a place to park. Heather and I both buy necklaces.
Heather is coming down with a cold, so we go back to the apartment to feed her some tea. Bob and Ethan go out to get Vietnamese soup, which is the perfect thing for a chilly day and soothes Heather's throat.
After supper, we watch a Netflix copy of "Stepbrothers" on Ethan's computer. We contemplate several times turning it off, but we stick it out, and it gets better towards the end.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Day 79 - Sunday, 9/6/09 - SETTLED
We meet again for breakfast at the Fourteen Carrot Cafe'. As we are standing in the waiting line at the restaurant, a busser comes by us with a cart full of dirty dishes from the back part of the cafe'. The hallway is narrow and a cup of coffee overturns and spills all over my clothing. I have nothing in the car to change into. The woman apologizes, and I get a free breakfast.
Chris, Holly and Derek want to see Ethan's studio. We marvel at the amount of work that Ethan has begun, waiting for the next step in the process. Heather has some lovely glass sculptures there as well.
At Traver Gallery, where Ethan usually has his work, Dale Chihuly is currently exhibiting both paintings, vessels, and glass sculptures. There are two pieces of Ethan's still there. Upstairs at Vetri Gallery, we see the work of several of Ethan's friends.
Heather lends Corinne some wrap-around palazzo pants to change into. We chill at their apartment for a while and then go to see "Moon" at the local theater. It is a spookily realistic sci-fi thriller about cloning, which we enjoy.
Chris, Holly and Derek want to see Ethan's studio. We marvel at the amount of work that Ethan has begun, waiting for the next step in the process. Heather has some lovely glass sculptures there as well.
At Traver Gallery, where Ethan usually has his work, Dale Chihuly is currently exhibiting both paintings, vessels, and glass sculptures. There are two pieces of Ethan's still there. Upstairs at Vetri Gallery, we see the work of several of Ethan's friends.
Heather lends Corinne some wrap-around palazzo pants to change into. We chill at their apartment for a while and then go to see "Moon" at the local theater. It is a spookily realistic sci-fi thriller about cloning, which we enjoy.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Day 78 - Saturday, 9/5/09 , SETTLED
Heather is off of work. We go to meet everyone for breakfast.
We take a boat ride at Portage Bay through the locks to the ocean. Salmon are jumping like crazy on their way upstream. The pilot explains about Native American fishing rights in the Bay and we see many setups along the banks where tribal groups have set up platforms with various rigs for catching salmon. The views of Seattle are beautiful.
For dinner we go with Heather and Ethan to his friend Granite's house. They have built a pizza oven in the backyard. There are several other glass artists and their significant others there. Everyone brings ingredients and we each get to make an artisan pizza for everyone to share. They are all delicious. The young folks are all very talented and a lot of fun to party with.
We take a boat ride at Portage Bay through the locks to the ocean. Salmon are jumping like crazy on their way upstream. The pilot explains about Native American fishing rights in the Bay and we see many setups along the banks where tribal groups have set up platforms with various rigs for catching salmon. The views of Seattle are beautiful.
For dinner we go with Heather and Ethan to his friend Granite's house. They have built a pizza oven in the backyard. There are several other glass artists and their significant others there. Everyone brings ingredients and we each get to make an artisan pizza for everyone to share. They are all delicious. The young folks are all very talented and a lot of fun to party with.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Day 77 - Friday, 9/4/09 - SETTLED
Ethan returns from Pilchuck. He is working at his studio, and Heather is also working.
We go to the Space Needle for views of Seattle on our own. The Experience Music Project (EMP) is right next door. There is a display about guitars. In the middle of the lobby is a floor-to-ceiling sculpture made of hundreds of musical instruments which play according to a computer program. Upstairs the rotating display this month is about record albums with the theme of Outer Space.
Later we meet Ethan and Heather for sushi. Yum! For dessert they take us to Molly Moon's, a relatively new organic ice cream parlor with exotic flavors like lavender and sage.
Ice cream cones in hand, we head over to a favorite "city lights across the sound" viewing spot the old Gasworks. There are several young men there juggling flaming batons while dancing hiphop. One of them has his dog off leash.
I am calmly watching the fire show when suddenly the guy's pit bull heads directly for my ice cream cone, which I am about to lick. Heather yells at the dog and he retreats. The guy apologizes, but still does not leash his dog. We leave.
Our camper is plugged in to the electricity at Joy and Ricardo's. It is parked on their cul-de-sac, and due to their generosity, we have the luxury of staying in real beds and using real bathrooms for a week. We are getting spoiled because they are making breakfast for us every morning. Yippee!
We go to the Space Needle for views of Seattle on our own. The Experience Music Project (EMP) is right next door. There is a display about guitars. In the middle of the lobby is a floor-to-ceiling sculpture made of hundreds of musical instruments which play according to a computer program. Upstairs the rotating display this month is about record albums with the theme of Outer Space.
Later we meet Ethan and Heather for sushi. Yum! For dessert they take us to Molly Moon's, a relatively new organic ice cream parlor with exotic flavors like lavender and sage.
Ice cream cones in hand, we head over to a favorite "city lights across the sound" viewing spot the old Gasworks. There are several young men there juggling flaming batons while dancing hiphop. One of them has his dog off leash.
I am calmly watching the fire show when suddenly the guy's pit bull heads directly for my ice cream cone, which I am about to lick. Heather yells at the dog and he retreats. The guy apologizes, but still does not leash his dog. We leave.
