OK Ragbrai people, what are your plans? Brian is Riding out from CB on Sunday morning, taking the Wabash and meeting up with other riders around Glenwood. I will be leaving CB sometime Sun afternoon and setting up camp in a friend"s yard in Atlantic. On to Carroll on Monday, where we don't have an official spot to camp yet. Tuesday we'll meet at the Ledges State Park where we have 3 campsites reserved. On Wed, Brian and Joe will be riding off route to Des Moines and over the new High Trestle BridgeI will be meeting my mom to pick up the kids and go back to Des Moines to stay a couple days (and go to Adventureland on Thurs). It would be great to meet up with whomever is riding also, so call us! Molly (712) 310-7594 Brian (712) 314-1484
Cool bridge. Where is it? (no - I didn't have time to read anything on the site).
Happy Birthday, Mike! You should invent a new martini in honor of yourself.
If anyone wants to see a Poop Your Pants scary movie, Insidious is now out on DVD. One reviewer's take....
"INSIDIOUS is the latest collaboration from James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the men who gave us the joyous and fun-filled romp of the SAW movies. This movie is as far removed from SAW as you can possibly get. There’s no gore, very little violence, almost no swearing and no sex. And….I just lost part of the hardcore horror fans that go to horror movies for all of those reasons. If I didn’t lose you, read on, because while I think movies like SAW are fun, INSIDIOUS sacred the living crap out of me. It takes a certain kind of movie to get under your skin, make your heart pound, and make you think about it two days later in the wee hours of night when you think you see a shadow standing in from of your deck doors at 3 A.M."
We had a great weekend. Monica, Pat, Emily, Ed, Joe, Mom and Dad all over for an Indian dinner (thanks Em) and birthday cake (thanks Ed for the giant donut) on Friday, and then on the Perky Parrot after. And then on Sunday Dad made his famous spaghetti. This weekend Dasmond, Phelan and Caitlin will be here!
Happy Birthday Godfather Mike! Looking forward to seeing you next week in support of the ragbrai riders!
We are getting excited for ragbrai in our house. Even though we won't be riding, we will take advantage of the fun and Caroline will probably have her first sleep over at the grandparents (thanks Mom!) without us. I'm going to make reuben egg rolls for the riders and partiers.
Tonight, Joe, Brianne, Andy and I are going to zoo brew at the des moines zoo. Do other zoos do things like this? Andy and I have never been, and this is one of the last ones this summer, so I think we will brave the 100* temps for a bit to check it out. We're members so at least I don't feel like we're wasting money if we go there for just 20 minutes to get a few samples before leaving for a nice air conditioned bowling ally or something.
Ruben wraps, yum! I'm excited for Caroline's first (maybe) sleepover, she will have fun with her cousins! We are getting excitied for the Ragbrai festivities as well. Today I went to the crappiest laundry in town to use their highly advertised $1 washers to wash our camping blankets and sleeping bags before we sweat on them next week. It wasn't worth it. I think they may even be dirtier now.
I guess I didn't explain what zoo brew was, although it's pretty obvious: adults only drinking at the zoo. Last night was iowa craft beer night and despite the hot weather there was a lot of people there and a lot of free samples. It was fun!
Everyone's getting their rags ready for RAGBRAI...Des, Phelan, Caitlin and Andrew will arrive tonight!!! Very excited...Mom and Dad are joining us for a casual dinner and then we'll walk downtown.
By the way...BLUES TRAVELER will be at The Surf Ballroom on August 19th, tix are only $20!!! Check it out on the Surf Ballroom website.
Mmmmm, slow-roasted wild boar tonight and saddle of venison steaks last night. (like velvet!) Guess who's in town. Also, thanks to Lisa, colcannon and onion gravy. And a catch-up birthday cake for Ty, Braden, Ryan, Brian, Catie and me. We missed you, Brianne!
Got back from Sean's Tough Mudder race last night. He finished in 2hrs and 43 minutes. It was fun. 6000+ runners. It was broken up into 15 groups He said he's do it again. He said the worst obstacle was the electric shock field they had to run through. Does anyone want to do it with him next year? The heat index was 103. Monica
Peaking of packing we are moving into our new home this week. Because our buyers had so many delays (VA Loan processing) we couldn't set a close date on our new house until the last minute. All movers are booked. So it's just us moving ourselves.
