DAY SIXTY-EIGHT:I'm back in Elgin with my brother. Ellen is in Vermont. I came out by train, arriving yesterday in Union Station, Chicago, at about 11am. I got a bite to eat at the food court and then took the Metra to Elgin where Peter met me. The move went well - Daniel had rented a van and with that and others using their cars, they brought everything in one trip. Stewart was exhausted but seemed in pretty good spirits: what a trooper! He said he went up and down the stairs at the old house (called Whitewood) more times yesterday than he would have done in a week normally. When I arrived, he was concerned that he couldn't find his checkbook. It wasn't in the drawer where he remembered putting it. I drove him back to Whitewood and we looked for it there - no luck. Then he thought maybe he had put it in another drawer in the new apartment, so we went back - no luck. But Daniel came to the rescue. He thought to pull out the drawer and found the checkbook stuck behind the drawer. It made sense - in the process of moving the cabinet, it got tipped and since the checkbook was on top, it just fell behind the drawer out of sight. Whew! Daniel said, "You always lose one thing when you move. I guess that wasn't it!"
Daniel brought over a wonderful airbed, queen sized, for me to sleep on here at the apartment. It's very comfortable!
GOING BACK: We had a lovely time with Katie, Savanna and Brendan on Oxbow Lake near Speculator, NY where they rent a cottage. I haven't had a chance to download the photos I took there, and now that will have to wait until i get back to Vermont next week.
When we arrived home last Monday evening, Ellen and I found the house sort of musty, having been closed up in extreme heat and humidity, but once it got aired out and we got the dehumidifier going, it wasn't too bad. No mice! No ants! Yay!
We went up to Marlboro Music Festival Wednesday evening and heard a wonderful and unusual concert of pieces by Schubert, Webern, Schnittke and Bernstein that neither of us had ever heard before. The Schubert and Bernstein were pieces of musical theater that were charming (Schubert's Der Hochzeitsbraten was a comedy about a couple poaching a rabbit for their wedding feast, and the Bernstein Arias and Barcarolles was about the more sophisticated angst of a married couple that could have been out of a Stephen Sondheim musical). The Webern Quartet for violin, clarinet, tenor saxophone and piano was repeated, a brilliant decision by the programmer, and the Schnittke (Russian, 1934-1998) Piano Quintet was a very powerful and difficult piece involving a lot of quarter-tones. It made us want to know more about Schnittke. What a treasure the Marlboro Music Festival is! This is their 60th anniversary.
Most of the days back home I was busy preparing for the August 14th service at the Guilford Church that I will be leading - celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the town of Guilford. It will feature the hymns of Isaac Watts. We also hosted John and Cynthia for supper and had a lovely evening with them. I was pretty busy the whole time.
Back in Elgin, I'll be here until next Tuesday. Last evening I went out and bought Stewart a blender, and got all the makings for my smoothies (whey powder, tofu, cottage cheese, yogurt and fruit) which I regularly make for breakfast. I'm hoping he might take to them, and make them for himself after I leave.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
New Plan
DAY FIFTY-EIGHT: Our plan is evolving, but as of now, we're on our way home to Vermont. Then I'll come back to Elgin, IL by train on July 29-30, to be with Stewart for the first few days he is in a new apartment. Then I'll come back to Vermont August 3rd. Today we drove from Bartlett to Erie, PA. It was HOT. It got up to 104 in places. But the AC in the Corolla is good and we were comfortable - until we got out to stretch! Tomorrow, we'll drive to Oxbow Lake in the Adirondacks, NY, to spend a few days with Katie and Savanna.
Last night we somehow got into finding fun stuff on YouTube with Jerry, Gretchen, Becky and Stewart: We found You Always Hurt the One You Love performed by Spike Jones and his City Slickers; Nature Boy sung by Nat King Cole, and then Serutan Yob performed by Red Ingle and His Unnatural Seven; Managua, Nicaragua by Guy Lombardo and Freddie Martin, Alan Sherman singing Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah; and the crowning joy, Victor Borge doing his Phonetic Punctuation and even more hilarious Inflationary Language. It's amazing what you can find. I was a HUGE Spike Jones fan when I was about 12 years old. I still think he's funny, but Victor Borge gets the prize. He was brilliant.
