tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81439471225758930322024-02-07T12:52:43.475-06:00Wild, Wacky, Wonderful WanderingsLaura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-41698803665454940242013-04-07T16:57:00.000-05:002013-04-07T16:57:52.663-05:00Garden!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemRaOztNeaYeh92W_lF6RZdIvqOunxWJl5-nx9kpHOyWSWXcVkVodIPyGXHBMC11vVOesxQsuUeXfl6eSYW-pwo9V3zKc181lqVEjj-KsB3p-pvCtpi5wOLQakH4PyAsBcMHVTnC1AsI/s1600/130407+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemRaOztNeaYeh92W_lF6RZdIvqOunxWJl5-nx9kpHOyWSWXcVkVodIPyGXHBMC11vVOesxQsuUeXfl6eSYW-pwo9V3zKc181lqVEjj-KsB3p-pvCtpi5wOLQakH4PyAsBcMHVTnC1AsI/s400/130407+Garden.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Witness my impenetrable garden of awesomeness! It's a 4' x 8' raised bed, surrounded by 1/2" wire fence, covered with bird netting. Nothing planted yet
since it might snow again this week. But soon there will be beans,
peas, lettuce, herbs, and even tomatoes and cukes if we get enough sun!<br />
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Whew. Time for a nap. Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-35761449970599386722013-03-31T08:28:00.001-05:002013-03-31T08:29:08.957-05:00Easter BlessingsToday has been a remarkable day, and it's only 8:30 in the morning!<br />
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Tony and I went to the Easter Vigil at church last night, and so were not going to go to mass this morning. However, I didn't want to just sleep in on Easter morning, so we had planned to hike up Quarry Hill and have our own little sunrise service. The sunrise would occur at around 6:55 am, so we left the house by 6:30 and drove up there. We were surprised along the way by how many cars seemed to be following us. When we got to the parking lot, to our great surprise and amazement, there was a bagpiper, in full Scottish regalia, playing! As we got out of the car, we realized that there must be some kind of organized service going on. We joined some of the other folks who were gathering, and introduced ourselves. They explained that they were from a Congregationalist church in Rochester, and that they do this every year. Usually they hike up to the cemetery in the park, left from the state hospital days around the turn of the 20th century, but today, because of all the mud, ice, and snow, they decided it was too treacherous to attempt. So we stayed in the parking lot. Around 6:45 they handed out bulletins, and the simple service began. There was the Gospel reading from John, several Easter hymns (some accompanied by bagpipe), and a prayer litany. Tony and I felt that this was God surprising us with an Easter blessing that we could not have predicted or planned, and it was GOOD. And very cold.<br />
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When we returned home, Tony took a hot shower to warm up while I made breakfast. I had bought a tube of crescent rolls at Aldi the other day, and I decided to make cinnamon-sugar pastries out of them. I unrolled the dough, spread each triangle with butter, then sprinkled on a cinnamon/sugar mixture. Then I rolled each up into something that looked kind of like the Pope's hat, sprayed them with cooking spray, and sprinkled on some more sugar. Into the oven at 350 for about 11 minutes, they were perfect. The butter melted and sort of fried the bottoms, while the middles were buttery and just a little gooey and fluffy, while the tops were crusty with sugar. I think they were even better than the Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls with frosting that my family eats at Christmas. They were smaller, somewhat healthier without all that frosting, and much easier to eat. I'm declaring them a win.Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-24825380885825634092013-01-11T16:15:00.000-06:002013-01-11T16:15:22.863-06:00What's UpI was recently asked why I don't blog anymore. There's not really a good reason, except that I haven't felt like doing so. I've been busy with two jobs, a fiance, and schoolwork, which is plenty for me.<br />
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Today a king-sized bed was delivered to and installed in my apartment, courtesy of Tony's grandparents and his aunt Stacy. It is very large. Fortunately, my bedroom has up until now been too big for me and my stuff, so now it all looks like it fits. Photos to come, maybe.<br />
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Tonight, we are headed off to an "Engaged Encounter", a pre-marriage retreat designed to help prepare us for marriage and all that it entails. The fact that we are attending it exactly one year after starting our official relationship is an irony that is not lost on us.<br />
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Last night, we started the process of registering for gifts, beginning with Bed Bath & Beyond. (Tony kept asking where the Beyond section was.) We managed to register for many kitchen-type items and towels, but we were too tired to deal with the bajillion kinds of sheets and bedding on offer, so we stuck to a few big quilts. Did I mention we'll be starting our marriage with a king-sized bed?<br />
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We're also trying to figure out what "eating healthy" means for us, as we both love to cook and eat delicious food that is often not on any approved diet plan. So we debate the merits of carbs vs. fats vs. yummyness, and try not to overdo it. Sometimes (often) we fail. Last night after registering, we came home to watch the last episode of White Collar Season 3 (alas, the last one currently available on Netflix!), during which I decided I wanted some molasses cookies. So I made a dozen, and we ate them all. Oops? On the other hand, our dinner was delicious and relatively healthy: lemon-marinated cod with brown rice and Greek salad.<br />
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In summary, life is ticking along, with its usual ups and downs, although it seems we are in an up period at the moment.Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-29227809969063500492012-09-04T13:51:00.001-05:002012-09-04T13:52:57.906-05:00A Modest ProposalOn September 2, 2012, Tony H. Miller asked me to marry him. I said yes. Here is our story.<br />
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We had planned to go hiking in one of our favorite places, Whitewater State Park in Minnesota. It's only a 40 minute drive from Rochester, so it makes for a nice Sunday afternoon activity. On this particular Sunday, however, I found that my legs were a little sore from playing tennis the evening before, so before we left for church that morning I mentioned that I might not be able to do much hiking. Tony said that was okay, but he'd still like to go to Whitewater.<br />
<br />
After church, while I was making lunch (crabcakes from Trader Joe's and salad), Tony asked, "Do we have any plans for dinner?"<br />
I replied, "I don't have any plans. Do you have any plans?"<br />
And he said, "Well, not really," with this sort of sneaky look on his face. I looked at him for a moment, thinking he would go on.<br />
When he didn't, I said, "You know, Tony, you're a terrible liar."<br />
"What?! No, babe, I'm not lying. I don't have any plans... for dinner."<br />
"Aha! So you *do* have plans, just not for dinner!"<br />
"Stop asking questions!"<br />
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At this point, I knew something was up, but I didn't know what. It could have been an early surprise for my birthday, and I decided I wanted to be surprised. We finished lunch and headed up to Whitewater.<br />