Went to u2 concert Saturday night and had a great time. Would have had a better time but we got absolutely soaked to the bone. I was really surprised they kept playing. Their stage has the biggest lightning rod on it and there was tons of lightning. They sounded great though.
Good luck to all the ragbrai riders this week. And good luck moving, Tom. You've got three strong boys to help. And they're a lot cheaper than movers anyway.
That U2 stage is very impressive! It was a great show.
The RAGBRAIers are about to leave Carroll to head toward Boone, they found a very nice campsite last night with their own private beach on a lake, just outside of Carroll...the group today is Desmond, Phelan, Brian, his cousin Jay, Joe Jayjack and Lance Armstrong (he's doing the route today) plus Mike and Molly as support drivers.
So, just got a call that we have a court date for Ethiopia and it is August 6. That is a Saturday so our case worker knows this is incorrect. She said it's either August 5 or August 8 but can't find out til tomorrow due to the time difference.
You arrive 4 days before court, so we could be leaving in 4 days.
Also, we are home from our Ragbrai Adventure. I was so greatful to have Mike there with his knowledge of North Central Iowa to navigate our path to each small town without taking the Ragbrai Route, which can be very slow and full of annoyed bikers. We had a great time, plans are already being formed for next year's ride. Yesterday we took the kids to Adventurland, and now we're home and I still have 3 days before I have to go back to work! I'm happy.
Yay Pat and Josh! I'm also so excited for you! Do you feel mentally prepared? Do you know what to expect?
I don't blame Josh for being nervous, but hopefully this is all covered under the family medical leave act, right? Good luck, we'll all be thinking about you two!
So my work issued Blackberry gave out. I have a choice. Another Blackberry, a Droid, or an I-phone. I dunno. Any suggestions?
Also, In case some of you didn't hear, we moved into our new house. It was just me and the boys doing the work. Nance's parents were here and did a great job helping us clean the new house and the rental we were in. But, essentially just me and the boys doing the heavy lifting. Yes, it sucked.
Oh, and Liam broke his arm. One day before football practice started. Poor kid has been running and lifting all summer and now he's our 4-6 weeks.
Liam rode over a sewer grate in our new neighborhood. These grates have wider gaps in them than any place we have ever lived. His front tire got caught. He tumbled forward and broke his fall with his hands.
A TRUE STORY---Uncle Bob has been in Worthington, MN where 7 of his nuns are stationed. Two of the sisters are working a mission out of state and he and some of the remaining 5 will be doing a married couples retreat in Sibley IA next week so he had a few days off. He called to see if they could come to Whittemore and they arrived Monday afternoon. The Kossuth County Fair started today. Algona Realty (Mary & Mike) have a booth in the main exhibition hall. Uncle Bob and the nuns were going back to MN today so we thought it would be a good idea to take them all to the fair. We have some hastas growing in our back yard with really big leaves. A couple weeks ago Joe remarked how big the plants are and Mary Ellan said we should enter a hasta leaf in the floral competition but I wasn't interested. About a half hour before we were getting ready to leave Mary Ellan called and said they are not allowing visitors to park in the fairgrounds unless they are exhibitors. Uncle Bob and Mom both walk very poorly and at times they need assistance, so Mary Ellan said I should cut off a hasta leaf so we could get our car in. I actually cut off 4 or 5 very big leaves. I figured she could decide which one to enter. We only had a half hour to meet the entry deadline. Mary said she would fill out all the paperwork so we could meet the deadline. We got there, told the guy at the gate we were exhibitors and he gave us a pass and also let in the van with the sisters which was right behind us, We drove to the flower hall and Mary Ellan picked out the best leaf and put it in the space assigned to our entry. We then took the sisters to the main exhibition hall which they really liked and did some other stuff. Then we went to the Catholic stand where we all had chicken & biscuits and wouldn't you know it but we were waited on by a St. Cecelia parishoner whose name is Arndorfer but she is Nacaraguan. She had a great time visiting with the sisters and Uncle Bob and they enjoyed talking to her as well. We left the fair and Mom and I came home and Uncle Bob and the sisters headed for Austin, MN. About an hour after we got home Mary Ellan called. Mom won a red ribbon for her hasta leaf. Dad
I remember when those hastas were planted. On a blazing hot summer afternoon the little things were about the size of a pee wee baseball mitt. They looked weak and droopy against their new home, a brutal Iowa summer. I didn't think they would make it.
