Amber's Waves

Christmas at Mount Vernon

2011-12-18T16:07:00.000-05:00

The weather in DC is weird, in a really, really great way. It was 60 degrees in early December and the landscaping outside of National Geographic looks like this:

These flowers survive all winter - FLOWERS!

I bought the annual pass for Mount Vernon, George Washington's Estate overlooking the Potomac, partially so I could easily take visitors there, but mostly so we could go look at the sheep whenever we wanted.

It turns out that Christmas at Mount Vernon may very well be the best time of year to go. Not only are they all decked out with trees representing each room in Washington's mansion, but they ship in a camel to commemorate the 1787 Christmas when Washington paid 16 shillings to have an exotic pet on hand for his guests to admire. It's clear that much of what Washington did was simply for show. I think he would have much rather been farming than entertaining, but those are the breaks when you're trying to form a brand new country and want the capital to be named after you.

Poor camel - 60 degrees is probably cold for you.

There was another surprise: THE actual turkey that President Obama pardoned this year for Thanksgiving. He will live a long life with another pardoned turkey in a hut almost as big as our apartment.

I also enjoyed seeing the 16-sided barn that Washington invented to process his wheat.

16-Sided Barn

The view of the Potomac is amazing.

Alison watches the geese.

This gingerbread Mount Vernon replica was created by the head White House Chef. I stood for a long time wondering if anyone would really miss one of those chocolate sculpted trees.

Foo Fighters

2011-12-04T09:38:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time since Nathan and I went out, left Alison, and didn't return until the wee hours of the morning, but the Foo Fighters were in town and we needed to go see them.

11-11-11 - The only picture Nathan or I got of the Foo Fighters before our phones died.

They played at the Verizon Center, which is near DC's Chinatown neighborhood, a place with a lot going on for the plethora of rich (and poor), unattached 20-somethings this city turns out.

Chinatown's Friendship Arch

Photo Credit: historicdc.net

We tried a new restaurant beforehand that proved to be a lot like Noodles & Company, but for chicken: Nando's Peri Peri. I enjoyed the $8 heavy-on-the-fruit-flavor pitcher of Sangria.

The opening acts were Social Distortion (which is only on my radar because of this Guitar Hero song) and The Joy Formidable, which turned out to be an awesome band. Nathan bought their entire CD on iTunes the next day and we've been enjoying it ever since. Alison especially enjoys twirling to Whirring.

But, nobody goes to the concert for the opening acts. The Foo Fighters, after 16 years, are simply amazing. They're pros. Could I run around screaming for three hours? Heck no! Dave Grohl talked a lot about his childhood in Alexandria and his pride at finally selling out the "big-*ss-f***ing arena in his home town". I'd be proud too.

The set they played was great. You can find the list here. I don't think they missed anything. I hope they come back because I'd go again.

Congress

2011-11-12T13:33:00.000-05:00

An email came out to the whole society that began, "If you've ever wanted to walk the halls of Congress, here's your chance" and that's about as far as I read before I decided to volunteer.

The week before the world gained its 7 billionth person, National Geographic put together a special issue just for Congress: a compilation of the articles it has been running all year on the world reaching 7 billion people.

Since we're practically right down the street from the Senate and Congressional office buildings, I was given 15 magazines for 15 occupants of the Longworth Congressional Office Building. I was excited to see what actually went on at Congress, but first I would have to get past security.

I don't have a staffer badge, and I didn't really have a good reason for being there. I did, however, wear a suit and have generally found the notion that a smile and a clipboard can get you anywhere to be very true. I also must generally look non-threatening since people tend to let me through security without a thorough check and strangers have left both purses and children with me before they even knew my name. This worked to my advantage and I walked right in without any questions asked.

My 15 representatives included Gabrielle Giffords (who I did not meet) and Jim McDermott (who was the only representative I actually saw in the building).

There is a definite feeling in those halls, though. These aren't just normal offices (although they look very normal). Everyone's office has a nice nameplate displaying the representative and their state, plus most keep flags outside the door, making everything look very official and important. Inside, everyone's office is different, but most are decorated in over-the-top admiration for the state who elected them.

Halls of Congress - I'm not really sure I was supposed to be taking pictures.

Found a Wisconsinite! I was later told Paul Ryan "is not one of the good ones".

I can see why everyone wants to keep their jobs. In addition to the fact that this seems like a nice place to work, there's definitely a general feeling in these buildings that exudes both power and an optimistic viewpoint that people here are really trying to make a difference. Or maybe that's just me projecting my own vision on what Congress should be doing on the halls themselves.

My mom told Nathan that I'm the kind of person who would step foot inside the halls of Congress and decide to run. She knows me pretty well. I would never make it through a campaign, but I think I would do a pretty damn good job in office.

MLK

2011-09-24T12:41:00.001-04:00

I love it when people visit because it gives me a good excuse to wander around the National Mall. Two days after Alison's birthday and only one full week after it opened to the public, I stood in front of a towering Martin Luther King, Jr staring at me with a stern look on his face that could only mean: our work in this country to improve civil liberties is not finished.

Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope

It was crowded, and probably the most diverse crowd I've ever seen in a National Park. I most enjoyed bumping into our favorite ranger, who had wandered over after a failed attempt to gather people for a bird hike.

Ranger Nathan King who gets asked often if he is related to MLK.

That day we also discovered a great place to cool our feet and relax...

National Sculpture Garden Fountain

...and Alison enjoyed wandering around the FDR memorial with her grandparents.

Maybe next time I'll be able to successfully talk someone into paddle-boating on the tidal basin with me!

Newseum

2011-09-17T12:32:00.001-04:00

The Newseum is a privately-run museum in DC and despite its $22/adult price tag, I'd always heard great things about it. For the first time in its history, it was free last weekend to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of September 11th.

There are a couple of sites around DC where they very clearly have money and aren't afraid to spend it. The Newseum is one of those. It is seven floors of news, news history, movies, interactive games, and shops with a giant glass elevator running from the basement to the 6th floor. At the top they have a terrace with an amazing view of the Capital. Inside there were a few gems and a few things that made me angry.

First, I should preface this with the disclosure that lately I haven't been very happy with the media. While I wholeheartedly support free speech, I also support fact-checking and honest reporting. Sensationalizing every little story just to sell it has driven our economy deeper into recession, further polarized the country, and is just plain fear mongering. I think our media is out of control and it's time for them to self-regulate a little better. One trip out of the country and you'll realize how self-centered and off-center our media really is.

The Newseum generally reflects this industry standard by devoting huge areas of the museum to their most successful stories, mainly September 11th and Hurricane Katrina. They praise themselves throughout for using their right to free speech for good, "Look at us, we trudge through the backcountry and risk our lives to bring you the news. We're the first ones to get to the biggest stories. Blah. Blah. Blah." I was not impressed, but it did get more interesting as it went along.

There are a few things well-worth coming to see.

First, they have the largest chunk of the Berlin Wall outside of Germany.

Berlin Wall

They also have the broadcast antenae from the top of one of World Trade Towers set in front of a backdrop of worldwide front pages from 9/12/01.

9/11 - The Newseum's favorite subject

There is a memorial to journalists who have died in action with some interesting details about where they were and why. My favorite room was probably the News History room, where they have front pages from newspapers dating back to 1455 (you can see the front page from when the Spanish Armada was defeated!). I also enjoyed this exhibit on worldwide freedom of the press.

It turns out in addition to having the best education, quality of life, and health care system, Finland also has the most freedom of the press. Should we move?

Alison liked the tour of a real-life news studio (ABC Weekend Something...) and the exhibit on the presidents' dogs. There are also theaters galore, including a 4D show (which I was scared would include very lifelike paparazzi running after you), and an entire floor of interactive news games where you could report on your own story and post it to youtube (for a price).

By the time I was done, my anger at the press had subsided and I was happy to have seen the museum. Was it worth the $22? Not unless you've already seen ALL of the free museums and are incredibly hungry for some drama.

National Gallery of Art

2011-08-27T15:37:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday my mom and I went to the National Gallery of Art. I had been there once before, with only enough time to view the first wing I came to. I thought it was neat, but was unimpressed by the barrage of French, Dutch, and Flemmish artists I had never heard of. Alison fell asleep.

This time, we happened to start on the lower level at a temporary exhibit, From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection, and walked straight into famous artist central. The gallery may not have anyone's most famous piece, but they have a lot of big names and if I'd studied Art History, I may have been in heaven. As it were, I have studied Spanish art and was excited to see several Picassos (one from his blue period, one from his cubism stage, and the others were earlier works), a room filled with El Greco, one Dali, a couple Velazquez, and a Goya or two. In short, more Spanish art than I've seen since my last trip to Madrid going on eight years now. Here's a sampling of some of the more interesting works they have at the gallery.

Degas - First painting you see in the Chester Dale Collection

Picasso

Monet

Da Vinci - The Gallery's crown jewel, this is the only Da Vinci work in the United States

The entire building itself is art, with marble columns, ancient wallpaper, gardens, and fountains.

It's a great place for babies who love to look and learn!

Earthquake Spam

2011-08-26T09:28:00.000-04:00

It's true that when something happens to the East Coast, that's all the rest of the country gets to hear about on the news. It's because we (I mostly mean the East Coast-based news media) are all pretty self-involved and a bit over-dramatic. We had an earthquake this week and thanks to all the facebook spam from your friends on the East Coast, you know. So, while Peru just had a 7.0-magnitude earthquake which blows ours out of the water, I'd like to obsess about our 5.8er this week.

I was in my cube on the 4th floor of our 7-story building on Tuesday (prime earthquake flattening location now that I think about it), when things started to shake. I'd asked someone when we moved if we ever got earthquakes here. They said no, so my my train of thought went something like this:

Whoa.
Are we in an earthquake? No. They don't have those here.
Oh crap, I'm in DC, probably a bomb.
Well, I'm still alive, so that's good news.
I'm sure they would have bombed the National Mall, but Nathan's at MLK - he's probably OK.
Um. What the hell? This thing is still going? Holy sh*t this is getting bad.
Holy sh*t what do I do in an earthquake? Doorway! Wait, get out of here?
I never learned where the stairwells were in this building. That was stupid.
No time to move if this thing is going to collapse it'll do it before I leave.
Doorframe, get to the DOORFRAME. Could this building collapse?
HOLY CRAP IS THIS THING GOING TO COLLAPSE, I NEED TO LEA - phew, it stopped.

We evacuated. (What I should have known to do right away.)

Our street during the evacuation.

No phones worked, no internet. It was pretty hard to get information. Having never been in an earthquake, I guessed it would be about a 4.0 based on the fact that everything was still standing. When I found out it was closer to 6.0, I felt kind of proud that I'd been through that. It was thrilling, in retrospect.

Luckily, in a city ill-equipped for earthquakes, not much damage was reported except to the National Cathedral and Washington Monument, a structure Nathan says he won't go back into unless they give him an option to buy more life insurance. Lovely. A few things fell off the shelves in our house and pictures were skewed, but luckily Alison and Grandma went right outside and Alison really enjoyed seeing everyone in the building in one place.

Photo Credit: Nathan King

It took me two hours to get home. In order to inspect the entire Metro railway system, trains moved at 15 mph for the rest of the day. I stood on the crowded platform at Farragut West and watched three over-crowded trains go by before I decided to go the opposite direction, then get on at a less-crowded stop. That worked. Just as I thought my commute couldn't get any worse, however, there I was, stuck in a super-crowded railcar going 1/4 of its normal speed when I saw it. The largest spider I'd seen since Kansas crawling up the girl's skirt next to me. I couldn't move away - too many people. This might be very close to my worst nightmare, but it wasn't the scariest thing that happened that day.

So, today, as Hurricane Irene creeps up from the South, I'm creating an emergency/evacuation kit. I guess you can never be too careful. It's also my opinion that you can never have too much SPAM.

A New Leaf

2011-08-20T09:58:00.000-04:00

It's Saturday and I finally know what it feels like to be disappointed that it's the weekend. OK, that's not entirely true. I am REALLY excited to spend the entire day with Alison, but two weeks into the new job at National Geographic and I can safely ask myself: why did I wait so long?! I am now a Project Manager on a team that updates the http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ website. If you haven't visited lately, bookmark it. It is forever packed with amazing information. Don't worry, we're working on getting that flyout to settle down.

I have two reflection topics to share about my first two weeks:

My commute rocks. It takes me 45-60 minutes one way, walking, then riding a bus and train. That sounds horrible doesn't it? I know! So why do I find myself looking forward to it every day? Probably because I get to catch-up on the news first thing in the morning via the free commuter newspaper, The Express. I also get to walk around downtown, through Farragut Square, and basically feel like I'm back in Sevilla again enjoying an exotic land. Maybe the fun of it will wear off, but this sure beats driving.
National Geographic rocks. You know what they do and no one does it better, but did you know their culture permeates through to how they do business every day? Their buildings are LEED Gold, there's a compost bin on each floor and they recycle just about everything. There's a photo gallery at the street level of my building (that anyone can walk in and see for free). If you look up, there are the stars, situated in the exact same configuration that the founders would have seen on the day Nat Geo was founded in 1888. There is a constant stream of National Geographic-funded explorers giving talks and presentations (that are also usually open to the public, I should add) and they just added a bee hive to the roof. If all that doesn't make you happy then maybe you're not me!

Life is good.

Mount Vernon

2011-08-09T19:03:00.002-04:00

Since it's not run by the National Park Service, I suspected Mount Vernon, George Washington's Estate on the Potomac, would be either lame or over-commercialized. It was only slightly over-commercialized, but it is a great day trip if you've been all over downtown DC already.

Washington's Mansion

The cost is $15, but you get to tour Washington's mansion, see his tomb, view several gardens, enjoy a brand-new state-of-the-art museum, and be oriented by Pat Sajak in colonial dress. They also have a farm with animals and a distillery where Washington made a ton from his homegrown whiskey, but we didn't make it that far. Instead, we were thoroughly schooled in the awesomeness that was our first President. Nathan was right when he pointed out that the museum was "not exactly balanced". For instance, an entire room was devoted to Washington's dentures, with no mention that his teeth came from slaves (they were not wooden). They did talk a lot about the slaves he kept, but continually reminded you that they were freed upon his death.

View from Mount Vernon

That tree (near the middle) existed during Washington's time.

Lower Gardens - Stocked with heritage plants set-up the way they were in the late 1700s

Upper Garden & Greenhouse - Washington had lemons and oranges year-round

I don't think there is much you can complain about when it came to the personal and political life of George Washington (his wife burned all but three of their love letters to avoid them becoming public in the future). He was a pretty good guy with hundreds of towns, schools, and monuments named for him. His true brilliance really came in stepping down voluntarily after two terms. He could've been King, but decided to set a precedence that only FDR ignored.

Rest in peace Washington, you have a very nice estate, although crowded during tourist season, on which to spend eternity.