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When we got there, Tony asked again if I felt up to hiking. I said I thought I could do a little hiking, just not anything too steep. He led us to Coyote Point trail, which turned out to be almost entirely stairs the whole way up. When I protested, he promised it would be worth it. We made it to the top, and the view was really spectacular.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCB0JlZw_h5aLxWvCRry3Tr7ZtYHvMiifG4CXFHYzeRZgKQ_FqpSkuOkWcvzC3pDmyTkN5IMVId4hAHb_j8T2ncVUnYhckDSBhARSRMnzDblvegoBQUH9034fiwqZOD5zisFHyYWoT5Gw/s1600/Whitewater1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCB0JlZw_h5aLxWvCRry3Tr7ZtYHvMiifG4CXFHYzeRZgKQ_FqpSkuOkWcvzC3pDmyTkN5IMVId4hAHb_j8T2ncVUnYhckDSBhARSRMnzDblvegoBQUH9034fiwqZOD5zisFHyYWoT5Gw/s400/Whitewater1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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He had brought along his camera, so we took some pictures.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuB-IYQ-DInbgAI_zIVawMyKJ4P4Sphug2d6EcZVOPkqa_uupwVcCr272aHeY-kNRgVuKCz6qa7tY2SliygEkxRqW1YWky369v7-2qnb4iKZwZS-87dzaGlHK3-ANWJBsMMsLQNzJxj1A/s1600/Whitewater2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuB-IYQ-DInbgAI_zIVawMyKJ4P4Sphug2d6EcZVOPkqa_uupwVcCr272aHeY-kNRgVuKCz6qa7tY2SliygEkxRqW1YWky369v7-2qnb4iKZwZS-87dzaGlHK3-ANWJBsMMsLQNzJxj1A/s400/Whitewater2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNUZKwZCzqCoJ8nR9S6hI9I5wQYwPH3NHuWUGv4gg6lcHTs5cPIjcgyb-h_XjkVVQ1mxMQh9JBETSDMfvYlLJngdky7-orIH_52ET-O3GjqEbfjGSHh45ptQXHzwxt2NP6UgrYmW6IJQ/s1600/Whitewater3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNUZKwZCzqCoJ8nR9S6hI9I5wQYwPH3NHuWUGv4gg6lcHTs5cPIjcgyb-h_XjkVVQ1mxMQh9JBETSDMfvYlLJngdky7-orIH_52ET-O3GjqEbfjGSHh45ptQXHzwxt2NP6UgrYmW6IJQ/s400/Whitewater3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItRIzuo-i8tBHVniuHdZMCHml29hmH-wCf8nodJcx-rI2JLjNk33L12BAlcGtmKRggHU0T7kgCC6sCXiQUH-XElIedP_a41g_0qn3MwjlUgGVP6WC8oWb0E9j3CDtYYzu0vkkbiuoO7E/s1600/Whitewater4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItRIzuo-i8tBHVniuHdZMCHml29hmH-wCf8nodJcx-rI2JLjNk33L12BAlcGtmKRggHU0T7kgCC6sCXiQUH-XElIedP_a41g_0qn3MwjlUgGVP6WC8oWb0E9j3CDtYYzu0vkkbiuoO7E/s400/Whitewater4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As it turned out, Tony hadn't actually been on this particular trail before, so we had a good time exploring the views it offered and trying to guess where it would end up. At one point, a narrow gap in the trees overlooked a bridge where we had sat and talked on a previous trip.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHQ2T7K5MhBDW_yOz1iitIYxMVAkB1Ff5Bv0WqMkmNK6i3GUqmYrrRHcpX6wehfhhtvLS4PYVTg22XoHVefXY88H2n3eCUwRCNFNf37BFoSTlNWrTvRU1jSoJ1fn5EmDfjc2iRxNOUQY/s1600/Whitewater5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHQ2T7K5MhBDW_yOz1iitIYxMVAkB1Ff5Bv0WqMkmNK6i3GUqmYrrRHcpX6wehfhhtvLS4PYVTg22XoHVefXY88H2n3eCUwRCNFNf37BFoSTlNWrTvRU1jSoJ1fn5EmDfjc2iRxNOUQY/s400/Whitewater5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We went a little further on, but after seeing a map of how far the trail actually went (almost 4 miles total), we decided to turn around and go back. When we came to the overlook again, Tony wanted to take my picture looking out over it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienaLF_kYEzgZRgQHmkJo2Y7zhTsR7sM6tYICiyfh-c2PRxQBp-Rn_vIUCmuvfNiOuZfUhyFhDnMPpexShT35plotNjpVhk8_M4M9S_zZBSYSruE_yB4wS_zLbpG1wncbtpBx94pAg3rQ/s1600/Whitewater6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienaLF_kYEzgZRgQHmkJo2Y7zhTsR7sM6tYICiyfh-c2PRxQBp-Rn_vIUCmuvfNiOuZfUhyFhDnMPpexShT35plotNjpVhk8_M4M9S_zZBSYSruE_yB4wS_zLbpG1wncbtpBx94pAg3rQ/s400/Whitewater6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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(I think this was when he must have removed the ring box from its hiding place in his camera bag.) When I turned around and was ready to continue on, Tony kept stalling. Finally he said, "I have to ask you a question." He got down on one knee, opened the ring box, and said, "Laura Marian Camp, will you marry me?"<br />
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I said yes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCC72ptol1OZCHveGFLA7yRpsiH7JHXfVMVJoBWl35IJAGXf6_rlv9RuABeuQUGwEiiUrZT4SIK8VgU_WqG6cQkV9V2MExB1CKtAOhNBefRdZ3ErFVAIGoDH_C7nhEAJJq6dzyluLoef0/s1600/Whitewater7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCC72ptol1OZCHveGFLA7yRpsiH7JHXfVMVJoBWl35IJAGXf6_rlv9RuABeuQUGwEiiUrZT4SIK8VgU_WqG6cQkV9V2MExB1CKtAOhNBefRdZ3ErFVAIGoDH_C7nhEAJJq6dzyluLoef0/s400/Whitewater7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We headed back down the trail as fiancé and fiancée. On our drive back to Rochester, I called my parents and a few very close friends. Once we were home and had cleaned up a bit, we went to visit Tony's grandparents and tell them the news. They were very excited and happy for us. Then we went to Tony's parents' house and told his dad, sister, and two nieces. They were happy for us as well (although from the girls' point of view, Spongebob was more exciting.) Tony's mom was out for dinner with a friend, so we met them at the restaurant. They celebrated with us and bought us dinner (hence why Tony asked if we had any dinner plans. He figured we might end up going out to celebrate!) We all ended up back at the house chatting for awhile, until Tony drove me home.</div>
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Then yesterday, we dropped the ring off to be re-sized (it was a little too small). Then we went kayaking down the Zumbro river, and it was a good thing I didn't have it on, because I did an unintentional barrel roll when my kayak decided to reenact the sinking of the Titanic. Fortunately, no lives were lost, and while I dumped the water out, Tony rescued the banana and the water bottle that were floating off downstream.</div>
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My hero.</div>
Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-64469671782678719282012-09-04T12:52:00.001-05:002012-09-04T12:52:38.489-05:00Lime-Coconut MarinadeIn an attempt to eat healthier lately, I invented this marinade/sauce. I used it on chicken breasts, but I think it would also be delicious on pork or shrimp.<br />
<br />
Lime-Coconut Marinade<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
coconut water (you could also use coconut milk, but I couldn't find any that had no HFCS or other additives)<br />
shredded coconut<br />
juice and zest of one lime<br />
soy sauce<br />
cumin<br />
cayenne pepper<br />
salt<br />
coconut oil (for cooking) <br />
<br />
Combine about a cup each of coconut water and shredded coconut. Add the lime juice and zest; feel free to add more if it's too sweet. Add a tablespoon or so of soy sauce, and cumin, cayenne and salt to taste. Pour into a bag with the chicken (or other meat) and allow to marinate at least a few hours, but preferably overnight.<br />
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When you're ready to cook, heat coconut oil in a skillet on the stove until drops of water sizzle, but don't spit, when added. Reserving the marinade, place the chicken breasts in the pan. Cook a few minutes on each side, until the chicken is done and the outside is brown. Remove to a plate to rest. Then reduce the heat and add the rest of the marinade to the pan. Cook down until the sauce has thickened and turned brown. The coconut bits should be toasted a little. Add a slurry of cornstarch and cold water if it's not thickening enough. Remove the sauce from the heat and press through a mesh strainer, to remove the shredded coconut. (I didn't do this, and the shredded coconut made a weird texture in the finished sauce.)<br />
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Serve the chicken over rice, finishing with the sauce on top.Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-17721158470619511552012-06-23T23:00:00.000-05:002012-06-28T15:59:14.883-05:00Door County, Part Two: The Happy Birthday EditionThis morning dawned bright, clear, and cool. LR and I went for a three mile walk while SB
made French toast and bacon, which LR had requested in honor of her
birthday. While we were walking, we saw<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgF4hzU5FolMuVTcJ-u0a9VJ6eSQQIMJXu38cUvV7l6Voaw1CPtrRWpEv-PGmnaQnPs7je_y_p1HvJvcs2fj3baUP0e2jdsCgAA6STn21MknzEFcbZ9vE9y900R-nsL8kYx-baRXyQ9w/s1600/Flowers+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgF4hzU5FolMuVTcJ-u0a9VJ6eSQQIMJXu38cUvV7l6Voaw1CPtrRWpEv-PGmnaQnPs7je_y_p1HvJvcs2fj3baUP0e2jdsCgAA6STn21MknzEFcbZ9vE9y900R-nsL8kYx-baRXyQ9w/s320/Flowers+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Flowers</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1vvzNORuBbZMeIlzvdZI2siC1oddlq7Do_zkNpgXiBoSmdMixV8ZPw_fyc2ozVz4vupji0PpfC3Qj_Zhbk3CVks0OpkqIm4tyW4g1AmwiW2b4IkicvTpQ8MuE75E1ZrlVXavhzdUDXc/s1600/Spiderweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1vvzNORuBbZMeIlzvdZI2siC1oddlq7Do_zkNpgXiBoSmdMixV8ZPw_fyc2ozVz4vupji0PpfC3Qj_Zhbk3CVks0OpkqIm4tyW4g1AmwiW2b4IkicvTpQ8MuE75E1ZrlVXavhzdUDXc/s320/Spiderweb.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Spiderwebs</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-dd5zMYnEzhYCe1BucDO_hfreaWhx772YR_6MQ3atJVvaD0X8jwlLpP6HZMUZUynp6mnPCnWCm3XkqYcACP1RybA8lkLQjGXcuZEZfr074SCBtmFhSIzH_UzW5Pj4z3PrFux69levVo/s1600/Water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-dd5zMYnEzhYCe1BucDO_hfreaWhx772YR_6MQ3atJVvaD0X8jwlLpP6HZMUZUynp6mnPCnWCm3XkqYcACP1RybA8lkLQjGXcuZEZfr074SCBtmFhSIzH_UzW5Pj4z3PrFux69levVo/s320/Water.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Wet plants</i></td></tr>
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We returned to the suite
and before we ate breakfast, we sang<br />
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<b>Happy Birthday
(number 1).</b></div>
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<a name='more'></a>After breakfast, we made sandwiches to take along for lunch
and headed out to the zip line we had read about yesterday. It was down near Jacksonport, so we headed
south and east, to the Lake Michigan side of the peninsula. We stopped at a small park on the way, so LR
could look at the Lake instead of the bay.