That's funny - I always thought that the winners for those things were plant freaks who spent their waking hours worried about pH balances, humidity, sunlight and stuff.
We should all enter stuff at our county fairs next year and our ribbons could become part of the Labor Day competitions. Three points for every blue, 2 for every red and one for every white. 5 points for the big purple ones.
It's so COOL today. Low 80's tops. Yesterday was HOT and Stevo spent the day in waders ferrying boats full of sand bags to an underwater sand boil. Then after dinner we (with help from Brian) drywalled a ceiling. He's off today and I told him to open some windows and take a nap. After he mows the lawn and cuts weeds in the alley and does some laundry, that is.
Deer in the suburbs? Well, while hanging around with other dads watching the 7th graders practice we all watched a coyote trot across the clearing adjacent to the football field. He was in no hurry but was trotting unafraid with purpose. This was only about 50 yard from the playing field.
One of the dads said he is hearing that a lot of pets are going missing and coyotes are suspect. Kind of cool to see.
Last year there was a coyote that was running down state street late at night in the loop. Here is a link to the video. This is like two blocks away from where I work.
I am going to Creighton Alumni hosted Cubs game today. Its always fun with "free" beer and food before the game at Wrigley. Hopefully this year Jim Hendry will show up.
Going on a Lake Minnetonka booze cruise tonight. Should be fun. We have a bus with a keg on it from the church/school to the lake and a taco bar and beer, wine and margaritas on the boat. The forecast did not call for rain but it looks like rain right now.
I told that hosta story to 3 different people at work and each one burst out laughing, including one lady that I realized I had never heard laugh out loud before.
I guess it wasn't really free beer since I paid $45 for the ticket - it was all you and drink and eat really. I drank a lot trying to get my money's worth.
I just bought some new glasses from Tyler Eifert's cousin.
We're home now. It was an exhausting, but good, trip. We did not pass court, but expect to hear word that we passed and are officially A.'s parents within the next week or two. Then I can share more photos. I think I could power a car for a week with all the diesel I ingested.
We met Amanuel and he's really really cute. But all the kids were. His name is pronounced A-Mah-Noo-Way. Said fast it sounds like Mahnooway.
Once we pass court we wait for embassy to do their thing and then we can travel back to bring him home.
Very tired. Never, ever book a flight that includes a leg 15 hours long, unless you can afford first class. I was in the middle of the middle section.
I don't really have much to offer in terms of photos. We were only actually in Ethiopia for 3.5 days and either in the orphanage (no photos allowed) or on official business or in a car for much of that. Also, our driver was insistent that we do not take photos of the poor people but they are practically everywhere. I have a few photos from the car, and some at a couple of churches we visited but not a lot. I'll post them soon.
We stayed in a guesthouse run by the adoption agency we work with. It was a nice building behind a gate with a guard (he had a little cot in his little stone guardhouse). It was run down according to U.S. standards - bad mattresses, threadbare rugs and curtains - but nice by Ethiopia standards. We were warned to bring flashlights bc power frequently goes out (it did). We also had a couple episodes of water not working. Everything was clean though and lots of light. We were on the 3rd floor with a tiny terrace.
Aside from one evening out to eat they also fed us all our meals. The food was very bland. I'm certain this was on purpose. They can't afford to have people getting ill when there is official business to take care of, and also kids who were going home with their parents would stay at the guesthouse for a couple of days so the food needed to be ok for them. Hardly any protein, except the one night they gave us a traditional Ethiopian feast. Otherwise a typical meal might be rice with zucchini and carrots mixed in, or pasta and rice with a bland red sauce, and a side of overcooked veggies soaking in butter. Maybe hot cereal for breakfast. It was suggested we bring snacks to supplement, and we did.
They did offer an Ethiopian afternoon coffee for us one day and it was delicious. On the floor with a sort of portable firepit, the cook and helpers (women) roasted the coffee beans, crushed them in a mortar and pestle and then cooked the coffee. Served with a type of popcorn (small kernels) we don't have in the US that is lightly sweetened/caramelized. SOOOOO tasty. And strong coffee.