Practice Run

2011-08-06T09:15:00.000-04:00

OK, I'll admit it. Being nervous that I would have no clue what I was doing during rush hour in the Metro Transit System, I did a practice run of my commute on Thursday. As I suspected, there was really no need for this because DC has the BEST public transportation system ever and I easily got from home to work in 45 minutes and 1/4 of a book later.

The trip really only served to convince me of how awesome my new commute really is. The bus is clean and quiet, trains come every five minutes, I walk through a park (which had people in full business dress with no shoes doing yoga before work), and I pass no less than four places willing to sell me a hot breakfast for under $4. Not only that, but my commute ends at National Geographic headquarters!

This is where I report on Monday.

This is a view of the building next to mine, the National Geographic Museum:

Yay!

Shenandoah

2011-07-30T09:22:00.000-04:00

I have nearly two weeks of freedom before starting the new job. This week, we took a family vacation and camped in Shenandoah National Park. Shenandoah is only two hours from us, so it's a convenient place to escape into the wilderness. It's not the world's best wildlife or scenic park, but I do enjoy the view of the mountains through the haze.

There is a lot of hiking to be done, including pieces of the Appalachian Trail. We chose to do a shorter hike to Dark Hollow Falls, which, with the kid carrier, turned into an amazing workout for me.

Dark Hollow Falls

My favorite part of the trip occurred in two doses. Each morning, we were treated to a half-dozen hummingbirds feverishly sucking down nectar from the blooming milkweed plants next to our campsite.

Photo Credit: Nathan King

We didn't see any bears, but that doesn't matter. The real mission was accomplished: introducing Alison to an amazing park and adding to the world another happy camper.

Photo Credit: Nathan King

And Now For Something Completely Different

2011-07-23T19:06:00.000-04:00

Monday I'll go to work, answer some questions, sametime a few friends, have a couple of meetings, then shut down my laptop and end my career at IBM. On August 8th I will become the newest Project Manager for the Digital Media division of National Geographic.

Photo of the Day: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

I suppose it's tradition to pick apart my career at IBM and explain why I chose to leave, but I don't want to. I wouldn't be the person I am today without my IBM experiences, both good an bad. Instead, as I pack up to leave, I can't help but think about a few important things I learned at IBM.

The highlight of my career was my Corporate Service Corps experience in Tanzania. You can read about my team here (Tanzania 1). No one knew this at the time, but this was such a dangerous program to send me on. Here, I got a taste of what it would be like if I were doing something I loved and making a difference in the world. I got to scale Mt. Kilimanjaro with Nathan, and watch the wildebeests move in unison across the Serengeti plains. Yes, my love of travel, culture, language, and environmental change all swirled around and met in one place. I wish I could have found a similar opportunity within IBM when I returned, but such amazing jobs probably don't exist. I will be forever grateful for this experience because from it I was able to hone my life goals and begin forging a career path that would make me truly happy.

I don't think Nathan would be a Park Ranger today (his undeniably perfect career path) if it weren't for IBM's flexibility. They allowed me to work remotely from several parks, to take days off and work weekends, to basically do whatever I wanted as long as I got my work done. Surprisingly, with that kind of flexibility, most IBMers end up working all the time and it took me years to figure out how to create my own balance. That is a priceless skill and one that I'll be using for a long time. Thanks, IBM!

Finally, I had some fantastic customers and some that made me glad they were located in another state. I've worked on highly successful projects and disastrous ones (let's just say that I know how to keep my cool when a Vice President is yelling at me). In spite of some real trials, our team was always able to pull off the impossible. Of everything I gained in the past six years, the most important thing was confidence. The confidence to trust my gut, the confidence to push past daily issues, and finally the confidence to do something when I realized IBM wasn't the right spot for me anymore.

It's been an awesome six years. I'll miss IBM a lot, but instead of "Building a Smarter Planet", I'll be "inspiring people to care about the [amazing] planet" they already have.

4th of July on the National Mall

2011-07-08T12:54:00.000-04:00

Everyone warned me not to go to the National Mall for Independence Day. The crowds will be overwhelming, they said. You won't get home until after midnight. That baby will hate it. This is where being stubborn really pays off because they were wrong on all accounts.

I wasn't about to miss my chance to see our capital celebrate its birthday. Alison and I arrived downtown at 11:30am, just in time to snag a sweet parade-watching spot from the National Museum of Art's Sculpture Garden lawn.

7-4-11 - National Archives

OK, so we couldn't see everything from there, but the view of the balloons, floats, and tops of the bands' heads was worth it to have some space for Alison to run around, taste leaves, and meet some other babies. There actually seemed to be just as many foreigners downtown as US citizens. Probably because we throw a good party.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival was underway, celebrating Colombia, Rhythm & Blues, and the Peace Corps this year. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the festival turned out to be a real DC gem. There were three stages with world music complete with dance floors (have I mentioned yet that Alison dances?), a bunch of tents describing worldwide culture, crafts, music, you name it, and also delicious foods. We sat in the Home Cooking tent for a long time, hoping to get a taste of the fish stew a Malian was teaching us to make. I had to leave right at the end because Alison got angry. Maybe she doesn't like fish.

7-4-11 - Kenyan women basket-weaving

At 6pm we were admitted to the NPS VIP fireworks area. That's right, it appears we are now true Washington Insiders since only those on the list can watch the fireworks from within a special fenced area next to the Park Ranger National Mall Offices! The view was great, actually, except that I didn't get my coveted shot of fireworks over the Lincoln Memorial. Trees were blocking our view of the monuments. We could have easily snagged a spot closer to the middle of the mall and next year, I think we will. From where we were at, however, we could clearly hear the stage and the special announcement from "Park Ranger Nathan King", as he was introduced. Nathan was the 4th of July Public Information Officer, so he got to address thousands in the crowd and MC a skit about American freedoms (or lack thereof) throughout our history.

7-4-11 - National Mall not super-crowded. I can still see grass.

The fireworks display was, well, worthy of a nation that can still (for a couple more years anyway) say it's the strongest nation in the world. Nathan was told by the director of the National Mall fireworks display that the finale would include roughly 45 fireworks shot off every second. Check it out:

People cleared out quickly. We waited to leave until 10pm and were home by 11pm. Alison stayed awake in awe through the fireworks, then fell asleep on the way home. We're going back next year. Would you like to come?

National Building Museum

2011-06-19T09:40:00.000-04:00

I have been spending WAY too much time on Alison's blog and need to update you on some DC gems. Friday, Alison and I took the Metro to Judiciary Square to visit the National Building Museum, which is free until June 27th, when they start charging to view the exhibits. What the heck is the National Building Museum for, you ask? It is a museum celebrating buildings, art in buildings, architecture, and the act of building itself.

I have to admit, the museum and I got off to a rough start, but by the time we left 3.5 hours later, I was a huge fan. My favorite room is the Great Hall (which will still be free to view after the end of the month) and it's amazing.

NBM Great Hall

Allie thought it was "great" too!

I paid $5 to see the traveling lego exhibit, where builders have created replicas of famous buildings from across the world. Given that I've seen more lego creativity in my brother-in-law's basement, I was a bit disappointed by it. The other exhibits are more interesting: DC buildings and memorials history, World's Fair architecture, an artist famous for her mosaics and painting in famous cathedrals, including the National Cathedral. They also have a cute cafe with the best cookies ever.

Lego Exhibit

However, the real reason this museum is great are the kids' activities. The Great Hall is almost completely open, carpeted, and invites kids of all ages to stretch their legs and run around. They set out legos and blocks for anyone to come off the street and play with. Alison and I spent the majority of our visit just playing on the floor beneath the grandeur that is the Great Hall. There is a Building Zone for kids 2 and up and I noticed they offer a lot of fun activities including nights at the museum with a building theme.

Legos!

I'm glad they're only charging to view the exhibits. I'll be back just to play on the floor!

Three Hour Radius

2011-04-06T09:36:00.001-04:00

There are close to 5 million things to do within a three-hour radius of DC. In the past month, we've started to explore a few of the gems outside of DC.

Manassas

Manassas National Battlefield Park is the site of two civil war battles, most notably the first battle of the entire war. It is located just 25 miles from DC, which is truly interesting when you think about how close that really was to our nation's capital. It's neat to learn about the battles via a short walk down to a stone house that stood long before the war arrived at its doorstep and via a driving tour with stops at important battle points. It's hard to imagine troops moving through this hilly, forested area without cell phones to communicate with commanders. At one point the troops only realized that fighting was about to begin when they noticed the sun glistening off the bayonets of an approaching mass of enemy soldiers coming up a hill very close to where they stood.

3-12-11 - Stone House @ Manassas

I would recommend a visit and while you're there, stop for breakfast at Yorkshire Restaurant in the town of Manassas. Yuuuummy!

Chimborazo Hospital

In Richmond, they've preserved the largest confederate general hospital from the civil war: Chimborazo. It's interesting to learn about the fact that women, slave and free blacks, all worked together with men to save lives. There's a museum and movie in the Visitor Center, but the best part about this site is the park. It's on a hill overlooking parts of Richmond. Great place to bring your lunch and enjoy the view!

3-26-11 - Chimborazo Visitor Center

Maggie L. Walker (Richmond)

Maggie L. Walker was one of the earliest and most successful black, female entrepreneurs in our nation. She built a local banking empire, taking its parent organization from an impoverished community with $400 in debt to a thriving one worth over $400,000. Her house is preserved with 95% of the furnishings she owned still intact. The staff at this site are amazing and will take you on an excellent tour of the house and a museum in her honor.

3-26-11 - Maggie L Walker's House

Fort Ward

Of course, we've been exploring close to home as well. My favorite place to stroll with Allie in Alexandria is Fort Ward, which used to be one of the Forts protecting DC during the civil war era. They still have part of the earthen fort set-up as it once was and a museum that you can walk through for free. The best part is the walking path around the park and the fact that they have an amphitheater for concerts in the summer.

3-18-11 - Fort Ward Gate

Sakura

2011-04-03T09:28:00.000-04:00

We've all heard of it and now Nathan actually works at it, but could the Cherry Blossoms in DC really be that great? Yes, yes they can. I went to view the trees on March 25th, a day before the actual festival began. It's really nice to have someone with the inside scoop because, although it wasn't a sunny day, I got to see the trees at near peak bloom with a fraction of the people there that usually come for the festival. I guess I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

Almost makes you forget you're in a city.

Human progress meets nature.

The Forest

Just the two of us!

Washington Monument

DC: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2011-03-13T14:49:00.003-04:00

We are finally in our new location: Alexandria, VA!! We have been here for just over two weeks, but a first impression is a lasting impression, so here's what I think.

The Good

Let me paint a picture of why this place is amazing.

I got into my car last Saturday at 11:15am and the local NPR station was playing my favorite show: Wait! Wait! Don't Tell Me. I drove five minutes to pick-up my very first Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) box which included all kinds of yummy, organic produce from local farms. Outside the restaurant that organizes the CSA (called Food Matters - I have yet to try it out, but it looks great), a troop of girl scouts sold me my first six boxes of cookies for the year. Later that day, we all got in the car, picked up Nathan's brother, Justin, and visited the National Zoo - for free.

My first CSA bag - complete with wildflower honey!

Flamingos at the National Zoo

There are literally one thousand adventures to be had waiting for me at my doorstep every day. I don't need to go very far - heck, I don't even have to drive to get anywhere if I don't want to. The possibilities are endless. I feel like I could go anywhere and do anything here, using DC as my launching pad.

View of the National Mall from the Mt. Vernon Trail

In Rochester, I had to join a special group to practice speaking Spanish. Here, I've had to use my Spanish just to get around and talk to my neighbors.

In Kansas, we lived in a construction zone and I feared that Alison might kill herself if she started moving on her own through that house. Now, there is crown molding in our apartment and everything was updated as of a couple years ago.

People are very open-minded here because they come from all corners of the country. The DC Badgers alumni group sends me almost daily event emails, whereas in Kansas, the only other Badger in the area had an asterisk by his name claiming he had died in 1994.

The Bad

Could there BE any more people here? Every single nook and cranny of this area is overflowing with people. People on the roads, people in the stores, people in the restaurants. Big people, small people, people of every background. If there were a nuclear holocaust and we were all forced to find our own food, there would be around a 1000 to 1 human-to-squirrel ratio and we would surely all die of starvation.

I miss my view of the bluffs from my front door in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Yes, we have an amazing top floor view from our new place, but nature trumps urbania. That is just a fact of life.

Stainless Steel Tree in the National Sculpture Garden

Please don't let this be the future of our natural world! (Although it IS really neat!)

The Ugly

Picture the largest freeway you've ever seen. Then picture it full of cars during rush hour. Now double the amount of cars on the road. Add people who learned how to drive in places like Rochester, MN where they do not know how to drive. Then add a few tourists. Now have someone tell you the traffic is only really bad during rush hour. Now picture yourself maming that person because they are completely, horribly wrong.

Traffic is awful here. The infrastructure just can't handle the people and drivers have to pull crazy stuff just to get where they need to be. Stop lights last for days. It's best to just stay out of your car. Period.

On The Road Again

2011-03-11T15:38:00.001-05:00

For as much grief as I've given Kansas, arriving back to it, with all of its familiar sites, was nice. I guess a small piece of me was fond of it afterall, or maybe the spring weather just brings you a sense of endless possibilities, no matter where you are. However, we had a job to do there and here's what we were up against:

Our storage unit - 1/4th excavated

Mom and Dad came down and helped us sift through this junk and get it moved onto a U-Haul. We will forever be grateful for their help with this move as we have no idea what we would have done without them! Spending a week in the car and trying to sleep in the same room as a six-month-old is not considered traveling in the lap of luxury.

2-19-11 - Early-morning wake-up call for Grandpa

Kevin and George, coworkers from Fort Larned, also win the "best surprise help" award as they helped us haul off a bunch of the things we couldn't take and made sure everything was packed into the truck a day early. Wow!

On Saturday, we drove to Independence, MO, home of the Harry S Truman National Historic Site. Nathan and I were almost late for the 9am Sunday tour of Truman's Mother-In-Law's house (coincidentally, he lived much of his life there and never purchased his own home), but Nathan mentioned where he worked and they made sure we got a spot on the tour! Ah, the benefits of knowing a Park Ranger.

President Truman's House

Later Sunday, we also stopped in St. Louis and I made everyone tour the Old Courthouse and see the Arch (a.k.a. Jefferson National Expansion Memorial). We didn't go up to the top, but I was OK with that when I heard that it sways in the slightest of breezes!

The Arch

On our third day we ended up driving just below a giant snow and ice storm, escaping horrible weather, but getting drenched the entire drive. The fourth day, we made it to my sister, Samantha's, new house and got to meet her boa constrictor and street cats. We did eventually make it down to our new place in Alexandria, VA. I haven't seen any snow since because the weather has been in the 50's (at least) and the streets are made of cheese. Just kidding, I will have the full report on our first impressions (good and bad) soon.