It was very beautiful.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiriiVZ_-BjqkxbWGYmvWCN6_cJRmpweHdXqoO0FHWpuKdoAL1MtWYaAE16vctIiurWt0xQ1B8yRi5hzoyrzL9aPzFQnL6_cgfty1-ypwkFEbAAJ4ufRjw4Ue4J6w_j4pRlvSrkGc5WmY/s1600/LR_SB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiriiVZ_-BjqkxbWGYmvWCN6_cJRmpweHdXqoO0FHWpuKdoAL1MtWYaAE16vctIiurWt0xQ1B8yRi5hzoyrzL9aPzFQnL6_cgfty1-ypwkFEbAAJ4ufRjw4Ue4J6w_j4pRlvSrkGc5WmY/s320/LR_SB.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The birthday girl and the chauffeur.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-86yYcneWdH7U6njEs8iZAtUiXlQF5fym6cXFjZbjPhyphenhyphenS0Xu-tzr-HAurPYneXOnxfcsxhxsf4f-icHm76v8h8RLO7-BaGMt3Ds00xfnMYInrLIAju_s4ukdCI-vKmtChK6yP-JZZRHM/s1600/Lake+M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-86yYcneWdH7U6njEs8iZAtUiXlQF5fym6cXFjZbjPhyphenhyphenS0Xu-tzr-HAurPYneXOnxfcsxhxsf4f-icHm76v8h8RLO7-BaGMt3Ds00xfnMYInrLIAju_s4ukdCI-vKmtChK6yP-JZZRHM/s320/Lake+M.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />
However, when we got to the zip line place, we realized that
it was not a scenic sort of zip line, as we had expected. Instead, it was a team-building kind of ropes
course in the middle of a corn field. We
decided that was not what we had in mind, and instead called a different zip
line course up in the northern part of the peninsula, to see if we could go
there instead. We made a reservation,
but then learned that only two of us would have been able to go on it, and it
was more expensive, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> SB’s contact
lens was ripped in half. So we decided
not to go zip lining at all, and cancelled our reservation. Instead, we drove around the eastern side of
the peninsula, looking at the beautiful houses and forest. Then we took our sandwiches back to the motel
and ate them there. We forgot to sing to
LR before we ate, so afterward we sang</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Happy Birthday
(number 2).</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We decided we would take a scenic boat ride this afternoon,
so I called the place in Fish Creek and made a reservation for 3pm. We were told to arrive by 2:40 to purchase
tickets and board the boat. Between
lunch and 2:40, we walked around the cute town (unincorporated) of Fish Creek,
looking in many of the touristy shops.
In the first shop we went in, SB and I bought commemorative shirts, but
LR couldn’t decide on one she wanted.
After looking in several other shops, we decided to get some ice cream
at Dippy’s Ice Cream. SB had Zanzibar
Chocolate (a combination of three African chocolates), and LR and I had Heaps
of Love (vanilla ice cream with fudge, cookie dough, caramel, oreos, and
pecans). Before we ate our ice cream, we
sang</div>
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<b>Happy Birthday
(number 3).</b><br />
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After that, we wandered around a little more until it was
time to get on the boat.<br />
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Although the weather had gotten cloudy and breezy,
with just a hint of rain, it was a very fun boat ride. The captain took us south along Millionaire
Row, a line of upscale houses along Green Bay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmOOxw6CQ6DDTmUqnLr4qnOH0OTdzx10klzDgq3c99Z28FdSMJeaOCVvsKs19xnz3neKotxd9-qQLZ9Zm5p6eLuulpvg4zb8MfaMCTwDfOqDWtDzvRcUQI1kUgjOW9PhBpPfJJnx5mZI/s1600/Boat+13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodQ_MFajamqftsxatW1zy3ZwSDasKSkraPFocSGk66xt0mHc7USA6pYLSKSf1TsdI4t_N2LQ4rRpnt8w0GnZ3HazhifuYbaBvitWAuWTg3_pWOo3aj7jYAv0bH2q6RS_JCUBVPCkuCdY/s1600/Boat+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodQ_MFajamqftsxatW1zy3ZwSDasKSkraPFocSGk66xt0mHc7USA6pYLSKSf1TsdI4t_N2LQ4rRpnt8w0GnZ3HazhifuYbaBvitWAuWTg3_pWOo3aj7jYAv0bH2q6RS_JCUBVPCkuCdY/s1600/Boat+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodQ_MFajamqftsxatW1zy3ZwSDasKSkraPFocSGk66xt0mHc7USA6pYLSKSf1TsdI4t_N2LQ4rRpnt8w0GnZ3HazhifuYbaBvitWAuWTg3_pWOo3aj7jYAv0bH2q6RS_JCUBVPCkuCdY/s320/Boat+4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKk5zzvGPE_TMy_5SghPoY7HQdUNAHJXsC8nkrORR0jYgOPCFZp31kMan7UTD9Wea__nOY5B7XwTqhypsDuZrukckSoN7O2uRg06-7l5y0odawhkkyJ8FDwvPCd-ePyJWKYNmUYIO8cys/s1600/Boat+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKk5zzvGPE_TMy_5SghPoY7HQdUNAHJXsC8nkrORR0jYgOPCFZp31kMan7UTD9Wea__nOY5B7XwTqhypsDuZrukckSoN7O2uRg06-7l5y0odawhkkyJ8FDwvPCd-ePyJWKYNmUYIO8cys/s200/Boat+7.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfbQ7ruhitf7lfWtsIOeZC8pAJnyw4Xmy1zv8kmU1UcbpT5jiJudVkslhyphenhyphen-nC4awKVnwS-bd-mFWwI71wEAq4W7rwibGGGnbBqYidxv6-1LIbctSSGcnitBeUIoj2ZMJNQa3NuCqHkso/s1600/Boat+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfbQ7ruhitf7lfWtsIOeZC8pAJnyw4Xmy1zv8kmU1UcbpT5jiJudVkslhyphenhyphen-nC4awKVnwS-bd-mFWwI71wEAq4W7rwibGGGnbBqYidxv6-1LIbctSSGcnitBeUIoj2ZMJNQa3NuCqHkso/s200/Boat+5.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6oDJQYayRC0-wnlybwKKbEmSy1UfCDmD-GM3yigsSR6yFqOcINF2asy0X3lpZ073QQpeo6NdSYHUuIfhj384L-q6FDIaHciu1V5zIbdRpwy4H6xKJ-B5wxd3kDkIfcxpG3QeyqwrVxY/s1600/Boat+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6oDJQYayRC0-wnlybwKKbEmSy1UfCDmD-GM3yigsSR6yFqOcINF2asy0X3lpZ073QQpeo6NdSYHUuIfhj384L-q6FDIaHciu1V5zIbdRpwy4H6xKJ-B5wxd3kDkIfcxpG3QeyqwrVxY/s200/Boat+6.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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Then we turned north and went past a bunch of birds—seagulls,
cormorants, and even pelicans!—flocking on some sandbars.<br />
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We continued through the Strawberry Islands,
a group of four small, privately owned islands.
(Actually, the fourth and smallest island, known as Pirate Island, isn’t
owned by anyone, because it’s not always there.
