Bat Count

Today was warm and windy so I decided to wait until 8:30 p.m. to bike Blunder around the block to do her business. The sun had set but there was still light in the sky. I was able to count the bats as I biked, starting west. Block 1 I counted 25 bat sightings. Block 2 I saw none. Block 3 I counted 7. Block 4 I counted 12. Blocks 2 and 4 are shorter than 1 and 3 but there are an inordinate amount of bats on block 1. The trees are closer together on blocks 1 and 4 and I suspect the bats congregate there because there is more food on the blocks where the trees are so close their crowns almost touch. The DNR website says the little brown myotis is our most common species of bat. In the winter they hibernate in caves and mines. I don't know of any caves or mines around here. In the summer they roost in caves, mines, hollow trees and building. I know of some hollow trees in our neighborhood but I am really curious where these bats live. Mostly I want to keep them from staying in my house!

A Wild (life) Day

Today was a wildlife day for me. I was reading the paper this morning on the deck while enjoying my breakfast when a ruby-throated hummingbird flew by to sample the nectar from the zinnia plants. After lunch I rode my motorcycle up to the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. I drove the wildlife drive loop - a 7.5 mile gravel road. This is a truly wondrous spot. All around you, as far as you can see, is nature. Beside the road you are on, there are no signs of human interference: no cell phone towers, no electric lines, no houses, no poles, just nature. Big bluestem grasses were waving and trying to reach me as I putted along. Gravel is a little tricky to ride on so I kept it slow - about 12 mpg. The limit there is 20 mph. No one was ahead of me and no one behind me. I lifted up the face guard on my helmet so I could smell in the fresh air. Goldenrod is blooming - that explains my itchy, watery eyes. I saw the huge eagle nest and it looked even bigger than I remembered from before. I saw some ducks and hawks. Riding on a motorcycle is much different than riding through here in a car. In a car I would pull out my binoculars and bird field guide. I do recognize the cormorants though - their silhouette on a dead tree beside a pond was easy for me to distinguish. I had stopped to admire the cormorants. While I had the helmet off, I called a sibling who lives nearby to see if I could visit but, alas, no answer. The milkweed pods were bright green and I knew that if I stopped to open them, the seeds would have white, silky, feathers on them. Everything is so beautiful out there. On a motorcycle, you can get closer to nature. I got so close, in fact, a grasshopper landed on my nose. My face guard was up and this determined little grasshopper grabbed on tight to my little, pug nose. I shook my head like a dog to get it off but it clung tight with it's legs. Looks like they only have 6 legs but it felt like more than that. Grasshoppers have raspy, horny little feet and they dig in to stay where they want to stay. I had to stop the motorcycle and push it off my nose with my hand. Grasshoppers can be overwhelming. Once, when Offspring #1 was about 4 years old, I was walking through a wheat field with him and his cousin and the grasshoppers overwhelmed me. I can take so many hanging on my body at one time before I lose it. On this occasion, too many grasshoppers clung to me causing a sensory overload. Several got underneath my billowy blouse and were hanging on to my stomach and back with their horny little feet. I lost it. Despite the fact I was chaperoning two impressionable four year olds, I whipped off my shirt and used it like a cow uses her tail yelling all the while. This was not a pretty sight. After finishing the wildlife loop, I headed back home on county road 8 or county road 4. Different counties call the same road by different numbers. I veered off to go through downtown St. Francis on Ambassador Boulevard. I drove past the screw factory. I don't know why but I find it funny that there is a screw factory in the town next to mine. Screws have to be made somewhere I guess. When I got home I was on my deck again. I had gotten the mail and my Conservation magazine had come. I hope you all are able to read the Conservation magazine. This issue was especially good and I read it cover to cover in one sitting. While I read, the hummingbird came back to sample more nectar from the zinnias one at a time-yellow, yellow, pink, yellow, orange, yellow and yellow.

Free at last. Free at last.

I moved Offspring #2 back to St. Olaf's last night. One columnist called the school Hogwarts for Lutherans. I can see the resemblance. We managed to fit everything in one load and I could still see out the mirrors. My back is aching today but I have the house to myself again so it's all good.

This year she's not living in a dorm. She living in an honor house. It's actually an old farmhouse on the edge of campus. There are 4 bedrooms upstairs, one on the main level, and one on the lower level. The staircase has a carved newel post and a railing one could slide down. The floors are wood and haven't seen varnish in a LONG time. The electrical system is old. The sockets have only two holes. She'll have to buy an adapter. And the light switches are those old kind with two buttons. You push one button in to turn on the light and the other button slides out automatically.

