Finishing Up for the Year

2 months ago, frustrated because I couldn't get a day of vacation approved at work, I randomly signed up for vacation on November 9.  Didn't have a thing planned.  Just simply wanted a day of vaca.  

So we loaded up and took the scenic route to Too.  The two photos above were taken earlier in the fall, in October.  The trees are not nearly as pretty today as they were in the pics but we took the back roads and wandered our way to Too though Ringgold County, Lamoni and across on the Pleasanton Road to Mo.  We checked out the cabins and winterized the washer with the Instructions Himself got from the manufacturer. (yes, you use antifreeze in it, just like a toilet or sink drain.)  I put the wasp killer jar inside so it wouldn't take on any water, freeze and break.  We picked up a last item or two, moved the picnic table, re-locked the doors and headed home.  But not directly home as we wandered on over to Mt Moriah. 

I am so disappointed in the pic of the week old piglets.  I want to go back and use my camera instead of the phone.  These little darlings are adorable!  They are being pastured, rather than being raised in a barn like in the old days when I was a kid.    The piglets were out in the fresh air and the sunshine --  giving "cute" a new meaning.  Of course, they will end up on someones plate in a few years but meanwhile they are happy and free. 

The pigs are on the farm of Tim and Maryanna just down the road south and west of III.  These folks were our neighbors at III and Tim and his Amish helpers (and include Himself in the Amish helper category : )  built the big cabin.  Tim and Maryanna have raised and homeschooled a daughter who is in nursing school in St. Joseph and their son is a senior this year.  They used to travel the midwest in an RV helping to build churches.  They are now trying to be homesteaders and to live off the land growing vegetables in a greenhouse, raising pigs.  They have 180 chickens and sell eggs to the Amish (who sell the eggs from their Amish Country stores).  They have started a shiitake mushroom patch in their timber and Maryanna canned 32 pints (quart?) this summer.  They may or may not raise vegetables next year to take to the Kansas City Farmers Market.  The answer to that depends on which adult you ask. 

I found the tour of the farmstead and metal fabricating shop extremely interesting.  I like the idea of self-sustainability and re-purposing.  I like the whole idea of raising organic vegetables, pigs and chickens and living off the land.  I do. 

I have decided it is best that the piglet photo didn't come out so good.  If you could see how really cute and adorable they are, you would all run out and find a little piglet to keep at home!  see . . . better you don't go do that. 

After our visit and tour, we wandered our way back home -- to Bethany for a sandwich, north and then west thru Harrison Co and Worth Co, Mo through the old towns of Hatfield and Allendale.  Then again, taking the backroads thru Mt Ayr and Diagonal to slide on home before dark.  It was a good day. 

The photo above is just to let you all know that I have finally found a way that I can make me a Root / Storm cellar at Too.  I can do it this way!  I wasn't sure I would be able to dig down, get the floor and walls in and lay my door at a slant, etc . . . blah blah like in the standard old farmstead cellar of yore.  But this I can do!  So I'll research what vents and hardware I need, figure out the size of the door and before we all know it, I'll have us a storm cellar!  Oh, I mean root cellar.                                  

                                                                   You all come back . . .

New Orleans, vacation 2010

My girls and I had a wonderful opportunity to get away for a long weekend.  I don't know how it came to be . . . guess it was a "bee" in someone's bonnet.  It worked out so that Erica, Johanna and I flew out of Kansas City and met Kristy in New Orleans.  It wasn't as simple as that as our flight left early so three of us drove to KC after work on Wednesday to simplify getting to the airport on time (we had to get up at 5 am, for gosh sakes!)  Kristy got to the Urbana airport easily enough but her flight got cancelled for maintenance to the airplane.  Kristy's ticket agent had to work her behind off to get Kristy to New Orleans only a couple of hours late instead of 4 or more . . . while Kristy was holding head in hand, moaning "I'm late; I'm late!"  But it all worked out.  Here are three sisters standing in the New Orleans International Airport, April 7, 2010.  And delighted to be here!

We (okay, me)I met Kristy coming off the plane with a piece of paper: 

FONTANA

it said.  Just like in the movies.

We all met her. I was the one with paper.