Farewell Dakotas

2011-02-17T22:40:00.002-05:00

The epic journey has begun and instead of starting with a single step, we decided to start with an 8.5-hour drive from Medora, ND to North Platte, NE. This was the single longest drive of the entire trip and it took Alison and I a mere 12.5 hours to complete. Did we bite off more than we could chew? Of course! Will we make that mistake again? Nope...not with a 5.5-month-old, anyway.

On Tuesday, the weather in North Dakota had warmed to 50 degrees as if to convince us that Medora was not as inhospitable as we might believe and that maybe we should stay a while longer. We can't, but we did enter the park to say good-bye and were met with a plethora of bison and gorgeous sun-drenched bluffs.

2-15-11 - I'm not as quick to shed my jacket in this gorgeous spring weather as Alison was

2-15-11 - Bison: Best viewed from the car

Keeping a baby sane for 12.5 hours is not easy. Luckily, we took a route through Rapid City, which allowed me to show Alison the ultimate tourist trap: Wall Drug.

2-16-11 - Wall Drug!

We made it to North Platte safe and sound, despite driving several hours through the dark Nebraska wilderness in what can only be described as prime alien abduction country. We'll miss the Dakotas dearly, our home for the past four winters, but are very excited to see what lies ahead in this strange, new Eastern land.

Mission Accomplished!

2011-01-28T19:15:00.000-05:00

In spite of our impossibly tight schedule of seeing 11 apartments in 1.5 days both in Virginia and Maryland, we were able to find a great place for a great price (relatively speaking) in Alexandria, VA. We were all exhausted by the end of the trip, but knowing we'll be in an interesting location made me want to hang the same ' Mission Accomplished' banner on our plane that George W did from the aircraft carrier and collapse into three days worth of sleep.

Lincoln Memorial from the base of the Washington Monument

After doing most of the research for this trip, I wasn't sure we would find anything for a suitable price that would be safe for a five-month-old and a couple of adults fresh out of North Dakota. Let's talk about prices. You can get a two-bedroom apartment for as low as $1200 in the suburbs of DC, however, according to apartmentratings.com these come complete with roaches, pimps, and crack dealers. When you start talking about places you actually want to live, you've gone into the $1350 and higher range. Forget paying less than that unless you want to have 8 roommates.

We saw a variety of places, from townhomes to highrises and ended up with a condo-style apartment on the second floor with a balcony view of Old Town Alexandria and some trees in the distance (yes, there is nature there)! The apartment size is fairly small, but will help us with our purging and includes a nice fitness center and washer and dryer so I can continue to easily outfit Alison with cloth diapers. There's a grocery store, Red Lobster, Italian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Afghan, and Salvadorean restaurants just around the corner. There is also a Whole Foods a short drive away.

Our new building!

Now, let's talk about traffic. Did we rent a GPS for $10.99/day? Yes. Was it the best $33 I've ever spent? YES! Everything you've heard about DC traffic is true. We made two wrong turns. One resulted in it taking an extra 45 minutes to go about a mile and the other resulted in us getting routed down the entire length of Connecticut Ave during morning rush hour. Nathan did an excellent job of navigating the three-lane roundabouts. Paris driving, here we come!

View of the White House and DC from the Washington Monument

I can't tell you how much I love being in DC. The wrong turn we took on our way to Maryland made us drive past the National Mall and Lincoln Memorial. Oh darn. We also visited Nathan's new office and got an unexpected behind-the-scenes tour of the Washington Monument for free.

Family Photo in front of the Washington Monument

We arrive near the end of February. I'm excited to have all of my stuff in one place and excited to start a new life here. I feel like a pilgrim embarking on a journey to the Land of Opportunity. Luckily the only Indian we need to worry about is the digestive stress caused by the restaurant down the street. Watch out world, the Kings are coming to Washington.

We're Moving to DC

2011-01-21T20:52:00.000-05:00

For the entire time that I've had this blog, there's always uncertainty in our lives surrounding where Nathan and I will be in the next few months. My Myers-Briggs score is certain of only one thing and that's that I'm a J - a major planner, but Nathan's willy-nilly schedule as a Park Ranger has forced me to relax and go with the flow. I've gotten quite good at adjusting to whatever comes our way and have loved almost every place we've been - Glacier, Theodore Roosevelt, Pipestone, Tanzania - all very good. Then Alison arrived and suddenly a little more structure in our lives seemed welcome.

Well, we're getting it! Nathan has been offered a full-time, year-round GS 5-7-9 position on the National Mall in Washington DC. If you told me a few years ago that I'd be moving to DC, I might have gotten really angry. However, our trip to visit Nathan's brother, Justin, proved my horribly-crime-ridden-and-a-slippery-politician-on-every-corner impression wrong and I had declared in a previous blog, "I think I could live here"!

October 2009 - Yes, we're not wearing jackets in October!

There are a lot of reasons I'm excited to be in DC: closer to family, farmer's markets galore, cheaper travel, and people that think like they're from Madison. The best part is all of the interesting people and organizations working their butts off to make this world a better place. Now, more often than not when I hear about the latest renewable energy conference or Sierra Club event, guess where it is? My new backyard.

We're flying out next week to find an apartment and will be there permanently by February 28th. I'll miss the wide open spaces of North Dakota, but am excited to explore the East Coast!

And They Call This Progress

2010-12-02T10:19:00.000-05:00

I couldn't have explained this better myself. Check out Nathan's blog for a report on what's new in Medora.

Not In Kansas Anymore

2010-11-26T16:22:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, Nathan, Alison, and I moved from Larned, KS to Medora, ND for the winter. I must admit I am a little relieved because the truth is, I didn't like Kansas.

Now, to be fair to the state, I'm sure the cities are very different from where we lived. I'd visited Hays, Salina, Hutchinson, Wichita, and Topeka. All of those looked like lovely places to live with things to do and a more neutral political scene. I, however, landed in rural South-Central Kansas, expecting my preconceived notions about the state (formed mostly through the media, I suspect) to be completely wrong and pictured myself happily blogging about what life is really like in Kansas. Instead, I found the stereotype to be scarily, dead-right. While I discovered that Kansas is not the place for me, that doesn't mean that the people there don't love it and aren't great people. They really are, I just discovered a lot about myself while there and have different feelings about how I want to live.

Larned Sidewalk Fail

What I loved about Kansas:

The fall and spring weather! When we arrived in May, there were almost daily, spectacular thunderstorms. They were amazing and as long as my house stayed standing, I enjoyed them. The fall is the BEST time of year in Kansas. We had 70-degree weather right into November. Allie and I got to take walks everyday and I'm thankful we were able to do that so long.
Living close to my Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins: the Lyttons. I've never lived in the same state as anyone I'm related to and being able to drive an hour to go watch my cousin cheerlead or visit my Aunt & Uncle in Salina was awesome! I will miss that.
You can always find a parking spot and it's always free. I didn't have to stand in line at the DMV.
There is a great sense of community and communities banding together can accomplish a lot. Just read about the community movie theater in Larned. That was quality.

What I hated about Kansas:

Food & Water Health: Dirty Food and Dirty Water. Call me a hippie, but I don't like to drink water laden with pesticides and I'd really like to support locally grown, organic food.

When you're in the middle of feedlot country, you don't find a lot of farmers trying to work sustainably or an infrastructure that supports sustainability. Sure, Great Bend had a Farmer's Market three times a week, but it was mainly people bringing excess food from their gardens, not farmers. Most of that wasn't grown organically, and only one vendor sold grass-fed beef and chicken. For that, you had to travel two hours to get your meat once or twice a year. Sure, Rochester and Madison have spoiled me, but I shouldn't have to drive hours to find healthy food for my family. No one should.

I was excited that we had the Pawnee Fork of the Arkansas River so close to us, but when I asked whether they have a lot of kayakers/canoers around, I was told, "Ew! Gross! I wouldn't go near that water." Because of all the farming, the river is loaded with pesticides and the local water supply for drinking is too. You are basically required to have a filter in your kitchen, otherwise you're asking for trouble.
It literally smells like sh*t. There was a feedlot on the other side of town and it's windy. Enough said.
Housing: Kansas and I definitely got off to a bad start after a string of unfortunate events which you can read about here. The rental market is horrific in Larned and we actually got a deal renting a place from Nathan's co-worker. While I'm very thankful for them letting us live there, we were pretty much forced to move out before Allie became mobile because it would have been a small child death trap. Nathan had taken a look at a few other places in Great Bend and declared them worse. We've also had visitors from the local area who thought our place looked "great". That just goes to show you that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I for one would like to live in a place that could pass a housing inspection.
No one has an up-to-date website. Calling to get information such as store hours is fine, but it's tough to figure out what's going on in town if it's not published anywhere and that brings me to my next point.
If you're not related to anyone in town, you're deemed an outsider and it's pretty hard to become integrated or even to know what's going on.
There are no indoor pools. I'm a swimmer and I would have liked to start Alison in swim lessons over the winter. That just isn't an option near Larned.
Summer weather tops 100 degrees starting in May. I definitely prefer the Northern temps.
Politics: I understand why most people are Republicans down there. They don't want to pay money to the government because they don't see a lot of help from the government except for great roads, schools, libraries, emergency facilities, flight for life, health department that offers most services like immunizations for free, parental education, subsidies for the local hospital, subsidies for the local humane society, subsidies for housing, subsidies for medicare, subsidies for local businesses, unemployment, FARM SUBSIDIES, jobs for government workers...wait...why are people so mad at the government? One of the reasons we couldn't find a place to live is that all of the apartment buildings that weren't for seniors in town were only for low income families (subsidized by the government). People don't want to pay the government, but yet most are getting some kind of regular check from the government. This happens in other places too, but those in Larned seemed to not realize that the very entity that helps them live a better life is the one they are trying so desperately to shrink.

There is more, but why go on? Kansas isn't horrible, it just isn't for me. We may end up back there next summer and if we go, I will be focusing on the "Things I Loved" and not the second list. For now, I'm happy to be back in Medora with a beautiful park, where the air smells fresh, and the postmaster knows my name.

Discrimination, Homesteading, & Goats in the Heartland

2010-10-31T18:42:00.000-04:00

This weekend, we traveled to Lincoln and Omaha to introduce Alison to half of her extended family. The trip was excellent and Alison did a great job!

I also had a lot of fun visiting two smaller National Park Service sites: Brown vs. Board of Education and Homestead. Brown vs. Board is located in an old school building in Topeka, KS. They have some excellent multi-media displays that discuss discrimination of all kinds from the 1600's to present. It served to remind me of how far we've come, but also how recently we've really changed as a country with respect to civil rights. It also gave me some hope that the discrimination we see today (LGBT rights, religious beliefs, and racial tensions) may someday be a thing of the past as well.

Brown vs. Board of Education National Historic Site

Photo: Nathan King

Homestead National Monument celebrates the very first 160-acre farm patent issued by the Homestead Act of 1862. This is the legislation that allowed you to stake out a claim in the vast openness of the United States, live on the land, and eventually be given that land for free. Seems like a good, non-controversial idea, right? Wrong! The very interesting video and displays in the museum did a good job of pointing out how this affected the native populations. It was also a pretty difficult thing to do as 60% of the families who initially staked claims, never proved up on the land (i.e. stayed long enough to take ownership of their farm). The best part of this site is the beautiful prairie outside and the brochure and demonstration area about all of the different kinds of barbed wire. Wow! My life would NOT have been complete without this knowledge.

An example of 1 of the 500 types of barbed wire

On our trip, Kansas and Nebraska were being, well, Kansas and Nebraska by giving us major crosswinds to contend with on the drive up, allowing tumbleweeds and corn husks to collect in the bumper. On the way home we saw not one, but two trucks carrying goats.

Not that I don't find this hilarious, but I am really looking forward to moving to North Dakota later this month. That's right, braving perilous snowdrifts sounds more fun than hanging out alone in Larned. Go figure!

Photo of a Homestead in North Dakota

Photo: Nathan King

Crazy Things Parents Say

2010-10-21T10:53:00.000-04:00

Being a mom has brought out the best...and the worst in me at times. Despite some trying times, I stay generally entertained by Alison's funny faces and by listening to the strange things that come out of my mouth. Here is a short sampling from the past two days, just business as usual in the King household now:

"Please try not to pee on me."

"Could you not crash your head into things?"

"Hey, poop on your own time!"

Me: "You look like an earless Yoda!" Nathan: "Yoda, you look like."

"Your eye goopies make you look like a zombie."

[Burp] "Yay! FINALLY, good burpie!"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut uuuuuup!" (Something I've really wanted to say in several business meetings.)

"Hey look, it's an arm! Hand-y!"

10-20-10 - Almost seven weeks!

Kansas, Not What You'd Expect

2010-10-12T17:18:00.000-04:00

Kansans don't usually fit their over-religious-everyone-drives-a-tractor-to-work stereotype, but our hometown paper, The Tiller & Toiler, which comes out on Tuesdays and Fridays, apparently didn't get that memo. Here's a blurb that appeared on the front page of today's paper (reproduced word for word):

"Hi Neighbor" goes out to all the farmers in Pawnee County, and we guess especially to John Dryden. Jeff Delaney at the Pawnee County COOP tells us that John came in with the record test weight milo the other day at 65.7, where 56 is a common weight. They even made a sign to put up on the COOP door because John thought he deserved a little recognition. When the sign came down later, John took it home to put on his fridge. Now Tim Dryden, John's dad came in to the COOP a little later, and was asked if he knew about the great weight, but alas, he hadn't been informed by his son and fellow farmer. We're guessing Tim's wife Marty might still be in the dark! That's okay Marty, just go see John's sign on the fridge. He deserves the recognition according to the folks at the COOP.

So, there you have it! Kansas, it's not what you expect!

Allie Has Her Own Blog!

2010-09-28T13:51:00.000-04:00

In case you're wondering where to get the updates on Alison including extra pictures, Nathan and I have started a collaborative blog just for her! It is private, so if you'd like to view it, send me a note or post a comment giving me your email address so I can invite you.

9/16/10

Alison's Here!

2010-09-07T20:15:00.000-04:00

The wait is over! Alison Savannah was born 9/2/10 at 3:16am! She weighed 7 lbs, 14 oz and was 20.5 inches long. Technically I'd been in labor for 21 hours after my water broke, but things were not moving along as we would have liked and we ended up having a C-Section to avoid the risk of infection that sets in after your water has been broken 24 hours.

As many of you know, I was looking forward to a natural labor with no drugs (if possible), but as soon as I heard this little cutie bean cry, I realized we'd done the right thing. I can't explain how incredible she's been so far and how fun it's been being a mom! We're both doing great!

Even though I'm pretty sleepy, I think we got off pretty easy (so far)! Alison only cries to tell us she's hungry and only wakes up a couple times per night (only once last night)! She's a champion sleeper and really curious. We're pretty sure she said "hi" the other day. :P Not much more I can say right now, so I'll let these pictures do the talking. I love my little Allie Bean!

Just Born!

What is wrong with us?

2010-08-27T11:29:00.000-04:00

What's happened to the art of waiting in this country?

