tag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705Day in the Life of an IdiotJournal of Lyda Morehouselydamorehouse2023-09-23T15:59:01Ztag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:663249Local Tourist At Large in St. Paul2023-09-23T15:59:01Z2023-09-23T15:59:01Zpublic6 <img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/489652.jpg" alt="Sidewalk art of a loon and their baby" width="350" height="193" /><br />Image: Sidewalk art of a loon and their baby<br /><br />Last night, Shawn and I walked up Wheeler Street to the Capitol Area Watershed District Office for their 25h anniversary open house and block party. As nerdy as that sounds, it was FANTASTIC.<br /><br />Shawn, of course, had preregistered us and with that came a set (one for each of us) for a free drink and food. The drinks were from a local brewer who also had small batch root beer, which was AMAZE BALLS. The food came from a Thai food truck that had the crispiest eggrolls I've had in a long time and several very yummy rice bowl options, of which Shawn and I shared the chicken (one was plenty for two.) The entertainment was a women's drumming circle (taiko, as performance, but then they actually brought drums for people to try out and did the actual 1990s drumming circle that I have so many memories of, having spent that time in a lot of pagan and women's circles.) <br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/489738.jpg" alt="Taiko drummers" width="350" height="197" /><br />Image: Outdoor drumming and people on folding chairs, the height of entertainment<br /><br />They had a couple of different activity tents for kids (and child-like adults) and a tour of the facilities. Shawn, of course, took the tour while I played with the kids in the mosaic-on-a-stick. We met up afterwards and she gave me an informal highlights reel, to which one other person tagged along, assuming that Shawn was actually an official guide! We ended up befriending this young woman and had a lovely chat with her about our concerns about the drought, moving here from other places (she was most recently from Michigan.) <br /><br />They also gave away free cupcakes. We admired the grounds while we ate. Despite what it looks like above, the rest of the building (a converted truck garage) is surrounded by natural plantings, water gardens, and rain gardens. The water feature is really amazing and Shawn said that her tour guide had said that they'd even spotted the endangered rusty-patch bumblebee (which is endangered here in MN) in those gardens. <br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/490032.jpg" alt="Unidentified native plant at the watershed district office" width="350" height="622" /><br />Image: Unidentified native plant at the watershed district office<br /><br />The whole thing was very... small town?--in a way that Shawn and I absolutely, entirely adored. Shawn even proclaimed when we came home that this was the best date night EVER. <br /><br />Today, I'm hoping to talk Shawn into checking out the Armenian festival.<a href="http://saintsahag.org/armenian-festival/"> http://saintsahag.org/armenian-festival/</a><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=663249" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:655725Myre-Big Island State Park2023-07-01T16:21:36Z2023-07-01T16:21:36Zpublic10 <img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/466241.jpg" alt="clouds reflecting on the lake" width="500" height="281" /><br />Image: Clouds reflecting on the lake<br /><br />A friend from Michigan was supposed to be staying with us for a few days this weekend, but plans changed due to a funeral. I ended up driving him to Blue Earth, Minnesota, where he was going to meet up with family and then make the rest of the trip to the Dakotas. Since I was already all the way down at the butt-end of the state, I decided to see if there was a state park I could check out. <br /><br />The internet suggested <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myre-Big_Island_State_Park">Myre-Big Island</a>. <br /><br />I didn't have a huge amount of time to explore this park, since I arrived at it around 6 pm (technically the park is open until 10 pm, but I was not equipped for nighttime hiking.) So, I drove out to see the "little island" and then parked at the Big Island for a little tromp in the woods. The first thing I saw was a "fat friend" in the restored prairie near the lot. The muskrat or groundhog was munching on some clover and I paused long enough to try to get a blurry picture of her. (It's on Facebook, but it's really too pixelated to reproduce here.) <br /><br />The trail was dark and lovely, full of looming trees.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/466616.jpg" alt="trees on the trail" width="350" height="469" /><br />Image: trail into the woods<br /><br />I probably only hiked for a half hour, but I got my passport stamped and stretched my legs (which was the real point of this detour.) Plus, I saw some cool, heart-shaped mushrooms.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/466801.jpg" alt="mushrooms!" width="300" height="340" /><br type="_moz" /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=655725" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:653831Driving Adventures: Nerstrand Big Woods State Park2023-06-16T22:24:10Z2023-06-16T22:35:16Zpublic3 I love my friends, I really do. But, apparently, when I explain this project to people I am not terribly clear that what I am looking for in a State Park for Mason and I is not the roads that take a person<u> TO</u> a State Park, but the roads <strong>INSIDE </strong>the State Park. So, today when I was chatting with my Friday Zoom friends and one of them mentioned Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, my brain went "Ooooo.". Thanks to some of the other recommendations I've gotten and the fact that I've never been there before, I thought: GREAT! That's where we'll go today. <br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/464222.jpg" alt="hidden falls in the park" width="400" height="300" /><br />Image: hidden fall in the park.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong. It's an incredible park.<br /><br />It's just that when Mason and I switched seats at the entrance? We drove about a half a block straight into the parking lot. There are no other roads. Technically we could have driven around the campgrounds, but it's also a very small loop. <br /><br />Mason, being an amazingly good sport, rolled with this and went on hike with me. <br /><br />The park is a tough one because it's being heavily impacted by climate change, but we still had a lovely walk and even encountered a bird-shaped friend! Calling all birders! Squint at the picture below and you'll see a bird in this road. A plover of some kind perhaps? Google (and the list that the DNR has of possible options at this State Park) makes me think American Woodcock or Wilson's Snipe is actual the better guess. But, my bird fu is very, very low. So, if you know with more certanity, please let me know!<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/464066.jpg" alt="a trail bird" width="400" height="533" /><br />Image: trail bird<br /><br />Despite driving an hour to drive for one second, we had a great time. Mason and I even made a stop on the way back to St. Paul at a Dairy Queen and had a little ice cream treat. A good day, just not one for Mason getting much driving in.<br type="_moz" /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=653831" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:653492More State Park Driving2023-06-14T03:41:50Z2023-06-14T03:41:50Zpublic2 <img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/463273.jpg" alt="The Kettle River at a guess" width="500" height="281" /><br />Image: the Kettle River, at a guess<br /><br />Normally, Mondays are out for State Park driving (unless we stick <em>very</em> close to home) because Shawn goes into work. Shawn has been battling some stomach issues for the past few days and so stayed home sick yesterday. Her bad fortune, however, opened up an opportunity for Mason and me.<br /><br />I looked down my list of State Parks and decided on St. Croix. Mason and I had been here several years back and greatly enjoyed our hike, though my strongest memory of that particular hike was JUST HOW MANY ticks we shook off out body and then continued to find all the way home. I was reminded of this when I checked the Trip Adviser reviews of St. Croix State Park in the hopes of divining if there was something, in particular, we should set as a quick destination. The consensus (including, if I recall correctly, people here) was to give the fire tower climb a go. As I was reading through the reviews I noticed what seemed to be a funny trend: BUGS. There seemed to be almost a kind f argument raging between the people who posted TOO MANY BUGS and those that replied BUGS ARE PART OF NATURE. Being firmly of that second camp, I packed our extra-strength bug spray, lots of water this time, and we headed north.<br /><br />I was not prepared for the Biblical proportions of bugs, however.<br /><br />I am talking A-POC-A-LYP-TIC levels of horse flies and mosquitos. Like, at one point as we were driving towards the Fire Tower, Mason casually says, "Do bees follow cars?" I looked out my passenger side window and, after one landed on our car (which was traveling at least 15-20 miles per hour) we determined these were not nice, fat bumble bees, but HORSE FLIES. Giant-ass horse flies! And they were, seriously, keeping pace with our car in a way that felt ready-made for a Stephen King horror movie.<br /><br />We did not let this deter us. however.<br /><br />We stopped first at the Fire Tower. I will confess to you all that I was fine going partway up, but my fear of heights is strange. I'm okay with climbing things if I can't see open ground through slats. The stairs were open and so I tapped out after only the first platform. Mason made it all the way to the top and took some photos of the spectacular view.<br /><br />My view was mostly from the ground, looking up.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/463708.jpg" alt="fire tower st. croix" width="300" /><br />Image: Fire Tower at St. Croix State Park from the safe, sweet ground.<br /><br />Other than the end-of-the-world level horseflies, it was a great driving time. I think Mason put in a full hour just going around the various roads. He even agreed to drive out past the ranger station where the posted speed was 50. I don't think he cracked 45, but he gave it a go. AND managed to stop in time for an indecisive deer in the middle of the road. <br /><br />However, we didn't make it home until very late. <br /><br />Still a good time was had by all.<br type="_moz" /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=653492" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:653022Afton State Park2023-06-09T21:29:34Z2023-06-09T21:37:11Zpublic10 <img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/460903.jpg" alt="Native wildflower" width="400" height="504" /><br />Image: Baptisia lactea (White Wild Indigo) in Afton State Park<br /><br />It got warmer today than I was expecting (85 F / 29 C) so we didn't do as much hiking as we might have usually, especially since Afton State Park is largely open prairie. Which is to say that the sun was beating down on us pretty harshly. As we started out we ran into a couple who were clearly park enthusiasts. They overheard me grumbling lightly that I couldn't parse the map very well and they offered to advice. What did I want to see? My answer: honestly, anything interesting! So, they sized us up (Mason = indoorsy, long-haired nerd + me = fat middle-aged lady) and suggested the river with the caveat: "You do go down a long way." Which I immediately understood to mean, "And that will be tough coming back up."<br /><br />We decided to brave it, anyway.<br /><br />So, following the directions offered, we headed down the path. The first thing we encounters was this lovely observation deck, which Mason is modeling for you:<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/461317.jpg" alt="Mason perched on a wooden oberservation deck overlooking the St. Croix" width="400" height="225" /><br />Image: Mason overlooking at the overlook. <br /><br />We followed the path down a very steep set of stairs and met many people in presumed better shaped than I am (their outward shape: more thin and pencil-like, mine being more like a comfy pillow) huffing and wheezing up the stairs. Undaunted, we continued on across a high bridge that overlooked a small stream. Mason's eagle eyes caught sight of a grazing deer. We stopped and watched her for a long time. At least one other set of adventurers came past us and we tried to get their attention, but they seemed decidedly uninterested in the wildlife around them. I fully believe that State Parks are for everyone, even the casual user, or the person who might just be looking for exercise, but I'm still always a little surprised when people blank you or actively say 'no' when you offer the question, "Do you want to see a deer [or other, fill the blank cool natural thing???]" <br /><br />But after the deer wandered out of sight, we continued onward to the beach.