I've never used Flickr until today, but I've posted some photos there. Let me know if it works:
http://flickr.com/gp/66198035@N08/523Wf4
I set it as guest pass available.
I know they aren't great, but it gives you a flavor of the city. Most photos taken from car window. Driving was crazy; we witnessed one person getting hit, and another couple there also witnessed someone getting hit. I didn't get a photo of any herds except in the field outside our window, but later these same goats would wind through the traffic, as did cows and a couple donkeys. Some streets were much more auto heavy than what I have in photos here. Diesel smell was overwhemling.
Eli tried out for running back. That's bad. He was never terribly fast.
Eli made running back and is splitting time at full back. That's good.
Eli has been getting a lot of practice time as running back. That's bad because he's not good enough to be the starter so he is the practice squad running back. Every day he goes up against the first team defense assisted by the scrub-team offensive line.
He is getting pounded on daily. Two a day practices are almost over. Today he didn't want to go. I made him go but told him to not suit up and tell the coach he needs to see the trainer.
I'm wondering how that will go for him.
His back has been killing him and he reports being sore all over. Being sore all over is just a part of two-a-days. But when he is trembling with pain as he is eating breakfast something is up.
I remember driving home to Whittemore after two a day practices in high school and just praying that I didn't run into any traffic that would require me to lift my feet off the floor and put on the brake to disengage the cruise control because I was too weak to lift my feet up that high.
Have a GRAND weekend!
89 comments:
Happy Birthday Mike!
Mike, you look cold. Have a great birthday!
Monica
Happy Birthday Mike!
OK Ragbrai people, what are your plans? Brian is Riding out from CB on Sunday morning, taking the Wabash and meeting up with other riders around Glenwood. I will be leaving CB sometime Sun afternoon and setting up camp in a friend"s yard in Atlantic. On to Carroll on Monday, where we don't have an official spot to camp yet. Tuesday we'll meet at the Ledges State Park where we have 3 campsites reserved. On Wed, Brian and Joe will be riding off route to Des Moines and over the new High Trestle BridgeI will be meeting my mom to pick up the kids and go back to Des Moines to stay a couple days (and go to Adventureland on Thurs). It would be great to meet up with whomever is riding also, so call us!
Molly (712) 310-7594
Brian (712) 314-1484
Whoops, that bridge is not new, but it is cool! http://iowagirleats.com/2011/07/09/hike-on-the-high-trestle/
Cool bridge. Where is it? (no - I didn't have time to read anything on the site).
Happy Birthday, Mike! You should invent a new martini in honor of yourself.
If anyone wants to see a Poop Your Pants scary movie, Insidious is now out on DVD. One reviewer's take....
"INSIDIOUS is the latest collaboration from James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the men who gave us the joyous and fun-filled romp of the SAW movies. This movie is as far removed from SAW as you can possibly get. There’s no gore, very little violence, almost no swearing and no sex. And….I just lost part of the hardcore horror fans that go to horror movies for all of those reasons. If I didn’t lose you, read on, because while I think movies like SAW are fun, INSIDIOUS sacred the living crap out of me. It takes a certain kind of movie to get under your skin, make your heart pound, and make you think about it two days later in the wee hours of night when you think you see a shadow standing in from of your deck doors at 3 A.M."
Tom
"insidious"...every realtor's dream...
Happy Birthday Mike!
We had a great weekend. Monica, Pat, Emily, Ed, Joe, Mom and Dad all over for an Indian dinner (thanks Em) and birthday cake (thanks Ed for the giant donut) on Friday, and then on the Perky Parrot after. And then on Sunday Dad made his famous spaghetti.
This weekend Dasmond, Phelan and Caitlin will be here!
Happy Birthday Godfather Mike! Looking forward to seeing you next week in support of the ragbrai riders!
We are getting excited for ragbrai in our house. Even though we won't be riding, we will take advantage of the fun and Caroline will probably have her first sleep over at the grandparents (thanks Mom!) without us. I'm going to make reuben egg rolls for the riders and partiers.