I haven't seen those light switches since I lived in a house on Pleasant Lake outside of St. Cloud when I went to college. Her room is very small but she has it to herself. The eastern exposure is sure to get her up and moving in the morning.

Several Orange Cars

Watcher or Watchee?

This morning I did my routine as usual. By 6:20 I'm sitting at the kitchen table reading the funnies and downing my handful of old lady pills as usual. I have a handful - fiber, vitamins, iron, calcium, fish oil, glucosamine/chondrontin, claritan for allergies, baby aspirin, blah blah blah, yeah, I'm an old lady. Out of the corner of my eye I see a hummingbird at the deck door - hovering with beak pressed close to the glass in the upper right hand corner. The hummer hovers there for 15 seconds or more before gliding to the upper left hand corner for another 15 seconds. I watch in awe at the seemingly effortless flight. The hummer heads diagonally down and hovers at the door handle for a full 30 seconds. I watch the hummer and the hummer looks inside the house at me. Maybe the hummer enjoys watching domesticated life as much as I enjoy watching wild life. What a great way to start the day!

Reduced My Carbon Footprint Today

Today, for the first time, I rode my motorcycle to work. I didn't think I'd have the courage to do that for a long time but I made a trial run on Sunday and all went well.

What were the best parts? This morning, there was a thick white mist on the road near the creek and my bike and I cut right through the mist, disturbing it into swirls. On the way home, I stopped for a red light on the corner of 109th and Jefferson (Blaine). Two boys came to the fence at the day care there, put their fingers through the fence, and stared at me. I stared at them. I waved. They waved back. They watched me as I waited for the light to turn green and take off. Two future cyclists? I think so. When I stopped for gas in Ramsey and cut the engine, a huge backfire happened just as I hit the kill switch. I'm not sure it was my vehicle but it sure was a satisfying backfire.

What were the worst parts? I was cold this morning! I had gloves on but my legs and neck were freezing. My full face helmet fogged up at red lights. I ended up lifting the face guard while the light was red and slamming it back down when the light turned green. Later I coughed inside my helmet. That was strange. This made me wonder, what would it be like to sneeze with it on?

Overall, it was a great day. I had fun showing my bike to my friends at work. One asked if he could watch me leave, if I wasn't too uncomfortable. I didn't care. Tomorrow should be nice as well but I have a work out session to attend on the way home and I don't think I want the bother of hauling my work out clothes.

Fair Food

Food I might have had: Elvis sandwich, grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich (too far away at lunch time), corn on the cob (again too far away).

Food I didn't want to have: foot long hot dogs (saw two people eating these loaded with raw onions at 8:45 a.m. and it made my stomach turn), turkey leg, fried cheese curds, french fries, fried fruit on a stick (why fry fruit? Fruit is good just plain), hand-dipped caramel apple (sister says she prefers machine dipped?), deep fried twinkie on a stick, deep fried candy bar on a stick, teriyaki ostrich on a stick, and spam fries.

Food I did have: Falafal on a stick. Falafal, in case you don't know are deep fried balls of mushed garbanzo beans. I also had deep fried pickle (turned out to be slices of pickles breaded and deep fried and served with ranch sauce - surprisingly tasty but what isn't good when deep fried?) and a nut roll. On our way out, we stopped to see the largest boar (always a highlight on the fair). Passing by the swine barn we stepped gingerly over some crap in the road. My sister is a crapologist. She knows her crap. She says, "Sheep, possibly goat crap." She has taught crap. She bought artificial crap for her 4H groups so they can identify wildlife by their droppings. So I am carefully looking down, making my way down the street to the swine barn and I notice a resemblance. The crap is round, brown, with a yellowish color inside-it looks like a miniature version of my falafal!!!! So glad we ate before seeing the largest boar.

Oppossum

Today I had the opportunity to volunteer in the DNR building at the State Fair. I was assigned to a position in the wildlife annex, next to the opossum. I was there from 9 a.m. until noon, answering questions and joking with the viewers. I got to watch people's faces as they found the opossum on the wall close to me. Reactions vary to the opossum. Among other verbal reactions, I heard: awesome! Ewwwww! Suh-weet! Looks like a rat! Adorable! U-u-ugly! One thing that surprised me was I saw little kids, 4 or 5 years old, tell their parent, "Look, possum!" I was surprised such little people knew the name of this animal. I had some adults, middle aged adults, ask me what the heck that animal is. One guy thought it was a sloth. I saw a couple little kids point and name such things as red fox, garter snake, woodpecker, and mourning dove. Such short little naturalists they are - their parents have raised them well. One fellow stopped by to tell me how global warming has moved possum up to Minnesota when they never used to go north of Missouri. Hours later another fellow gave me a lecture on how it's not global warming that caused the possum to migrate north. He said possum have moved north because of their territorial natures and the fact no one shoots them anymore with the anti-gun sentiment and all. I had a great morning in the DNR building. Volunteering there gave me a great outlet to people watch and mix with the public. Many people told me it was a great building so I said "Thank you," (as if I had anything to do with it). I think it's a great building too. Before and after my shift I had to go to the employee section to get my blue vest and maps. I was able to peek behind the scenes. I saw into the fish tanks from behind. My biggest thrill was seeing Smokey the Bear's outfit. His feet and head were on a desk and his body draped over a chair. For years I have wanted to dress up in costume such as Smokey the Bear. I was tempted to try Smokey on for size but knew I shouldn't.