<br /><br />There were a lot of people picnicking or taking advantage of the warm weather to swim. We saw several boats out on the water, as well.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/461589.jpg" alt="the st croix at Afton" width="400" height="224" /><br />Image: the St. Croix at Aspen<br /><br />I had wanted to dip my toes in to cool off, because despite all the things that I had prepared in my hiking backpack the TWO THINGS that I forgot were actually deeply critical: water bottles and THE BUG SPRAY. Afton has warnings on their website about the sheer number of mosquitos that have hatched this year, so I can not believe I was so dumb as to leave the BUG SPRAY IN THE CAR. Second, we had stopped for a lunch before taking off for our hike/drive and neglected to remember to buy a couple of bottles of water for the backpack. I was really starting to feel a bit desperate for relief from the heat. However. I didn't end up putting my toes in because at the point I thought to do it, we had passed the sandy section of the shoreline and were nearer the less groomed, more mucky bits. Alas!<br /><br />After a bit of a wander there, we headed back. We really missed the bug spray on the way back because when we returned to the bridge, we saw the deer again. She had returned (or possibly never left, being unafraid of unobservant passers-by) and was very near an alternate path we could see below. We decided to try out luck at getting close, but some a$$hole bird cried out in warning as we approached.<br /><br />Seriously, we were whispering and trying to move stealthily, a bird of some kind made two very clear high-pitched BEEP, BEEPs in warning. She did it again when we had the river in sight. So, that bird was a legit narc.<br /><br />This close to the little river the mosquitos, which have always found Mason tasty, swarmed. So, we tried to hightail it (not whitetail it, because she was long gone) up back to the regular path. <br /><br />Which is where I met my old enemy....<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/461256.jpg" alt="STAIRS" width="400" height="595" /><br />Image: STAIRS!!!<br /><br />These were not Devil's Kettle level stairs, but... oh boy, on a hot day, I had to take my inhaler twice! Plus, my hair is still kind of moist, despite being home and virtually unmoving for several hours now. <br /><br />However, we were rewarded at the top, near the Interpretive Center, by a park ranger with a telephoto lens pointed at an osprey nest. There was a family (of humans, with with small children) gathered near the lens, so even though I happened to be peeking through just as one of the bird parents returned with prey, I quickly handed it back to the smalls so they could see activity in the nest. So, I never saw the babies, at least not exactly, but I did see that the brave hunter parent brought something furry home for dinner! (Probably just as well that I got murder cam, and the kids got baby cam, as it were, you know??)<br /><br />Mason also did a bunch of driving, so I would say that the outing was a win. <br type="_moz" /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=653022" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:652638'Tis the Season2023-06-09T15:02:02Z2023-06-09T15:04:52Zpublic8 <img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/460728.jpg" alt="A red backpack with Minnesota State Park badges and pins on it." width="350" height="479" /><br />Image: A red backpack with Minnesota State Park badges and pins on it.<br /><br />Normally, on Fridays I have a Zoom with some of my writer friends. But, with Mason home for the summer, we're really trying to get as much practice driving in as humanly possible... while also making it fun. As I've said before, my clever plan is to combine the driving with one of our favorite things: State Parks. Today, we're planning on making a longer return trip to yesterday's driving foray, Afton State Park. Afton is one of the closest State Parks to my house (Fort Snelling State Park being the closest, being only just by the airport.) The driving isn't terribly exciting at Afton, although with winding hills, Mason got in a lot of practice regulating his speed through turns and inclinations. We also *ahem* got in some very tiny practice getting one's wheel up out of the ditch when we semi-failed a y-turn on a narrow backroad. All important stuff, mind you!<br /><br />Today, we're hoping to make more of a day out of it, stopping to do a little hiking and check out the park more thoroughly. <br /><br />I also wrote down a list of some of the other nearby (nearby meaning within 2 hours of us) parks:<ul><li>Banning State Park, a place we've hiked at least one, but long ago,</li><li>Charles A Lindberg State Park, a place I have never been,</li><li>Crow Wing Sate Park, another new one, and just at the very edge of 2 hours to get there,</li><li>Father Hennepin State Park, a big giant question mark of a park,</li><li>Frontenac State Park, which Shawn and I checked out during fall colors... last year? Year Before? But which might make for good driving practice now,</li><li>Interstate State Park, which, I have, and there isn't--at least on the Minnesota side--much actual driving to be done there</li><li>Lake Maria State Park, which I have never been to,</li><li>Mille Lacs Kathio State Park, another one that is just under 2 hours, but which I've never explored,</li><li>Nerstand Big Woods State Park, another complete unknown,</li><li>Saint Croix State Park, which we've walked, but never driven,</li><li>Wild River State Park, which we recently drove, but could return to to hike, and</li><li>William O'Brien State Park, which I also have never fully explored.</li></ul>So, this could easily keep us busy if we try to hit a new State Park every Friday. I think it would be especially fun to see just how many of these would CAN see, but, looking at the maps some of them would really not net us a whole lot of actual driving experience. We'll see what Mason thinks. My other thought is that, as he advances in his ability, we could always head to one of these more remote ones and try driving on county highways. We'll see. He might also get bored of this exercise way faster than I will. Plus, in the next week or so, he's going to have a friend (Mason's very best friend, actually,) in town, with whom he will then go visit in their hometown. So, maybe I will end up exploring some of these places entirely on my own.<br /><br />Any of you local folks who spend a lot of time in State Parks who have advice or recommendations about good places either for me or for me and Mason, please drop in a comment!<br /><br />In addition to continuing to try to fill-in my passport book, I've also started collecting either buttons or patches from the State Parks we visit to add to my hiking backpack. This is the one pictured above. It was Mason's old kindergarten backpack, so it is actually very child-sized small, but it fits a couple of emergency medical kits, sun screen, bug spray, a flashlight, umbrella, State Park guidebook, Kleenex (and a plastic baggies), a bear whistle, and other such sundries. (You might be laughing at the bear whistle, but I wore it religiously up at Bearskin Lodge, so it stays in the pack.)<br /><br />This weekend Shawn and I are hoping to go to <a href="https://www.gaimn.org/calendar/deutschetage/">Deutsche Tage</a> at the Germanic American Institute this weekend, here in Saint Paul, because: why NOT? It also looks as though rummage and estate sale season is in full-swing, so perhaps we will also check out some of those. We also have to do some boring mundane things like buy new shoes, but, honestly, I kind of enjoy that kind of shopping with Shawn. <br /><br />Anything fun planned for your weekend??<br type="_moz" /><br type="_moz" /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=652638" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:651988Driving in a State Park2023-06-04T22:58:32Z2023-06-04T22:58:32Zpublic11When Mason was 15 he got his learner's permit like most of his friends and then.... we utterly failed to learn to drive. I don't know what it was exactly, but it was a bad combination of my nerves, his nerves, and my tendency to be intuitive rather than practical when giving instruction. Whatever the reason we failed the first time, we've decided to give it another go.<br /><br />Not to jinx anything, but this time it seems to be going swimmingly.<br /><br />Part of it is that Mason is older and much more confident. Another part is that I am fully letting him set the pace. He recently graduated himself to lonely roads and I had the brilliant idea to drive to a State Park.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/455890.jpg" alt="St. Croix at Wild River State Park" width="400" height="550" /><br />The St. Croix River from the Wild River State Park<br /><br />This was a two-fer, as I got to see a State Park and Mason got in some really, really good practice, since we met a bit of on-coming traffic (but of course it was all at 20 mph.) Mason even managed to safely stop in time to see...<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/455991.jpg" alt="deer and fawn" width="300" height="364" /><br />Picture is blurry and taken through the window of the car, but fawn and adult deer in the road.<br /><br />The fawn was so leggy that it was doing that awkward, could have been new born, WHAT ARE LEGS?? thing and then immediately collapsed in exhaustion once on the other side of the road and safely hidden by trees. Soooooo cute!<br /><br />We mostly drove, but we checked out the whole park out, and I was surprised by this little gem. There were a number of people innertubing and otherwise enjoying the water, there's a huge section where the park rangers are restoring the prairie (and have been since the 1970s), and I presume some hiking to enjoy, though we never really stopped this time. I'm thinking this might be a fun park to return to, actually. <br /><br type="_moz" /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=651988" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:649822Our Day to Explore2023-05-18T00:28:52Z2023-05-18T00:28:52Zpublic4 Today was not a day for putting miles behind us, as it were, but a day to take in some sights. I fell in love with Pennsylvania the first time we drove through it on the way to drop Mason off at college. The stretch we drove along I-80 is full of rolling hills that remind me strongly of the bluffs and coulees of my hometown in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and the surrounding <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driftless_Area">Driftless Zone</a>, as it's called. <br /><br />As I mentioned before, growing up, my family used to send out Groundhog's Day cards, and so I've always kind of "celebrated" Groundhog's Day in some fashion. So, it seemed only fitting that since we were passing right past Punxsutawney, we should stop. <br /><br />I found this whole town to be rather delightful.<br /><br />First of all, there were statues of "Phil" all over town, much like there are statues of Snoopy all over St. Paul. The first one we saw was actually outside a Wendy's. <br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/447654.jpg" alt="Even the Wendy's had one.." width="350" height="473" /><br />Image: a statue of a groundhog dressed as Wendy's.... <br /><br />If this horrifies you in any way, Punxsutawney is not for you. The whole town has gone ALL IN on the cheesy goodness of their beloved rodent, Punxsutawney Phil. You can see the actual groundhog at the local library, where he has a den he shares with Punxsutawney Phyllis. Here is a picture of me and the statute right outside of his "burrow."<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/453358.jpg" alt="Me and Phil at the Burrow" width="350" height="388" /><br />Image: Me and Phil outside his library burrow.<br /><br /><br /> I did not get a great picture of the rodent himself, because the glass he was behind had been scratched and smudged by a thousand faces all pressed in to see him. But, you can view him either from outside or from the inside of the library, in the children's section.<br /><br />Here is the terrible picture of this world famous rodent:<br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/452765.jpg" alt="The furry butt of the world famous weather predicting rodent." width="300" height="533" /><br />Image: A smudgy view of the furry butt of the world famous weather predicting rodent.