Tonight, Joe, Brianne, Andy and I are going to zoo brew at the des moines zoo. Do other zoos do things like this? Andy and I have never been, and this is one of the last ones this summer, so I think we will brave the 100* temps for a bit to check it out. We're members so at least I don't feel like we're wasting money if we go there for just 20 minutes to get a few samples before leaving for a nice air conditioned bowling ally or something.
Ruben wraps, yum! I'm excited for Caroline's first (maybe) sleepover, she will have fun with her cousins! We are getting excitied for the Ragbrai festivities as well. Today I went to the crappiest laundry in town to use their highly advertised $1 washers to wash our camping blankets and sleeping bags before we sweat on them next week. It wasn't worth it. I think they may even be dirtier now.
Never trust a marketer.
Tom
Happy Birthday, Mike! I've been out of touch - Vacation Bible School week.
I am kind of out of touch too....How much do washers usually charge to run?
I guess I didn't explain what zoo brew was, although it's pretty obvious: adults only drinking at the zoo. Last night was iowa craft beer night and despite the hot weather there was a lot of people there and a lot of free samples. It was fun!
Happy birthday Mike! Glad we could be there to celebrate. Cathy how did your meeting go?
P
Everyone's getting their rags ready for RAGBRAI...Des, Phelan, Caitlin and Andrew will arrive tonight!!! Very excited...Mom and Dad are joining us for a casual dinner and then we'll walk downtown.
By the way...BLUES TRAVELER will be at The Surf Ballroom on August 19th, tix are only $20!!! Check it out on the Surf Ballroom website.
Joe's secretary's daughters are playing for the state softball championship tonight. Boland girls for North Central Kossuth.
Mmmmm, slow-roasted wild boar tonight and saddle of venison steaks last night. (like velvet!)
Guess who's in town. Also, thanks to Lisa, colcannon and onion gravy. And a catch-up birthday cake for Ty, Braden, Ryan, Brian, Catie and me. We missed you, Brianne!
Got back from Sean's Tough Mudder race last night. He finished in 2hrs and 43 minutes. It was fun.
6000+ runners. It was broken up into 15 groups He said he's do it again. He said the worst obstacle was the electric shock field they had to run through. Does anyone want to do it with him next year? The heat index was 103.
Monica
I was considering doing one of those next year, until you mentioned the shock field.
I'll pack a cooler and watch.
Tom
Peaking of packing we are moving into our new home this week. Because our buyers had so many delays (VA Loan processing) we couldn't set a close date on our new house until the last minute. All movers are booked. So it's just us moving ourselves.
I hope this heat dome goes away soon.
Tom
Congrats Tom! I don't envy you moving five people though.
Get this - we are 12 days away from ND football players reporting for practice!
Went to u2 concert Saturday night and had a great time. Would have had a better time but we got absolutely soaked to the bone. I was really surprised they kept playing. Their stage has the biggest lightning rod on it and there was tons of lightning. They sounded great though.
Good luck to all the ragbrai riders this week. And good luck moving, Tom. You've got three strong boys to help. And they're a lot cheaper than movers anyway.
That was em
That U2 stage is very impressive! It was a great show.
The RAGBRAIers are about to leave Carroll to head toward Boone, they found a very nice campsite last night with their own private beach on a lake, just outside of Carroll...the group today is Desmond, Phelan, Brian, his cousin Jay, Joe Jayjack and Lance Armstrong (he's doing the route today) plus Mike and Molly as support drivers.
Did anyone witness Lance doping?
Forbes has rated Des Moines#1 and Omaha #5 for the best places for young professionals to live.
Monica
*as the best places for young professionals...
Monica
So, just got a call that we have a court date for Ethiopia and it is August 6. That is a Saturday so our case worker knows this is incorrect. She said it's either August 5 or August 8 but can't find out til tomorrow due to the time difference.
You arrive 4 days before court, so we could be leaving in 4 days.
p
Dang, nothing like letting you know ahead of time. How exciting! Good luck with everything! I'm so excited for you.
Monica
Dang, nothing like letting you know ahead of time. How exciting! Good luck with everything! I'm so excited for you.
Monica
I'm terrified. And just unpacked after ten days gone yesterday.
Josh will be totally nervous. He has a new boss and this will be his 3rd trip in a month.