There is very little we can't control and schedule these days. Smart phones keep us connected at all times and tie us down by synching our work with our home with our friends' calendars. You can buy a plane ticket at the spur of the moment and fly anywhere on earth you want. Many of us can work whenever from wherever we please. You can even choose your baby's birth date.

Here, you're expected to be prompt, or at least to call ahead if you can't make it on time. This is probably the reason why several days BEFORE her due date, people started continually asked me "did you have the baby yet?"!

I'm officially three days overdue and get daily questions about why I'm "still around". It's super-sweet and I'm glad people are excited about the baby, but I can't help but wonder why everyone is so perplexed that she hasn't arrived on a phantom, magical date based solely on a formula set-up to be the average gestation time for billions of mothers.

It's both frustrating and refreshing to realize that we, as humans, don't really have control over every aspect of nature. This is a lesson you'll learn if you travel to more laid-back countries like Spain or Tanzania. They understand the famous bumper sticker from Forrest Gump, and go about their daily lives knowing that people and events will come and go on their own time. No use rigidly scheduling your entire life because "sh*t happens".

I love the fact that the best surprises of my life have come up without being planned and scheduled. I never planned to go work in Tanzania, but was just in the right place at the right time. When I started dating Nathan, he was going to be a boring engineer (like me!) and suddenly did a complete 360, taking us on an amazing adventure, living in National Parks and introducing me to the joys of 16-mile day hikes through unspoiled wilderness. I had a general idea of what I wanted to do with my life, but these surprises have only enriched it and in many ways have shaped my view of what I want in the future. At the same time they've made me realize that my most important asset is my flexibility and adaptability.

So, I ask society, what's the rush? Why should I feel like this baby will "never" arrive if she's one day late? It's a day, a week, it's not the end of the world. Why should I be rushed to schedule an induction based on a date that is at best a wild guess? I trust nature, she'll get here, and I like knowing the "when" is a surprise.

Getting Closer

2010-08-11T08:00:00.002-04:00

Anyone want to guess when our little critter will arrive? I am expecting her tomorrow based on the fortune cookie we got back on 5/11 that said "Remember three months from now, good things will happen".

Stick a fork in me, I'm done!

To Salina and Back

2010-08-07T16:42:00.000-04:00

"Can you pull over so I can walk around for a couple seconds?"

Ah yes, traveling while pregnant is fun, so we haven't gone anywhere really exotic this summer. However, yesterday Nathan and I did take what will probably be the last road trip we take just the two of us for a while: we drove two hours away to Salina, KS!

Not only is this our nearest "big city", which boasts such luxuries as a Kohl's, Target, and the Kenwood Cove Waterpark, it's the home of my Aunt Jeanine, Uncle Allan, and cousins Jocelyn and Ciarra! We were pretty excited to see everyone and get some errands done at the same time.

They took us to a great Italian restaurant for lunch, Martinelli's, which was exciting given the fact that there are zero Italian restaurants within a 1.5 hour radius of our new house. We were warned that this was "Kansas Italian", so even though it didn't compare to the amazing "pizze" in Italy, it was quite good for the US - even Kansas. We also got the Tour d'Salina, which culminated in Salina's most exciting and exotic attraction: the yellow submarine bench!

We don't live in this.

I insisted on visiting the Kenwood Cove Waterpark in the afternoon, seeing as I've gotten no use out of my maternity swimsuit yet. It's better than your average pool, with several water slides, a wave pool, lazy river, and separate lap pool. Weeeeeelllll, the lap pool was closed (due to some cloudy chemical in the water that I'm sure was added because some kid peed -or worse- in the pool), and I was not allowed to ride the water slides. I thought I'd be fine floating the lazy river and enjoying the wave pool only, until I found out the wave pool, which my cousin Jocelyn warned me was more of a ripple pool, really was just shallow, crowded, and lame. After briefly considering explaining to the slide bouncer that I wasn't pregnant, just fat, we left to go run some errands at Hobby Lobby and Kohl's.

We stayed for dinner and had some delicious steak burgers and custard at a place called Freddy's, which is the Kansas equivalent of a Culver's. Even though I am Wisconsin-breed just like Culver's I have to admit Freddy's had better custard, but NOT a better burger.

On the way home, we got sidetracked at dusk and ended up wandering into Cheyenne Bottoms, an amazing rehabilitated wetlands area close to Great Bend. We didn't see the Night Heron Nathan was looking for, but we did catch a gorgeous sunset instead.

Almost looks like the ocean, doesn't it?

Good night, Sunflower State

Perfect end to my vacationing days without kids. Just now I realized this would have been just as fun and probably more fun with the kiddo, so I'm pretty happy to include another person in our future expeditions into the unknown. Bring it on!

Ranch Rodeo

2010-08-06T10:46:00.001-04:00

The Pawnee County Fair arrived and despite blistering temperatures, we had to go check it out. It's a cute little fair and far more in touch with its roots than the Olmsted County Fair in Rochester, MN. You won't find any rides (OK, there were a few inflatable jumpy things) or deep-fried spam curds here, just an exhibit hall (with crops, Republican candidate booths, & 4H crafts on display), a livestock pavillion, and the rodeo ring.

The special weekend events were a Ranch Rodeo and Demolition Derby. I enjoyed the Greeley Stampede so much last year that heading the three blocks over to see the rodeo was a no-brainer. We did, however, skip some of the other events, such as the Carcass Show at the end of the fair (although I'm still wondering if that's exactly what it sounds like).

It's really easy to see how the Ranch Rodeo concept got started. You've got some neighbors. You're all ranchers. Someone throws out "I bet I can rope that calf faster than you". You've got yourself a Ranch Rodeo!

This year, 15 teams of four people signed up to participate, each named for the ranch they worked on. There were four events: Team Branding, Team Doctoring, Double Mugging, and Trailer Loading. Everything except Trailer Loading was some variation of Team Roping, where two members need to rope a calf's head and back legs, then do something (either rope three legs together, stick a chalk mark on its head (symbolizing it's been "doctored"), or brand it - also using chalk). My favorite event was the Trailer Loading simply because some teams were assigned uber-stubborn calves and it was really fun to watch them struggle through the motions. Here's an example of a team that does it right:

The night was suppose to start off with Muttin Bustin - my favorite event (see the Greeley Stampede post for details), but it was too hot, so for the sake of the kids and sheep it was canceled. Instead, half time was marked by an equally entertaining event: The Calf Scramble. It goes like this:

Gather up hundreds of kids.
Tie a ribbon on a dozen calves' tails.
Release the kids, offering a prize for anyone that can retrieve the ribbon.
Chaos ensues in what can only be described as a hookworm epidemic waiting to happen.

It was a pretty fun time. Not at all like the Greeley Stampede where roping took mere seconds, this was for fun and despite minutes wondering if they would EVER rope that calf, we did have a lot of fun.

Santa Fe Trail Ruts

2010-08-01T10:37:00.000-04:00

Have I convinced you to come visit us in Kansas, yet? If not, I'm sure this will get you here: we've got ruts!

Photo Credit: santafetrailresearch.com

Not far from Fort Larned National Historic Site is a plot of land run by the Park Service that has not been plowed over a million times. There, you can climb up on a platform and view the actual wagon ruts of the Santa Fe trail and imagine what it would have been like to sit in a rickety wagon for 1,200 miles for the express purpose of bringing gold and other goodies back from the New Mexico territory.

Ruts shown horizontally just over halfway up the photo

What can I say? I'm in a rut.

Larned has its own chapter of the Santa Fe Trail Association whose chapter meeting I'm missing today due to transportation issues and the 500-degree heat. Rest-assured that if you come to town for the next meeting day, you will be enthusiastically invited to join the group by Professor Clapsaddle himself. I sure hope to someday be another Santa Fe Trail enthusiast, but for now, I just enjoy the serenity of this 40 acre swath of preserved ruts and hope I don't step on a rattlesnake as I walk to the viewing platform.

It's Baby Time!

2010-07-25T10:52:00.000-04:00

OK, it's not really baby time yet, but rather I'm within the period of uncomfortability and gestational viability that makes it seem like the baby should arrive any day. In reality, we still have a month from yesterday until the due date (8/24).

First pregnant shot taken in good ol' ND (April)

I haven't really posted much about the pregnancy along the way. Partially because it would be just plain boring to report on kick counts and partially because I got teased by a friend for saying I "love, love, loved being a future mom" in this post back in April. Turns out that friend was actually pregnant too and probably just jealous she couldn't let the cat out of the bag yet. Parental obsession seems to manifest itself in different ways: I decided to blog it, she decided to buy a crib before her first trimester was over - I think we both have a problem holding in our excitement.

Hiking (Effigy Mounds) not quite as fun as it used to be (May)

Photo Credit: Allan King

Anyway, things are going quite well for us. We seem to be right on track with no apparent problems so far. We haven't had (and probably won't have) an ultrasound since April. The kid looked great back then, but we've given her enough time to sprout a few extra limbs and possibly some devil horns, so it'll be interesting to see what we actually get!

Kid without tentacles (April)

I am starting to get a bit uncomfortable now and since my license to whine expires soon, I better take advantage of it. People, the reason why pregnant ladies have such a bad reputation is because, well, we're in pain. On most occasions, it's super-cool to be kicked from the inside out, but keep in mind that kicking includes surprisingly strong shots to the ribs and bladder. I wouldn't be taking this kind of treatment from anyone else! I really feel like I've had things pretty easy compared to some women, but the worst part for me is the lack of mobility. Tying my shoes is very much a chore and I've actually had very pleasant conversations with 80-year-old women comparing our aches and pains.

4th of July @ the Fort

Bottom line is I'm ready. I'm ready to feel like myself again, I'm ready to see what this kid actually looks like, and I'm ready to get her out here and show her all of the amazing things I've found on this planet. So, go ahead and tease me for being cheesy if you want, but when it's your turn, you'll understand.

Kansas Backyard Wildlife

2010-07-22T19:00:00.001-04:00

I was entirely convinced that Kansas would be a pretty boring place to live, save the occasional rattlesnake that might show up in our backyard or the brown recluse spider in our shower. Luckily, Larned is NOT prime rattlesnake territory (I haven't seen one yet) and after hours of research, I'm becoming less convinced that the spider in our shower was a brown recluse.

However, aside from the swarms of mosquitoes, it turns out we do have some exciting amphibians and birds here. I enjoy seeing Nathan squirm as Kites fly overhead looking for sandwiches (see October 4th in this blog post). There are a plethora of other birds that migrate over in the spring or summer including the rare whooping crane, so we're looking forward to them too.

I have to give my uncle Tim credit for the best backyard find thusfar, though. In our basement window well, he discovered what can only be described as a combination breeding ground and prison for toads!

There were dozens of toads (dozens!) in our window well, along with a thick, composting layer of leaves and garbage that only served as a hiding place for more toads. Thinking they couldn't get out on their own, Tim and Nathan proceeded to release every toad they could. They now live in our garden, yard, and probably all over Larned by now.

Assuming this wasn't an isolated incident, we checked the next window well. It didn't have as many toads, but we found something even better: a large tiger salamander.

We left him alone, thinking he probably wanted to live there his entire life. I hope he does, because I can't wait to show the new baby what we've got in the backyard. :)

July 4th

2010-07-18T14:13:00.000-04:00

Despite the threat of rain all weekend, Larned Independence Day celebrations went on as planned - well, almost. Fort Larned had another living history weekend complete with the Olde Time Fort Larned Band, watermelon, and potato sack races.

This guy's giving up after demonstrating one, measly time.

The town of Larned doesn't do anything on the 4th until 8:00pm, when the community gathers to hear the Fort Larned Band and buy treats from some of the local organizations trying to raise funds. Then they have community fireworks.

I'm not really sure why Larned puts on a fireworks show myself, as shooting off rockets from your yard is perfectly legal in Kansas. A massive fireworks shop, sponsored by the local Assembly of God chapter (interesting!), shows up for about a week and people stock up as if there's going to be a nuclear holocaust and fireworks are necessary for your very survival. Saturday night we watched our neighbor shoot off an amazing light show for about an hour. It's the closest I've ever been to a fireworks show, and probably as close as I'd like to be, as I'm certain there are now some singed shingles on our roof.

So, Larned, finding it necessary to put on its own show, decided at 8:30pm that the threat of rain was too great, so instead of canceling the fireworks, they started them prematurely. It turns out, fireworks in front of a dark rain cloud are just as good as fireworks at night. Luckily, we could see the whole show from our driveway, so never had to brave the rains, mosquitoes, or "crowds" to see them.

Our View

My uncle Tim came to visit from Lincoln, NE Monday, so we went back out to the Fort. Living history still abounding, we got to see this hot soldier in his dress uniform, crawled into an underground tunnel to view a well, and Tim was brave enough to get locked in the Fort's Sweatbox, which was used to punish soldiers who mouthed off to their superiors on hot days.

Nathan guarding the blockhouse

Underground Well

Uncle Tim probably wondering if this is really a good idea

I definitely miss the pomp and circumstance of having a 4th of July parade, but I suppose I can't expect that much from a town who has lost 1/4 of its population since the 2000 census. (We're now down to 3500 people.) At least no one was injured by a rouge neighborhood firework. I guess that qualifies as an excellent 4th of July!

Living History - Memorial Day Weekend at Fort Larned

2010-06-30T20:43:00.004-04:00

There's nothing more fun to do while visiting a historic site than to imagine what it was like back in its heyday. Over Memorial Day Weekend at Fort Larned National Historic Site, you don't have to imagine very hard, as over 70 reenactment volunteers truck in from Texas, Colorado, and all over Kansas to bring the place to life.

Fort Larned's Giant Flag

Although the Fort's use expands well beyond the civil war era, the 1860's is what we went back to over Memorial Day. All of the park employees partake by dressing up in period gear (which means wool - yes, even in summer - infantry uniforms for the guys and billowing dresses for the girls) and assuming a character.

Chaz, Nathan, and Mike as Soldiers

All of the buildings are open with someone in period dress to talk to you about what went on there back in the day, but my favorite two special events took place outside. First, it's important to point out that Nathan has a pretty cool job, because he got to do this:

There were also other rifle demonstrations throughout the day.

Rifle Demonstration

Second, a hobby vintage baseball team rolled into town to play the soldiers (park employees) in 1860's-style baseball, complete with a leather ball, no gloves, and old rules like if you catch a fly ball after the first bounce, the batter is out. I found it pretty interesting to learn some of the jargon and facts from the day. For instance, most of the reenacters are, by definition, civil war nerds, which makes for some pretty useless baseball players. In vintage baseball, a person who tries really hard, but still stinks is called a muffin. Spectators would sit really close to the game with no fences for protection. If a ball happened to roll under a woman's skirt, depending on which team she was rooting for, she may or may not choose to lift her skirt and make it easy for the players to find the ball.