<br /><br />He looks like he's hiding here, but he was actually busy digging up wood chips. They were both every active and adorable to watch. I can see how they'd be a big hit with the kids. We drove around the town a bit, found the official gift shop on Main Street, and then decided to brave having food at a diner called Punxsy Phil's. All I can say about that experience is that the food was very perfectly greasy spoon and the waitress really wanted these two ladies to want separate checks, even though Shawn very pointedly said she was waiting for her wife, while I was off in the bathroom. Le sigh. This, unfortunately, jives with all of the "Trump 2024" bumper stickers and lawn signs we saw as we drove through some of the backroads.<br /><br />Le sigh.<br /><br />We then drove around a bit through the Elk Scenic Highway. We did not see any elk, alas. All of the tourism guides say that if you have any real chance of seeing elk, it's in the fall. So, of course, we're here in the spring. <br /><br />Even so, the scenery was amazing, though I swear to god, every semi truck on the planet was careening down these tiny, winding roads right on the back of my bumper. Insane!<br /><br />The last sight we really wanted to be sure not to miss was the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinzua_Bridge_State_Park">Kinzua Sky Bridge.</a> This used to be a railway bridge, but a tornado destroyed it and now it's a walk way. <br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/453410.jpg" alt="The bidge is very tall. " width="250" height="444" /><br />Image: a very tall bridge. <br /><br />The Interpretive Center told us that this bridge is taller than the Statue of Liberty. I would believe it. There were hawk soaring BENEATH us at points. The view is spectacular. They also have a glass panel in the floor of the thing where you can look down (or, you know, if you're INSANE, stand on the one inch thick glass.) Shawn, generally, was uncertain.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/453646.jpg" alt="Crawling seemed safest, really" width="450" height="253" /><br />Image: Crawling seemed safest, honestly.<br /><br />Then, after enjoying the sky walk and the amazing giftshop, we hit the road. We had not actually booked a hotel anywhere because we wanted to remain flexible in our plans. Shawn started searching for interesting places and stumbled across the<a href="https://kanemanorinn.com/"> Kane Manor Inn.</a> The inn itself was booked solid, but they have an overflow guest house and so we snapped up a room there. It's actually in a house across the street from the manor, but the room is lovely. The manor itself is amazing and we'll be have having breakfast there in the morning.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/454076.jpg" alt="The breakfast room" width="400" height="225" /><br />Image: The breakfast room.<br /><br />Anyway, today was a wonderful day. The temperatures never crested 70 F/21 C. I think, actually, it stayed in the mid-60s (around 18 C) all day. <br /><br />Tomorrow may be mostly driving? We'll see if we stumble across anything interesting. <br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=649822" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:649600Might Be Worth a Detour - The Indiana Edition2023-05-17T00:47:07Z2023-05-17T00:47:59Zpublic14 My wife and I have argued long and hard about whether or not there is anything interesting in Indiana. <br /><br />Apparently, we simply never drove far enough.<br /><br />If I could recommend you any town in Indiana, my recommendation would be <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elkhart,_Indiana">Elkhart</a>. Go to Elkhart. It's got a cool, historic downtown, a Botanical garden, a really pretty amazing Environmental Center, and... <a href="https://hallofheroesmuseum.com/">The Hall of Heroes</a>. <br /><br />We ended up in Elkhart, entirely by chance. We had, in fact, not intended to stop anywhere at all today, and, instead, just drive straight through to Youngston, OH. But, at one of the rest stops, I picked up a tourist brochure which had been organized by "stops along I-80." Shawn read to me in the car and when she hit the Hall of Heroes, I was like, "WAIT. There's a comic book and superhero museum and it's only about a minute off the main highway???" <br /><br />Of course, we had to go.<br /><br />The only problem was that it didn't open until 11:00 am. We arrived in Elkhart at 10:20 am. We could have just sat outside the shop? But, we would have been staring at this rather unimpressive storefront for a half hour:<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/446647.jpg" alt="boring storefront of coolest place on earth" width="400" height="397" /><br />Image: A very boring view of one of the coolest places on EARTH.<br /><br />So, Shawn flipped through our little tourism guide and discovered that there was a Botanical Garden just down Main Street. We found that, stopped in, but even though it looked like it might be quite nice, we were a bit put off by the sign that said that free admission was only for people who could PROVE residence in Elkhart County. I inquired within to see if we were BARRED or if we just had to pay, and it turns out we could have gotten in for $10 a piece. We decided, instead, to hop back in the car and check out the free Environmental Center further down the road.<br /><br />What a good choice.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/446757.jpg" alt="fungus amongus" width="300" height="533" /><br />Image: cool fungus!<br /><br />We wandered around through a wetland (saw a number of baby ducklings with their mama) and through an open prairie (and watched purple martins flit into their houses.) The trails near the Interpretative Center were very short loops and so perfect for a quick stretch and stroll, while we waited for the superhero museum to open.<br /><br />A train stopped us for a short time, but we made it back to the Hall of Heroes around 11:30 am. We were the only people in the museum and so the guy behind the counter, John, gave us a personal tour. He asked us if we were fans of the movies or comics, and I was able to tell him that I grew up reading my cousin's father's comic books, which he'd started collecting almost from the moment comics were published, so I'd grown up on Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. Shawn came to comics from a slightly different angle, having loved all the Strange Tales and horror comic books. We collected comics together all through college, and then, of course, became fans of the MCU. <br /><br />John was THRILLED and so very carefully pointed out all the cool draft sheets and inked pages they had on display, like this early Kirby art:<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/447021.jpg" alt="Jack Kirby!" width="450" height="673" /><br />JACK KIRBY'S ART!!!!!!<br /><br />Shawn and I spend a good hour at the museum, even pausing to play Deadpool pinball for awhile. <br /><br />Man, what a find!<br /><br />That was all we did today, but tomorrow, it's the Pennsylvania Wilds. I should have a lot more to share. And, because I've been listening to books on tape, I'll even have some things to report for "What Are You Reading Wednesday." <br /><br />Hope you all are having a good week without me!<br type="_moz" /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=649600" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:649119No HeyGo, So Had to go OUT into the World2023-05-11T14:31:55Z2023-05-11T14:31:55Zpublic16 <img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/445765.jpg" alt="cherry blossoms" width="350" height="622" /><br />Image: cherry blossoms at the MN Arboretum <br /><br />My friend <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://naomikritzer.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://naomikritzer.dreamwidth.org/'><b>naomikritzer</b></a></span> and I were talking about things we would appropriate from other cultures the other day (mostly, we discussed how much better Jewish people do funerals,) and I brought up the idea of<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami"> Hanami</a>. What I like about the idea of Hanami is that people in Japan will often take time off work to just go look at flowers (specifically cherry blossoms, but if you read the Wikipedia article, you can see that it really applies to any flower.) We don't have anything like this in the US, possibly because there is no single flower that blooms everywhere in the US, since we're such a massive country. I feel like the closest we have to this kind of thing in the Midwest is leaf peeping in the fall. <br /><br />But, so Naomi and I decided to have a day of intentional flower viewing. We'd hoped that there would be enough flowering trees of some sort blooming at the Minnesota Arboretum, but, the cherry blossoms, had not entirely popped yet, alas. <br /><br />However, the tulips were in full bloom.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/445593.jpg" alt="tulips" width="350" height="622" /><br />Image: so many tulips!<br /><br />Naomi brought a picnic basket and had made us both a lovely chicken salad and so we wandered around the arboretum for a long time, checking out the tulip display and some of the other things that were in bloom. Yesterday was a very gorgeous day, with lots of sun (although it got quite warm, into the 80s F / 27 C.) <br /><br />This was my second time out at the MN Arboretum and, if you've never been, I have some advice for how best to appreciate it. My suggestion would be to go into the Welcome/Interpretive Center and get a map from the information desk. However, be warned, the maps and signage are fairly terrible. But, they always have a decent seasonal display very near the welcome center (again, ask for directions, because it's not self-evident how to get there--you need to go through the building, up the stairs/elevator, go to the right to get to the door, and once outside go left.) Near here is also the Japanese garden, which, ironically, had no cherry trees, but does have a koi pond. I would, had I to do this again, wander these nearby gardens for awhile, and then hop back into the car and drive their "three mile road." The drive, which Naomi and I ended up doing at the end, will give you a good sense of what else there is to see in the arboretum. Then, you can decide where you might like to return to and/or hike to. You can drive the loop as often as you like, so you could go around once just to see what there is to see and then drive it again and park at one of the official stops along the way and checkout whatever interests you. Had we done this first, Naomi and I probably would have stopped to admire the sculpture garden more, the Chinese garden, and the Rhododendron garden. As it was, we tried to walk the three mile walk (not difficult terrain and paved, but... it doesn't have great vantage points, and so) and ended up not seeing the Chinese garden from where we were. <br /><br />Anyway, that's my advice. Take it or leave it. If you are a seasoned hiker/walker the three-mile walk is really quite pleasant. I don't regret walking much of it, but I think if I go back I really want to check out the Bog Walk and some of the other less popular destinations. <br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/445990.jpg" alt="Pasqueflowers" width="250" height="444" /><br />Image: pasqueflowers<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=649119" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:625473Carley State Park2022-10-24T19:59:01Z2022-10-24T22:38:34Zpublic2<img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/340299.jpg" alt="A river runs through it" width="400" height="533" /> <br />Image: a river runs through it<br /><br />On Saturday, we had arranged to meet my parents at the Apache Mall in Rochester (Minnesota, not to be confused with Rochester, NY,) and since Shawn and I are not ones to waste a drive anywhere we started looking into things to do around Rochester. Turns out, not far away was Carley State Park.<br /><br />I do not mean to imply that our trip down to see meet my folks was not its own adventure. We had a lovely time eating out at a place called The Workshop, catching up in-person, and making the exchange of goods--my aunt had collected some church cookbooks that were being passed on to us. <br /><br />But, after all that excitement, Shawn and I headed to the woods where we continued to perfect our "retirement plan." The current plan is that i will do the nature hikes and Shawn will set up in some lovely spot with our glamper (this is the dream, at least,) and read while I walk. Absent the glamper, Shawn found a lovely picnic table while I tackled the Minnesota Hiking Club's trail....<br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/340636.jpg" alt="WTF MN Hiking... What. The... F*ck" width="400" height="533" /><br />Image: A sign that says both "Hiking Club" with an arrow pointing this way and CAUTION, to which *I* say, "WTF, MN Hiking Club. What. The. F*ck,."<br /><br />Yeah, so I almost died.