Plus we're desperately seeking renters for our house and to be gone for 10 days may make that difficult. Good bye $1300.
It will all work out but 4 days to prepare is crazy. It's the last possible court date before a 2 month break though so I shouldn't complain.
p
Not trying to complain! Just the first moments of preparation panic!
And I should add, Frank has kindly agreed to take over house rental negotiations so that may be ok.
P
Bon Voyage!! Very exciting!
Yes! Very exciting! I'd remove my complaining post right now if I could: I went into panic mode at first. Thoughts were whirling.
I'm so excited to meet him, and keep thinking about how he's 70%ile weight on AMERICAN charts in a country in the midst of a famine. Crazy! Big boy.
p
Oh, man. So much to do. Just do what you can, and then get on the plane and forget about it and try to enjoy the whole trip.
Our first stop on the path to Africa is an overnight in Houston.
P
And then an overnight in Dubai.
P
Have you left yet P? I can't stop thinking about your trip, and I can't wait to meet him too!
Have you left yet P? I can't stop thinking about your trip, and I can't wait to meet him too!
Also, we are home from our Ragbrai Adventure. I was so greatful to have Mike there with his knowledge of North Central Iowa to navigate our path to each small town without taking the Ragbrai Route, which can be very slow and full of annoyed bikers. We had a great time, plans are already being formed for next year's ride. Yesterday we took the kids to Adventurland, and now we're home and I still have 3 days before I have to go back to work! I'm happy.
Yay Pat and Josh! I'm also so excited for you! Do you feel mentally prepared? Do you know what to expect?
I don't blame Josh for being nervous, but hopefully this is all covered under the family medical leave act, right?
Good luck, we'll all be thinking about you two!
Looking at blog for first time in months.
Happy birthday to all!
Great picture, Mike!
Congrats to Pat and Josh. We are so excited.
lisa
So my work issued Blackberry gave out. I have a choice. Another Blackberry, a Droid, or an I-phone. I dunno. Any suggestions?
Also, In case some of you didn't hear, we moved into our new house. It was just me and the boys doing the work. Nance's parents were here and did a great job helping us clean the new house and the rental we were in. But, essentially just me and the boys doing the heavy lifting. Yes, it sucked.
Oh, and Liam broke his arm. One day before football practice started. Poor kid has been running and lifting all summer and now he's our 4-6 weeks.
Tom
Does anyone know when Pat and Josh get back?
How did Liam break his arm? That sucks.
I think pat and Josh get back Monday. Any interest in the house?
Liam rode over a sewer grate in our new neighborhood. These grates have wider gaps in them than any place we have ever lived. His front tire got caught. He tumbled forward and broke his fall with his hands.
Tom
Tom: Ouch. That's got to hurt.
Em: Yep, I showed it to 4 different parties yesterday, 2 of whom are very interested. I have 2 more showings, 1 tonight and 1 tomorrow scheduled.
Oh, that's good abo ut the house. Hopefully one of these groups will work out.
Is Liam bummed about missing football?
A TRUE STORY---Uncle Bob has been in Worthington, MN where 7 of his nuns are stationed. Two of the sisters are working a mission out of state and he and some of the remaining 5 will be doing a married couples retreat in Sibley IA next week so he had a few days off. He called to see if they could come to Whittemore and they arrived Monday afternoon.
The Kossuth County Fair started today. Algona Realty (Mary & Mike) have a booth in the main exhibition hall. Uncle Bob and the nuns were going back to MN today so we thought it would be a good idea to take them all to the fair.
We have some hastas growing in our back yard with really big leaves. A couple weeks ago Joe remarked how big the plants are and Mary Ellan said we should enter a hasta leaf in the floral competition but I wasn't interested.
About a half hour before we were getting ready to leave Mary Ellan called and said they are not allowing visitors to park in the fairgrounds unless they are exhibitors. Uncle Bob and Mom both walk very poorly and at times they need assistance, so Mary Ellan said I should cut off a hasta leaf so we could get our car in. I actually cut off 4 or 5 very big leaves. I figured she could decide which one to enter. We only had a half hour to meet the entry deadline. Mary said she would fill out all the paperwork so we could meet the deadline.