Nathan Catching - One of the only experienced baseball players out there

I had a pretty good time at the event and am looking forward to more living history for July 4th weekend (more reenactments including potato sack races) and Labor Day weekend (if I'm not actually in labor).

Location Integration

2010-06-27T14:25:00.001-04:00

There are a lot of things I've neglected to blog about this new and interesting location, so as we approach summer's halfway mark, you'll be seeing a few catch-up blogs. Today's, however, is going to be current.

I went back to Rochester, MN last week to work, see everyone, have an amazing baby shower, and close on our house. (Yes!! House is gone and rent is cheap - whoo!) I find it ironic that while in Rochester - not Kansas - Rochester, I ended up being 1/3 of a mile from an actual tornado that touched down in town on Thursday night. Here's a photo of the tornado's path put together by one of my co-workers. (I was staying at a friend's house just slightly off the map to the Northwest, where tornado sirens never went off.)

I had a great time seeing everyone, but it reminded me of just how much I don't know about my new community (and how many people I don't know either)! Hence, I returned to Kansas with one goal: integrate!

I would say this weekend has been a major integration success! First, I found out our community has its own little newspaper that comes out on Tuesdays and Fridays called The Tiller & Toiler. I picked one up Saturday and learned that we have a community garden near our house that you can help weed, then take home your pick of fresh produce. Not bad! I also discovered that we have a Farmer's Market every 1st & 3rd Saturday through August. Good. Found a place to find out what's going on in town - check!

We'd also heard Great Bend has a Farmer's Market every week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. We happened to be in town Thursday so checked it out. Five vendors with mostly zucchinis. Sad. And I thought Rochester, MN's Farmer's Market stunk after coming from Madison. It doesn't. In fact, we not only got a zucchini from a local hippie selling produce from his trunk, he also treated us to a bible lesson on why he doesn't sell produce at the Saturday market. I'd decided right then and there that the Saturday market, the one with all the heathens, was definitely the one for me! So, I returned Saturday and found 12 vendors with fresh eggs, bread (it's wheat harvest time!), and met a farmer who sells grass-fed beef and chicken, which we can pick up from their farm fresh on slaughter day. Excellent. Found some good, organic, local foods - check!

Next, I visited the Great Bend library, which is WAY better than the one in Larned and allows you to check-out more than one book at a time. Found a place to stock up on kid's books for the munchkin - check!

Friday, we invited everyone at the park over for brats, burgers, and bocce. It was a really fun night until the mosquitoes came out and broke it all up. Found a way to make our own fun with some excellent people - check!

So, I'm feeling better about this place already. It's no Madison, WI (probably the best place I've ever lived), but it'll work for now.

Talking 'Bout My Generation

2010-05-30T12:21:00.000-04:00

I take great offense to articles such as this one, explaining how narcissistic and self-involved we, the Gen Yers, are. Though we've all met people who fit the bill, I believe what little blanket truth this stereotype has stems from how our older generations have used their valuable resources and what we see as necessary to protecting our own future.

It's true, we are competitive and we do plan on rocking the working world right out of college. We have energy, enthusiasm, and most importantly a vision for how to fix the pieces of our society that aren't working. We enter our first jobs out of college with that mindset, but get stopped in our tracks. No one believes in us, we stop hearing the phrase "you can be whatever you want to!" and worst of all, we discover that organizations are sometimes so stuck in their ways that the good ideas we do bring forth, along with the energy it takes to bring them to fruition, are trampled like a lion caught in a wildebeest stampede.

Older generations laugh at us and tell us we need to put in the time and gain experience before we can make an impact, but we realize that all that does is take a person's best, most energetic, most passionate years and suppress them. It's harder to get excited about a good idea when you have three kids to feed and obligations that ensure you can't put in the overtime it takes to get things done. We value our relationships and we don't want to end up regretting that we didn't spend enough time with our families. Therefore, we want to get the ball rolling early because we know that a rolling ball is easier to keep moving than a stationary one is to start.

I've seen more people from my generation quit secure, high-paying, but unfulfilling jobs to pursue careers they love making half as much money as they did before. Based on articles like the one above, you would assume they'd be self-fulling careers with little benefit to society. The truth is, they're not. They're quitting for non-profits they believe in, the political arena, the army, and taking time off to join the Peace Corps. I have seen more people in my generation pull themselves out from the corporate rock under which they were crushed, shedding the security, and taking a chance on making society better for all of us.

Despite those people, I'm admitting that our generation is a little self-centered, but you need to understand the reasons why.

We're worried about the future we'll one day soon be in charge of - one in which we have no social security, rising health care costs, and worst of all no natural resources and a dirty planet because the generations ahead of us cling to poor decisions. Afterall, the only money I'll have for retirement is the money I save for myself. We have no pensions and our social security buckets are drained. No one in this country seems to want to pay a little extra so their neighbor can have a life-saving triple bypass surgery. So how come so many college students are so enthusiastic about universal health care? Yes, we have the longest amount of time to benefit from it, but before we do, we have to get the baby boomers through all of the health consequences of their fancy-free lifestyles. I'm willing to do that for them if they're willing to do that for me. The planet is a whole other can of worms that I probably shouldn't open right now.

These are the issues our generation has to deal with, so please excuse me when I take offense to articles like the one above. I don't see our generation as the one that has problems with narcissism and greed. I see the older generations already hogging that space and all we want to do is move around their fortified blockade and solve these problems quickly - for all of us - so that our kids won't have to be as self-centered as we need to be to get anything done.

The Real Kansas

2010-05-26T08:30:00.001-04:00

When you think of Kansas, do you think of wheat fields as far as the eye can see and tornadoes? Where we're at in Central Kansas, aside from the pockets of civilization and amazing wetlands, that's exactly what you get. I'm not here to dis-spell any myths or stereotypes because they are all true.

Over the past two weeks, I believe we've averaged about one amazing thunderstorm per day. No tornadoes yet, but when the wind is howling and rain pelting through the improperly installed living room window, you may as well be in the middle of a tornado. We made the mistake of setting up our weather radio one night and didn't make it three hours before it woke us up. It is now on silent mode.

Me, guest-starring on Storm Chasers (just kidding, that storm is chasing me)!

I don't think they grow anything besides wheat here, but one thing I didn't realize this that those "Amber waves of grain" are really green in the spring-time. It doesn't make for boring landscape because I could watch the wind running through a prairie or wheat field for hours. Now, thanks to our new location, I can.

There are more trees in Kansas today than there were 200 years ago

I was also extremely worried about the rumors I heard about politics and the over-the-top religious zealousness of this state. In reality, the politics crack me up. I haven't seen any signs for Democrats yet. It's not that I don't think there are any, I just think they are in hiding like Anne Frank during World War II. I also think the Democrats necessarily have to hide under the Republican party banner to get anywhere in this state, so I'm looking forward to examining what each "Republican" says intensely so that I know which Republicans I can vote for with a clear conscience. The religious thing hasn't been a problem. Despite the plethora of "Smile: Your Mom Chose Life" billboards, everyone is just super-nice and minds their own business.

There's an incredible sense of community here unlike anywhere else I've ever been. Let me give you just one example. These small towns simply cannot support a commercial, for-profit movie theater. So, the town of Larned came together to build their own. In just a few years they've raised enough money to pay off their mortgage and buy a new projector capable of running 3-D. The tickets for adults are $6 and you can get a "small" popcorn and soda for $3 during the show. All of the workers are volunteers and every cent was raised through the local community. What's more, their competition seems to be running the for-profit movie theater in Great Bend into the ground. Not bad! With this much self-sufficiency, I can see why you might not been too keen on the government taking all your money. There's a reason Kansas has these stereotypes, but there's also a reason behind the supporting evidence for those stereotypes. This is a very interesting place.

Great Migration Rally

2010-05-23T12:35:00.000-04:00

Pelicans at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge

There is a real gem 30 minutes away from our new place in Kansas. I bet you've never heard of Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, but it turns out that 50% of all birds that migrate across North America pass over or stop right here in our backyard. In fact, they get over 300 types of birds at the refuge, including the very rare Whooping Cranes who come through in the fall (check out Nathan's blog from last November).

Our first Saturday in Kansas, we participated in The Great Migration Rally, a scenic car tour starting at Quivira and finishing at Cheyenne Bottoms, a state-run rehabilitated marshy recreation area, and the Kansas Wetlands Education Center. This was an excellent way to get to know the area as there were five stops along the way at scenic overlooks and a local winery.

I don't quite know how to explain how awesome Quivira is, except that I was not into birding before and now I kind of am. The wetlands are beautiful without the wildlife, but getting to watch Nathan, an experienced birder, check bird after bird off his life list, was thrilling. I started a list of my own (see below)! If only the Theodore Roosevelt National Park Christmas Bird count could be this good.

A couple photos of the refuge:

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Although I can't drink any wine now, my second-favorite stop on the auto tour was the Dozier Winery, a super-cute farm open six days a week for agro-tourism.

Pond at the Winery

Quivira Birding Checklist:

Snow Goose
Canada Goose
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Green-Winged Teal
Ruddy Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Eared Grebe
American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Osprey
American Coot
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt - Really cool-looking birds
American Avocet - We got to see a crazy mating dance
Wilson's Phalarope - These little guys swim in circles by the hundreds, trying to dredge up food from the bottom
Red-headed Woodpecker
Western Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
European Starling
Blue Grosbeak
Read-winged Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Baltimore Oriole

Fort Larned National Historic Site

2010-05-10T22:09:00.001-04:00

Fort Larned: This is why we're here, the very reason we are enduring a half-finished house, selling our real house at a slight loss, and cutting all ties with big cities. We visited the site on Thursday and, although it's no Glacier National Park, it's interesting and for those willing to trudge this far out of your way to see it, it's free!

This Fort was an important stop on the Santa Fe Trail, one of the first major commercial routes across the United States (and Northern Mexico at the time) during the 1800's. The National Park Service has restored the major buildings and recreated them to look like they did in their heyday. The site is small and based completely on history (we're still learning about all of the different groups and events that took place here), although there is a short nature trail you can take along the Pawnee branch of the Arkansas River.

Entire Fort - Cemetery View

Privates' sleeping quarters are anything but private (four guys to a bunk). Dare I speculate on the origins of our country's current "gays in the military" debate?!

For living history events, one of Nathan's jobs could be to work in the blacksmith shop! He's hoping for more time with the canons, though.

The equivalent to IBM's Cafe Corner

You'll hear more about Fort Larned soon, I'm sure. There's a big living history event Memorial Day weekend, if anyone is interested in seeing the Fort at its liveliest!

TIK - This Is Kansas

2010-05-08T18:51:00.001-04:00

TIA is a common expression in Africa, used when something goes really unexpectedly wrong - beyond what you might expect in the Western world. For example, the lights on the runway at Kilimanjaro International Airport aren't lit up and you have to turn back to Nairobi, you find out the road from Dodoma to Arusha is all dirt and your driver finds it important to back-up for a better view of the Mozambique Spitting Cobra 10 feet away from the car and your open windows, or the fact that hot water is unavailable because the rainstorm put out the fire heating it. This. Is. Africa.

Well, I found myself adapting the phrase for Kansas as Nathan and I moved here on Wednesday. The ride took us 14 hours and was actually a beautiful ride. Kansas is not entirely flat and wheat-filled. It's especially gorgeous this time of year when everything is green and migrating birds are abundant.

Everything was going well until we got close to Larned, our new home.

We found out while driving to Larned with the 24-foot truck filled with everything we own that the house we're renting was not ready yet. The owners were trying to get some new carpet laid (the company brought the wrong carpet the day before) and so they'd be working on it Wednesday night. TIK. That's fine. We figured we could grab a room at the local Best Western and stop by Thursday. Not a big deal as there should be plenty of room at the inn because who would be staying in a hotel in Larned?!

EVERYONE, apparently. Due to a giant farm equipment show, all the rooms in Larned, Great Bend, and even two hours away in Hays were completely booked. TIK. We had to stay at the house that night, and luckily we were able to get in.

I expected the house to be a little out of order, but what I did NOT expect was to walk into a full-on construction site. The carpet was laid, but there was no refrigerator, the stove wasn't hooked up, dust covered almost everything, the electrical sockets weren't covered, there were no baseboards, the floor covering was half-done in the sun room, and the list could go on. TIK - now I'm getting worried and making a mental note never to let Nathan line-up housing ever again.

First room we ever saw in the new house.

Kitchen: A day later we at least had a fridge! That's the stove still in the foreground.

I forgot to mention that the owners still have a bunch of stuff in the house.

My favorite feature: the second bathroom is really a toilet in the corner of a giant storage room with no doorlock. Yeah, Nathan and I will be able to share the upstairs bathroom just fine.

Let's make a long story short and just say our new landlords, who are actually Nathan's new co-workers, were able to get the place cleaned up pretty fast. It cleans up really nice (more pictures to come when we get the boxes out of here.) They had done the best they could to get the house ready before we got there, but a complete renovation of a very old house takes a long time. We're living without baseboards, but at least we've got a working kitchen (except for the garbage disposal leakage issue - TIK). We're getting a good deal, so I guess I should have been prepared to help with a little construction work.

Other things haven't gone exactly right. We've learned that auctions are a big deal out here and when we tried to drop off our U-Haul on Friday, we were met with a closed shop and this sign.

TIK

I am really liking the town, aside from the rocky start. The people here are amazingly friendly. Nathan pointed out there's a difference between the Kansans and North Dakotans in that in North Dakota, if people don't know who you are, they're usually too embarrassed to ask (Medora IS a smaller town by about 4500 people - so maybe they really think they should know you). In Kansas, they just come right up and ask who you are, so you meet new people every time you leave the house. The city is really cute, and has a lot of amenities (nice tennis courts one block away!), which makes it easy to skip extra trips up to the much larger city of Great Bend (30 minutes away). I'm still skeptical, but there are a lot of things I like about this place. I guess my time in Africa taught me how to better roll with the punches and above all, to ignore the giant spiders on the walls.

Kiddo

2010-04-22T13:29:00.003-04:00

For the last group of people I failed to notify, here it is: I'm pregnant. After surviving the first three months of sleepy ickyness, I am love, love, loving being a future mom. We had our first ultrasound at 21 weeks last Monday and we saw the baby squirming around. Nathan called it "amazing wildlife photography". It was.

Ngorongoro Crater: The Video

2010-04-10T11:53:00.000-04:00

Ngorongoro Crater was my favorite Tanzanian park and home to one of the funniest and sadest things that happened all trip. The crater itself was formed by an ancient volcano, which imploded and became inactive. The sides are so steep that most animals never leave the crater, so it's teeming with amazing wildlife.

We went on Nathan's birthday with the best lunch packed we'd had all week: a BLT sandwich and the normal cornbread and hard-boiled egg, but stopped for lunch at a beautiful lake with harmless, large Kites circling overhead. Despite being warned of the "friendliness" of the birds several times, we decided to sit on the ground and eat our lunches. It didn't take two minutes, when, just after our guide, Dennis, had just said, "Nathan, be careful how you hold your sandwich" - a rush of air, an exploding sandwich, several kites, and suddenly Nathan was without his birthday lunch. Classic.