Rethinking Some Decisions

Years ago I had the option of buying my electricity from wind power. I chose not to. I like wind power but I didn't want to pay more money, month after month. I thought I could help the environment in other ways than paying the energy company. Today, I am rethinking that decision. According to an article in the Star Tribune, in July of 2008, I would have SAVED money for my energy if I had purchased it from wind power. As gas prices go up, the energy company charges us a surcharge to make up the difference. In July, wind energy was 3.5 cents per kilowatt hour and natural gas energy was 3.6 cents per kilowatt. This is the first time wind energy has been cheaper and, with the price of a barrel of oil going down, it may be a long time before this happens again. It makes sense that wind energy would be cheaper but I am still amazed. This week I am rereading one of my favorite books, "Small Wonders" by Barbara Kingsolver. Kingsolver is one of my top five favorite authors. Her series of essays in "Small Wonders" talks about genetically modified seeds, eating locally, poverty, war, sustainability, and Charles Darwin. Because of my experiences this year in traveling to Africa and seeing the Masai Mara Park plus taking the nature classes, I am getting a whole new understanding of these topics. I wish I could write like Barbara Kingsolver. She talks about doing dishes and seeing a hummingbird build a nest from start to finish. I almost felt like I was looking out that window with her. She writes about the ecological wonder of the San Pedro river in southern Arizona and I want to go there. She describes a wilderness on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and I am ready to make travel plans. I am sure that it helps that she is a tree hugger like me and I agree with her views but the way she uses words is sublime. I feel like I'm taking in calories when I read her words - she's that good.

I Earned My Salt Today

Man, I worked hard today. I had a meeting at 8 about employee benefits. I had to leave that meeting early to go to an 8:30 meeting. The 8:30 meeting went until 9:55. At 10 I had another meeting and that one lasted until 11. I drew that meeting to a close because I had another meeting at 11. The 11 o'clock meeting went until 12:10. My next meeting started at 1 but it was a 15 minute drive away plus I had to pick up a client along the way. On top of that, the paperwork I needed to bring wasn't copied yet so I had to make 5 copies of 3 documents, collate and staple. I had about 10 minutes for lunch and I was ever so grateful because without lunch, I'm not pretty to work with. On the way to the meeting we had to take a detour because of construction on Coon Rapids Boulevard. I was driving down Hanson with my client and saw a train ahead. "Oh, rats," I said, "A train is crossing and we'll be late." The train crosses. "Oh, yeah!" I said, "The train is only three cars long. We'll be on time. Isn't it funny how fast my emotions can turn on a dime?" She laughed. She's a good sport to laugh at my corny jokes. I got back to my office about 2:45. Who ever schedules these meetings ought to be reprimanded! Actually, I am the one who schedules the meetings. But I don't plan them like this. Days like this happen because meetings get postponed for one reason or another and then I try to squeeze around every one else's schedule. Today was a tough day but tomorrow I only have 2 meetings and I'll be able to come closer to catching up on things. Whewwwww!

Power Point Anxiety

Have you ever used Power Point for a presentation? I think Power Point is great. When I first learned about this program I was excited as a second grader with my first box of 64 Crayolas with a sharpener in the back of the box. You can easily make a series of slides with cool graphics and even videos. You can move from slide to slide in many cool transitions. For years I've made a staff training presentation on the Vulnerable Adults Act using power point. I've made it into a game, jeopardy style. People love it. My first round has 5 questions for all 5 categories in money amounts ranging from $100 to $500. My second round ranges from $1000 to $5000. No one gets any real money but, despite the fact I work with people in human services, they get VERY competitive. I've done this game every year for the past 15 years or so. The first five years I did it the old fashioned way with paper on a board. Power point is WAY easier. But this year, for some reason, I had extra anxiety about my inservice. I've never had any major trouble with the power point. The problems I did have were solved before the people arrived. So why the extra anxiety? I thought about it and I think I know why. When I was taking some nature classes last winter, our instructor had a horrible time with his power point presentations. Every week he struggled and as time went on, his problems worsened. He really tried hard to get it to work. He consulted all the tech experts to no avail. Some of the problem was a faulty wire in a plug in. He handled these problems with more grace than I would have but I still had to feel sorry for the guy. I think that is why I had more anxiety this year. I've seen how it is when Power Point goes wrong. The first of my five presentations was today and Power Point worked like a charm for me so I'm sure the rest will too.