<br /><br />"Died" might be an exaggeration, but let's just say I am glad I had my asthma inhaler and that I still mostly bounce when I fall. (People say there's no good use for body fat, but PADDING is definitely one I personally appreciate now that the bruises are setting in,.) The trail was lovely, though I would have loved to see this sign at the start of my hike rather than when I was 2/3rds the way around. The maps were also less clear about the elevation change. <br /><br />That being said, the official hiking trail did have lovely views of the river... if deeply treacherous bridges.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/340736.jpg" alt="scary bridge" width="400" height="300" /><br />Image: concrete slabs that I had to jump across. Not for the faint of heart. Or the wobbly of knee.<br /><br />Then, despite GPS's insistence that she could find us a faster route, we meandered home via Scenic Highway 61, stopping off at Pepin Heights for bags of fresh apples. Even though it's been dangerously dry (partly why I slipped on the trail, the ground was basically slick, dry leaf covered dust), the fall colors were still surprisingly lovely. The October blue sky is just so amazing against the russets and golds of the last of the leafed trees. <br /><br />Sunday we spent catching up on some house chores--we finally put the air-conditioners in the attic, etc. I also had signed up for a game (via Discord) at Gamehole Con on Sunday afternoon. I played Lex Arcana again, which is a system and a world that I'm really very fond of. You play in as Praetorian Magical guards in a Rome that never fell (thanks to precognition magic.) I played an assassin... excuse me, "diplomat" which was fun, although his super powers only kick in if he manages to deal damage and so we nearly got our butts handed to us by a bunch of Egyptian god-infested Libyan workers. Again, for me, the fun is in the playing pretend and I had a pretty good group for that, thought it's always so much harder to have character moments in one shots. We still did, though, because <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://tallgeese.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://tallgeese.dreamwidth.org/'><b>tallgeese</b></a></span> had some clay dolls that, my character was deeply terrified of, which was only exasperated when they started to MOVE.<br /><br />So. Good times.<br /><br />Today, I managed to get our Halloween decorations up and we took Clover, who is now officially Rhubarb (Rhu for short) to the vet for her two week post-surgical check-up. She got the big thumbs up from the vet tech. Rhu is also now fully vaccinated for a year. We are still having some issues integrating the cats, but we are bound and determined to go slowly. We got some advice from the vet and reassurance that it can sometimes take MONTHS if you do it right. The trick is that you have to go at the speed of the most stressed cat, and that can just be... however long it takes. So, we're still doing one cat gets free range, the other has to be in a single room switch (which we OF COURSE call the "Big Switch-a-Rhu.") <br /><br />Buttercup is either convinced there is only Willow Big and Willow Smol or is actually as intensely kind-hearted as we always suspected he was, as he is chill with both lady friends. Possibly Both.<br /><br />So, that's us. I hope y'all had good weekends. What are you looking forward to this week, anything?<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=625473" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:624097Clam Dam -- Might Be Worth a Detour!2022-10-09T18:19:45Z2022-10-09T18:23:01Zpublic4 <img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/338505.jpg" alt="The perfectly reflective Clam River (Wisconsin.)" width="500" height="667" /><br />Image: The perfectly reflective Clam River (Wisconsin.)<br /><br />Shawn and I went back to the quilt show in Weber, Wisconsin, to see which ones won, and on the way back to our friends' cabin we spotted a sign that said "Clam Dam." HOW DO YOU RESISTS CLAM DAM??? So, we turned down the road and followed the signs to the quirky little public park around the dam that dams the damn clam river.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/337932.jpg" alt="Shawn crossing the damn dam" width="500" height="375" /><br />Image: Shawn crossing the damn clam dam.<br /><br />The park, as my grandmother might have said, wasn't much "to write home about," but today is just such a lovely day that we spent a good half hour just sitting on the banks of the river, listening to the water flow, and watching the waves leap and pop, sending spray up into the air.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/338385.jpg" alt="A rotted fence in Clam Damn Park" width="400" height="300" /><br />Image: a moss-covered rotting wooden fence in Clam Dam park. <br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/338790.jpg" alt="The damn narrow dam walkway" width="400" height="533" /><br />Image: The damn narrow dam walkway.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=624097" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:623445Might Be Worth a Detour - Wild River State Park2022-10-07T19:38:49Z2022-10-07T19:38:49Zpublic8 <img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/334576.jpg" alt="View from the Interpretive Center" width="500" height="375" /><br />Image: the view from the Interpretive Center<br /><br />We are up at a friends' cabin for the weekend, but on the way we decided to take a detour to check out Wild River State Park. It is overcast today, as you can see in the picture above. The leaves are at peak, though just a little past as we travel north. <br /><br />\<br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/334844.jpg" alt="yellowed fern" width="400" height="533" /><br />Image: yellowed fern leaves<br /><br />The temperatures are really cold today (40 F/5 C), so Shawn and I didn't wander too far. But, this State Park has a bit of restored prairie and a number of small creeks run through it on their way to the St. Croix River.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/335224.jpg" alt="restored prairie" width="500" height="375" /><br />Image: restored prairie<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/335444.jpg" alt="A bridge in the woods" width="500" height="375" /><br />Image a path in the woods that leads to a wooden bridge over a creek.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/335071.jpg" alt="milkweed blown seed pod" width="400" height="533" /><br />Image: a milkweed with its seedpod blown<br /><br />Despite the cold, we had a lovely walk. I managed to forget my state park passport AND my hiking club booklet, but we weren't up for much with the chilly air. Even so, we decided it was a lovely little park and will try to make a return trip at some point. <br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=623445" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:620334New Cat, Who Dis?2022-09-19T22:16:29Z2022-09-19T22:16:29Zpublic20 <img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/282138.jpg" alt="new, as yet unnamed kitteh" width="400" height="711" /><br />New, as of yet unnamed kitteh, a stray who looks IDENTICAL to Willow, aka The Void.<br /><br />This weekend we heard a lot of howling and yowling in our yard. Upon investigation, we found this young lady (guessing no more than 6 months old) entertaining a bevvy of gentlemen callers in our backyard. We were able to coax her onto our porch for safe keeping as we hit the usual Facebook groups for an owner. No hits so far, though there is at least one person who is interested if she will otherwise be homeless. We have a vet appointment scheduled for her to get her emergency tests: feline leukemia and intestinal parasites, etc. If she gets along with our other two, we will get her on the docket for a spay. <br /><br />Otherwise, perhaps, some lucky neighborhood Facebooker will get a new cat.<br /><br />We are trying to resist naming her, but the vet needed something so she is currently, Clover, as in we found you rollin' in the... Mason pointed out that if we keep that name, all of our current crop of cats have botanical names: Willow, Buttercup and now.... clover? We shall see. We are trying to be responsible here, since our current couple get along famously and we have been loathe to break up their perfect union. <br /><br />In other news, there's been a flurry of activity around my place. Monday and Tuesday, <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://naomikritzer.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://naomikritzer.dreamwidth.org/'><b>naomikritzer</b></a></span> and I played tour guide (not to be mistaken for The Tour Guide) for two out-of-town guests, <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://rachelmanija.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://rachelmanija.dreamwidth.org/'><b>rachelmanija</b></a></span> and her friend Lauren, who were here for<a href="https://www.bouchercon2022.com/"> Bouchercon</a>, the world mystery convention. I started them off at Axman, a local "surplus" store that is far, far more than your average surplus. We're talking about surplus iron lungs, buckets of dolls heads, and so much weird stuff... along with lots of dead-useful electronics, etc. It's kind of a place that needs to be seen to be believed. <br /><br />Then we had lunch at <a href="https://www.seasaltmpls.com/">Se Salt</a>, with the intention that maybe we might take a look at Minnehaha Falls. Normally, you can hear it roaring from the restaurant. I didn't hear it, but also didn't think of it... until we looked over the edge. There was barely a trickle. I'd forgotten about the summer long drought, despite my constant struggle to keep my garden alive. It didn't seem worth doing a nature hike, so we ended up on Summit Avenue. I gave everybody a walking tour, which was a great deal of fun. We walked a LOT, but it was a lovely day and the buildings are so fascinating. <br /><br />Rachel was around a second day so we did some books shopping and hanging out. <br /><br />And then on Thursday <a href="http://offcntr">offcntr</a> and Denise came to town as well. We went out to lunch at <a href="https://boleethiopiancuisine.com/">Bole</a>, an Ethiopian restaurant. They have an amazing outdoor patio because Bole was one of the places that burned to the ground here in Midway during the George Floyd riots and, thus, they relocated during the pandemic. We had a lovely time just chatting and catching up and eating amazing food.<br /><br />The rest of the week and weekend were spent finishing painting our bedroom. We'd painted one wall Baskerville Blue, if you recall from an earlier post, and we hadn't gotten around to doing much else even though we wanted to make the other three (we have five walls in that room) a lighter, yet rich yellow. We finally finished that project this weekend, though it took me both days thanks to the kitten dropping herself into our lives. I would post pictures of the bedroom, but it is actually so dark in that room, I'm not sure if a photo will do it justice. <br /><br />Hope you all had a good week. Sorry I was completely absent.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=620334" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:611756There, And Now Back Again...2022-05-16T00:55:40Z2022-05-16T00:59:45Zpublic4I had been most looking forward to today. We had Mason with us and the on stop I was SURE we would all deeply enjoy was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centralia,_Pennsylvania">Centralia, Pennsylvania. </a> If you know this town at all, it's probably through the video game "Silent Hill," which took the idea of what happened in real life Centralia and expanded it. So what happened in real life? A garbage fire ended up igniting a coal vein... the ground underneath the town has been burning ever since. It will apparently burn for many, many more years yet before the coal is depleted. <br /><br />There wasn't much to take pictures of, thought I did snag one of the Orthodox Church that stands watch over the remains of the town. <br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/274006.jpg" alt="The church near Centralia" width="400" height="533" /><br />The Centralia Orthodox Church.<br /><br />But, there really is almost nothing to see. A couple of years ago, someone covered "graffiti road" with dirt, probably to discourage tourists like me and my family:<a href="https://allthatsinteresting.com/centralia-pa"> https://allthatsinteresting.com/centralia-pa<br /><br type="_moz" /></a>Plus, my family and I probably should have eaten before we tried to find Centralia. We get notoriously bitchy if we don't eat by a time, and we missed an opportunity to grab a sandwich and so by the sixth time that I was turning around on a tiny, narrow highway there may have been some yelling... which was not at all how I wanted this particular leg of the trip to be. I had really hoped we'd get out of the car and wander around, but we ended up turning around so many times that by the time we ran into some other people on one of the side road who were also exploring the ex-town, we were all so fried that we never even got out to stretch our legs.