We got there, told the guy at the gate we were exhibitors and he gave us a pass and also let in the van with the sisters which was right behind us, We drove to the flower hall and Mary Ellan picked out the best leaf and put it in the space assigned to our entry.
We then took the sisters to the main exhibition hall which they really liked and did some other stuff. Then we went to the Catholic stand where we all had chicken & biscuits and wouldn't you know it but we were waited on by a St. Cecelia parishoner whose name is Arndorfer but she is Nacaraguan. She had a great time visiting with the sisters and Uncle Bob and they enjoyed talking to her as well. We left the fair and Mom and I came home and Uncle Bob and the sisters headed for Austin, MN.
About an hour after we got home Mary Ellan called. Mom won a red ribbon for her hasta leaf.
Dad
That's awesome. Sounds like fun. I'm glad they all got to enjoy the fair and Mom won. Was there a prize?
Monica
That's awesome. Sounds like fun. I'm glad they all got to enjoy the fair and Mom won. Was there a prize?
Monica
I remember when those hastas were planted. On a blazing hot summer afternoon the little things were about the size of a pee wee baseball mitt. They looked weak and droopy against their new home, a brutal Iowa summer. I didn't think they would make it.
Tom
That's funny - I always thought that the winners for those things were plant freaks who spent their waking hours worried about pH balances, humidity, sunlight and stuff.
We should all enter stuff at our county fairs next year and our ribbons could become part of the Labor Day competitions. Three points for every blue, 2 for every red and one for every white. 5 points for the big purple ones.
A tall vase full of hosta leaves is my lazy-woman go-to tabletop bouquet every summer. They last weeks.
Those hostas look so good. Mine are already starting to brown and curl.
Monica
It's so COOL today. Low 80's tops. Yesterday was HOT and Stevo spent the day in waders ferrying boats full of sand bags to an underwater sand boil. Then after dinner we (with help from Brian) drywalled a ceiling. He's off today and I told him to open some windows and take a nap. After he mows the lawn and cuts weeds in the alley and does some laundry, that is.
A gang of bad city deer punks came in Lisa and Randy's yard and ate every single hosta and every flower of any type in their yard.
time for a fence.
I can't believe Lisa has so many deer in her neighborhood.
That hosta story is so funny.
Deer in the suburbs? Well, while hanging around with other dads watching the 7th graders practice we all watched a coyote trot across the clearing adjacent to the football field. He was in no hurry but was trotting unafraid with purpose. This was only about 50 yard from the playing field.
One of the dads said he is hearing that a lot of pets are going missing and coyotes are suspect. Kind of cool to see.
Tom
Last year there was a coyote that was running down state street late at night in the loop. Here is a link to the video. This is like two blocks away from where I work.
http://en.terra.com/latin-in-america/news/coyote_runs_wild_through_chicago_streets/hof12528
I am going to Creighton Alumni hosted Cubs game today. Its always fun with "free" beer and food before the game at Wrigley. Hopefully this year Jim Hendry will show up.
Free beer always tastes good.
Tom
Yes, but why do you say "free"?
Going on a Lake Minnetonka booze cruise tonight. Should be fun. We have a bus with a keg on it from the church/school to the lake and a taco bar and beer, wine and margaritas on the boat. The forecast did not call for rain but it looks like rain right now.
I told that hosta story to 3 different people at work and each one burst out laughing, including one lady that I realized I had never heard laugh out loud before.
Any news from Pat?
I guess it wasn't really free beer since I paid $45 for the ticket - it was all you and drink and eat really. I drank a lot trying to get my money's worth.
I just bought some new glasses from Tyler Eifert's cousin.
Ed, what was the name of that place where you ordered really cheap glasses?
Nice hosta!
We're home now. It was an exhausting, but good, trip. We did not pass court, but expect to hear word that we passed and are officially A.'s parents within the next week or two. Then I can share more photos. I think I could power a car for a week with all the diesel I ingested.
We met Amanuel and he's really really cute. But all the kids were. His name is pronounced A-Mah-Noo-Way. Said fast it sounds like Mahnooway.
Once we pass court we wait for embassy to do their thing and then we can travel back to bring him home.
Very tired. Never, ever book a flight that includes a leg 15 hours long, unless you can afford first class. I was in the middle of the middle section.