It’s so small that in wet years, when the level of the lake is higher,
it ends up as only a sandbar.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lErmXtuxQ8P6O6rPjtC8uuUnLlTJDUMPga3SuSei32UKaINwEoOgiFmgCI48rrZt7sjF6BC7Mp9fPEEp6Ji6s0MlGhp6l1sqavMl2mM2U95xEtS45gdnrbiLAy_P-JbWnX719T-hCqc/s1600/Boat+9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lErmXtuxQ8P6O6rPjtC8uuUnLlTJDUMPga3SuSei32UKaINwEoOgiFmgCI48rrZt7sjF6BC7Mp9fPEEp6Ji6s0MlGhp6l1sqavMl2mM2U95xEtS45gdnrbiLAy_P-JbWnX719T-hCqc/s200/Boat+9.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPV-EdzfqSKoMvC9-hi9GFQ0GC9xrfHhQAEeRVIDox4j3PctwleNzxVhNZ_BFoOEg0EVVydmYrAHIPhzezulrzhzycumpuI1KJs-FJzo-jU6JO3JgBRyRfaLa83u0D0TmJVly7JQAOJk/s1600/Boat+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPV-EdzfqSKoMvC9-hi9GFQ0GC9xrfHhQAEeRVIDox4j3PctwleNzxVhNZ_BFoOEg0EVVydmYrAHIPhzezulrzhzycumpuI1KJs-FJzo-jU6JO3JgBRyRfaLa83u0D0TmJVly7JQAOJk/s200/Boat+11.JPG" width="200" /></a>Finally,
we saw the Eagle Bluff lighthouse, which we hope to visit tomorrow and climb up
in.<br />
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The girl narrating the tour did a
good job of describing some of the history and interesting factoids about the
areas we saw, including which islands were privately owned and how frequently
the owners stay there. SB says she would
like to own and live on a private island when she retires.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCitEcgSSYIZq0Lk04OQ92t4nKYY4G0ag-lNR72DD7-LN3_5j8g3n5qrRTm6e1Lp72d6kx9E8GLG2cLR8D5pOoz38vLVpO0BFZsE_WOBR1xFWMuqN-PaysyPrzMDUiSXheVDuOX1j94S8/s1600/Boat+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCitEcgSSYIZq0Lk04OQ92t4nKYY4G0ag-lNR72DD7-LN3_5j8g3n5qrRTm6e1Lp72d6kx9E8GLG2cLR8D5pOoz38vLVpO0BFZsE_WOBR1xFWMuqN-PaysyPrzMDUiSXheVDuOX1j94S8/s200/Boat+14.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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After the boat docked again at the marina, we went back to
wandering the streets of Fish Creek again.
We wanted to go to a “fish boil” for dinner, so we chose Pelletier’s
because they offered table service (instead of buffet) and flexible seating
times. We got our tickets and found a
table where we could see the fish boil man doing his spiel.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPValTDGVHAY6gqRykn5JMp-XPIKinlScvPCLeO_0wPnYGOYTwhHNJmn9TK8gClE7P0eOFy8u6ytP-MJ3GsX5yZkasE_V2TDUOL1SpRqJoH2AJXnSvLAW4ANt2TOiWZAMtzpwjJfJ-XXY/s1600/Fish+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPValTDGVHAY6gqRykn5JMp-XPIKinlScvPCLeO_0wPnYGOYTwhHNJmn9TK8gClE7P0eOFy8u6ytP-MJ3GsX5yZkasE_V2TDUOL1SpRqJoH2AJXnSvLAW4ANt2TOiWZAMtzpwjJfJ-XXY/s320/Fish+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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He had a giant pot over a fire. First he put in a large kettle of red
potatoes, with only the ends cut off. A
little while later he added about two cups of salt. Eventually, he added a
slightly smaller kettle of fish, which nested inside the potato kettle. He explained that they control the
temperature of the fire using wooden slats around the outside. While the fish cooks, the oils rise up and
form a sort of gray scum on top of the pot.
You don’t want to get that scum on the fish itself, so instead of
pulling the fish out, he makes the pot boil over on purpose. To do this, he pulls the slats off the fire,
yells “BOIL OVER!” and throws a can of liquid fuel on the fire. This causes the fire to roar up into a
fireball, raising the temperature of the water enough that it quickly boils
over, taking the gray scum with it. Then
he and another man use a long pole to lift the kettles of fish and potatoes out
of the pot. The kettles have holes in
them so the water easily drains out.
Then the man adds more water back to the pot to replace what was lost in
the boil, and adds the next kettle of potatoes.</div>
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We were served our meals (the potatoes, onions, and fish
from the boil, as well as some coleslaw and bread), but before we ate, we sang</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Happy Birthday
(number 4)</b> very loudly in the outdoor seating area of the restaurant,
whilst smiling and pointing at LR.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The fish was quite good.
We had a little trouble removing the bones, but it was definitely worth
it. The potatoes were also delicious
with a little butter and salt and pepper.
SB and I had cherry pie for dessert, which was supposedly local but
turned out to be surprisingly average.
Its biggest flaw was that it was not warm. Alas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After dinner, SB and LR went into another clothing store to
try to find LR a shirt, while I went to the local market to pick up hot
chocolate and brownie mix. Everyone
knows you don’t get any older on your birthday until you’ve eaten your birthday
cake, but LR doesn’t really like cake, but she does like brownies. We met up again, SB bought a few important
things I had forgotten, and we returned to the motel. Once there, I started making brownies while
LR uploaded the fish boil video and SB Skyped LH. Unfortunately, the kitchenette didn’t have a cake/brownie
pan, and the market hadn’t had any disposable ones. Instead, I poured the brownie batter into a
flat-bottomed metal mixing bowl, hoping that would work well enough. It <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sort
of</i> worked. It took forever, because
the mix wasn’t spread out as much as it would have been in the right pan. LH got tired and had to go to bed before they
were done, so before she left, we sang</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Happy Birthday
(number 5) </b>(which is, alas, not at all similar to Mambo number 5).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When it was done, I pulled it out, stuck some candles in it,
lit them, turned off the lights, and we sang</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Happy Birthday
(number 6).</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
LR blew out all but one of the six candles on her first
try. Then I learned an important lesson:
one should not put birthday candles into cake (or brownies) without letting
said baked good cool somewhat first.
When we pulled out the candles, the parts of them that had been below
the surface of the brownie/cake were totally melted away, presumably into the
cake itself. Oh well. I cut the confection into eight pie-shaped
pieces, and LR finally turned 34.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhaW8zwwBDlto7zJGssEqOV3csiVwy12j6JGA3KMiiI4M4SW9zgNfbJ2ehCSOT1NcPK0IfzZQVyzsvCbJRYHIpI4sJ1Y9CuwPqi8VOx08K6nRTI1wpA6hH9o8Ml7I-46jqseTnhzzC4s/s1600/Brownies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhaW8zwwBDlto7zJGssEqOV3csiVwy12j6JGA3KMiiI4M4SW9zgNfbJ2ehCSOT1NcPK0IfzZQVyzsvCbJRYHIpI4sJ1Y9CuwPqi8VOx08K6nRTI1wpA6hH9o8Ml7I-46jqseTnhzzC4s/s200/Brownies.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9TGBR7BC9XSSLpwv01qUn6r32mpK9796n0gZKZZ-ZU-lqeXsx7LdDMAANhOE5hCEzb3_fUQyUmPBXbpwLPCSw77t1mrQIEKwaVvdNcfgK2PQglFxCmM5wPY7-cHbrzo50snScYQ-ilFA/s1600/Candles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9TGBR7BC9XSSLpwv01qUn6r32mpK9796n0gZKZZ-ZU-lqeXsx7LdDMAANhOE5hCEzb3_fUQyUmPBXbpwLPCSw77t1mrQIEKwaVvdNcfgK2PQglFxCmM5wPY7-cHbrzo50snScYQ-ilFA/s200/Candles.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3huRiHn0T0vPE0cXkJ4vpOFaTbDg-XT5VMC8J8wUj7kHayXgjMJ3q5aZ2foyrz6DU2weEzAyGgSzlsaOlD4gB60a_0BCtvUSWLPqkE73TDKlko6qY3V55ireeqS2og3QTLpMZpRwu2L8/s1600/Birthday+girl.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-25640384977173850582012-06-22T22:26:00.000-05:002012-06-28T16:00:17.983-05:00Door County, Part One: The ArrivalThis weekend, to help celebrate LR's birthday, she, SB, and I went to Door County, WI. I have never been here before, but they had, and my parents have, and my boyfriend has, and they all have said it is a beautiful place. Having been here for about four hours, I can totally agree.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Getting here was only slightly troublesome. We left SB's house at around 10 am, headed north and east. Once into Wisconsin, we had to stop briefly for a tire tune-up in Hudson, then continued onward. We had lunch at Thorpedo's (a diner) in Thorpe, WI. I had a breakfast burrito, SB had a burger, and LR had a shrimp basket: breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all represented. Up until about 2pm, we had gorgeous weather: cool, breezy, and sunny. Sitting in the front seat of the car, I could feel my arms tanning (that is, burning). But then we ran into some crazy thunderstorms, involving very heavy rain, lightning, and just a little bit of HAIL. Let me tell you, any size and amount of hail is terrifying when you are sitting in the front seat of a vehicle that is going 70 miles an hour. We eventually pulled over into a gas station, but by then the hail was done anyway. We got back on the road and continued on through the rain and some pretty impressive clouds.<br />
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It was neat, because even while we were in the thick of the storms, we could see blue skies out to the side. We drove over the bridge in Green Bay, then up the peninsula.<br />
<br />
As we were heading north, the skies finally cleared, and it was <i>gorgeous</i>. Everything had that freshly washed look, and smelled amazing, the way good earth does after a rainstorm. We stopped at a winery to pick up some wine for SB's sister, then finally made it to Fish Creek, where we had reserved a suite in a cottage. Our room has a king-size bed, a fold-out twin bed, a kitchenette, table, gas fireplace, and a TV with a VHS/DVD player. It also had a picture of a clarinet on the wall, which made us feel almost as if LH was with us. Almost, but not quite.<br />