Yesterday I took some things over to the new apartment for Stewart. Here's a shot of the entrance:
Last night we somehow got into finding fun stuff on YouTube with Jerry, Gretchen, Becky and Stewart: We found You Always Hurt the One You Love performed by Spike Jones and his City Slickers; Nature Boy sung by Nat King Cole, and then Serutan Yob performed by Red Ingle and His Unnatural Seven; Managua, Nicaragua by Guy Lombardo and Freddie Martin, Alan Sherman singing Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah; and the crowning joy, Victor Borge doing his Phonetic Punctuation and even more hilarious Inflationary Language. It's amazing what you can find. I was a HUGE Spike Jones fan when I was about 12 years old. I still think he's funny, but Victor Borge gets the prize. He was brilliant.
Yesterday I took some things over to the new apartment for Stewart. Here's a shot of the entrance:
Monday, July 18, 2011
Change in Plans
DAY FIFTY-FIVE: We're staying in Bartlett longer than originally planned. First of all, the shock absorbers on the Corolla were really in bad shape: something we were aware of, and putting up with in the hopes we could make it back to VT. But it got worse and worse, and we decided to get it fixed here. So that's happening today - new shocks and springs, all four wheels! Yikes!
But I've also decided to stay here for my brother Stewart, just to give him whatever support I can during a difficult week in which he will be moving from the home he has lived in for 47 years into an apartment, due largely to health reasons. As it now stands, Ellen will stay too. We're taking it a day at a time at this point.
Yesterday we had a gathering of the Crockett clan for a meal at Gretchen and Jerry's house. We always take a picture of the group. Here it is:
Back Row, Left to right: Gretchen Hochburger, Lori Crockett, Peter Crockett, Stewart Crockett, Rachael Crockett Costello, and her three children, Maura, Maeve and Ronan.
Front row, l. to r.: Rebecca Crockett, Ellen, Me, Dennis McQuen, Daniel Crockett, Susie Crockett McQuen. Not pictured: Jerry Hochburger, who took the photo and Brendan Costello, Rachael's husband, who had to work.
SATURDAY, July 16th: We did stop at Talieson in Spring Green, WI on our way from Ellsworth, WI to Bartlett, IL. We didn't have time to tour the house, and the tours were full anyway, but we know we will come back if we can someday in the future. We did visit the Visitor Center, designed by Wright originally as a restaurant, and we drove by a little chapel at the cemetery where Wright is buried, and also saw the Home School and the barn he designed, which are nearby. It's a Wright mecca, and definitely worth a long visit.
UNITY CHAPEL
WRIGHT'S GRAVE
HOME SCHOOL
THIS IS A REPLICA OF THE DINING TABLE AND CHAIRS WRIGHT DESIGNED FOR HIS HOME. THE ENTIRE SET CAN BE YOURS FOR $13,000.
But I've also decided to stay here for my brother Stewart, just to give him whatever support I can during a difficult week in which he will be moving from the home he has lived in for 47 years into an apartment, due largely to health reasons. As it now stands, Ellen will stay too. We're taking it a day at a time at this point.
Yesterday we had a gathering of the Crockett clan for a meal at Gretchen and Jerry's house. We always take a picture of the group. Here it is:
Front row, l. to r.: Rebecca Crockett, Ellen, Me, Dennis McQuen, Daniel Crockett, Susie Crockett McQuen. Not pictured: Jerry Hochburger, who took the photo and Brendan Costello, Rachael's husband, who had to work.