P
Pat - sounds like a crazy trip! Hope you hear back soon.
Cathy - there are actually a couple. This one requires you to enter coupon codes that they have on the first page:
http://www.goggles4u.com/
This one also has super cheap eyeglasses:
http://www.glassesunlimited.com/
Wow Pat, congrats...can't wait to see photos!
I was curious as to your accomodations, the food, etc...can you share?
I don't really have much to offer in terms of photos. We were only actually in Ethiopia for 3.5 days and either in the orphanage (no photos allowed) or on official business or in a car for much of that. Also, our driver was insistent that we do not take photos of the poor people but they are practically everywhere. I have a few photos from the car, and some at a couple of churches we visited but not a lot. I'll post them soon.
We stayed in a guesthouse run by the adoption agency we work with. It was a nice building behind a gate with a guard (he had a little cot in his little stone guardhouse). It was run down according to U.S. standards - bad mattresses, threadbare rugs and curtains - but nice by Ethiopia standards. We were warned to bring flashlights bc power frequently goes out (it did). We also had a couple episodes of water not working. Everything was clean though and lots of light. We were on the 3rd floor with a tiny terrace.
Aside from one evening out to eat they also fed us all our meals. The food was very bland. I'm certain this was on purpose. They can't afford to have people getting ill when there is official business to take care of, and also kids who were going home with their parents would stay at the guesthouse for a couple of days so the food needed to be ok for them. Hardly any protein, except the one night they gave us a traditional Ethiopian feast. Otherwise a typical meal might be rice with zucchini and carrots mixed in, or pasta and rice with a bland red sauce, and a side of overcooked veggies soaking in butter. Maybe hot cereal for breakfast. It was suggested we bring snacks to supplement, and we did.
They did offer an Ethiopian afternoon coffee for us one day and it was delicious. On the floor with a sort of portable firepit, the cook and helpers (women) roasted the coffee beans, crushed them in a mortar and pestle and then cooked the coffee. Served with a type of popcorn (small kernels) we don't have in the US that is lightly sweetened/caramelized. SOOOOO tasty. And strong coffee.
I've never used Flickr until today, but I've posted some photos there. Let me know if it works:
http://flickr.com/gp/66198035@N08/523Wf4
I set it as guest pass available.
I know they aren't great, but it gives you a flavor of the city. Most photos taken from car window. Driving was crazy; we witnessed one person getting hit, and another couple there also witnessed someone getting hit. I didn't get a photo of any herds except in the field outside our window, but later these same goats would wind through the traffic, as did cows and a couple donkeys. Some streets were much more auto heavy than what I have in photos here. Diesel smell was overwhemling.
P
Pat, I'm only getting one picture to show up. It's of a building being built. What am I doing wrong.
Monica
Do you see a menu above the picture? If so, the first item says "Action" You can click on that and go down to Slide show and start the photos.
p
I did that and I'm still only getting that first photo. I allowed popups.
Try this instead:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66198035@N08/sets/72157627269226533/
Still not working. Just the first pic.
Monica
Well then I give up.
p
This is my last try.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66198035@N08/
p
Dang, I wanted to see them. Quitter!
Monica
Eli tried out for running back. That's bad. He was never terribly fast.
Eli made running back and is splitting time at full back. That's good.
Eli has been getting a lot of practice time as running back. That's bad because he's not good enough to be the starter so he is the practice squad running back. Every day he goes up against the first team defense assisted by the scrub-team offensive line.
He is getting pounded on daily. Two a day practices are almost over. Today he didn't want to go. I made him go but told him to not suit up and tell the coach he needs to see the trainer.
I'm wondering how that will go for him.
His back has been killing him and he reports being sore all over. Being sore all over is just a part of two-a-days. But when he is trembling with pain as he is eating breakfast something is up.
Tom
I remember driving home to Whittemore after two a day practices in high school and just praying that I didn't run into any traffic that would require me to lift my feet off the floor and put on the brake to disengage the cruise control because I was too weak to lift my feet up that high.
Traffic is TERRIBLE between Algona and Whittemore!
How's Eli tonight?
He's feeling better. I guess he just needed a day off from the pounding.
Tom
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