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<br />
After we got settled in our room, LR (the birthday girl) decided we'd go to The Gibraltar Grill for dinner. It was <i>sooooo</i> good. Since the weather had cleared up so nicely, we sat on the porch outside near the bar. I had the Door County Summer Salad wrap, which was huge (so I saved half for tomorrow) and SB and LR had pulled pork sandwiches. They gave me a bite of the pork and it was delicious. Then we planned some of our adventures for the next few days-- zip lining, biking, lighthouse-exploring-- and picked up some groceries.<br />
<br />
After we'd returned to our suite and put the groceries away, it was still light enough out for a brief walk. Peninsula State Park is just across the street from where we're staying, so we just walked over there. There's a golf course there, which we walked through on our way to see the water. LR and I climbed a tree.<br />
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<br />
I was feeling very energetic (and just a little happy, due to drinking a Woodchuck Cider at dinner), so I ran ahead at one point, pulled the flag out of one hole, waved it around and shouted, "I CLAIM THIS GREEN IN THE NAME OF FRANCE!"<br />
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<br />
Then I planted the flag firmly back in the hole and walked off the green.<br />
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As I was waiting for SB and LR to catch up, the sprinklers came on.<br />
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We all laughed about how funny it would have been if they'd come on while I was on the green.<br />
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Of course, I had to try my trademark "perching-on-top-of-something-on-one-foot" pose.<br />
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We finished our walk with a view of the bay.<br />
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Then we walked back to the room, LR went to sleep, and SB and I have been fiddling around with our various electronic devices. Cell phone service is somewhat patchy here, but there's free WiFi in the room.<br />
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Thus ends Friday's adventures. I'll try to post again tomorrow.Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-30486021041937531292012-03-16T14:26:00.000-05:002012-03-16T14:26:34.766-05:00No, really, I'm alive.Remember that time I was blogging a lot, and held a contest to see when my 100th post would be? I had lots of interesting projects planned and I'm sure you're dying to know how they turned out.<br />
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Most of the projects didn't happen. I didn't knit a sock, I haven't been running very much, and I haven't cooked anything spectacular lately. I have, however, done the following:<br />
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1. acquired a fantastic, wonderful boyfriend named Tony.<br />
2. got a part-time job shelving in a library near where Tony lives.<br />
3. played tennis for the first time since gym class. Tony is a tennis aficionado, and an excellent teacher.<br />
4. started spring classes for my library degree: Reader's Advisory and Children's/YA Services. <br />
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So that's why I haven't been blogging. I'll try to get back on the blogwagon (again), but no promises. As for the "guess when the 100th post will happen" contest, let's say you're all winners! Anyone who wants to write a guest post is welcome to submit content, and I'll put it on the blog! Leave a comment here saying "I want to guest post!" and include your email address, and I'll get in touch with you. Thanks!Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-13389535348396754642012-01-11T12:01:00.000-06:002012-01-11T12:01:04.422-06:00Children Are People<a href="http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/listening.html">"To be a "gifted" teacher is really just possessing the knowledge that children are people and then proceeding to treat them like people, loving them, and listening.</a>"<br />
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I have said things like this before; that the way teaching happens these days is not the way it should happen. The best advice to teachers is to treat students like people. This sounds like a "duh" kind of thing, but think back to your own school years. How often were you treated like a cog in a machine, or a person of less value/standing/importance than the teacher, or simply one of the crowd of students? I would bet that it happened, and still happens, more often than we like to admit. Those stellar teachers who manage to break the mold end up being the most effective and the most loved.<br />
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The above quote is from <a href="http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/">Teacher Tom</a>'s blog, and I highly recommend reading more of his posts. He teaches preschool in a play-based learning center. I would love to explore how the ideals of play-based learning could apply to school-aged children and even higher education. What do you think? Leave your thoughts, ideas, and comments below.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[This is post #98. We're getting close to 100!]</span></div>Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-37843179259617505622012-01-05T11:56:00.000-06:002012-01-05T11:56:00.886-06:00Running updateLots of fun new things in this department. My brother (barefoot running aficionado) gave me a gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods for Christmas. Although Dick's doesn't stock Vibrams, they did have the Adidas version, called Adipure. I went and tried a few pairs on to determine the correct fit, and decided to get them.<br />
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I also discovered that St. Olaf offers a <a href="http://stolaf.edu/recreation/tostrud/northfield.html">community pass</a> to their athletic facilities. For your average community member, it's $60 for a year pass to the indoor track, basketball courts and tennis courts. HOWEVER, for alums, get this: $15 for a year pass to EVERYTHING, including the pool, fitness and weight rooms, racquetball courts, etc. SWEET! So I signed up for that, and took my first walk/jog around the indoor elevated track this morning. Since I hadn't run in over a month and I was using new shoes, I just started up the Couch-to-5k program from the beginning, and took it nice and slow.<br />
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The shoes are pretty good. It's hard for me to get my little toe into its toe box, but I'm hoping that will get easier as they get more broken in. Also, in at least one place, the inside seams are a bit uncomfortable; I can tell that if I were to wear them all day or for a very long walk or run, I would get a blister. Again, this might improve with time, but I have also ordered a pair of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Injinji-11000-injinji-Performance-Toesocks/dp/B002WN2L6O">injinji toe socks</a> (link goes to amazon; you can also order from <a href="http://vibramfivefingers.com/">vibramfivefingers.com</a>). I'm hoping the socks will help pad the interior a bit, as well as cut down on the sweat factor. Being made of neoprene, there is quite a bit of sweat, and I haven't yet figured out if the shoes are machine washable.<br />
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All that to say, I'm getting back into the exercising groove, and am looking forward to being in better shape!Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-79152848312543222592012-01-05T11:36:00.000-06:002012-01-05T11:36:33.582-06:00I'm still here!Although it may have seemed that I invented anti-gravity shoes and subsequently fell off the earth, this is not the case. The truth is much more mundane: it was a busy end-of-semester, then I was traveling, then I was home with my family. None of those activities inspired me to write a blog post. But never fear! I am hopping back on the blogwagon (heh, heh) here in the new year. Look for updates about running, knitting socks, cooking food, and other enticingly exciting topics.Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-28736280161907226122011-12-07T16:30:00.002-06:002011-12-07T22:15:21.936-06:00Book review: The Maze Runner Trilogy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwK2JVVWnl_e5_4_mRqI2UgUpxlvSM7KPigoh5gOcznKFvuFd6UTGp6M-85dF0ev9ZR05RPyLp2iPRcXXlQyugrhECI4-EHD_jpThGPyC67CtUZ9mQHhfQYzOJGrQXUUke5JLpbG3TAk/s1600/Dashner_MAZE+RUNNER+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwK2JVVWnl_e5_4_mRqI2UgUpxlvSM7KPigoh5gOcznKFvuFd6UTGp6M-85dF0ev9ZR05RPyLp2iPRcXXlQyugrhECI4-EHD_jpThGPyC67CtUZ9mQHhfQYzOJGrQXUUke5JLpbG3TAk/s200/Dashner_MAZE+RUNNER+1.jpg" width="138" /></a></div>
<i>The Maze Runner</i><br />
by James Dashner<br />
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In this first book of the trilogy, we meet Thomas as he wakes up with no specific memories of his past, on the way to what we learn is The Glade. Thomas and some other boys are apparently being kept here, surrounded by an impenetrable maze filled with deadly monster-machines. None of them have any memories. Suddenly, the first <i>girl</i> ever arrives in The Glade, and triggers catastrophic events.<br />
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Seemingly the love-child of <i>The Hunger Games</i> and <i>Lord of the Flies</i>, this book is fast-paced and interesting, if not very deep. It's mostly the desire to solve the multiple mysteries that keeps one reading. Unfortunately, if that is your main motivation (as it was mine), you'll have to finish the series to really answer everything.<br />