SATURDAY, July 16th: We did stop at Talieson in Spring Green, WI on our way from Ellsworth, WI to Bartlett, IL. We didn't have time to tour the house, and the tours were full anyway, but we know we will come back if we can someday in the future. We did visit the Visitor Center, designed by Wright originally as a restaurant, and we drove by a little chapel at the cemetery where Wright is buried, and also saw the Home School and the barn he designed, which are nearby. It's a Wright mecca, and definitely worth a long visit.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Arleene Sweet
DAY FIFTY-THREE: Last evening we stopped to visit our friend, Arleene Sweet, who lives in a suburb NW of St. Paul, MN. I've known Arleene for almost 60 years - she was David Sweet's girlfriend (David was my college roommate), and they were married just after I graduated from Drury in 1954. I was the best man at their wedding. (One of my more embarrassing moments in life was when David and I were talking, probably at least 20 years after their wedding, and he was talking about the wedding ceremony and I said, "Gosh, I wish I had been there!" David gave me a very funny look and said, "Larry, you were my best man!").
David went on to become a very innovative college president at Minnesota Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, and then at Rhode Island College in Providence. Shirley and I stayed in touch with him and Arleene over the years, and continued to stay in touch with Arleene after David died in 1984, visiting her in Jefferson City, MO and in Winchester, VA where she was living and working. Now she lives near her daughters in St. Paul. Ellen and I had visited her in 2007, and had enjoyed that visit very much. Arleene is an artist, sewer, and fun person. She also loves cats, and for a long time had two Siamese cats that I was deathly allergic to. (One visit I recall years ago I ended up sleeping in the car). They are gone now, but have been replaced by a very feisty kitten, "Jack," whom Arleene took pity on when he became homeless. In the short time I was in her apartment last night, I began to feel a reaction to him too (he loved jumping into my lap). So we went out to eat at Olive Garden and had a good time catching up on the news of her life and family. She offered for us to spend the night in her guest room, but I was afraid Jack might send me out to the car again. So we said farewell with a promise not to let another five years go by before our next visit.
ARLEENE SWEET
Earlier, our trip to St. Paul from Aberdeen, SD, was fairly uneventful - passing through rich agricultural land. It was a little worrisome, because our rear shock absorbers in the Corolla are pretty worn out and the car makes quite a bang on some dips in the road. This has been a problem for a while, but seems to be getting worse. We're not sure whether to get them fixed on the road or try to make it back home and have Doug Richmond, our trusted auto mechanic, do the job. We also had the experience of having a gas pump nozzle fail to shut off and gas went all over the ground. I went into the station and got a bag of litter to spread on the spilled gas, but in the process, my sandals got gas on them. I tried to wash it off, but the odor of gas was so strong in the car I finally took them off, sealed them in a plastic bag, and put them in the trunk. Sigh!
After leaving Arleene's, we had a lovely drive into Wisconsin, with a spectacular sunset, and spent last night in a very nice "mom and pop" motel in Ellsworth, WI, the David Lodge. It is one of the most nicely appointed motel rooms we've stayed in, including very lovely quilt bedspreads (motel bedspreads are usually really ugly).
We may stop by Spring Green, WI and take a peek at Frank Lloyd Wright's Talieson, on our way to Bartlett today, but I learned on line this morning that a tour of the house costs $57! Ouch! The tour of his house in Oak Park was a third of that.
David went on to become a very innovative college president at Minnesota Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, and then at Rhode Island College in Providence. Shirley and I stayed in touch with him and Arleene over the years, and continued to stay in touch with Arleene after David died in 1984, visiting her in Jefferson City, MO and in Winchester, VA where she was living and working. Now she lives near her daughters in St. Paul. Ellen and I had visited her in 2007, and had enjoyed that visit very much. Arleene is an artist, sewer, and fun person. She also loves cats, and for a long time had two Siamese cats that I was deathly allergic to. (One visit I recall years ago I ended up sleeping in the car). They are gone now, but have been replaced by a very feisty kitten, "Jack," whom Arleene took pity on when he became homeless. In the short time I was in her apartment last night, I began to feel a reaction to him too (he loved jumping into my lap). So we went out to eat at Olive Garden and had a good time catching up on the news of her life and family. She offered for us to spend the night in her guest room, but I was afraid Jack might send me out to the car again. So we said farewell with a promise not to let another five years go by before our next visit.