A shuttle ride to the car rental, then here we are.  Standing in the State of Louisanna.  In New Orleans, in fact.  Standing in the garden of our condo, Wyndham at Trend West.  Or Trend West at Wyndham.  I can not keep that straight!  But whatever . . . the condo was perfectly located beside the Street Car track that would take us to the French Quarter . . . or west to a residential/small restuarant area.  Yes, it would.  It would take us there when it was running on schedule.  And it did run on schedule sometimes.  And sometimes it didn't and then we walked a few blocks and found breakfast and Lottes . . .  or hailed a cab to get where we were going!  Either way, it worked. 

We were on floor Eleven.  I walked the stairs once, just to see if I could (I could!), but usually we took the old-fashioned elevator.  Most of our experience at this hotel was great!  Absolutely the best . . . except upon departure we had occasion to think otherwise . . . but that is story for another day.  You can see the Westbound Street Car Tracks in this photo.  Natives (and/or fitness conscience visitors) used the Street Car Median for jogging or riding their bicycles.  The joggers and bikers yielded to the Street Cars.  At least while we were visiting. 

One of the things I wished for, before going on vacation.

A 'sure enough', real life, Brass Band, marching down the street in the French Quarter. 

Folks were following along, throwing Mardi Gras beads and dancing in the street. 

And drinking.  Did I mention drinking in the streets. 

This is St. Charles Avenue, the Street our lodging was on.

In the French Quarter. 

Silverstein and me. 

We saw his brother Goldstein, later. 

And Whitestein, down the block! 

All with a cash box in front of them. 

Wanta photo?  You pay! 

This is a photo taken in the French Quarter. 
This is where all the sidewalk bars,
ghost tours, street attractions and Music Festival
attendees congregated!  The crowd grew so large,
the buggy drivers had to shut down and go home. 
Darn! 
We waited too long to look for a buggy ride. 

At the festival, we saw all kinds of art work.

Had the opportunity to try all kinds of new seafood. 
Nana actually did eat the crawfish; everyone tried them!

From the internet: 
Steps to Eating Boiled Crawfish


1. Remove the head - Hold the top of the crawfish with one hand,
 and place your other hand above the tail.
Twist so that the tail separates from the head.
2. Pinch the very end of the tail with one hand,
and pull the tail meat out with the other.
3. Enjoy the delicacy!

The Optional Part


Some people actually add another step to eating boiled crawfish.
When you remove the head from the crawfish,
if you want to savor every drop of spice,
you can suck the head before you discard it.
If you are a novice when it comes to eating crawfish,
you probably will want to skip this step.
If you're feeling adventurous, though, give it a try!

Kristy must be an old pro.  These are the exact instructions she gave us! 
And we did.  We ate crawfish and sucked the head.  Try it!

Where did all the people come from?
The crowds were larger than anticipated.

Meet Dancing Man!
He's a Dancing Machine!

We are on the Free Ferry, crossing the Mississippi to Algiers
looking back at the Music Festival Crowd on the other side.

More crowd and more art.

This is Laura, the plantation.  It is being lovingly restored.  It is a creole plantation and (as we learned) we know this because of the original color scheme.  The Creole's were brightly painted.  The "Americans" painted their big houses white.  The Americans were looked down upon for quite a long time. 

Laura's lawn and an ancient oak tree.

This is the "mother-in-law's" house. 

Fact is tho, she managed the plantation for about 60 years

and then, before turning the reins over to her granddaughter,  

built this huge house and demaned $75 grand a year to "consult". 

She was a smart, capable woman.  

Maybe a "tough cookie" is a good description!  

 

Oak Alley

This blows my mind!  The trees were planted 100 years before the house was built!

Maybe there was a smaller home up that lane before they erected this one, fit for a King?

Laura's lovely garden is a backdrop for this good photo.

I could write more . . . and should! 

but I might not ever get it posted

so here goes!  Enjoy.

West Virginia Scenes

The Appalachians are kin

to the Blue Ridge Mountains!

These look pretty blue!

The New River Bridge

Highest bridge in the U.S.

Check out the GPS -- look out for that corner!

One more photo to post from Wood County and then a few more stops on vacation.

On the agenda:

Springfield, Illinois

Hannibal, Missouri

St. Genevieve, Illinois

Fasten your seatbelt!

Put new batteries in the camera!

Enjoy the ride!