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<i>The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner #2)</i><br />
by James Dashner<br />
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A direct sequel to #1, picking up pretty much exactly where we left off. Thomas and the gang have escaped the Maze, but find themselves thrust into yet another life-threatening experiment where many will die. Thomas might even be one of them.<br />
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Somewhat satisfying in that as Thomas slowly gains back some memories, we can start to piece together what has happened. Since we, the readers, are not faced with death (and near-constant exhaustion, as Thomas does), we have more leisure to go back and fit his sketchy memories together. We won't have all the information, though, until book 3.<br />
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<i>The Death Cure (Maze Runner #3)</i><br />
by James Dashner<i> </i><br />
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In the final installment, Thomas and his friends try to figure out how to deal with the organization that has stolen their memories, made them distrust everything and everyone, and killed their friends.<br />
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Questions are answered, mysteries solved, and the human race goes on. Hooray!<br />
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Final verdict: a fun, quick read. Much more cheerful ending than <i>Hunger Games</i>. Gotta read the whole series to be happy, but don't really have to reread ever, in my opinion.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">[This is post #95. When do you think I will get to 100? If you're right, you might <a href="http://wildwackywonderfulwanderings.blogspot.com/2011/11/next-years-garden-and-contest.html">win</a>!]</span></div>Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-24955453643003457372011-12-01T10:21:00.000-06:002011-12-01T10:21:33.321-06:00African Violets<div style="text-align: center;">
This is a photo of my African Violets back in June of this year:</div>
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And these are pictures of them now:</div>
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My question: why are the flowers so very white, with hardly any "violet" left on them at all?</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">[This is post #94. When do you think I will get to 100? If you're right, you might <a href="http://wildwackywonderfulwanderings.blogspot.com/2011/11/next-years-garden-and-contest.html">win</a>!]</span></div>Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-26478612596346770062011-12-01T00:05:00.001-06:002011-12-01T00:07:59.216-06:00FLYING!!!<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">My good friend N got me a flying lesson for my birthday, back in September. We couldn't get it scheduled until this past Sunday due to weather and conflicts, but we finally did it, and it was AMAZINGLY AWESOME. N took some great photos, to which I will now subject you.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDabtgB1W_AQL1GZvMlZ1DMj3tH28B4XylpWT8msQAwT-sW3nTUqCXPUqX1gycl0NBFlCDFPPWV_wEuxK1HLzWND3J78l3dezP59QbN43uZI65M2vYtLqtnwYaPAmxh0k6vXTMFrb3Y94/s1600/01+Me_plane+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDabtgB1W_AQL1GZvMlZ1DMj3tH28B4XylpWT8msQAwT-sW3nTUqCXPUqX1gycl0NBFlCDFPPWV_wEuxK1HLzWND3J78l3dezP59QbN43uZI65M2vYtLqtnwYaPAmxh0k6vXTMFrb3Y94/s400/01+Me_plane+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It was pretty cold outside on the ground. Nice and warm in the plane, though.</i></td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShLKOz2ciBWnt-LGft5ijbuZwOELurRbPpm3w67j2SBA8bmOi_oneilFsAkRHgj2TpaLjfGiXfJ6SAXaRj0t1U1SUVz_Vd1lPOqEhXwTW2VKzJZie0x0DDvb-6v29tMk6BOd1_dx5hP0/s1600/02+Me_plane+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShLKOz2ciBWnt-LGft5ijbuZwOELurRbPpm3w67j2SBA8bmOi_oneilFsAkRHgj2TpaLjfGiXfJ6SAXaRj0t1U1SUVz_Vd1lPOqEhXwTW2VKzJZie0x0DDvb-6v29tMk6BOd1_dx5hP0/s400/02+Me_plane+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>That's a Cessna 172.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenPhUCox4SOd0S4lrXkrbQYWxu9ZGXrWFAiOxuBnm51_TK0priAo-lpb9UJmuW6xW3Ziof_VcuQJpW31ZWP_gWcypzg9VVtwdCj_OJqX1OPmusBKfyvhaapDaq6iG-W18YcZdtss5kR8/s1600/03+Me_Nikki.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenPhUCox4SOd0S4lrXkrbQYWxu9ZGXrWFAiOxuBnm51_TK0priAo-lpb9UJmuW6xW3Ziof_VcuQJpW31ZWP_gWcypzg9VVtwdCj_OJqX1OPmusBKfyvhaapDaq6iG-W18YcZdtss5kR8/s400/03+Me_Nikki.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Me and N, with the plane.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTE5dui-o2NGq6wtkC9S9kS9WLzLF-Wy5f7Z1IX6Unv9seILBk68x4rdVHtRfAS7-eFf_PgAhN2TdiQGVHCfp9VHuMbzcARkGeIDMH6Gmobw__lmfs11WjkUHzzEFWa13OQII1f222z2I/s1600/04+In+the+Plane.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTE5dui-o2NGq6wtkC9S9kS9WLzLF-Wy5f7Z1IX6Unv9seILBk68x4rdVHtRfAS7-eFf_PgAhN2TdiQGVHCfp9VHuMbzcARkGeIDMH6Gmobw__lmfs11WjkUHzzEFWa13OQII1f222z2I/s400/04+In+the+Plane.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I was SUPER excited. And I eventually took off my coat.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg919nKZrm3nEPaV-NfkemtrumOe6LBameSYv-hckQxBZ3mRWiQyTthtywq-ojqMyLuCR0WoNxTvCQKKZMtw1lx5sCJJExb7SsJGWo0CWIrLZUQd4DgZmPrAe8ypNKJ5fQVhHQQ_E5gWlM/s1600/05+Before+takeoff.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg919nKZrm3nEPaV-NfkemtrumOe6LBameSYv-hckQxBZ3mRWiQyTthtywq-ojqMyLuCR0WoNxTvCQKKZMtw1lx5sCJJExb7SsJGWo0CWIrLZUQd4DgZmPrAe8ypNKJ5fQVhHQQ_E5gWlM/s400/05+Before+takeoff.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Learning some of the instruments and getting the weather.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Learning to taxi.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2nNo0MVivZXAiRUCW9dysf2LxQK7V6KkK1RaLMQcVgcwBtqXkpGnXRrlmQA3EqKbUKtJ16XyXp7-35EdkGqZLpdgcdPj4Mt3d4NOV12r4_IO8DirEzHIOJPUFKMBHNaFKFrzlSjKGLo/s1600/07+Takeoff.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2nNo0MVivZXAiRUCW9dysf2LxQK7V6KkK1RaLMQcVgcwBtqXkpGnXRrlmQA3EqKbUKtJ16XyXp7-35EdkGqZLpdgcdPj4Mt3d4NOV12r4_IO8DirEzHIOJPUFKMBHNaFKFrzlSjKGLo/s400/07+Takeoff.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>During takeoff. (The instructor did that part.)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvzBk6O3pxRHnx6BPLTagBEIluBCCP2J_YsNRFElT3eancZ1sHr0io6dh3uuFlH4eAtdBjBOYDL_teAnpeSaOH8IiWUBGLWh7_xxFprH9zhqt5-aXKE2dIA8JZjMu0CW1Is5wouHf33c/s1600/08+Ground+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvzBk6O3pxRHnx6BPLTagBEIluBCCP2J_YsNRFElT3eancZ1sHr0io6dh3uuFlH4eAtdBjBOYDL_teAnpeSaOH8IiWUBGLWh7_xxFprH9zhqt5-aXKE2dIA8JZjMu0CW1Is5wouHf33c/s320/08+Ground+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Some photos of the ground between Crystal and Buffalo, MN.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This time I'm in control, executing my first turn.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Flying is FUN!</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Since we flew west, we got more sunlight the further we went. In this photo and the next, we're headed back to Crystal with the sun behind us.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Since there was a break in the clouds, we even got to go above them for some bright sunlight!</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_aVwJxTozvzV-M70kLemM-h-Z8wCQjbO0Zuat2wjhF79c1p-6sk_Sx9WT_7DgDehhsBR3jPi-vmhM75BZLj63P2wVN8-tiZBZj9xgs_Mhj7eREszd6D8GzE_-ND_ooTdpZxCWdeu-wE/s1600/17+Sunset+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_aVwJxTozvzV-M70kLemM-h-Z8wCQjbO0Zuat2wjhF79c1p-6sk_Sx9WT_7DgDehhsBR3jPi-vmhM75BZLj63P2wVN8-tiZBZj9xgs_Mhj7eREszd6D8GzE_-ND_ooTdpZxCWdeu-wE/s400/17+Sunset+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>N took some beautiful photos of the sunset above and below the clouds. This one is my favorite.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hooray for flying!</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">[This is post #93. We have one guess that I will get to 100 before February 12. What's your guess?]</span>Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-16048101777754292202011-11-29T14:08:00.000-06:002011-11-29T14:08:45.925-06:00Thanksgiving LeftoversToday, I used some Thanksgiving leftovers to make a casserole.<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
Leftover cooked white-meat turkey<br />
Leftover roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon & walnuts<br />
Sliced mushrooms<br />
1/2 an onion, diced<br />
Egg noodles<br />
Olive oil<br />
Heavy cream<br />
Flour and turkey gravy seasoning<br />
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Directions:<br />
Heat the oil in a pan, and stir in the chopped onions. Cook until translucent, then add the flour/gravy mixture. Brown for a couple minutes, then add the heavy cream and some hot water. Heat through, then add more flour or more water until you have the consistency of cream of mushroom soup. Alternatively, use a can of cream of mushroom soup. Add in the chopped turkey and heat through. Add salt and/or pepper to taste.<br />
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At the same time, cook the egg noodles according to the package directions. Heat some butter in a separate pan, add the mushrooms, and cook until browned. Then add in the Brussels sprouts and heat through.<br />