Scared Something Right Out Of Me

I had a good morning this morning. Things were going along well. I was a little sleepy but doing fine. I stopped working after a couple hours to use the facilities. I had some paperwork in my hands so I set it on the edge of the paper towel waste container to free my hands to do what needed to be done. I unzipped and was seated. Things were just starting to flow when KABOOM! CRASH! BANG! Echo Echo The stainless steel waste container, normally attached to the wall, came crashing down loudly on the hard tile floor. Good thing I was in the position I was in because it scared the P*** right out of me. Immediately I thought someone would unlock the door to check out what caused such a loud noise. I was sure the door would unlock any second and some concerned person (hopefully female) would see me on the throne. But no one came. I finished my business, washed up, picked up my papers, put all the waste back in the stainless steel container and set it upright. I gingerly unlocked the door fully expecting to see a ring of concerned faces. No one was there! Maybe the sound was louder in my confined space than it was outside of the bathroom. In any case I was glad no one noticed and walked in on me.

Snapdragons

http://www.thisgardenisillegal.com/flower-quiz

I'm glad to be a snapdragon. I've always liked snapdragons. When I was a kid I lived across the street from an open field. In the fall, the owner of the field and some men friends would torch the field and slowly burn it from east to west. We played in the empty field. I enjoyed the wild yellow snapdragons that grew there. I would pinch the little snapdragon cheeks to make the mouths open. I don't know the evolutionary purpose of a flower design that would open when squeezed from the sides at exactly the right place but it sure was entertaining to me as a child. I still squeeze snapdragons to make their mouths open. I planted some pink and yellow snapdragons at the bottom of my deck steps and yes, I've been pinching them. Take the quiz to see what flower you are.

50 is the new 35

I put some miles on the motorcycle this weekend (maybe 60?). Saturday I drove around in Ramsey, through Nowthen, through St. Francis, and home again. I'm finding it easier to go faster than I did in the beginning. Having mirrors helps a lot. After waiting 3 weeks, my mirrors finally arrived. So now I can see where I have been and I can see the traffic behind me. Today I drove around in Ramsey again, through Elk River intending to take the back roads up to Monticello. Turns out that road is closed so I turned around, went through Elk River again, crossed the bridge into Otsego and went to Monticello on the other side of the river. That was a beautiful trip. I am now able to go 50 mph whereas before over 35 was frightening. I even made it up to 53 once. I stopped at the Target Store in Elk River to pick up a few things intending to put them in my pockets for the ride home. The pockets on my jacket look a lot larger than their capacity. I saw my sister at Target. That was great to catch up unexpectedly like that. One cool thing about motorcycle riding is that the riders wave at each other by extending their left hand below the handle. What other group of motorists do that? Do semi drivers wave at each other? School bus drivers? Honda owners? Dump truck drivers? I think not. I do believe law enforcement might nod as they pass. I'm big into waving. Just ask my sister - I drive her nuts with my waving. We were eating lunch sitting on a rock on the St. Croix river last week when the paddleboat went by. What did I do? Yes, I waved. 8 people on deck waved back. My sister was mortified. She didn't want all those people to watch her eat her sandwich. She reminded me that once, a couple years ago, I waved at a low flying float plane. I didn't remember doing that. She said I waved my canoe paddle at it. Much as I am into waving and as much as I'd like to wave back, I'm too terrified to take my left hand off the handle of the motorcycle yet. By the end of the trip, I was comfortable enough to raise 2 or 3 fingers up off the handlebar. That is as much wave this motorcycle rookie can give.

State Fair Countdown

The State Fair (major harbinger of the end of summer) starts this week. I'll be at the DNR building on Saturday, Aug. 23 from 9 a.m. to noon answering questions. Stop by and visit if you are there.

Dairy Queen

Can you believe it's the middle of August already? Where did the summer go? I still have summer stuff to do - like go to DQ. When I was a kid, I was totally guilty of talking Dad into stopping. He wasn't one to give into begging except for DQ so he must have wanted some too. As we drove through town, I knew if we even had a chance of getting him to stop. If he avoided Lexington Avenue on the way home, there was no hope. If he went down Lexington Avenue, we had a chance if we asked repeatedly. And, oh, how good it felt when the car turned right into the parking lot. What fun it was to wait in line at the window. With so many people in the car, we always got the cardboard box with six holes to carry the cones. Good times, good times. Look at the above picture to the left. What is that black shape in the left foreground? Is that a panther waiting to pounce? The people in line don't look very concerned. It could be a big black dog but it's too bulky and the head has pointed ears like a cat and it looks like it might be wearing a pink collar.