<br /><br />:-(<br /><br />But, we made up for it by finding a spectacular waterfall outside of Clarion, PA, called <a href="https://pabucketlist.com/exploring-rapp-run-falls-in-clarion-county/">Rapp Run Falls</a>. <br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/274330.jpg" alt="Rapp Run Falls" width="350" height="263" /><br />Image: The falls<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/274512.jpg" alt="Rapp Run" width="450" height="338" /><br />Image: Rapp Run River, looking like something out of Middle Earth<br /><br />The other thing that amused us today were the Pennsylvania mile markers. Apparently, they mark every tenth of a mile and they have never heard of reducing factions, so there were 1/10, 2/10 (instead of 1/5), 3/10, 4/10 (instead of 2/5ths) and the one that drove me insane, 5/10th... I mean, okay, for consistency I get maybe doing everything else as tenths, but why not mark the half mile as HALF MILE?? <br /><br />Can you tell we were pretty bored of driving?<br /><br><br /></br>It was a long day, but we are safely back in Youngstown, OH again. Having liked out hotel so much the first time around, we simply booked it again for the return trip.<br /><br type="_moz" /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=611756" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:611569Our Own Personal Slice of Heaven (and Lobster Rolls)2022-05-15T01:06:28Z2022-05-15T01:07:14Zpublic11 <img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/272281.jpg" alt="the book barn " width="400" height="300" /><br />Image: The Book Barn in Niantic, CT<br /><br /><a href="https://www.bookbarnniantic.com/">The Book Barn</a> in Niantic was pretty much everything I ever wanted from a used bookstore. They even had cats (and goats.) I mean, I will admit that I kind of hate driving in New England because the streets are narrow and if the speed limit is posted at 35, all the drivers read that backwards and drive 53 and THEN also slam on their breaks when they need to make a sudden turn. It's terrifying. However, it was worth the harrowing driving to make our way EAST to Niantic, CT to see the many versions of the Book Barn. We stopped in downtown first because it was where the science fiction was located (as well as the other genre books) and then we headed to the main sight, which is kind of a book wonderland.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/272598.jpg" alt="book barn 2" width="350" height="263" /><br />Image: yet another barn/outbuilding with books in it<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/272847.jpg" alt="gargoyle" width="350" height="467" /><br />Image: a secret garden at the Book Barn (complete with koi pond.)<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/273857.jpg" alt=""Barn" Cat" width="350" height="263" /><br />Image: "Barn" cat on the pavement. The Book Barn has five (?) cats. We saw three.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/273092.jpg" alt="troublemakers" width="350" height="263" /><br />Image: book section reads, "Radicals, Anarchists, and Other Troublemakers."<br /><br />We spent several hours here before driving a little further down the coast to a restaurant called "Skippy's" where Shawn had heard they had good lobster rolls. Lobster rolls are one of those legendary things that Shawn had been reading about forever and really, really wanted to try. In fact, her great regret last time we made it out to Connecticut to drop Mason off in the fall was that we never stopped to have one. So, this time, we came prepare. She'd read up on the places to go and the fact that Connecticut lobster rolls are special. In Connecticut you have lobster rolls hot, slathered in hot butter, on a toasted bun. Apparently, (she says uncertainly, as she is a Midwesterner bred and born,) other places lobster rolls are served cold, with mayo. <br /><br />But, we really enjoyed the Connecticut version!.<br /><br /><br type="_moz" /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/273265.jpg" alt="A lobster roll, sweet potato fries, and coleslaw" width="350" height="467" /><br />Image: A lobster roll, sweet potato fries, and coleslaw<br /><br />MMMMMMM, so good! I am determined to try the cold version at some point, but I am unsure how anything can compare.<br /><br />Our last stop was<a href="https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/State-Parks/Parks/Hammonasset-Beach-State-Park"> Hammonasset Beach State Park</a>. Shawn and I had been there before, but this was Mason's first time. He's seen the Atlantic before, but I'm not sure he'd dipped his toes into it before. Those of you who have not been following me for very long may not know that my son used to dream of being a marine biologist. He got the ocean bug, I think, by watching Blue Planet as a small, but it is honestly stuff like this that make me believe in past lives. There are so many stories I could tell on this child, but just know this--this is the young person who, at the age of six, came running down to the landing when he was supposed to be asleep wailing so much that I thought he must have injured himself saying, "Mama, Ima, mama, ima!" (I am ima, Shawn is mama,) and when I ran to comfort him, he wept into my arms, "Mama, ima, megalodon is extinct!" <br /><br />I was only able to comfort him by saying that while, yes, this was true, there were still a lot of smaller sharks still around. <br /><br />So, he LOVES the ocean.<br /><br />Thus, I was surprised when Mason was initially kind of meh about the beach. I suspect some of it had to do with the fact that it was bit crowded. There were a ton of people at the beach, despite the overcast day and fog. Mason likes his alone time with nature. But, some people started shouting about jellyfish and so I went to look and managed to coax him into the water. After seeing the jellyfish floating in the surf as well as spotting a hermit crab shuffling long on the ocean floor, he got into it.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/273596.jpg" alt="Mason inspecting the shallows" width="400" height="533" /><br />Image: Mason inspecting the shallows for signs of marine life<br /><br />I had a lot of encounters with sea life, myself. I am often nibbled on when I go to lakes by sunfish and the like, but I did not expect to also be tasty to whatever small fry hang around near the shorelines of the ocean! But I got nipped by some small fish that I could see, plus a little ghost shrimp briefly landed on my foot as I was leaving for the shore (I shook the little guy back into the water safely.) <br /><br />We ended up having quite a lot of fun despite the weather. <br /><br />Then we drove a few miles and checked into out hotel. Time to settle in with a few of the many books we bought at the Book Barn! 'Night all!<br type="_moz" /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=611569" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:610856Road Trip (Day 3)2022-05-13T00:51:08Z2022-05-13T00:56:03Zpublic13 <img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/270914.jpg" alt="Freedom falls in Venango County, Pennsylvania" width="500" height="375" /><br />Image: Freedom falls in Venango County, Pennsylvania<br /><br />We woke up this morning in Youngston, Ohio and ate terrible hotel food in our room. I mean, "terrible" might be strong. It was just hotel breakfast food, which I'm sure as soon as I say that, you can imagine what I mean. We are trying to wear masks in public spaces, so even though a lot of people were using the dining room, we did not. <br /><br />Since we did not have very far to go today, we decided to plan a couple of detours. The first one was to Freedom Falls. We were looking for things that were just off I-80--or at least not too far off--and Shawn found this falls that was on the Shull River. For some reason, her GPS does not deal well with any location that doesn't have an actual address. We were able to plug in the very vague description of "Freedom Falls, Shull Run, PA" into *my* phone and suddenly we were underway.<br /><br />I will say that my phone also liked taking us down roads that were unpaved, gravel and named "Blair Road" which we re-named "Blair Witch Road" due to its scariness. <br /><br />However, it also delivered this amazing location. I was really uncertain though when the lady in the GPS announced, "Your destination is on the right" and then turned herself off when we are on a STEEP dirt road. We were able to turn around at the bottom of the road and then go back to where she suggested the falls were and pull into a pullout. Uncertain, Shawn and I got out and.. sure enough, we could hear the distinctive roar of a waterfall. I noticed an obvious trail, which we were able to follow down towards the river where we found the falls. <br /><br />I was impressed, both with the falls and my GPS!<br /><br />Then we got back on the road feeling like we had already had a pretty grand adventure and we really didn't need a lot more to be satisfied. And, I'm a very funny traveler, if I get a nice "destination" out of the travel, I'll pretty much go all day. So, we took a couple of more detours. The next was not as successful as the falls. We found a roadside attraction called <a href="https://eatmovemake.com/doolittle-station-dubois-pa/">Doolittle Station</a> in DuBois PA.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/271292.jpg" alt="The weirdness that is Doolittle Station" width="400" height="300" /><br />Image: The weirdness that is Doolittle Station<br /><br />I'm not sure what madness of consumerism overkill decided that a collection of railroad boxcars also need DINOSAURS (and Bigfoot,) but it is delightfully kitschy. <br /><br />Shawn was less convinced than I was, but we both agreed that the food at the creamery was actually quite good. <br /><br />From DuBois, we headed back onto I-80. The last thing that we really wanted to experience was a covered bridge, since Pennsylvania is known for its Amish settlers. So, we turned off near Loganton, PA and managed to use my miraculous GPS by plugging in "covered bridge near Loganton" and we not only found the bridge, but also a small Amish community!<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/271556.jpg" alt="Amish farmer on a horse-driven plow" width="450" height="600" /><br />Image: Amish farmer on a horse-driven plow<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/271695.jpg" alt="covered bridge" width="350" height="263" /><br />Covered bridge!<br /><br />We have made it as far as the border of New York State, so I am going to once again collapse into the hotel bed and sleep!<br /><br />I hear the Twin Cities got a little rain. I hope you are all doing okay!<br type="_moz" /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=610856" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:610805Real Life (tm) Travel2022-05-12T00:36:08Z2022-05-13T00:52:59Zpublic10 <img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/270374.jpg" alt="Marblehead Lighthouse" width="400" height="533" /><br />Image: Marblehead Lighthouse on the shores of Lake Eerie<br /><br />Given how often I post pictures of virtual tours, I should probably be very clear. I WAS ACTUALLY HERE. Shawn and I decided to take a little side trip while in Ohio, and so we stopped at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marblehead_Light_(Ohio)">Marblehead Lighthouse</a>. This is the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the US side of the Great Lakes. It is in a town named after it in Ohio, and it is on the shores of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Erie">Lake Erie.</a><br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/270824.jpg" alt="Lake Eerie" width="350" height="263" /><br />Lake Erie<br /><br />My family has a motto for our road trips, which is: "Might be worth a detour!" and so we are always up for stopping at slightly out of the way places to see what might be seen. I have to say, the lighthouse was lovely. Normally, you are able to go inside the lighthouse, but by chance, their open season doesn't begin until after Memorial Day, so it was closed. Even so, the rocks around the peninsula were lovely and seemed to include a number of fossils. They reminded me of the lava flows around Lake Superior. <br /><br />Tomorrow, we head into Pennsylvania and I've been tasked with the job of finding out if there is anything along I-80 that might be worth a detour. I think I have found a couple of possibilities. If we stop anywhere nifty, I will post whatever we see tomorrow night. <br /><br />My brain is fried from all the hours n the road, so I will keep it short tonight. <br /><br type="_moz" /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=610805" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:590254Trip to Frontenac2021-10-18T13:55:04Z2021-10-18T13:55:04Zpublic6 <img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/135959.jpg" alt="A colorful fallen oak leaf" width="350" height="467" /><br />A colorful fallen oak leaf.