Here is Nathan's latest video in the safari series: Ngorongoro.

To read more about Ngorongoro, check out my previous post.

Sol y Sombra

2010-04-04T00:59:00.000-04:00

I spent the last two weekends hiking through sun and rain. Although none of them were fighting, I did see plenty of bulls and also some horses. I can't believe we're so lucky as to live right down the road from this stuff!

My Trail: Lower Talkington

The first couple of foals are already here, but no new bison yet.

Notice that Theodore Roosevelt National Park is listed as one of America's Most Underrated Parks. You might want to think about getting out here sometime!

First Day of Spring

2010-03-28T13:01:00.000-04:00

Last week, in less-than-dramatic fashion (unlike last year), the ice breaking on the Little Missouri River exactly coincided with the first day of spring! By the time the town woke up last Saturday, the river was flowing again and large chunks of ice had made their way onto the riverbanks.

View from the Medora Bridge

The weather was wonderful too! A quick drive up into the park proved that we weren't the only ones happy about the return of spring. We saw three beavers swimming happily upstream and swear that some of the grass is starting to turn green already (hard to tell). Enjoy these visions of spring from the top of Wind Canyon!

Beavers & Ice

Another Creature Happy it's Spring

Yucca Plant

Serengeti: The Video

2010-03-20T11:04:00.002-04:00

My only regret is that we didn't take a picture of the giant spider in our bathroom that soon became our friend: Frederick. Mosquito nets are good for much more than keeping the mosquitoes off of you!

Lake Manyara: The Video

2010-03-18T18:05:00.003-04:00

Here's the next installment of Tanzania Memories Revamped '08. Our first day of safari took us to Lake Manyara National Park. Again, this was all Nathan, so enjoy!

Consensus 2010

2010-03-17T18:53:00.000-04:00

I'm dying to hear how much hype there is in other states over the 2010 Census. I don't remember seeing droves of commercials, flyers, and people out urging you to fill out the census form in Wisconsin in 2000, but then again, I was wrapping up my Junior year in high school, preparing for a trip to Spain, and hanging out with a new guy I liked (who I ended up marrying five years later). In other words, I wasn't paying attention.

Here in North Dakota, the 2010 Census is a BIG deal. Ads and flyers are everywhere, urging you to "please, please fill out the form and mail it back - our very existence as a state depends on it" (or something to that effect). I had my census form hand-delivered to my doorstep by a volunteer Saturday. I figure this over-the-top public awareness campaign is much more pronounced in North Dakota, where the population truly has been steadily declining and the poor state literally needs everyone to be counted in order to keep it on the federal funding map.

Given that we own a house in Minnesota, live in North Dakota, and are moving to Kansas in May, Nathan and I were pretty confused about where and when we need to reply. I really, really wanted to give our +2 population count to North Dakota for several reasons:

I really do consider this my home, despite what my tax return and permanent address say.
You get a lot more bang for your census buck out here - adding two more people here is a much larger percentage of the population than in Minnesota!
North Dakota has been just plain nice to us. Not only were we allowed to vote in the 2008 primaries (just by living here for 30 days and signing our street address on the paper form in the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame entryway), while Minnesota completely shut us out with their "must be present to vote" caucus system, they BY FAR charge us the least amount in taxes to live here. Consider this: given the same yearly salary for our family in 2009, Minnesota charged us $5000 to live there, Kansas would have charged us $4022 for being full-year residents, and North Dakota's looking really good at $1699. There are so many reasons to love North Dakota!

You can imagine how happy I was to find out that the date for which you count where you live is April 1, 2010! So, we have a consensus for the census. Without a doubt, I can say, "Yes! I am living in North Dakota on April 1, 2010. Sign me up for funding for that new stop sign on the corner of 1st & 2nd street. North Dakota, you deserve it!"

Kilimanjaro: The Video

2010-03-15T18:20:00.002-04:00

We got some new video-editing software this month and Nathan is recreating our Tanzania video! Here's the first part: Mt. Kilimanjaro climb via the Machame Route in HD.

If you haven't heard the story and still want more details after viewing the movie, check out these old posts. I sure wish I were back in Africa right now!

Kilimanjaro Hike

Summit Journal Entry

Return to the Park

2010-03-13T18:53:00.000-05:00

I haven't had a drive through Theodore Roosevelt National Park since January. We only have six weeks left in North Dakota and no concrete plans to return, so it's time to start taking advantage of this beautiful place before we leave!

Easy to forget these aren't mountains

Not a minute after leaving the house, the sun went away and I started one of the most wildlife-less drives of my life up the only plowed section of the park road. The prairie dogs were out, but I got all the way onto the slushy East Boundary Road before seeing a single bison, horse, or deer. I was starting to think there was some kind of Ungulate Council Convention deep in the park, that I hadn't been invited to.

This place is still gorgeous and half-covered with snow. I find myself really excited to see large sections of prairie peaking out, even if it's still dormant and brown. Finally, I was able to find tiny bison dots along the East Boundary Road and white-tailed deer in the campground.

I was about to give up on seeing anything really interesting, when I rounded the final turn right before leaving the park. There, not 20 feet from my car on the road, were a dozen pronghorns - the closest batch I've ever seen!

It's funny how nature rewards you for being patient, and sometimes apathetic. I'm hoping soon the park will recognize how long I've waited to see a mountain lion and award me that sighting too.

Square Butte

Surviving Snowmagedon

2010-03-02T23:01:00.000-05:00

We did what we had to do. I got into DC the second Reagan National Airport opened Thursday after a combined 32 inches of snow shut down government offices for four days and brought the amazing Metro Transit System to a halt. Then, I talked my way onto an earlier flight for free Monday to avoid the delay on my regularly-scheduled take-off due to the next round of snow. Excellent timing for an excellent weekend!

Since it's been a few weeks since we returned, I'll just give you the facts and then a bunch of pictures.

We visited the Iwo Jima memorial at sunset and rewarded our tromp through the snow with an amazing middle eastern meal at Lebanese Taverna.
The Natural History & American History Museums graced our itinerary. Seeing an encased Giant Squid, the flag that inspired the Star-Spangled Banner, and President Lincoln's actual hat (and facial molds) were amazing. The biggest surprise was walking into just another room in the museum (ok, there was a guard in this room) and coming across The Hope Diamond on a twirling pedestal. 45.52 carats of deep blue glory, cut down from 112 original carats when it was hauled out of India. I'm not a big fan of diamonds usually (you have to spend money to forever insure them), but that was cool.

Hope Diamond
We stopped back into the Museum of the American Indian for lunch and accidentally discovered an art form I'd never dreamed existed: Peruvian Scissor Dancers.
One amazing dinner at a place called Founding Fathers. Truly my kind of place, it proudly declared its use of tapwater and tries hard to purchase its food from family farms (many of them local). I highly recommend the Straw and Hay pasta dish, which featured homemade noodles and a sauce I just couldn't figure out.
My favorite thing this time? Would you believe the National Archives topped the chart? Yes! In the same room I got to see our copy of the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, Consitution, and Bill of Rights! It was the last week EVER you're allowed to take flash-free pictures, so you can see just how incredibly faded our Declaration really is. Good for us, a lot of governments don't make it half as long as we have and yes, it made me proud to be an American. I am not proud to announce, however, that the whole time I was in that room, I had the School House Rock Preamble song in my head courtesy of my 8th Grade History teacher, Mr. Madlung.

Declaration of Independence
Hit the Botanical Gardens again for Orchid Week, rode the Metro, watched the Olympics and played Settlers of Catan in the hotel. You can't beat DC. I don't know what it is about that city, but I love it!

Smarter Food Supply & Aid

2010-02-01T09:33:00.000-05:00

I've been working on an idea to simultaneously solve the issues we have with wasting food in the developed world and getting the right nutritional food to the places that need it most. The idea has quite a ways to go, but we recently got it published it out on ip.com. Check it out: http://priorartdatabase.com/IPCOM/000192686.

If you have ideas to make this better or ideas for getting the system up and running, let me know. We're currently working with several groups inside IBM to see if we can't get them to produce this as a product!

Stix n' Twigs

2010-01-24T19:13:00.001-05:00

Just when you thought Dickinson, ND was completely devoid of good places to eat (two winters ago, the fanciest place Nathan and I could find to celebrate a promotion was Applebee's), we have a winner!

Stix n' Twigs opened a few months ago: a cute little urban cafe nestled in the old downtown area. I've been dying to try it ever since I saw this phrase scrawled across the doors: "innovative organic cuisine". There's definitely no other place like it in these parts!

Unfortunately, it is only open Monday-Friday for breakfast and lunch, so unless you work downtown you're out of luck. Last Friday I happened to be in Dickinson near lunch, so I took the opportunity to try this little place out.

It has a great interior atmosphere with a stone fireplace, couches, and a few scattered tables. It's clear that they specialize in coffee and tea based on the plethora of choices, but they also make pastries and sell organic sodas at the counter.

The food is, indeed organic and many times vegan, ranges from soups/salads to ravioli to sandwiches (including bison burgers) to more adventurous Eastern dishes. Everything is in the $10-$15 price range except for the soups, salads, and a few appetizers. I ended up with the Curried Chicken Sandwich, which included peanuts, peanut sauce, curried chicken, cabbage, and a touch of wasabi on a pita flatbread. It also came with a cup of roasted red pepper soup topped with mozarella and croutons. The soup was fantastic. I kind of wish I had gone with my second choice for an entree: the organic black bean daal with naan and a salad only because the purple cabbage on my sandwich made it really hard to eat (tasted delicious, though)!

Curried Chicken Sandwich w/Organic Raspberry Lemonade

I'm hoping to go back on Monday when I have an appointment in the afternoon. Can't wait to try something new and delicious!

Think

2010-01-21T22:07:00.000-05:00

The US Supreme Court did something that makes our lives a little tougher today.

I've been watching the Ken Burns National Parks DVDs this week and each one has overwhelmed me with gratitude. It seems like as special as these places are, it must have been a no-brainer to set them aside so that I, a person at least five generations removed, could experience their natural and never ending beauty. How was I to know that just as every step we take as a society today tends to be argued, politicized, and hard-won, the parks were no different. Can you imagine a world that hadn't preserved The Grand Canyon, that dammed up the Colorado only to allow resorts encased in concrete, helicopter launchpads, and businessmen as far as the eye can see to inhabit the cliffs and prime views? What a loss that would have been.

And yet, that's what so many people wanted to do with the canyon. Keep it private, buy it up, ensure they were able to profit from it and not others. Every park had its tireless supporters, its people much less influential than John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt who fought business and private land owners so that I, five generations later, could set foot on land that largely hasn't changed in thousands of years. I couldn't be more thankful.

Today, the US Supreme Court made it easier for big business to run their own campaign ads (and non-profits to be fair, but we all know who has the real money). A piece of me is sympathetic to the argument for free speech (I am a blogger after all), but should an entity such as a business, which is made up of individuals with beliefs as varied as the plants of the rainforest really have the right to take a stance and use their exorbitant funds to influence the public? Who's going to speak for us, the individuals? The people whose pensions are getting cut by these companies, who didn't get raises last year, who may not agree with the company's current environmental practices, who were told they won't be paid while on maternity leave, who've been working overtime without extra pay for...ever? You see, a company is not a special interest group. A company is a business. The needs and decisions of the business reflect a few key executive's strategic insights and may or may not be prudent for their employees, their customers, or the world at large. Is a business entitled to have an opinion and to participate in a democracy? Absolutely! Should it be allowed to spend its income on influencing external factors that affect it? Absolutely! Should it be given the right to use its resources, resources bestowed on it by the collective effort of diverse individual employees, to set forth any public campaign that hasn't been approved by the employees and shareholders? No. One may argue that whatever is in the company's best interest is in its employees' best interest since their income rides on the company's success. I argue that many a horrible decision has been made by companies - decisions that squander our natural resources or eventually bring the company down. Our democracy is special because it has such a diversity of people with a diversity of needs. Unlike a special interest group, a business can't represent all the beliefs of all of its workers fairly.

The toughest thing we need to overcome in this country is the deafening roar of money. It speaks through the media and your paycheck. How many times have you decided not to pursue a career you might love because you don't think it would pay the bills? Money is power, but until today some of the power that money had to speak louder than the individual and influence a great section of our country into doing things that simply are not in its best interest was squashed by protective laws. That protection is gone. It's clear that we're on our own.

The only thing we have left to do is THINK. Who's behind the ad? Is it true? Is this really in my best interest? A nation of thinkers can suppress a nation filled with money. If you pay close attention to what's being said and make decisions based on your beliefs and campaign facts what you'll be left with is the knowledge that you're leaving behind a nation filled with many beautiful things for generations to come. I urge you to think!

Elkhorn Ranch

2010-01-19T21:32:00.000-05:00

This January saw tempuratures in Medora drop down to -34...twice, we've gotten snow dumped on us by the foot, and now we're exiting a week of 40-degree weather (annual January thaw). Assuming pleasant company might be reading this, all I have to say is WTH?!

We started off the year with a visitor (yes, it is possible to get here without a dogsled). Nathan's dad, Allan, came to celebrate the New Year and participate in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count, the world's oldest citizen's science project. What did we turn around and immediately make him do? Hike 1.5 hours through 1.5 feet of snow in -14 degree weather to the park's seldom-visited (and I'm guessing almost-never visited in the winter) third unit: Theodore Roosevelt's former residence: The Elkhorn Ranch.

New Year's Eve Blue Moon

Many attribute Theodore Roosevelt's time in the North Dakota Badlands as the birthplace of his conservation ethic. That's an incredible place to witness given he was a man who went on to set aside more acres of land in this country for preservation than any other president. Theodore Roosevelt spent, combined, about a year ranching cattle in these parts, but the experience stuck with him for a lifetime.

I had never been to the Elkhorn Ranch, mostly because we don't have a vehicle that will safely navigate the road there - especially in winter. With Allan's Jeep we were able to just barely make it. The way there is pretty well marked, but instead of street signs and landmarks, you have this - directions by way of who lives where.

I have to say the 1.5 hours outside was, in retrospect, very worth it. One of my favorite things to do is to stand silent in a place steeped in history and imagine what life was like "back then". Here, I was transported to a rocking chair "in the hot noontide hours of midsummer [on] the broad ranch veranda, always in the shade". I could have really used that hot noontide summer at the time.

Elkhorn Ranch House Cornerstone

Don't worry if you aren't able to make it to the Elkhorn Ranch. You can still learn all about it by listening to this audio clip! You might recognize the voice behind Theodore Roosevelt's lines. Amazing place, amazing time to be alive!

Debunking the North Dakota Myth

2009-12-30T19:30:00.000-05:00

Here is a hilariously accurate portrayal of the winter North Dakota I know, but it conveniently ignores the other 320 days of the year, when you CAN see the North Dakota Badlands and other super-cool places you really should want to visit.