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When everything is heated, mix it together in a casserole dish. Sprinkle crushed cracker bits, dried cranberries, and Parmesan cheese on top. Put it in a 350 degree oven until the top is slightly browned, about 10-15 minutes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sorry for the poor picture quality; one of these days I will get a real camera.</i></td></tr>
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<br />Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-80617508176113464142011-11-22T13:07:00.001-06:002011-11-22T21:31:08.981-06:00MEAT!I just purchased 25 pounds of local beef from <a href="http://www.risingmoonfarm.com/">Rising Moon Farm</a>. I was a little worried that it wouldn't all fit in my freezer along with the three chickens I have left and all my frozen soups and stocks. But it all fit perfectly.<br />
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That's 12 pounds of ground beef, a couple roasts, short ribs, and several different cuts of steak, all on the bottom shelf with my three chickens. Everything up top is pre-cooked.<br />
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[This is post #91, by the way. Leave a comment with the day and time you predict I will post my 100th post, and you will win a TBD prize!Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-36964043482060476082011-11-21T14:55:00.001-06:002011-11-22T13:54:52.769-06:00Next Year's Garden (and a CONTEST!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last week I ordered some seeds from Seed Savers Exchange at 50% off. From left to right, starting in the top row, I have beans (dry), beans (snap), beets, blue corn, pickling cucumbers, purple basil, Greek oregano, leeks, lettuce, peas, peppers, pumpkins, and tomatoes. So I'm very excited to grow things next spring.<br />
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Also, this is my 90th post on this blog! I am holding another contest: whoever most correctly predicts when I will post my 100th post will win a chance to guest post here at WWWW. Or I will guest post on your blog. Or I'll write you a limerick. Basically, the prize is negotiable. Start guessing the day and time I will post the 100th entry on this blog! I don't even know myself (I don't have it planned out or anything), so we'll all be surprised.Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-3593907771601535872011-11-16T09:15:00.000-06:002011-11-16T09:15:10.243-06:00Book review: Coop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtMQoqNmAdipQqcZ30GaiTcw7LXzLGnfZIDxV_9mdOQTOI_nTF2GI3xmWFJAlsZz1IaaLpZZYxS9x4JozzgCGv9Bef5xH9JrdqSmnWwzGeV8NaSyWx59qGvOm5k3uht5YmNfu-rUm47k/s1600/Perry_COOP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtMQoqNmAdipQqcZ30GaiTcw7LXzLGnfZIDxV_9mdOQTOI_nTF2GI3xmWFJAlsZz1IaaLpZZYxS9x4JozzgCGv9Bef5xH9JrdqSmnWwzGeV8NaSyWx59qGvOm5k3uht5YmNfu-rUm47k/s200/Perry_COOP.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<i>Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting</i><br />
by Michael Perry<i> </i><br />
<br />
What a fun book! Perry has a great way of making his writing funny by using much more complicated vocabulary and sentence structure than is warranted by the situation. He is also very skilled at bringing out the emotional complexities of starting a small farm: in his relationships with his family, his neighbors, his livestock, and in his ambivalent attitude about "work" that pays the bills versus "work" that feeds the family.<br />
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A quote for Susan:<br />
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"I wrote the word reverence into our vows in honor of the way my father has always treated my mother. Dad taught me that reverence wasn't fawning, nor was it always delivered in hushed tones. I saw it in the goofy way he doffed his fur-lined Boris Yeltsin hat when he opened the van door for her on Sunday mornings; the way he quietly abstained when we kids teased her for not getting our jokes; the way he never failed to leave the dinner table without thanking her. And there was the reverence between them: lest we be deceived, on many occasions-- together and separately-- Mom and Dad made sure we understood that their marriage had rough patches and disagreements, but that they had long ago promised to work it out quietly behind closed doors. It didn't hurt that they sometimes made sure to let us catch them kissing. Nothing off-putting, just a hug and peck in the kitchen or in the sheep barn during lambing. In this I believe they were extending their reverence to the children-- letting us know that when we went to sleep it was in a house headed by parents joined at hip and heart."Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-37622653912880863702011-11-10T17:15:00.000-06:002011-11-10T17:15:45.448-06:00Wednesday PizzaI made pizza yesterday.<br />
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First, I mixed up and kneaded the dough. Then, while it was rising in the microwave (it was off, of course), I went for a walk/jog. After I returned and took a shower, it was time to punch it down, preheat the oven and pizza stone, and start making the toppings. Here's how it went down:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9A4qVP9me7oNCgX4SkAulUxNiMVUrlJJ32ug2QfNpYlUZYtpjAtNF4EJEgpNTQTOLbY33Ie4LY_2IiPR3vH5c7Wkbb2bWPeBMZdoSB8dAcO-MEaHhdpmxUKJ1pwkV6aPNLoJZbaY18g/s1600/Crust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9A4qVP9me7oNCgX4SkAulUxNiMVUrlJJ32ug2QfNpYlUZYtpjAtNF4EJEgpNTQTOLbY33Ie4LY_2IiPR3vH5c7Wkbb2bWPeBMZdoSB8dAcO-MEaHhdpmxUKJ1pwkV6aPNLoJZbaY18g/s400/Crust.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Roll or press dough into desired size/shape. Roll up the edge to make a crust.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHes6TTGuC_GolEQJ82C24OwbJvZMkORyRtL4iZC5XRRAbc4UahTUPE-ZnPlrWBeb0boV9vJnxtzQNNmWVtKWtx-ASslufSqNSv15nIWSGr47-MP4kgRJissQzGKJoiZ3_pDagADpo9yA/s1600/Sauce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHes6TTGuC_GolEQJ82C24OwbJvZMkORyRtL4iZC5XRRAbc4UahTUPE-ZnPlrWBeb0boV9vJnxtzQNNmWVtKWtx-ASslufSqNSv15nIWSGr47-MP4kgRJissQzGKJoiZ3_pDagADpo9yA/s400/Sauce.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Spread on the sauce (mine is unseasoned).</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCOPFwRzBNbKQ6hO3imxuL6CZtS81mLSJUtUsbs1znPw7L5mWb7GVmyPS4jDEv9ssz9zU4HWjM9Ong3l_qa_T2HtKszcU8fUNetRQZ5H5TKPNYSf7H16g3AEWOAyxh49XhSTbP7TqHBE/s1600/Toppings+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCOPFwRzBNbKQ6hO3imxuL6CZtS81mLSJUtUsbs1znPw7L5mWb7GVmyPS4jDEv9ssz9zU4HWjM9Ong3l_qa_T2HtKszcU8fUNetRQZ5H5TKPNYSf7H16g3AEWOAyxh49XhSTbP7TqHBE/s400/Toppings+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Add Italian spices, shredded mozzarella cheese, caramelized onions, fried mushrooms, and garlic.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGcxw9pZgj49g4BwWyNoMcGSlywB1lzWrxriwqVU97cbemsQxHqL_7eSj0tKqpfY0anlK9YD8RZ8X0-A4K0SXp5LHQaL4LJI3Lzl-cxVW2YxhZIXo9tK6YOwHjcPTt0GO5NzSP510t7A/s1600/Toppings+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGcxw9pZgj49g4BwWyNoMcGSlywB1lzWrxriwqVU97cbemsQxHqL_7eSj0tKqpfY0anlK9YD8RZ8X0-A4K0SXp5LHQaL4LJI3Lzl-cxVW2YxhZIXo9tK6YOwHjcPTt0GO5NzSP510t7A/s400/Toppings+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Shred some more cheese and put it on, because cheese is good. Brush the crust with olive oil, then sprinkle with garlic salt and some more Italian seasonings.</i></td></tr>
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Very, very carefully, transfer from table to pizza stone in the oven. I used parchment paper to do this, as I don't have a pizza peel. Try not to burn yourself on the oven or the racks.<br />
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Discover that you should have measured the pizza stone-- your pizza has too great of a diameter. Decide not to care.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHiMYNybzV35Q19ZkFB07enAtU9DascM4XDYsSNxH3FcESxo8HfF7FcMbKj-bJI6y-bfgl8dMFWOQ___-l54JbCqQkDFsgk94Jk-M8P97g4R614T7S8sIh2vbJMpNmTnisxkzXEf8SXMM/s1600/Finished+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHiMYNybzV35Q19ZkFB07enAtU9DascM4XDYsSNxH3FcESxo8HfF7FcMbKj-bJI6y-bfgl8dMFWOQ___-l54JbCqQkDFsgk94Jk-M8P97g4R614T7S8sIh2vbJMpNmTnisxkzXEf8SXMM/s400/Finished+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It barely fits inside the largest (16") circle. Partly because it seems the crust unrolled itself.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCX9f7Z-MCfoznpS35bZBoIAREXtMgWdSBP5mQuf8oLQhJSeE8WyCSfnNdXSpCpH3QefpY3Bcj2M6w_9EGivSl-ps_clPz3vTRQrGT_x5F80MIgu7EBXJdlku4MBPbsyLSo-TsC-KF54/s1600/Finished+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCX9f7Z-MCfoznpS35bZBoIAREXtMgWdSBP5mQuf8oLQhJSeE8WyCSfnNdXSpCpH3QefpY3Bcj2M6w_9EGivSl-ps_clPz3vTRQrGT_x5F80MIgu7EBXJdlku4MBPbsyLSo-TsC-KF54/s400/Finished+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Aha, a cooling rack!</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOt8DUWmaaA9fQXH56DhG9xTWkWxFVJVXeahpcTTIMH4tmOnDfZYRoij6gXUVmytbzUtWT2z5oI1kZdZsOKgcTTcywuls1Nw-p0Onm9-wuOQKkZGxiYFeMwcuKpJSu8zCi-T74M9KAfG8/s1600/Slice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOt8DUWmaaA9fQXH56DhG9xTWkWxFVJVXeahpcTTIMH4tmOnDfZYRoij6gXUVmytbzUtWT2z5oI1kZdZsOKgcTTcywuls1Nw-p0Onm9-wuOQKkZGxiYFeMwcuKpJSu8zCi-T74M9KAfG8/s400/Slice.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cut a slice and enjoy!</i></td></tr>
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<br />Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-75799260007348468202011-11-08T13:35:00.001-06:002011-11-08T13:36:31.818-06:00Abby, the CatThis is Abby.<br />
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She does not technically belong to me, but to the owner of the house I live in, who has been away on vacation for the past month. Thus, I have been her primary source of food, water, love, and non-autonomous grooming.<br />