<br /><br />On Sunday, Shawn and I decided that we wanted to go see if we could catch some fall color before it faded completely. The MN DNR color tracker told us that just south of us was at peak or just past, so we decided to take a trip down to<a href="https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00160#homepage"> Frontenac State Park</a>. Frontenac State Park is just between Red Wing, Minnesota and a natural widening of the Mississippi called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Pepin">Lake Pepin</a>. I have never understood, despite growing up in this area, what makes Lake Pepin a "lake." I tend to think of lakes as bodies of water that are, you know, separate from a river, or at least much, much larger than the river that feeds it? But, somehow this fat section of the Mississippi gets to technically be a lake. <br /><br />No matter how you define it, the view is gorgeous:<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/136495.jpg" alt="The view of the Mississippi from the top of the bluff near Frontenac." width="400" height="300" /><br />Image: the view atop the Frontenac State Park bluff towards Lake Pepin/the Mississippi River<br /><br />Before leaving for the State Park, Shawn and I did a bit of reading in all the various books that we've collected on Minnesota state parks over the years. One of them recommended the self-guided interpretive trail and so we planned to walk that, as well as maybe the pine circle trail. I also really wanted to see the rock with a hole in it, called In-Yan-Teopa. <br /><br />We decided to drive down in our new-to-us Toyota, in order to test drive it. We are, for the first time in our lives, a two car family. There is a used car shortage and so we actually got this second car in order to hold in reserve for when our current Ford dies. I'm glad we test drove it because there was some concerning creaking that I'm going to have our mechanic look at when I take it in on Thursday, but we kind of forgot that our state park pass was actually affixed to the window of our OTHER car. So, when we got to the park, we had to stop in and get a day pass. Shawn managed to find a sweatshirt and several other things, so it was worthwhile. Plus, the ranger who was staffing the front desk was very helpful. She stamped my passport and gave us a great overview of places where we might see some good fall color. She had just hiked everything in the last couple of days herself. <br /><br />She did also warn us, like all the books did, that there was "some elevation." I have come to understand that "some elevation" is the geological equivalent of "some weather." When Minnesotans tell you there's been some weather recently they don't mean a bit of rain, they mean a tornado ripped through yesterday. I now know that when a Minnesota park ranger tells you there is "some elevation," she means HOLY SH*T YOUR KNEES WILL KILL YOU CLIMBING ALL THOSE F*CKING STAIRS.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/136949.jpg" alt="A blurry shot of stairs ascending the bluff" width="350" height="467" /><br />A blurry shot of stairs ascending the bluff.<br /><br /><br />But, so, Shawn and I took the interpretive hike, which did not have a huge amount of signage. But, it led to the lovely, flat pine circle trail which we enjoyed. It was very much Shawn's speed as it was a loop, had benches at every turn, and was under a mile. The hike back up to the picnic area, however, was where we first encountered "some elevation." This set of stairs was just one of MANY. We did get to hike along the old quarry site, which was fascinating, and there was an iron ring still pounded into the ground where a rock was going to be taken but was abandoned for some reason. <br /><br />At this point, even though we arrived fairly early (an hour or so after the park opened at 8 am), we started to encounter a lot of other hikers on the narrow trails. The trails were so narrow that we had to press up against the rock face in order to let people pass. <br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/136989.jpg" alt="The steep path along the bluff in Frontenac" width="450" height="338" /><br />This path is actually not as narrow as some, but you can see how there is just a wooden plank bridge over some areas. Now imagine that, only with the other side being a rock cliff.<br /><br />The weather could not have been more perfect, however. We did see a bit of fall color here and there, too.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/137398.jpg" alt="sunlight through yellow leaves" width="350" height="467" /><br />image: sunlight through yellows leaves<br /><br />After the steep interpretive trail, Shawn tapped out. As she said several times during our walk, "Do not mistake me for a hiker," and so I left her at the picnic area with a good book (the newest Longmire) and waved goodbye as I headed off to see the rock. <br /><br />A good portion of the way out towards the rock was paved and perfectly flat. I missed a turn, however, and ended up tromping through the very busy campground (people were packing up to leave) until I found my way back to the upper bluff trail. That trail was slightly more rigorous, if only because the ground was uneven and the path narrowed significantly again. I got excited when I started to see signs for the rock...<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/137722.jpg" alt="a sign!" width="350" height="467" /><br />image: a sign!!<br /><br />But, I was disappointed by what I saw when I got to the observation area....<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/138153.jpg" alt="Yep, the uninteresting top of a rocky outcropping...." width="400" height="533" /><br />image: Yep, the uninteresting top of a rocky outcropping....<br /><br />As I was staring at this very dull rock for several minutes a couple of other hikers came up and explained to me that if I wanted the view of the actual stone arch, I would have to hike down to the lower bluff trail. The ranger had been actually very clear (for a Minnesotan) that the lower bluff trail was steep "but do-able." Given that all we got for the stairs that nearly killed us was "some elevation," I figured this warning should be headed. Also, I was on my own. Shawn was waiting patiently in the picnic area, but it was after one o'clock and I still had to make my way all the way back to her. I decided that this was the view I was going to get. <br /><br />I did look it up, however, so if you're curious what I WOULD have seen, this is it::<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/137796.jpg" alt="the view I should have gotten" width="400" height="300" /><br />Image. the view I should have gotten. (Yanked from the wikipedia entry on Frontenac State Park.) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontenac_State_Park">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontenac_State_Park<br type="_moz" /></a><br />We spend a good portion of our day on this little trip and it was very fun, though my knees ache a little today? The ironic thing, of course, is that for all that walking not a mile of it counted for the Minnesota Hiking Club, because I never walked the official trail to get the password. At some point I will have to come back to log those miles, but not any time soon. Maybe I'll walk it next spring. <br /><br />Shawn brought along her old film camera, so it should be interesting to see if any of her pictures turn out. Also, as we were leaving we caught sight of trumpeter swans in the Mississippi. So, that was very nifty.<br /><br />All and all, a thumbs up.<br /><br type="_moz" /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=590254" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:589696Long Time, No See2021-10-11T14:23:54Z2021-10-11T14:23:54Zpublic6Last week was really quite busy, and I failed to report any of it. Let me see what I can reconstruct from my memory. <br /><br />Last Monday, the big excitement was getting my Pfizer booster shot (along with the flu shot in the other arm.) Very unexpectedly, I got a strong reaction... kind of for the first time. I had a headache, muscle aches, chills, and a fever. While I was lying in bed complaining about the fact that no one warned me that this one could be tough, Shawn looked it up and the reason no one did is because only about 11% of people who get the booster have any sort of reaction at all, much less all of this. I had a bad roll of the dice. However, like with previous doses, I tend to like having a strong reaction because then I know I got the shot? <br /><br />So, that wiped me out for a lot of Tuesday, too. <br /><br />I had my Loft class on Wednesday. My Loft class is going very well, I think. Though, I am a bit more disorganized this time than I normally am. I don't know why? My brain is fickle, I guess. Plus, I started out with seven students and am now down to six. I had a student in California who seemed to be under the impression that "workshopping" meant something a bit more like what you'd get from a writing coach, rather than rigorous critique. So that person was disappointed and bailed, which, you know happens from time to time. But, I do think that eroded my usual confidence a bit. <br /><br />On Wednesday night a friend came to deliver a new-to-us used car, which also sent my household into a small amount of decision anxiety. There is a used car shortage coming/happening, and so Shawn and I would like to be on top of that, since we only ever buy used cars. So, when our friends offered this one--a 2011 Toyota Camry--we were like, "yes, yes, YES!" but we hadn't previously thought through all the logistics. Where will we store it? How much will insurance cost? Should we immediately sell the older car? Or? Or....??? So, we had to work all that out, and, of course, do all the title transferring, etc. We are very happy with the results. <br /><br />Since we had part of the day before our friend had a flight back to Michigan, she wanted to see the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Normally, when she and her family visit, it's Thanksgiving, so a lot of the usual things are closed. I am always up for a trip to the MIA, so we went. We diverged early, her heading off to explore the third floor, and me revisiting the Chinese and Japanese collections. Since I've been recently reading <em><a href="https://mangakast.wordpress.com/2021/10/03/the-grandmaster-of-demonic-cultivation-by-mo-xiang-tong-xiu-luo-di-cheng-qiu-and-mao-tuan-xiao-jian-jian/">The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation / Mo Dao Shi Zu</a></em>, I rather enjoyed pretending I was on the set of the live-action version "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Untamed_(TV_series)">The Untamed</a>," while checking out this "Chinese scholar's study" at MIA:<a href="https://new.artsmia.org/programs/teachers-and-students/teaching-the-arts/artwork-in-focus/chinese-scholars-study/"> https://new.artsmia.org/programs/teachers-and-students/teaching-the-arts/artwork-in-focus/chinese-scholars-study/</a><br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/135512.jpg" alt="A recreated study from Chinese antiquity" width="500" height="375" /><br /><br />I hardly left this area the entire time I was there, because next door to Chinese antiquity, is the Japanese collection. I ended up live-tweeting (actually Discording) with a friend in Wales about the various cool objects we came across. <br /><br />For instance, I sent her this picture because we are both fans of <em>Bleach </em>and I said that I thought this was the kind of costuming worthy of the mangaka of that manga. Like, it looked like it should have a magical name and a super-power, possibly a personality.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/135788.jpg" alt="A type of samurai headress./helmet called Kawari Kabuto, 17th century" width="350" height="467" /><br />Image: Dragonfly helmet, 17th century, Japan.