There's no place like ND...I dare you to visit!

2009 Year In Review

2009-12-29T13:00:00.000-05:00

If you read this blog all year long, you'll find nothing new here, but just in case you haven't caught all of them this year, here's the very condensed 2009 King Year In Review!

Happy Holidays to our Family & Friends!

2009 was another busy year for us! Our year started and ended in North Dakota where Nathan continues winter work with Theodore Roosevelt National Park. In between, we visited a combined eighteen states plus the District of Columbia.

Amber continues working for IBM, where she leads teams in the U.S. and China. She completed her Project Management Professional (PMP) training in May and filed her first patent the same month. Amber is taking her office on the road and is working remotely full-time as of November.

Nathan worked at Pipestone National Monument over the summer. The work was both challenging and enlightening. The site is used today as it was in generations past, for the collection of a sacred stone used for making smoking pipes. You can learn more about Pipestone and its significance on the web at www.nps.gov/pipe.

Amber spent a long 4th of July weekend in Colorado with her friend Sara, where they visited Rocky Mountain NP, Garden of the Gods, and saw the famous Greeley Stampede rodeo. Yee haw!

The most fun we had this year was going to the Eastern U.S. to attend Amber’s sister Samantha’s wedding in North Carolina in October. Along the way, we visited Chicago for a live taping of Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me and got to meet the cast, then headed to Gettysburg NMP, Washington D.C., Shenandoah NP, Blue Ridge Parkway, Appomattox Court House NHS, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania NMP, Moores Creek NB, Great Smoky Mountains NP, and Mammoth Cave NP. We hiked to the top of the two tallest mountains in Shenandoah, down into the longest cave in the world, and walked the hallowed grounds of Civil War battlefields. Our favorite hike was to Ramsey Cascades in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

In July, Nathan’s mom passed away from complications of multiple myeloma. She was 53. Nathan misses her every day and thinks of her often. We are grateful for the continuing love and support of our friends and families.

Next year, we will be moving to Kansas for at least half of the year. Nathan was hired for a permanent status job at Fort Larned National Historic Site, a well-preserved fort along the Santa Fe Trail. We plan to sell our house in Minnesota in 2010.

We wish everyone a happy holiday season and a great 2010.

Amber and Nathan at Ramsey Cascades

Happy Holidays FSM-Style

2009-12-25T23:33:00.001-05:00

On this Christmas day, while Nathan and I are completely shut in due to the blizzard (note how the ENTIRE length of I-94 is CLOSED), we were left to ponder the other religions besides Christianity that are celebrating holidays around this time.

One of the little-known, but best religions around was born in our soon-to-be home state of Kansas. Flying Spaghetti Monsterism by its founder's own estimate has "millions, if not thousands" of followers. If you have never seen its founding doctrines, take the time to read this Open Letter to the Kansas Board of Education - it explains a lot. FSM even offers an explanation for global warming where science as yet has failed us.

Graph: Bobby Henderson, Concerned Citizen

This time of year, Pastafarians, as FSM's followers are called, celebrate the entire holiday season, not just one day, in whatever way they choose. Many choose to wear His traditional garb, full pirate regalia, while others may just sit at home and bake cookies.

Photo: http://www.venganza.org/

However you choose to celebrate this holiday season, I hope you have a wonderful one! May you be truly touched by His Noodly Appendage!

Just In Time

2009-12-22T20:00:00.002-05:00

I am the luckiest person on Earth. After driving an hour to get to the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, my mom and I got to view the entire park and on our way out were told we were the last people on the road, probably until spring. They'd closed it thanks to the steady snowfall pelting the park's meandering road that day.

Let me tell you, it's not like we rushed to get there either. Before entering the park, we actually drove another 16 miles North to go to what I truly believe is the hellhole of North Dakota: Watford City. Why so harsh? This is the closest town to the North Unit entrance and the only place for MILES around. Was it wrong for me to assume there would be someplace to eat there? Yes, apparently. Everything in that town was CLOSED or locked for inexplicable reasons, despite the glowing OPEN sign in the window. Add to that slippery roads and unhelpful people and you have what I refer to as the second worst tourist destination in the world. I usually love places that I go and that's why my list of horrible destinations is only two cities long:

Myrtle Beach, SC - Let's take a beach and completely cover it with concrete, then put one of four giant discount beachwear shops every two feet and call it a fun place to go.
Watford City, ND - I hate this town.

Anyway, all you need to do is avoid hitting Watford City in the winter and bring your own sandwich, then you'll get to see some amazing things in the North Unit. I actually prefer the scenery in the North Unit as the bluffs are larger and everything is more dramatic. Plus, you have the chance to see a couple things you can't see in the South Unit: Bighorn Sheep & Mountain Lions. Oh, I've never actually seen either of them in the North Unit, but it's fun thinking that one could show up just around the Riverbend. I keep thinking they might because I am, after all, the luckiest person on Earth.

Cannonball Concretions

Riverbend Overlook

Oxbow Overlook

Cowboy Christmas

2009-12-19T16:11:00.000-05:00

December 4th & 5th was a special weekend in Medora. All winter we put up with frigid temperatures (-31 degrees at one point this week), wind, and the entire town of Medora being shut down except for the Boots Bar & Grill. Then, for one special weekend, the town wakes up, stores and restaurants open, and locals descend from the hills like locusts for Cowboy Christmas!!

Christmas in the Badlands

Ok, it doesn't get that crowded, but it is probably the most exciting thing that happens all winter. Well, aside from the ice breaking on the river. To give you a flavor of the plethora of events, here's the Cowboy Christmas flyer:

Mom came to visit this weekend, so we took full advantage of the free attractions including the Chateau de Mores Interpretive Center, and the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame! While we shyed away from the freezing hay rides, we did walk 20 feet to the Cowboy Cafe for Oyster Stew and caught half of Bob Peterman's Cowboy Music show. Poor guy spent half the time complaining that there were no children to sing santa songs to, then proceeded to forget the words to the santa songs once the kids showed up. All-in-all, a pretty successful show.

Anyway, there are two things that make Cowboy Christmas really special. The first is "Eats on the Streets", a delicious, town-wide progressive dinner and culinary free-for-all in which you can visit every open shop and visitor center for two hours, stuffing yourself with delicious and largely homemade goodies. Delicacies include everything from Bison Chili and Red Eye at the Wooly Boys Saloon to Bacon-wrapped Scallops at the Rough Riders hotel. It's too good.

Second is the Christmas finale. It's a "Fire & Ice" fireworks show that happens to be lit from the bluff right next to our apartment. It's really something to hang out and watch fireworks in the snow right from your front porch. The whole weekend really brightens up December around here and I'm thankful I get to spend my Christmas with the cowboys.

Dickinson - Theodore Roosevelt Interstate Airport

2009-12-06T20:24:00.001-05:00

My mom arrived at the Dickinson - Theodore Roosevelt Airport this weekend to take in the Cowboy Christmas festivities. I felt kind of bad for old TR, what with some presidents like John F. Kennedy getting big, important, international airports and poor Theodore's is stuck out in Dickinson. I felt a little better for him briefly when I found out some people do consider Dickinson the "Crown Jewel" of Western North Dakota, but that all faded away when I saw the sheer magnitude of his airport in person. Prepare to be amazed, this is the Dickinson - Theodore Roosevelt Airport:

Amenities include several flights to and from Denver, Sidney, MT, and Williston, ND, a total of seven seats in the waiting area, and FREE PARKING. (Ok, free parking really is awesome.) Mom's flight from Denver had 5 whole people on it, but it was picking up eight more on its way to Sidney. However, the plane arrived without her bag, but since it was late and the next flight from Denver came 10 minutes later we waited to see if the lucky bag had made it on the next flight.

That gave me a chance to check out the bag retrieval process! True to what I would expect around here, the three bags on that flight were quickly loaded onto a pick-up truck, then shuttled about 50 feet to a garage door where we could pick them up inside. You have to be quick - the garage door is open for about one minute (the length of time it takes everyone to grab their bags).

Cowboy Baggage Handling

But if you're worried about safety at a small airport like that, don't be! It's signs like this that keep us all safe.

What do you mean I can't take my gun on this plane?

I know I just blasted the airport, but in reality I love it. Culture shock? Yes! Charming airport and easy-to-access flights with a smile? You betcha! And you can't beat free airport parking!

Upper Talkington

2009-12-05T23:23:00.000-05:00

Fifty degrees in November feels like eighty degrees and sunny to us.

Last Friday was the best Black Friday ever. A morning of ONLINE shopping - same deals, no crowds - then out to the park for my first hike of the season. I chose a portion of the Upper Talkington trail in Eastern Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Starting from the loop road, I went three miles to the East park fence, across a valley surrounded by multi-colored bluffs, through the largest prairie dog town in the park, to an expansive, golden prairie overlooking the beginning of the badlands. It's a fantastic, quick hike if you ever find yourself in the park for a day looking for some sunshine and beautiful, typically TRNP scenery.

Chillin' by the Road

This horse was not completely excited about me tromping by, so it ran in front of me and snorted.

Endless Prairie that leads too...

...this!

Ridge-top Elk

T-Day in TR

2009-11-26T17:44:00.000-05:00

This was no ordinary Thanksgiving day, but maybe it's time to start new traditions. The town of Medora literally cleared out when all seven other people we know living here scattered to other parts of the region.

I thought I might be able to catch an online broadcast of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in the morning. However, it appears NBC has not fully entered the 21st century, so your only option for online viewing is EarthCam's eight webcams placed strategically along the parade route, streaming the parade. No commentary, which is not too shabby if you already abhor Al Roker's every word.

Just a couple mishaps this year:

Nathan is sick and couldn't eat most of his food until 2:30pm - after a piece of pie made him feel better.
I learned how to carve a turkey, but couldn't get the darn legs off until I grabbed one and twisted. That works pretty well, but makes you feel like you had a much bigger role in the turkey's death than you wish you had.
I discovered our thermometer is not "oven-ready".

Mishap #3

Roarrrr! Carving Destruction!

Despite those, it's been a pretty good day. I am thankful for a lot of things, but most of all, the internet and its role in bringing me under the same roof as Nathan - FINALLY! So, once again, I guess that means I am thankful for Al Gore.

Last but not least, I want to share an internet discovery fitting of the day. Bon Appetite & Happy Thanksgiving! This is why you're fat.

Home Sweet Home

2009-11-22T22:36:00.001-05:00

The title of this blog post is ironic because as of Saturday, I am officially a nomad. Or maybe I'm the opposite of a nomad since I technically have two places to live. Whatever the case may be, I am currently in Medora, North Dakota basking in the intense sun, breathing in the incredibly dry air, and watching yellowed corn husks cross the road by the hundreds wishing they were tumbleweeds.

All of the familiar giant animals and roadside attractions (Salem Sue, Jamestown's Buffal o, Geese In Flight, etc), seem to be welcoming me home, which it already feels like around here. Today, we put down our first real roots - we joined the West River Community Center in Dickinson for the next three months. Now, that's what I call commitment!

Geese In Flight near sunset, which is 4pm here!

I have to admit I'm not entirely ready to give up Rochester, though. I got a couple of very awesome parting gifts that only served to remind me how much I'm giving up. A Dinner Club cookbook complete with photos and the word BACON always in caps serves as a reminder that I will REALLY miss my friends back home. From my department, I got a web cam, so I can always feel like I'm closer than I really am. I can't say it's not comforting and can't say that I won't miss the people and won't miss being "home".

Our very first webcam photo!

Bye, Rochester!

The Qwest is Over

2009-11-15T16:59:00.000-05:00

It may be easier to quit being a Qwest customer than to be one! Ever since we started getting our phone, internet, and Direct TV from Qwest, I've wanted to triumphantly call them up and end my services. There had been hardly a time when I called them and had a good experience: starting with getting our service a week late to trying to switch my credit card number in their files so they could actually continue charging me after I closed my old credit card (do you want my money or not?), I hate dealing with Qwest.

So, I braced myself for a fight when I called to cancel my service this Friday. Nothing! I got a person online who gave me the right phone number to call over instant message, then a cheerful young man who set-up my closeout date quickly. AMAZING! Maybe I've been far too quick to judge. There is one transaction that Qwest does well. Go ahead, try it; close out your Qwest account, it's fantastic!

The only thing they don't do is close out Direct TV for you, but they did correctly connect me with DTV's personnel. Here's where the goodness ends. The DTV guy that answered the phone sounded like a 60-year-old drunken techie who transferred me to a woman who couldn't understand why I wanted my TV to continue until the day I leave and the boxes to return the remote control to arrive before that date, so I could actually pack up the equipment before I leave. This is not possible with Direct TV! They absolutely cannot sway from their automated system, whose return boxes do not arrive until 3-5 days after your official TV end date.

That's fine, they're losing a week's worth of revenue from me now that I'm quitting early to get my boxes. Although I requested the service be shut off this morning, it's still turned on. Perfect, since I'm excited to watch my last live episode of The Amazing Race tonight. From here on out, it'll be hulu and day-old internet-based episodes of The Office for me. A small price to pay for my emancipation from Qwest.

Monster Mash

2009-10-27T19:35:00.000-04:00

The 2nd Annual Banff Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner took place on October 17th this year. Nathan (a.k.a. Buster Ghost) and I (Di Wrecked, the producer of a haunted house TV series), appeared at the event dressed as our characters.

Buster Ghost including Ectoplasmic Detector (flash light, shoe box, stick, and duct tape) & Ghost Bag

I had to sit between a narcissistic ghost hunter who had seen over two ghosts (Nathan) and a somewhat violent turkey-choking ex-con played by our friend Danny. For anyone that's never been to a murder mystery dinner before, it starts out with a murder, then, more and more clues pointing to the murderer are disclosed throughout the night and dinner courses are sprinkled in between.

The food was great, most people had WAY too much Witch's Brew, and, fittingly, Danny (a.k.a. Si Coe) was the murderer. Above he is posing with his prize for best actor of the night with a gun, which coincidentally was not the murder weapon. He had, of course, used his turkey-choking skills to strangle one of our TV hosts with a belt...in the dungeon.

Witch's Brew + a pinata held up by Danny - this should be good!

Also pictured: Katie (pregnant nun), Migs (host), Lisa (host & maid), & Jossie

Fancy a Bite to Eat?

2009-10-25T19:06:00.002-04:00

Since Nathan and I will quickly find ourselves 25 minutes from ANY restaurants this winter and next spring in a city where Subway, Wendy's, McDonald's, and Sonic are 2/3 of the entire restaurant selection, we're throwing dietary caution to the wind and trying to get our fill of our favorite restaurants in Rochester while we still can.

Last night, we checked off Famous Dave's, which is Nathan's favorite. Dave's is still a slim possibility in the future, since there are franchises located within the state borders of North Dakota and Kansas, but apparently BBQ is big in Kansas, so we're hoping for great things in Great Bend, which is 30 minutes from where we'll live.