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She likes to walk on me, knead me, and lie on my chest.<br />
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This sometimes makes it hard to breathe, as she is (and I say this with the love of Christ) something of a fat cat.<br />
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She also likes to bring me presents. Last night, I woke up to the sound of crunching. At first I thought, "Oh, that's Abby eating her crunchy food." Then I thought, "Wait, I didn't give her crunchy food tonight..." And then I realized that she was eating a mouse.<br />
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I figured I probably didn't want to witness that process, so I stayed in bed and tried to go back to sleep. No dice. After the crunching stopped, and Abby apparently left the room, I finally had to turn on the light, get out of bed (very carefully, so as not to step on the corpse), put on my glasses, and remove the head and tail and other remains of her midnight snack into the garbage. (Be glad that I did not have the presence of mind to take a photo.) Then I went downstairs to get the Resolve carpet cleaner (to clean up the blood). Sprayed that on the carpet, waited the requisite five minutes, then blotted and wiped it clean. I washed my hands, then firmly shut the door (to keep any further snacks out of my room) and went back to bed.Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-51537817501929134362011-11-08T13:23:00.001-06:002011-11-08T13:35:40.145-06:00The Death of JackHalloween is over. Time to get rid of Jack.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Here lies Jack, atop the compost.</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td></tr>
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<br />Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-67444838591041167612011-11-08T13:20:00.000-06:002011-11-08T13:20:38.271-06:00Sock updateI didn't forget about my sock project; I was inundated with other projects that for various reasons (schoolwork, paid work) took precedence over crafts and hobbies. But never fear; I have gotten back on the sock-horse. Wow, that sounds strange.<br />
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Anyway, remember that <a href="http://wildwackywonderfulwanderings.blogspot.com/2011/10/sock-yarn.html">lovely green alpaca yarn</a> I bought? It is finally de-skeined (Is that even a word? What do people really call the process of turning a skein of yarn into a ball?) and I have begun turning it into a sock. It's slow going, because the yarn is so thin and the needles so small, but it's going.<br />
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I've found I like to knit in the morning, after feeding the cat but before changing out of my PJs. Who am I kidding, I'm still in my PJs right now, and it's almost 1:30.Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-30089337484920631412011-11-04T09:34:00.001-05:002011-11-04T09:35:01.937-05:00A New Way to RunWhile browsing my blog feed yesterday, I came across <a href="http://www.rootsimple.com/2011/11/secret-to-barefoot-running.html">this article</a> from Root Simple, which linked me to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/magazine/running-christopher-mcdougall.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1&hp">this <i>NY Times</i> article</a> about barefoot running. (I just typed "barefood" by accident. That should tell you something about me.)<br />
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I should explain that I have always been overweight, and have always hated running. In gym class, I could never complete the required number of laps at a run. At best, I could run half of each lap. I couldn't understand how my classmates were possibly running so fast, and for so long. I figured it must be that I was fat, and not built for running. That has been my line every time the subject comes up: "I don't run. I'm not built for running."<br />
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<a name='more'></a> While I do think body type has something to do with which exercises work best for which people, the above <i>NY Times</i> article came as a shock to me. Apparently, I've been doing it wrong all these years. "How can you run wrong?" you might ask. According to the article, for the best, most efficient, most injury- and pain-free way of running, you want to land on the ball and toes of your foot. I tried this out barefoot in the kitchen yesterday, and was excited to try it outside for a longer stretch. Unfortunately, it's too cold to try it barefoot (and I'm not totally convinced I would want to, even if it was warmer), so I laced up my sneakers and went for a short run/walk around the loop in my neighborhood.<br />
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It was amazing. With my accustomed way of running, I hit the pavement on my heels or flat-footed, with quite a bit of force, which caused my joints to ache and all the wobbly bits of my overweight self to, well, wobble. Not pleasant for me, not pleasant for anyone who happened to be watching. But by landing on the front of my feet, there was almost no jarring impact; rather, the force was absorbed by all the little joints in my feet, then ankles, knees, etc. I felt like my body was working for me, instead of against me. Even with shoes on, this technique makes running an actual possibility for exercise, instead of a cruel and unusual punishment.<br />
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Now, granted, the results weren't miraculous. I'm still out of shape, and the longer I go, the more out of breath I get, and the more my technique suffers. I was running a little, then walking a little. But I hope if I keep it up, I'll be able to run continuously for longer periods. I'll let you know how it goes.Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-41396944697797384432011-11-03T13:53:00.001-05:002011-11-08T13:35:54.085-06:00The Return of Jack<div style="text-align: center;">
He's waaaaay scarier now that he's decomposing.</div>
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And getting chewed on.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kinda like that guy from </i>THE MUMMY<i>, which was on TV the other night.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8143947122575893032.post-65716750519924332222011-11-03T10:51:00.000-05:002011-11-03T10:51:40.139-05:00Ideas for libraries?We had a guest speaker last night at my Library Science class. She talked with great enthusiasm about all the wonderful ways that libraries could and should be using technology and social media. The talk started with her request (more like a demand, actually) that we all give our "elevator speech"; a very brief self-introduction that would "sell" our skills and potential assets. Also, apparently "Google is now your resume." If you're not visible on the Internet, you are unhireable. Then she went on to talk about all the wonderful iPhone apps she uses, how Starbucks, hackerspace, and TED talks are stealing business from libraries. Her mantra for the evening seemed to be "Why isn't the library doing that?"<br />
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While I agree that libraries should use technology and online trends (like social networking) to bring in more patrons and help them do/learn/find what they need, I resent and reject the idea that everyone must be connected in these ways. If people want to be on Twitter, or have a blog, or create or use apps, that's fine, and the library should support that. But it should not expect or require patrons <i>or staff</i> to do so.<br />
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After class, I was giving my friend E a ride home. We talked about how this culture of technology and social media and "selling" yourself is not what we want. We are intelligent, informed women, and we would be perfectly happy to be married, stay at home, cook, garden, and care for children. Being a housewife does not preclude us from being smart, or from being valuable assets to any organization. Just because we <i>choose</i> not to hang our names all over the internet, just because we <i>choose</i> not to be tethered to a smart phone or an iPad or any other device, does not mean we are not qualified to work with or for those who do so choose.*<br />
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Our culture is trying to tell us that we must be connected, we must be visible, we must be extroverted. I reject these values. I was particularly angered by the "elevator speech" idea, although I did manage to come up with something to say. What I wanted to say, though, was this: "Hi, I'm Laura C., and I am not the type to initiate conversation in an elevator. Thank you."<br />
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This isn't all about me, either. While E and I choose not to identify with the tech culture, there are others who are excluded from it based on economic and linguistic barriers. It's fine to include apps and social media in a library's repertoire of services, but the minute those high-class projects start taking funding and staff hours away from more basic services that benefit under-served patrons, it's a BIG PROBLEM. Who needs our help more, the Abercrombie-wearing teenager whining about how the library should have an app for that, or the single mom trying to learn English so she can get a job? <i>Seriously</i>. Let's get our priorities straight here.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*Yes, I appreciate the irony inherent in my using a blog to discuss this issue. Thanks.</span>Laura Camphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09149093275154773302noreply@blogger.com2