<br /><br />And because we were chatting back and forth, live, my friend in Wales was looking up information on this type of helmet, which is called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabuto?fbclid=IwAR1nmr00yfR1naFIjbWLVW3yOypzOEfEzW8d1bczPzuYe0AdLb3RCEphoTk#Kawari_kabuto,_or_strange_helmet">kawari kabuto</a>, or "strange helmet," which was apparently popular in the Momoyama Period to distinguish leaders or to give a battalion a symbolic motif. Some parts of the helmet are iron, but the fancy bits were made with lacquer over papier-mache. If you're curious about other designs, someone has a lovely Pinterst page that shows off a number of others: <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/dan_stiver/kawari-kabuto/">https://www.pinterest.com/dan_stiver/kawari-kabuto/<br /><br />I</a> also spent a long time in the calligraphy rooms, because I am/was a fan of an anime/manga called<em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barakamon"> Barakamon</a></em>, which is about a disgraced calligrapher trying to make his way back into the art world. <br /><br />Just I was leaving, I stumbled into the collection of anarchist zines. The Minneapolis Institute of Art recently acquired the Fly Zone Archive<a href="https://new.artsmia.org/stories/rebel-voice-inside-the-fly-zine-archive-a-chronicle-of-punk-queer-and-diy-counterculture">,https://new.artsmia.org/stories/rebel-voice-inside-the-fly-zine-archive-a-chronicle-of-punk-queer-and-diy-counterculture</a>. <br /><br />Thursday night, I also had Wyrdsmiths, my writers group, which is still meeting via Zoom. We caught up with a member that has been on hiatus for some time, so that was very pleasant. <br /><br />The weekend was a lot of car stuff--Shawn wanted to take the new-to-us car to get the special cleaning treatment at a Mr. Car Wash--and we put on the new license plates, etc., etc. We also had a movie night, where we re-watched Dr. Strange, and ate too much popcorn. On Sunday, yesterday, we spontaneously took another trip to Fort Snelling State Park. <br /><br />Even though I had walked Pike Island before, I had never officially logged my miles for the Minnesota Hiking Club, so we did the whole thing, collected the password and... saw this amazing white pelican preening itself on the backs of the Minnesota River.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/135177.jpg" alt="A white pelican preening itself on the banks of the Minnesota River." width="350" height="506" /><br /><br />This week, my plans include prepping for Wednesday class, and hopefully not too much else. It would be nice to have more time to write this week, as I'm starting to feel a bit behind. <br type="_moz" /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=589696" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:589519Saturday Strolls and More...2021-09-27T18:26:41Z2021-09-27T18:26:41Zpublic8 <img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/134879.jpg" alt="The view of Minnesota Lock and Dam #1 (Mississippi River) from the Minnehaha Dog Park." width="500" height="375" /><br />Image: The view of Minnesota Lock and Dam #1 (Mississippi River) from the Minnehaha Dog Park.<br /><br />I went walking with some friends of mine early Saturday morning at the Minnehaha Dog Park. Not having a dog myself, I had only ever been there as a visitor once or twice before. It's actually quite lovely, if you are cool with random doggos bounding up to you on occasion to check you out (which I more than am.) <br /><br />The sky-blue asters were blooming.<br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/134518.jpg" alt="A flower growing on the banks of the Mississippi that I initially thought was a fleasbane, but is actually called sky-blue aster." width="350" height="263" /><br />Image: A flower growing on the banks of the Mississippi that I initially thought was called fleabane, but is actually "sky-blue aster."<br /><br />To be fair to me, fleabane is in the aster family, and t's kind of a shame that these aren't fleabane, because fleabane does <a href="https://www.bbg.org/news/weed_of_the_month_fleabane">(to some varying degree of efficacy</a>, which is to say <em>almost</em> none) repel fleas. Obviously, whether or not it actually works, fleabane seems like the perfect flower/weed to encourage in a dog park, doesn't it? But, these, I'm fairly certain, are actually sky-blue asters, so there you go. They were everywhere along the sandy banks of the Mississippi. One of the few natives in bloom in the dog park. <br /><br />Anyway, it was a lovely walk followed by donuts and coffee shared with new friends, whom Shawn and I met at a backyard concert held by the neighbors-across-the-street. Shawn declined to go on the hike with us, being far more "indoorsy.". She stayed home and finished up a few rugs on the loom. <br /><br />But, Shawn and I went for our own neighborhood stroll on Sunday. During the height of the heavy lockdown part of the pandemic, Shawn and I used to go on neighborhood walks in St. Paul regularly. I started photographing some of the cool architectural details / nifty houses that I came across, and I posted them on Facebook. I did the same on Sunday, which you can feel free to check out, if we are Facebook friends, otherwise I will simply share this one very TERRIFYING bit of sidewalk poetry that we came across. <br /><br /><div>"She was steward</div><div>of the smallest things: pair of dead bees in the windowsill</div><div>Santa ring, cluster of elm seeds in their felted cells."<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/135059.jpg" alt="sidewalk poem" width="400" height="300" /><br /><br />Shawn and I read this together silently and then I turned to Shawn and said, "IS SHE SATAN?? MAYBE A SERIAL KILLER??"<br /><br />The weekend was otherwise quite lovely. I was stepping into a NPC role in my monthly RPG for a single session, so I spent an inordinate amount of time reviewing that character's interactions in the session logs so that I could do him justice. It was really valuable for a number of reasons, not the least of which I was reminded of "the story so far" much further back than I normally re-read since I wanted to follow him since his introduction. I can't speak for my fellow players, but I had an especially good time. It was kind of fun/illuminating to step into his point of view on all sorts of levels. <br /><br />We also got a chance to catch up with Mason on Saturday night for a brief Zoom call. He seems to be doing very well--getting involved in various clubs like the sustainable farm (run by a bunch of anarchists, apparently, who make every decision by consensus) and the Labor Socialists. So, you know, seeping in that bastion of left-wing politics, as required. :-) He's made several new friends, so I'm very proud of my extroverted introvert. Mason is the kind of introvert who isn't shy, per se, he just gets DONE with people after a certain amount of time and prefers to have is quiet time when he needs it by himself. He recharges alone, reading, etc. But, if pushed he can do public speaking, friend-making etc. He told us that his strategy was to find a very extrovert friend who collected people and then he could hang out with all of the extrovert's friends and they would at least have her in common. Clever boy!<br /><br />He also got a work study job in Wesleyan's library doing archival processing of government records, which is only funny because I have been an archival processor when I worked at the Minnesota Historical Society, and, of course, his mom/Shawn is the State Archivist of Minnesota who deals exclusively with government records. So, he knew all the lingo going in. <br /><br />So, that was gratifying to hear. He seems at least to be flapping furiously post being kicked out the nest and that is the very best one can hope for as a parent, IMHO.<br /><br />The only other big news to report is that I've scheduled my COVID vaccine booster for next Monday. Once again, I must thank my fat ass for saving my ass. I would not qualify if the doctors didn't consider me obese. </div><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=589519" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:583216Random Hike #1: Cannon Valley Trail2021-07-29T23:26:19Z2021-07-29T23:26:46Zpublic7<img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/129936.jpg" alt="60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Minneapolis/St. Paul" width="350" height="467" /><br /><br /><br /> I was feeling restless today, so I stuck my finger down on a random page in a new hiking book that Shawn bought me, <em>60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Minneapolis/St. Paul. </em>The hike that fate picked for me was the Cannon Valley Trail. I decided to not even really read up on it, but just go. So, I plugged the name of it into my GPS and off I went. <br /><br />The drive down was really quite lovely. The Cannon Valley Trail is south of the Twin Cities and stretches between Cannon Falls and Red Wing. There is a halfway point, a way station at Welch, which is where the GPS figured I must have wanted to go. The GPS also thought there was a lot of construction and so I was wound around Hastings and down several county roads I'd never been to before. <br /><br />The way station at Welch had a lot of amenities, so far as I could tell, especially if you were on bicycle--which this trail was really designed for. <br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/128609.jpg" alt="A paved trail stretching out into the distance, It is surrounded on all sides by woodland." width="400" height="533" /><br />Image: A paved trail stretching out into the distance, It is surrounded on all sides by woodland. (Leaves are on the ground because of the severe drought conditions.)<br /><br />According to the hiking book, the trail was developed on a railroad bedway. On my walk, I passed on of the old rail mile markers for the old Chicago Great Western line (mile marker 83.). I was mostly alone on this stretch. Or, rather, my companions were only with me for a few seconds as they whizzed by on their bikes. I could tell that at least one biker was very confused why I was walking the trail as, after calling out hello and thanking me for having stepped off the path as soon as I heard his wheels behind me, he said, "Nice day for a... well, hike, I guess?" and I was like, "Yes?" <br /><br />So, it wasn't actually 100% congenial to the hiker.<br /><br />That being said, I did find a few things to enjoy on my random hike. I mean, I'd feel bad about having picked a dud, but I really did just decide to go with the first thing my finger landed on. The trail from Welch follows a stretch of Cannon River on which I could hear inner tubers having the time of their lives. I was a little regretful that I didn't pack a swimsuit. I might have considered renting a tube, myself.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/128888.jpg" alt="A view of Cannon River through the trees" width="400" height="533" /><br />Image: A view of Cannon River through the trees<br /><br />Otherwise, the trail was straight and long and flat. As I have mentioned before, I am not against hikes that take you nowhere, but I am much more satisfied with a "destination" hike. I like to get to some sight or other and then turn around. As it was, I kind of felt like I was just marching along. I did, at least, remember to stop and enjoy the flowers. There were several interesting flowers spotted on this hike. I've been noticing wild purple bergamot all over and I caught a nice picture of a bumblebee inspecting a stand of them on this trail.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/129695.jpg" alt="A bee clinging to the petals of a pinkish wild bergamont" width="350" height="467" /><br /> A bee clinging to the petals of a pinkish wild bergamot.<br /><br />I probably shouldn't have hiked at all today, however. The air-quality is the worst it has been in decades, thanks to the Canadian wildfires. I am kind of tempted to try this again tomorrow, as Shawn has to go into work. I also have a planned outing with some new friends to finally officially do the Pike Island Hike for the MN Hiking Club miles on Sunday.<br /><br />If you're wondering what's up with all this hiking, it's not an exercise thing, so much as me trying out an empty-nest hobby. Mason is gone this week, visiting his best friend who lives in St. Louis, and so we have a small taste of what it's going to be like once he's gone and out of the house. Since I got so into hiking when we were up at Bearskin, I started wondering if I could do the Superior Hiking Trail some day, the way some people have an aspiration to do the Appalachian Trail. Shawn and I decided to aim for retirement. Her plan is to "glamp" (glamour camp) her way along the trail, either in an actual camper or at various hotels and lodges. She'll drop me off at the start of the day and pick me up at the end. I like this, because, even though it's probably considered cheating, I would much rather have access to a shower at the end of the day and, at my age, someone to check in and make sure I'm ALIVE. <br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/129283.jpg" alt="Another native wild flower, the grey-headed coneflower on the trail." width="350" height="467" /><br />Image: Another native wild flower, the grey-headed coneflower on the trail.