Tradition - St. Croix Valley Canoe Trip

Almost every year for the past 15 years or so, we've canoed down the St. Croix River in the summer. We start at the state park in Taylor's Falls and stop either in Osceola (2-3 hour trip) or at William O'Brien state park (6-8 hour trip). This year we had 4 people: myself, offspring #2, sister and nephew. Some years we've had as many as 10 or 12. Tradition (a big thing with the younger crowd) dictates we MUST stop at a certain rocky spot to have lunch. Wouldn't it be a lot easier to stop at a sandy beach? Ooooh, nooooo, it must be the same spot. The older I get the more difficult it is to get in and out of a canoe, especially when it is balanced on a rock! But I did fine. All my facial grimacing and nervous humming helps balance the canoe. This year the water was low. A sand bar, some years covered totally over with water, appeared to rise 3 feet from the water level. Some spots we could push our paddles against the sand to propel ourselves. One year, many years ago (early 1990's?), when the water was high, we decided to let Offspring #1 and his cousin ride behind us in a rubber raft tied to a canoe. Even though the water was high and the current was fast, that rubber raft acted like an anchor. It took us FOREVER to get down river and our arms were aching with the effort. We finally got the boys into the canoe and pulled the raft empty and we could not believe how much easier it was to move forward. I thought it would be a good idea to try floating behind the canoe, clinging to the rope. I had a life vest on and it was remarkably relaxing to swim along behind the canoe. But the water was fast and suddenly the canoe got pulled into a backwater spot off the main river. The canoe turned sharp and I, swimming along like a kite on a string, went long and straight into and over a half submerged tree. That tree and I became intimate, let me tell you. I got goosed like I've never been goosed before (or since). After that I was back in the canoe for the rest of the trip. Another year, (early 2000's?), when the water level was high, we saw a side channel and decided to take our 3 canoes down that. This side channel branched off toward the Wisconsin side after our lunch spot. Before we got around the first bend of the side channel, we had to lie flat in our canoes to get under a fallen tree. We ended up on a 1 1/2 hour side trip where we had to portage and pull our canoes over the sand about 10 times. We were so glad to see the main river again. But it was an adventure we still speak of fondly. This trip was a good one too. I heard about a deal on canoe rentals through KLBB radio in Stillwater. We ended going to the radio station on Main Street to pay for our discount tickets. We found the little office upstairs in an old office building. They were on the air and we could see the radio personality broadcasting from the office. We got $13 off each canoe saving ourselves $26 plus we got 4 free tickets to the Renaissance Festival. All told we saved about $100 plus we got to see a radio station and visit with a very pleasant and generous radio station employee. On our canoe adventure we saw the usual hawks and bald eagles, herons and egrets. This time we saw a group of 5 turkey vultures sitting on the shore eating some kind of carcass. I thought they were immature eagles at first because they are so large but they weren't as wary as eagles. I was very impressed with them. I've been so lucky this year to see as many new species as birds as I have. 2008 has definitely been the year of birds for me. It was soon after the turkey vultures that my nephew, spotting a "V" shaped limb protruding a few inches out of the water, decided it would be a good idea to ram it with his canoe. I, grateful to be in the other canoe, watched as they sped ahead. Nephew was paddling full speed ahead and Offspring #2 was paddling like she wondered if this as a good idea. They hit that notch at a pretty good speed and Offspring #2 lifted up off her seat in the front of the canoe and nearly went over the end. Then they both looked at us with wide eyes. I said, "That was fun from my point of view. How was it for you?" Nephew said next year he'll go around it instead of trying to go over it.