Larned, KS from space (this makes it look like a decently-sized city! yeehaw!)

Last weekend, we found a coupon to Jenpachi, one of those "Japanese" steakhouses where they cook the food right in front of you. It's not something we'll be able to get any time soon and the food is good, plus you get dinner and a show for the price of dinner.

On the list remaining are The Redwood Room (my favorite restaurant in the entire world), City Cafe, Beetle's and Noodles.

In case you were wondering, it's official, we are pulling up stakes here in Rochester. We met with our real estate agent Friday and plan to put the house up for sale next year. Oh, I'll be back to work occasionally and more importantly to visit people here, but keeping up three residences with a house in the one place we almost never are sounds pretty annoying to me.

Mammoth Cave

2009-10-17T15:47:00.001-04:00

We ended our fabulous Tour d'East Coast on a high note at our lowest point: Mammoth Cave National Park. Mammoth Cave is the earth's longest cave at 367 miles (that we know of). The park offers a wide variety of cave tours that you need to book early. I couldn't decide between seeing why it's called Mammoth Cave and seeing splendid stalactites and stalagmites, so we did two tours: the Historic Tour and the Frozen Niagara Tour.

The Historic Tour was probably the most interesting. Through a dry cave and over two miles, you don't see anything that caves are really famous for (i.e. stalactites), but you are enveloped in the grand scale of the cave. It starts you in a large room called the Rotunda, since the ceiling is a giant circle and walks you down through parts of the cave that have been used by humans for over 4,000 years. Along the way you learn about how slaves mined for saltpeter deposits that may have helped us win the War of 1812 by providing us with gunpowder materials after the British cut us off from the gunpowder trade and other interesting tidbits like about the eyeless fish in the river still carving out sections of the cave hundreds of feet below where we walked. Note: It was proven long ago that the cave does not cure tuberculosis. Sorry, now you've got to think of another way to beat your consumption.

The Rotunda

The Historic Tour also takes you through a place called "Fat Man's Misery", a very skinny, winding section you have to duck and squeeze through for several minutes. This was my favorite part and, as our guide pointed out, some of us polish the rock as we go by more than others.

The second tour was short and sweet: Frozen Niagara. This section of the cave is still being formed by water, so you get the fantastic formations. You also get cave crickets and spiders, where the other part of the cave could not support life (no water or food)! A very cool place, if you're ever in the area!

Stalactites

The Frozen Niagara

Cavern Wonders

On Top of Old Smoky

2009-10-16T08:00:00.002-04:00

'Old Smoky' from that song (whose lyrics have been replaced in my head by a song about a meatball) is actually Clingmans Dome, the highest point in Great Smoky Mountain National Park (6643 feet). This is the most-visited park in the country and also the cheapest: free thanks to a stipulation on a $5 million grant from the Rockefellers back when the park was being established.

As you can see, the views are amazing. The trees had already started changing colors so it looked like a beautiful patchwork mosaic from the road through the park. That is, until the "smoky" part of the Great Smoky Mountains set in.

View of Tennessee from the TN/NC Border

I'm convinced that if there were a supernatural power controlling the weather, that they've got an evil sense of humor. There is someone that just doesn't want Nathan and I to see any cool mountain ranges. We've been in the Grand Tetons and yet haven't seen them and Kilimanjaro was always covered in clouds, except for a few mornings during the climb where we got fleeting glimpses of the summit. So it was with the Smokys. We saw nothing above a couple thousand feet due to the rain and clouds. Oh, the drive was still gorgeous because of the trees along the road, but we blew through the park pretty fast.

Creek in Greenbrier

Luckily, one of our friends from Theodore Roosevelt National Park recommended the Ramsey Cascades hike, an 8-mile up-and-back on the Tennessee side of the park. Despite the rain, we pulled on our hiking boots and set off for what proved to be one of my top five hikes of all time.

This time of year, the trail was lined withe colorful leaves. You hike up a total of over 2000 feet, but you're constantly walking through streams, over roots and rocks, and through unbelievably gorgeous forest. Honestly, amazing - here are some pictures:

First of Two Precarious Bridges

A creek followed us almost the entire way up the trail

The falls are well-worth the trek and the sore legs you'll have the next day.

Ramsey Cascades

On the way back, I found 5 salamanders. It turns out the Great Smoky region is the most diverse area in North America in terms of biodiversity, especially when it comes to amphibians. There are so many salamanders in the park that, combined, they eat more meat in the parks than the 1600 black bears! They are also incredibly cute.

Can you find two salamanders in this photo?

We stayed the night in our first Bed & Breakfast, the Buckhorn Inn. I'd gone crazy and splurged a little since this was one of our last nights, so we ended up in a secluded cottage with a living room, jacuzzi, screened porch, and fireplace. This may in fact be the best place we've ever stayed. So serene, they had a nature trail, pond with swans (whose names were Penn & Teller), hot chocolate and cookies at all hours, movies, games and a lot more we could have done if we'd only known it would be so great. Check it out - I highly recommend it over the dirty, loud, cramped, god-awful tourist deserts that are Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

Cottage 2 Living Room

Cabins at the Buckhorn Inn

Sami's Married!

2009-10-15T12:26:00.000-04:00

My little sister got married this weekend in Wilmington, NC. She had a gorgeous ceremony & reception!

First things first - I and her friend, Meredith, were in the wedding party, so we threw her a bachelorette bash Thursday night. I can't give you the details to protect the innocent, but we started with dinner and ended at 2am at a Cowboy Bar called City Limits. Sam had a great time as you can see form this photo (all others have been destroyed. :)

Samantha holds her own on the mechanical bull!

I also got stopped near the UNCW campus by a mandatory drunk driving checkpoint. This was pretty fun, since I was probably the only sober person on campus that night. The cops, however, apparently didn't believe that I hadn't been drinking (I don't think anyone in that town believes that the MN driver's license is real), so I got to take a breathalizer test on the spot!! Double zeroes, baby.

Sam recently moved to Massachusetts, so this may be the last time we visit Wilmington and we needed to live it up while we had the chance. Nathan and I stayed at the Blockade Runner hotel on Wrightsville Beach. Although it was too cloudy each day to see the green flash, we did enjoy the very beachworthy weather (80's in October!) and took full advantage of the beach (we saw dolphins almost every day)! I also met up with a woman who was on the Corporate Service Corp Tanzania 3 team, Gloria. We'd worked together via the phone, but had never met in person. She showed me around the South side of Wilmington and took me to Carolina Beach State Park. I bet you thought Venus Flytraps lived in abundance in the deep forests of the Amazon, right? Me too. Apparently, they only live within 75 miles of Wilmington, NC and that's it! They are also incredibly tiny! I got to see two patches in the wild, which was, well, wild.

Wild Venus Flytraps

Ok, back to the wedding. Sam had been planning to have the wedding outside in Greenfield Park, but all week it was threatening to rain. It was touch-and-go there for a while, but we all arrived at the park at 3:30pm to sunshine. The place is gorgeous - a lake, beautiful trees, and Sam walked over to the ceremony on a bridge. Colors were ivory and wine. Look at Sam all grown up!

The ceremony was short and this turned out to be key. Five minutes after it ended, we heard thunder. We scrambled to simultaneously take pictures and get chairs and music equipment into the cars. Just as we'd finished taking the basic set of shots (the last few were quite dark), it started to rain. We'll have a good picture of the wedding party running to their cars. About a minute after we got into the cars, it started to pour.

The reception site was the Best Western Coastline Convention Center in downtown Wilmington, a cute little brick building on the river. Dinner was awesome, then we danced the night away (wait - did I say we? I meant Adam's family - they are much more outgoing and comfortable with their moves than we are!). Actually, I felt a little overpowered by Adam's family; our side being so far away, we barely rounded out one 8-person table. The rest of the 63 guests were Adam's.

Anyway, Sam had fun. She and Adam left in style at 9pm, riding in a limo all the way to Raleigh to catch an early flight to St. Lucia for their honeymoon.

It was a VERY successful day. The only thing that "went wrong" is that the black chairs Sam ordered turned out to be white. This is by far an improvement over Nathan and my wedding, in which the officiant forgot to have our witnesses sign the marriage certificate (the one thing that needed to happen to make it official)!

Congrats Sami & Adam!! Here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

Getting Ready

Meredith, Sami, & Me

Sam & Adam (Picture Courtesy of Nathan King Photography, Inc)

Table Decorations

Cake Cutting

First Dance

Amber & Nathan

Mom & Dad

Ring

Dancing - Sam & Adam's Dad

Get-Away Outfits

Appomattox

2009-10-13T22:26:00.000-04:00

I'm learning a lot about the Civil War and no longer find it excruciatingly boring. We've been to Gettysburg and Fredericksburg, and now the place were it all ended, Appomattox Court House. I felt a greater connection to this event and site, which brought the country back to peace. To me it was all the more impressive after being at the other battlefields and knowing that hundreds of thousands of people died to get us to the surrender at Appomattox.

McLean's Parlor

Reconstructed to look like it did when General Lee surrendered

Appomattox Court House is where General Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865. He didn't actually do it at the town courthouse, he surrendered instead at the adjacent McLean residence. (Appomattox Court House was the name of the town - I won a bet with Nathan about this so I must gloat.) The park has the reconstructed courthouse, McLean house, jail, and several other key pieces of the town, kept as closely as they could be to how they were the day of the surrender. You can see all of the places Generals Lee & Grant met over the course of several days and the road where Confederates stacked up their weapons. You can also learn all about how the Union basically forced an end to the war by cutting the South off from their supplies. The surrounding countryside is kept undeveloped and the cute little town is frozen in 1865. Well worth a stop - you may find yourself involuntarily imagining yourself watching the printer print Confederate parole notices and wondering if a hardtack (which looks a lot like the ever-delicious Dr. Kracker) really tastes as bad as they say.

Are those bite marks?

Shenandoah

2009-10-07T19:00:00.002-04:00

We visited too many cities on our Tour d'East Coast and the mountains were calling us. Shenandoah National Park is perched on the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Western Virginia. These mountains are beautifully different from the ones I've fallen in love with in Montana. Instead of rocky outcroppings and grueling trails in excess of 10,000 feet, the Blue Ridge Mountains are a gently folding blanket of green trees with gorgeous sun-streaked trails.

The trees were just starting to change colors, but still monotonous enough to make every pull-out look the same. The road is nice, but the hiking trails are spectacular. We only had time to do two short trails. The first one was the Old Stony Man trail, which leads you up to the second-tallest point in the park, a mere 4,010 feet. We stayed in the Skyland Lodge, which is right next to the Old Stony Man trailhead. By the time we got checked in and put our gear on, it was 45 minutes until sunset. Even though the sign at the trailhead told us it would take 2 hours to complete the circuit, we left with 30 minutes to spare and got to the summit to see the sun dip behind a neighboring mountain and were down in less than 45 minutes.

Sunset over Shenandoah Valley

Old Stony Man actually starts on a portion of the Appalachian Trail, which spans from Georgia to Maine, so now I can officially claim I've hiked the Appalachian Trail. :P It was impressively lovely, especially this time of year with the trail lightly covered in leaves and the sun shining through the yellowing trees.

Appalachian Trail

The next morning, we tackled Hawksbill summit. We did a three-mile loop that also encompassed part of the Appalachian Trail and ended up on the rooftop of Shenandoah, 4,050 feet. The view was nice, but there's something to be said for busting your butt all day to get to the top of a really tall mountain vs. doing a jolly 2-hour hike to the highest peak in a park. I miss Glacier. Still, there was a fantastic view at the top that is worth the easy walk.

Hawksbill Summit

South of the park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, which connects Shenandoah to Great Smoky Mountains National Park begins. I actually liked the scenery on this road better than the parks' - it was a bit more dramatic and in some places more of the trees had begun to change colors so it was very spectacular.

Trees Outside Skyland Lodge

Gettysburg & DC

2009-10-06T20:09:00.007-04:00

If Europe seems light years ahead of the U.S. in terms of interesting history and architecture, then the East Coast is to the Midwest what Europe is to the U.S. We spent the last few days visiting Gettysburg, PA and Washington DC. Amazing. Amazing.

Gettysburg

I was only half-excited to see the famous Gettysburg Battlefield, now I can't wait to go back and see what I missed. Now a National Military Park run by the National Park Service, we skipped the pricey museum, movie, and cyclorama, and headed for the field with the bookstore's audio tour in hand. This was a good way to do it since Nathan had already started demonstrating his encyclopedic knowledge of the event - it would have been a shame to pay to hear someone else tell me the same thing. It also allowed us to get out there and imagine what it must have been like to watch the Confederates peter out at the High Water Mark and try to hold both your left and right flanks on Little Round Top as the 20th Maine. (Yes, I learned something!) The battleground is FULL of great stone monuments to mark almost every round fired. There's so much to see and do, you could easily spend a weekend or more there, even if you deplore learning about people killing each other like I do, I truly found Gettysburg fascinating.

Monuments galore at Gettysburg

Gouverneur (his real first name!) Warren who scrambled up Little Round Top to discern where exactly the Confederates were in the treeline below.

Washington DC

DC just proved to me that you shouldn't knock a city 'til you've tried it. I used to have the impression that DC was a dirty, dangerous, terrorist-ridden, political dumping ground destined to spontaneously ignite in the flames of its own disgrace. The truth? I think I could live there.

I liked everything I saw of DC - the metro: why doesn't every city have one? the museums: second to none! the restaurants: lots of amazing things I can't get at home! famous sites: check! access to influential people: check check! It's just a neat place to be.

Luckily Nathan's brother, Justin, just moved there and was able to show us around on the inside track. I met a colleague from IBM at a restaurant called Central that had excellent (albeit expensive) burgers and desserts. Thanks, Bobbi! Saturday night, we also did a circuit tour of all of the monuments lit up beautifully.

Sunday we did a marathon of all things tourist. Starting out at the Museum of the American Indian, we sat next to the pipes our friend Travis from Pipestone National Monument crafted. They are some of the first things each visitor sees in the museum and Travis has a key role in the museum video also!

Museum of the American Indian

Travis' Pipes

We got side-tracked on our way to the Capital by the excellent Botanical Gardens:

The capital...

We doubled back to the Museum of the American Indian for lunch. They serve all manner of out-of-the-ordinary native dishes. I myself enjoyed the Crawfish Fritters, Three Sisters (corn, squash, and black beans), and Yucca Fries in green chili sauce (slightly more dense than potatoes and sweeter). Justin stole the last of the Rabbit Pot Pie which I have just now forgiven him for.

Most of the afternoon was spent at the Air & Space Museum, then we trucked it up and down the mall to visit the Washington, Lincoln, Vietnam, WWII, Korean, Jefferson, and FDR memorials/monuments.

We ended the night with a trip to Georgetown and an Ethiopian Restaurant called Zed's. It might just be the fact that I'm about to move to a small Kansas town whose Sonic is 1/6 of the restaurant options, but I just loved the variety of everything you can get in DC. You want it? They've got it! I will be back.