<br /><br />So, that's the plan for empty-nesting. At least so far. <br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=583216" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:582860Second Passport Stamp!2021-07-21T00:18:37Z2021-07-21T00:18:37Zpublic5 <img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/123139.jpg" alt="My second stamp in my passport club booklet" width="400" height="533" /><br />Image: My second stamp in my passport club booklet<br /><br />When Mason was still very sleepy, but awake I asked him how he felt about a road trip today. He said, in a very Mason way: "I would not mind that." And, so one espresso drink later we were on our way to Taylor's Falls and Interstate State Park. The weather has been kind of gross here, if I'm honest? And our car's air-conditioning has stopped fully functioning, so it was a HOT hour to the State Park. However, I stopped in at the ranger station and got myself my second passport stamp. Whoo! Only 73 more left to go!<br /><br />I had to laugh, however, when we found the trail head:<br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/123134.jpg" alt="Ah, my old enemy... STAIRS." width="350" height="467" /><br />Image: Ah, my old enemy... STAIRS!<br /><br />There were, in point of fact, a lot of stairs on this hike. Many of them were actually wooden. There were several boardwalks and bridges built-in along the trail, too, which I found quite lovely. A number of the scenic overlooks also had fully built-up decks with park benches. That part was quite lovely, as the terrain was very reminiscent of Magnetic Rock.... lots of rock and uneven ups and downs.<br /><br />The views were quite lovely, however.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/124413.jpg" alt="The view from one of the many overlooks on the official Minnesota Hiking Club trail at Interstate State Park" width="350" /><br />Image: The view from one of the many overlooks on the official Minnesota Hiking Club trail at Interstate State Park.<br /><br />For my non-local friends, Minnesota is under a heavy haze thanks to the wildfire just above us in Canada that is threatening the boundary waters as WELL as the Bootleg fire in Oregon (at least I'd be surprised if we're not, given the size of that fire.) The view, despite the fire haze, was fairly spectacular. We are also in a drought, so the trail was dusty and, in places, a bit dreary. There's one long section (maybe 800 feet) where we walked directly alongside the highway.<br /><br />In fact, I was rather surprised how much highway noise we could hear during the entire hike. <br /><br />I would say I was disappointed, but that wasn't at all true. Once we made it to the campground area, we were able to get closer to the river. We found a way down to the shoreline and did a bit of exploring. <br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/123715.jpg" alt="Our big little Last Child in the Woods in the woods, looking for signs of life in the water (specifically crawdads.)" width="350" height="467" /><br />Image: Our big little Last Child in the Woods in the woods, looking for signs of life in the water (specifically crawdads.)<br /><br />Mason never found crawdads, but he did spot an adorable baby turtle just in the water-side of the shoreline, which we watch scoot around for awhile. He also surprised a chipmunk on the trail. I didn't get to see her, but he did. The riverbank was lovely, honestly. I stuck my hot feet in the water and we sat for a long time on the sand in the shade and watched a couple of raptors circling overhead.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/123961.jpg" alt="Minnesota Native wildflower, the Tall Bellflower, growing along the banks of the St. Croix." width="350" height="467" /><br />Image: Minnesota Native wildflower, the Tall Bellflower, growing along the banks of the St. Croix.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/123515.jpg" alt="The Saint Croix from its banks." width="350" height="467" /><br />Image: The Saint Croix from its banks.<br /><br />I was able to log my miles on the official Minnesota Hiking Club booklet, and I got my passport stamp (and I wrote in the TRAVEL LOG!!) So, I would say that despite the sweaty heat, this was well worth it. If you are wondering why there are no pictures of the potholes, it's because this was our second trip to this state park and we already had seen all the funky cool geological features. (See: <a href="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/507598.html">Our Road Trip to Michigan</a>. If you follow this link to my previous DW entry, you will also get the Concrete Park of Wisconsin, which is... terrifying, but also awesome?)<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=582860" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:582501Coffee Day and Funerals2021-07-20T14:54:43Z2021-07-20T16:19:08Zpublic8 Tuesday is a coffee day, so I am coming to you fully espresso'd. Wooo.<br /><br />One of the reasons we chose Tuesday is because when Mason was much younger and we were all doing that thing where we pile into the car every morning at some ungodly hour, drop Shawn off at work, and then take Mason to school, we decided that Tuesdays are actually stealth Mondays, and sometimes worse because you're kind of expecting Mondays to suck? To mitigate the surprise suckage of Tuesdays, we started stopping for bagels on Tuesday morning. Of course, ironically, this often made Tuesday even more frantic, because we'd have to get up even earlier to accommodate this stop (important point of information, Mason's school had a start time of 7:20 AM.) Despite this hassle, we doggedly continued the tradition and do so even now that school is over. I suspect Shawn and I will keep this up long after Mason is gone off to college.<br /><br />Today has been posited as a road trip day. Mason is not yet awake, but when he gets up, we'll decide if he's still up for it. In the meantime, I have made a list of state parks (and other attractions) within two hours of home (St. Paul, MN.) We could go further, since Shawn is home and so the only restrictions on our time is park closing time, but I have no idea if what Mason wants is the time on the road or the destination. We'll see. If we go, I'll either post a second journal tonight with pictures or tomorrow.<br /><br />Tomorrow is going to be busy because I have a critique client that I had to reschedule at 1:45 pm and a funeral at 3 pm over at the band shelter at Lake Harriet. I really wish I still lived on Girard. I could have walked! But, as it is, I'll have to zip across town and then try to find parking. <br /><br />There have been a lot of funerals lately. Oddly, neither this one, nor the previous one (Saturday) were COVID related. Cancer took both of my friends--one of whom was only a year older than me. (FUCK CANCER.) <span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">( </b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/582501.html#cutid1">Read more... CW: death and funerals</a></b><b class="cut-close"> )</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div><br /><br />My friend had a giveaway table and I was instantly drawn to the postcards. As many of you know, I've been sending out postcards during the pandemic, including having started to reconnect with this friend through letters and such. That felt exactly right. So, I brought them home.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/122836.jpg" alt="Jane's postcards--an array of all sorts of colorful postcards" width="400" height="300" /><br />Image: An array of all sorts of colorful postcards.<br /><br />I suppose all this is rather morbid? I blame being a Scorpio for my inability to be circumspect about death and dying. I have placed all the talk about the funeral under a cut, probably unnecessarily? But, because I have no idea, I'd rather err on the side of caution. <br /><br />ANYWAY.<br /><br />I may poke Mason to see if he's up for a hike or not today. At least it doesn't feel like it should be too hot. <br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=582501" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2014-08-20:2305705:581555Hiking and Passport Clubs for MN State Parks2021-07-09T14:08:38Z2021-07-10T13:10:00Zpublic9 I am officially a State Park nerd.<br /><br />I have joined both the passport club and the hiking club. Why, you ask? Why not! The cost of both of them was about thirty bucks, so, say, fifteen each. (About twenty-five Euros, total.) It's not nothing? But, it's also not too much.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/121759.jpg" alt="Club items, include: A fancy pencil case embossed with the State Park Passport Logo, a travel log (!), a passport booklet. There is also a hiking book with a picture of white people wandering into the woods." width="400" height="300" /><br />Image: Club items, include: A fancy pencil case embossed with the State Park Passport Logo, a travel log (!), a passport booklet. There is also a hiking book with a picture of affluent white people wandering into the woods.<br /><br />So, what are these clubs? Well, so the Passport Club exists to get people to try every single state park in Minnesota. Sort of like Pokemon, only for state parks: You gotta catch 'em all! Minnesota has at least 75 state parks and so, inside the little passport booklet there is space for over 75 stamps. Apparently, if you fill out the entire book, you can get a plaque with your name on it that can either hang in a state park office OR on your wall at home. I find this part kind of hilarious. I do not need a plaque, because I am <strong>all in</strong> on the travel log. The travel log is kind of a pre-made bullet journal. There is a pre-printed table of contents, so that as you fill it out, you can mark which page has which park's entry. There's space for each park to have a full-page entry of your notes on your experience. I LOVE THIS CRAP. I like filing things out! I'm not even kidding. As a kid, I used to make up forms for me to fill out and then I would fill them out!! And, yeah, okay, I hear what you're saying: I could basically have made my own bullet journal out of the five-hundred and fifty-seven empty journals I have lying around, but this one is OFFICIAL.<br /><br />The hiking club is a bit different, but also gamifies/rewards specific state park activities. With the passport, the idea is to see as many state parks as you can, with the hiking club, the idea is to walk as many of the trails as possible. You get rewards at mile markers, IF you hike the very specific trails they want you to take. They know if you've done it, because on each of these designated trails, there's a hidden password! Which, I mean, is kind of fun, just in and of itself?? This one may be less successful for me, because I just like to go where I want to go? But, if you fill out your miles, you can get patches (like to sew onto a jacket, I guess??) that show off how many miles you have hiked. You get your first one at 25 miles (40 kilometers.) <br /><br />Like yesterday, I walked around Fort Snelling State Park again. This time, I followed a trail that led me around Snelling Lake. It was a 2 mile (3,2 km) hike and none of those miles count for the hiking club because this was not a designated trail.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/121881.jpg" alt="A lake full of lily pads" width="450" height="338" /><br />Image: A lake full of lily pads. This is near a boat landing. Most of the lake is quite clear.<br /><br />Several times I saw families of some kind of duck. MANY BABIES zipping along behind a parent in a little, adorable line. I probably should have taken the time to dig out the binoculars out from my backpack because I just know they weren't the typical mallards. They were smaller and definitely had rounder, possibly "hooded" heads. Were they wood ducks? Something else? I don't know because I was too excited to see all the little ducklings! One parent was in charge of eight little ones. But, I also saw pairs, with babies between them... and a completely different kind of duck when I was over closer to the Minnesota River.<br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/122213.jpg" alt="A wide, slow river. No ducklings in this picture because I am not that good a photographer" width="350" height="467" /><br />Image: A wide, slow river. No ducklings in this picture because I am not that good a photographer.<br /><br />But, right here is the reason I suspect that I'm going to be much worse at the hiking club goals than I am the passport's--although already I am repeating state parks, which I guess is not the point of the passport club either. But, the official hike for the club is the Pike Island hike, which I did part of already and so I was like, 'meh." I suspect I will fail to do either of these clubs properly, but I really don't care. I love the little log book! Did I mention the log book? <br /><br /><img src="https://lydamorehouse.dreamwidth.org/file/122398.jpg" alt="A purple coneflower growing in the Fort Snelling State Park" width="400" height="533" /><br />Image: A purple coneflower growing in the Fort Snelling State Park<br /><br type="_moz" /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=lydamorehouse&ditemid=581555" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> comments