Driving Cross Country

Although it was a two day drive there and a two day drive back, I really enjoyed my time on the road. My car works great. Going east through Chicago was the roughest part. The wind was blowing dust and sand. Then it started to rain forming mud on the windshield. The road had a detour. Due to construction we were on a tight two land road surrounded by concrete barriers. I'm grateful no one broke down because there was no room to pull off the road. Then it got windier and started raining harder forcing me to put the windshield wipers on double time. I still couldn't see the road signs and missed my turn. I figured it out eventually and got myself on track. The turnpike is great. Indiana flies by. Ohio is slower but Pennsylvania is very beautiful. Coming back I passed a sign marking the Appalachian trail. I followed the Erie Canal along I90. By the time I got back to Chicago the second time, I was tired of driving on cruise control using only my eyes and arms. I wanted some slower driving with open windows. So I drove through downtown Chicago in the middle of the morning. I don't recommend you take pictures while you drive but here is a photo of the Chicago traffic - not real bad. There was some stop and go traffic. I had an opportunity to open the windows, turn off the book on CD, and listen to some tunes. Chicago has MANY good rock and roll stations. I was rocking out to "Tainted Love" at a high volume and having a real good time through the town. After 45 minutes of city driving I was back on the interstate and soon in Wisconsin - the last state before home. Wisconsin can be a long drive but I poured some of my cooler of ice water into my traveling jug and chomped on ice all the way through the state. Ice chomping and the book, "Out Stealing Horses" helped pass the time and soon I was in St. Paul just in time for the afternoon rush hour. I had a good trip but maybe next time I'll fly out there.

Last Full Day in Connecticut

We decided to take it easy on my last day in Connecticut. I didn't want to spend too much time in the car knowing I had a couple 12 hour driving days ahead of me. So we hung out at Offspring #1's apartment. I wanted to see more of the ocean so we drove to the University of Connecticut campus and walked around the grounds next to the shore. They have their own lighthouse there and the grounds are very pretty. Unlike the colleges I attended, St. Cloud State University and the U of Minnesota, U Conn faces the water and appreciates the view. They have picnic tables near the shore and a brick walkway along the bluffs. We had lunch at a famous Groton landmark, Pasta Pete's. After lunch we visited a Revolutionary War Site, Fort Griswold. Benedict Arnold, a traitor to the American cause, was familiar with the fort and the area because he was born and raised one town away (Norwich). He drew the plans of the fort and gave them to the British. Arnold told the British ships how to avoid being fired upon while coming up the Thames River. Arnold was there when Captain Ledyard surrendered to the British and took the sword from Ledyard's hands and killed him. According to the plaque I read, the British massacred the rest of the men as well resulting in 80+ deaths. There is a

monument there dedicated to the men who gave up their lives after surrendering to the British. Much of the fort was underground and we were able to walk through a portion of it. The fort is at the top of a long hill facing the river. I learned much about war during this trip. There are some very definite ways that Connecticut differs from Minnesota. I saw more small businesses in Connecticut than I do in Minnesota. I saw one Home Depot and a couple Targets but I saw more Mom and Pop style stores selling hardware and clothing and pizza and lumber. The homes were older. I saw very few residential developments where all the houses are the same style and colors. And the lawns had grass with weeds in it and dry spots - not the single species, overwatered and over manicured lawns we have here. The roads were in better condition and they allow trees to grow closer to the side of the road than here. And the blue hydrangeas - oh, they were plentiful and awesome. Maybe it's the salty, sandy soil or the fresh ocean air but hydrangeas in Minnesota do not get as blue as the hydrangeas in Connecticut.

Cape Cod and Newport

Today Offspring #1 and I headed east to Cape Cod. He wasn't so excited about going there. "It's just a road crowded with Yuppies and beaches on both sides." Turns out he was right but we had fun anyway. We drove through Rhode Island. This was my first time in Rhode Island and this visit brings down the number of states I have not visited to 4 (North and South Carolina, Texas and New Mexico). We stopped at a Cape Cod Natural History Museum. I watched a museum worker feed brine shrimp to jellyfish. These were moon jellyfish and they were almost transparent. They seemed so harmless but Offspring #1 tells me their sting can be painful. He said seeing them in the water beside you after your canoe has capsized can strike panic. Hmmm, interesting story there. I learned that the cod on Cape Cod are becoming very scarce - less than 20% of their previous population. They had a small arboretum there with labelled plants. That is what I like - labelled plants and trees. It's my favorite way to learn about new plants. But this garden was overgrown and sometimes it was hard to tell which plant the labelled referred to. I do remember one plant though (see photo) called the twinleaf. "Good name for that plant," says I. "Better name would be a$$cheek plant," says he. We continued on towards the tip of the cape, stopping for lunch about 1 p.m. at a small cafe. We had a magical meal there. I say it's magical because the omelet I ate kept me full until the next morning. At the end of the cape is the place where the Mayflower landed and the pilgrims arrived. We toured the Provincetown Pilgrim Monument and Museum. Here is a shot of me in the lower right corner wondering if I can make it up all those steps. Yes, I can. Lucky for me they have it arranged so you go up two steps and then a short ramp, 2 steps-ramp, 2 steps-ramp, repeat 2 million times until you arrive at the top. The view was marvelous and the breeze cooled us off. My tongue was hanging out after climbing that thing. We spent a few hours soaking up the history of the place before heading west again. The traffic was terrible and we were glad we chose to go on a weekday as compared to a weekend which we suspected would be worse. We were close to some places I have only heard about - Hyannis Port, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Chappaquidick. The beaches here are not so easily accessible. Most beaches cost between $15 and $20 to visit. We decided to go to the beach in Newport, Rhode Island instead. He knows this town and he drives me down Bellevue Street. He tells me about the "Gilded Age" where American businessmen (Astors, Vanderbilts, Carnegies) made huge profits while subjecting their workers to unsafe conditions. Workers who lost limbs in the steel mills were left to fend for themselves while their employers spent the summer in Newport building huge mansions. Eventually this led to the labor movement and the creation of unions. Here is a photo of one of the mansions along this two mile stretch of mansions. We stopped at the beach at Newport to contemplate all we had seen. I wanted to soak up the ocean and store the beauty of the sea in my mind. My memory of this shore will stay with me and hopefully get me through the long winter ahead.