Our camper is plugged in to the electricity at Joy and Ricardo's. It is parked on their cul-de-sac, and due to their generosity, we have the luxury of staying in real beds and using real bathrooms for a week. We are getting spoiled because they are making breakfast for us every morning. Yippee!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Day 76-Thursday, 9/3/09 - SETTLED
While we are visiting with Ethan and Heather, we are staying at our friends', Joy and Ricardo Pocasangre in Bellevue, WA. Today we are touring downtown Seattle with them.
We visit the Natural History Museum at the University of Washington, where we are treated to a display about coffee. The rest of the museum is about the history of the Native Americans who first settled Washington.
After a Greek lunch, we head downtown to the Seattle Art Museum, which is having a Free Day today. The Andrew Wyeth display is coming down soon, so it is very crowded. Hanging from the ceiling is a show involving several Ford Tauruses with laser light rods projecting from them in all directions. There is a huge cloak made from dogtags. My favorite exhibit is the African Masks, which are displayed on mannequins wearing Western clothing, creating disturbing dissonance.
We go downtown to the Pike Place Market for Happy Hour. The Fish Flingers are in action. Upstairs at Joy's favorite French bistro, we request the torch singer to do "Blue Moon" for us. Later we have delicious salmon bisque at another restaurant. We feel as though we have been eating constantly all day.
We visit the Natural History Museum at the University of Washington, where we are treated to a display about coffee. The rest of the museum is about the history of the Native Americans who first settled Washington.
After a Greek lunch, we head downtown to the Seattle Art Museum, which is having a Free Day today. The Andrew Wyeth display is coming down soon, so it is very crowded. Hanging from the ceiling is a show involving several Ford Tauruses with laser light rods projecting from them in all directions. There is a huge cloak made from dogtags. My favorite exhibit is the African Masks, which are displayed on mannequins wearing Western clothing, creating disturbing dissonance.
We go downtown to the Pike Place Market for Happy Hour. The Fish Flingers are in action. Upstairs at Joy's favorite French bistro, we request the torch singer to do "Blue Moon" for us. Later we have delicious salmon bisque at another restaurant. We feel as though we have been eating constantly all day.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Day 75 - Wednesday, 9/2/09 - ON THE ROAD
Today is Ethan's last day teaching at Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, WA. On the way, we stop in Seattle and pick up Heather at their apartment. She has just ridden her bicycle home from work at The Glass Eye.
On the way up to Stanwood, we see quite a few log trucks. We wonder why some trees have a lighter set of outer rings and darker inner rings. Is it because of nutrition, water, sun? They are all the same type of tree, but as individual as fingerprints.
There is a town called "Millersylvania". What is the meaning of Sylvania? There is Sylvania, the light company, then the state of Pennsylvania. Funny thoughts come to mind when you are mesmerized by the road.
We arrive just in time for dinner. Ethan has saved us four plates of pasta and salad.
After dinner is the Walkaround where Ethan's students show their work from the last 3 weeks. We see a large variety of pieces, from tiny to huge, from students who range in age from 20's to 70's. They are all "beginners" but their skills vary widely. The teaching assistants and Ethan have also made work. It is all quite astounding.
After the show, Ethan dresses in women's clothing for the final demo of the session, "Lady's Night".
On the way up to Stanwood, we see quite a few log trucks. We wonder why some trees have a lighter set of outer rings and darker inner rings. Is it because of nutrition, water, sun? They are all the same type of tree, but as individual as fingerprints.
There is a town called "Millersylvania". What is the meaning of Sylvania? There is Sylvania, the light company, then the state of Pennsylvania. Funny thoughts come to mind when you are mesmerized by the road.
We arrive just in time for dinner. Ethan has saved us four plates of pasta and salad.
After dinner is the Walkaround where Ethan's students show their work from the last 3 weeks. We see a large variety of pieces, from tiny to huge, from students who range in age from 20's to 70's. They are all "beginners" but their skills vary widely. The teaching assistants and Ethan have also made work. It is all quite astounding.
After the show, Ethan dresses in women's clothing for the final demo of the session, "Lady's Night".
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Day 74- Tuesday, 9/1/09 - SETTLED
Bob realizes that his cell phone has not arrived yet. He goes back to Chinook Bend Campground in Lincoln City to retrieve it.
Meanwhile, Bev and Roz take Corinne on a photo tour of urban Portland. She takes pictures of bridges, including the St. John Bridge, murals, fountains, condos with interesting formations, and gates. There is a new condo complex called The Pearl which has recently added a fountain to make it more child-friendly. Corinne lucks into some adorable photos of toddlers playing in the fountain in their diapers. Because she does not photograph their faces, she does not have to get their parents' permission.
When Bob arrives back in Portland, he brings Buffalo Jerky, Elk Jerky and Salmon Jerky that he has bought at a roadside stand. He stops at the Otis Cafe' to get Bev's favorite Molasses Bread, which she shares with us later. His favorite part of the day was the Oyster Burger at the Otis. Being a total foodie, he remembers everything about food.
Meanwhile, Bev and Roz take Corinne on a photo tour of urban Portland. She takes pictures of bridges, including the St. John Bridge, murals, fountains, condos with interesting formations, and gates. There is a new condo complex called The Pearl which has recently added a fountain to make it more child-friendly. Corinne lucks into some adorable photos of toddlers playing in the fountain in their diapers. Because she does not photograph their faces, she does not have to get their parents' permission.
When Bob arrives back in Portland, he brings Buffalo Jerky, Elk Jerky and Salmon Jerky that he has bought at a roadside stand. He stops at the Otis Cafe' to get Bev's favorite Molasses Bread, which she shares with us later. His favorite part of the day was the Oyster Burger at the Otis. Being a total foodie, he remembers everything about food.
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