'bout time

We have been to Too several times in the last couple of months but it has been awhile since we've gotten to III. For one thing, we are busy. Just busy and it is hard to find a good weekend to go. For two, it has been a very wet spring. That lane does not get any better, week after week. It stays wet. The Missouri clay stays slick and the ruts remain because how could we even attempt to grade the lane (if we were so inclined) until it drys out a little.


Finally, Thursday, I said let's go. Let's take Friday off and we'll go mow Too. Take Friday and get a head start. We'll need to be home Sunday morning. We have a dinner date at the Freys.


'bout time, we got there.

We did head out Friday and got to Too where there had just been a soaker of a rain. The lawn was saturated and the ditch was running. I dumped Himself out and went to town on the assumption that he would not be able to mow until afternoon or possibly, even the next morning. In fact, I went more than to town, I went to Jamesport. I had been needing some Amish herbs and spices and other things. I need a day to bebop. A day to stop at garage sales if I found one, to turn around and go back the way I came, to take back roads and byways. Himself was content to stay at Too and putter, he said.


I went, guiltless. Carefree. Joyful in the knowledge that Himself wasn't working his fingers to the bones while I galivanted. Himself wasn't out there slaving away doing all the mowing by Himself while I was out spending money.


I would be back in time to help mow and I would have adventure and enjoy sights and do a little shopping.

Sometime shortly afternoon, I called Himself to let him know I was okay, still in Jamesport and after one more country store, I would head home. "I'm almost done mowing" he said. What? you weren't going to start until after Noon? Well, there went some of my lightheartedness but I was 50 miles away and had one more stop at Jamesport and several stops yet between Jamesport and Too so what could I do?

I made my way back home although it took me about three hours as I was an hour a way, I had to stop at the Mercer grocery store as I had a grocery list, needed to fill the Jeep up with gas as Himself had requested and had another errand or two.

I dragged in to find the lot half mowed. I thought you were "about" done mowing 3 hours ago? Well, he just told me that, he said. He had saved half the mowing so I could practice on the new zero turn mower. Okay. I got at it, got on the new mower, refreshed my memory and mowed the rest of it. I WILL get used to the new mower. Sometime.

Jamesport

Techies

When we go to Mo (which isn't often yet, this spring) we go. We go straight to Mo.

We do not pass GO.

We do not look back.

We get there and we get there ASAP.

When we come home, we wander.

We take the back roads. We take the side roads.

We take the dirt roads and the ridge roads.

The river bottom roads and the by ways.

We do.

But we are never alone. Not when we have the trusty old highway map. Not when the GPS is mounted firmly to the dash.

We are secure in our technicolor. Oh no. Not that. Technology!

We are techies . . . is that a real word?

Low profile bridge

This bridge is between Too and the Ioway line. Somewhere. May never find it again and I knew that, so I took a picture. This is Missouri's way of maintaining low usage roads. Lay a few 2" planks down over the original trusses. Bet you can't guess that when you cross these bridges, you do want to stay on the planks!

One year I was out trying to find a garage sale so with that goal in mind, you know I was by myself. Himself wasn't there for moral support. I came to one of these bridges with only one wide plank for each tire and as it was drizzling I imagined those planks as being slick. Very slick! I was going to back up that little winding road and find a turn around and hightail it out of there. When I checked my rear view mirror, there was a car behind me! I couldn't believe it!

I couldn't go back. I had to go forward and I did. With my heart pounding out of my chest and the adrenaline flooding my head and closing off my vision. But I did it, by golly, I gotherdone!

Unfortunately as I couldn't find the garage sale or another way out, I had to turn around and cross over that bridge again! But at least I didn't have another car on my bumper!

III, Three, Trinity

Land of Goshen. Halfway betwen Too and III. This little country church is Goshen Church and there used to be a little community here.
Three church windows.
Three historical signs.
Threes.
It put me in mind of The Trinity.


The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.


Amen

Over the river and through the woods . . .

There's still a few of these turn of the century bridges around (that's the turn of the 20th century -- 1900ish). This one is in Decatur County, Ia and there is a sign up warning that this is a one lane bridge. Well, it isn't very wide, that is for sure, but two cars can pass on this bridge if they are both careful. Maybe you wouldn't want to share the bridge with a semi, tho!

We used to see these bridges all over Iowa and the midwest but there are fewer and fewer of them.

Look at that pretty blue sky!