Land and Sea

On my second day in Connecticut, we went sailing. We boarded in Mystic and motored down the Mystic River. We had to wait in line with the other boats for the lift bridge to let us through. We saw boats of all shapes and sizes sharing the water. I think the people in kayaks had great bravery negotiating the water with ocean vessels. Most of the other people on our cruise were friends. They were a talkative group that included Mort, Sheldon and Nora. They talked non-stop and I could tell from the conversation that they had traveled many times together. They shared pictures of their grandchildren. They all seemed like nice people - just very talkative. We passed another sailboat that had a woman in a pink bikini lying on the front deck with her legs spread. I waved at her. She waved back. Mort says, "Did you see her? She waved at me." Sheldon says, "Mort, you are way off. She waved at me. We made EYE CONTACT!" On and on, they talked. After 45 minutes of motoring we progressed to the Fisher Island Sound. The sails were hoisted and the motor killed. Oh, the peace of sailing - scooping the wind into the sails and moving forward, cutting into the waves. It was wondrous. We sailed around the sound. The deck hands were busy with the ropes. They had a very precise way of handling the ropes and they spent at least 15 minutes getting the ropes piled just right, kind of fascinating to watch. We sailed by an island. The crew said the island is owned by Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway - that upright self propelled platform. He invented the first portable insulin pump and the wheelchair that could climb stairs. He seems like quite an inventive fellow. He owns his own island and he has a wind turbine on it. Judging by the houses we saw along the river, he's not the only one with money living in Connecticut. We sailed along for another 45 minutes, listening to Mort, Sheldon, Nora and their friends. Then it was time to take down the sails and head back up the Mystic River. We passed a train bridge that swings out of the way for river traffic and turns like a Lazy Susan (for lack of a better term-never liked that phrase) to be in place when a train comes through. We watched the Amtrack heading east towards Massachusetts. I wondered if the passengers realized that they were traveling over such an interesting bridge? There is so much to see out here and I wished we could have sailed longer. I know there are a million facts that the people out here take for granted and for which I don't have a clue, being a "middle of the continent" child. After our sail, Offspring #1 took me back to his apartment and made me some lunch. What a luxury it is to have someone make your lunch. I mentioned that and he said, "Isn't that what you did for me for 19 years?" Why yes, yes it is. He took me hiking to a geologically significant area. Back in the olden days, when our earth land mass was known as Pangenea - when all the continents were smushed up tight against each other, Africa was connected to part of Connecticut. Here is a photo of a giant granite wall close to where the two continents were prior to splitting. If you look close, you can see the bore holes in the rock. This area was going to be a highway and was dynamited to smithereens by putting dynamite down the bore holes. The rock proved to be too strong and they abandoned the plan to put a highway here. We hiked a couple miles through this abandoned highway area, looking at the rock formations. We were getting hot and tired when we came upon a raspberry patch loaded with ripe raspberries. What can be more delicious that wild raspberries when you are hungry and thirsty? We drove around more country roads in Connecticut. The roads here, even back off the beaten path, are smooth and well maintained. He took me to see the Gillette castle. Gillette was a star of the stage back before moving pictures were invented. He played many roles on stage but was best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. He is the one who added the hat, the pipe and the trench coat to the Holmes character. Gillette promoted the Sherlock Holmes story and did a lot to make it famous. He had a giant castle erected on the banks of the Connecticut River. We were able to tour his home and go through most of the rooms. Gillette liked trains and he had a 4 mile small gauge train track installed over his property. His property has a wonderful view of the Connecticut River valley.

Visiting Mystic and the Nuclear Submarine

Hello! I'm back from Connecticut. My arse is a little flatter but the trip went well. It's a two day drive to the East Coast. I spent one night in Toledo, Ohio at a Motel 6 on the way out and another night at the same place on the way west. As I left, the sky turned cloudy and to the east I saw some blue sky just beyond the scalloped edge of cloud. The cloud was so clearly scalloped that I felt like I was driving out from underneath some kind of planet petticoat. But even thought I was driving east at 68 mph, I could not get out from under that petticoat. This storm system followed me east and rained on us in Connecticut 2 days later. By the time I got to Chicago (the windy city for sure!) the wind started blowing. My highway was under construction and two lanes were tucked tightly between concrete barricades. The wind blew the construction dust into the air. Rain mixed with the dust forming mud on the windshield. Soon plastic bags and paper started flying across the road. I could barely see the detour signs. Rain blew so hard I had to put the wipers on the fastest speed. Could anything else make it harder to drive? I made it through Chicago although I'm sure I didn't take the route I had mapped on my AAA TripTick. Indiana and Ohio just fly by. The only thing to slow me down there are the toll booths. Pennsylvania was absolutely beautiful. After Pennsylvania, things got complicated. I quickly drove through a part of New Jersey and into New York. I went over the Tappan Zee (a $4.50 toll) over the lower Hudson River Valley. As I am driving in the stop and go, bumper to bumper traffic, I look off to the right and I think I see New York City. Is that New York City? Eyes on the road. Watch where you are going. But is that New York City? Watch what your are doing!!! I stop at the toll booth to pay my $4.50 and I tell the bored toll booth worker, "That bridge was awesome!" She is not impressed. All along my trip, I make it a point to be cheerful and extra polite to the toll booth workers. All but 3 toll booth workers were polite in return. She was the first of the three. From there I head north in I95 and will stay on this road until I get to Groton. I figure it will be another 60 to 90 minutes. What I didn't figure on was 45 miles of stop and go, bumper to bumper traffic. They even had electronic signs that tell you "Slow Traffic Next 40 miles." Such a discouraging sign! What do I expect? I'm driving north of New York city on a Friday afternoon? Many people are leaving town for the weekend. After 40 miles of solid stop and go traffic I had intermittent stop and go traffic. I get to Groton just as the sun in sinking and I am exhausted. I get out of the car and I'm a little wobbly. My eyes try to adjust to looking at shorter distances. I am happy to see my Offspring #1 who is waiting in the parking lot so I will know where to find him. Here is a shot of his condo. His place is on the third floor and is surrounded by woods and tall trees. He gives me his bedroom which has a window to the east. I plunk down in bed and I'm asleep before my head hits the pillow. The morning sun wakes me. He makes me breakfast (oh, the luxury!) and we head over to Mystic, Connecticut to see the sights. Did you ever see that old movie, Mystic Pizza? It was filmed in Mystic and he points out the famous Mystic Pizza cafe. We watch the lift bridge rise and lower for the sailboats traveling through. We visit a sailing charter and sign up for the afternoon cruise. I've always wanted to sail and this is a good chance to do it. We visit Mystic Seaport-a 17 acre museum about America and about the sea. We see a shipyard where they are still manufacturing wooden ships. We board the Charles Morgan - the oldest seaworthy whaling vessel. I love these old sail boats. I love the masts and the wood and the rope. We walk around the village looking at the lobster traps, printing presses, barrel makers, old bicycles with the gigantic front wheels, people in period dress, and a museum featuring mastheads from various ships. We have lunch there and head back to the charter to take our sailing voyage (a two hour cruise - doesn't it sound like Gilligan's Island?) They say the weather is not looking good and we agree to return tomorrow. As we leave the charter, we see letters forming in the sky. The sky to the east is blue but the sky to the west is stormy. As we watch, more letters are formed. The letters are perforated yet readable. It's the strangest thing. I don't know if you can see the letters in this photo but just to the right of the cloud in the center of the photo are the words "Hot Fun." The entire message takes a while to appear. The words hot fun become blurry before we read the end of the message which advertises a local Indian casino. The plane is not visible. I assume it left little time-released pellets that spell the words after the plane has left the area. I was impressed. I haven't seen sky writing since I was a kid and I miss it. I really want to see the ocean but it starts to rain so we head out to the Groton Navy base - the largest submarine base in the world. This is adjacent to where Offspring #1 works. The base is actually on the Thames River and we are a few miles from the Atlantic. We tour the Nautilus - a nuclear submarine and the Groton Submarine Force Museum. We walk down into the Nautilus through the tiny doorways and down the tiny halls. I can't imagine working and living in such small spaces. The museum tells us all about submarine life, Navy history and Navy artifacts. I am so proud to tour it with my Sailor of the Year. I'm tempted to tell strangers, "You know, I am here with the Sailor of the Year." He'd hate that so I keep my mouth shut but I can't hide the smile on my face.