Earlier, our trip to St. Paul from Aberdeen, SD, was fairly uneventful - passing through rich agricultural land. It was a little worrisome, because our rear shock absorbers in the Corolla are pretty worn out and the car makes quite a bang on some dips in the road. This has been a problem for a while, but seems to be getting worse. We're not sure whether to get them fixed on the road or try to make it back home and have Doug Richmond, our trusted auto mechanic, do the job. We also had the experience of having a gas pump nozzle fail to shut off and gas went all over the ground. I went into the station and got a bag of litter to spread on the spilled gas, but in the process, my sandals got gas on them. I tried to wash it off, but the odor of gas was so strong in the car I finally took them off, sealed them in a plastic bag, and put them in the trunk. Sigh!
After leaving Arleene's, we had a lovely drive into Wisconsin, with a spectacular sunset, and spent last night in a very nice "mom and pop" motel in Ellsworth, WI, the David Lodge. It is one of the most nicely appointed motel rooms we've stayed in, including very lovely quilt bedspreads (motel bedspreads are usually really ugly).
We may stop by Spring Green, WI and take a peek at Frank Lloyd Wright's Talieson, on our way to Bartlett today, but I learned on line this morning that a tour of the house costs $57! Ouch! The tour of his house in Oak Park was a third of that.
Friday, July 15, 2011
National Parks
DAY FIFTY-FIVE: I have some catching up to do, because we've been in a world where there is no internet. Yellowstone National Park is blessedly free of both internet and cell phone access. Yellowstone is famous for its geysers, mud pots, fumaroles, canyons, and wildlife like bison, bears and such, but we go there primarily for the wildflowers. We did see a lot of bison and Ellen caught a glimpse of a grizzly bear, but we identified over 70 kinds of wildflowers. The profusion of wildflowers in an alpine meadow is really something to see, and hard to capture in its overwhelming beauty. Here is a little glimpse:
WILDFLOWERS IN YELLOWSTONE PARK
PAINTBRUSH AT TROUT LAKE AND COLUMBINE AT WRAITH FALLS, Y.N.P.
We stayed in a cabin at Roosevelt Lodge, our favorite place, which is sort of out-of-the way in the park.
ROUGH RIDER CABIN
THE LODGE AT ROOSEVELT
We had lovely hikes, like one up to Trout Lake, where we saw scores of spawning trout in the stream running into the lake.
TROUT LAKE
Wednesday we drove up over the Beartooth Pass, an incredible drive, where there's still a lot of snow, beautiful wildflowers and magnificent views, and on to Red Lodge, MT.
BEARTOOTH HIGHWAY: SNOW, MARSH MARIGOLDS AND VIEW
Then we went across Montana to Glendive, MT and on to Beach, ND, just over the line from Montana, where we spent the night Wednesday, and had one of our "evening walks in a strange town." We love exploring a new place and imagining living there. Thursday morning we went on a few miles to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND, another very special place, sort of like the Badlands, but different too, and with several "prairie dog towns" which are another sight to behold! The grandkids would love them! The park is, in a way, a monument to the important role Theodore Roosevelt played in the creation of national parks and monuments.
VIEW FROM BUCK HILL, T.R.N.P.
We went on from there to Lemmon, SD, the hometown of Kathleen Norris, author of Dakota, Cloister Walk, Amazing Grace, and other books I have enjoyed. We read parts of Dakota; A Spiritual Geography as we drove. We had a little supper in Lemmon and then had a long drive yesterday evening to Aberdeen, SD, where we spent the night and where I am writing now - in a very fancy suite which we got because we made a reservation through Hotel.com but the Super 8 in Aberdeen didn't have the room Hotel.com sold us, so they upgraded us to this suite at the same price. This created a bit of anxiety last night because we got a text message on the cell phone saying there "was an issue with our reservation," and that it was urgent that we call a number. But we kept going in and out of cell phone access and we worried whether maybe we wouldn't have a room - it was getting on toward 11 p.m. at this point, so we had a right to worry! We finally reached the number and found that they just wanted to tell us we had an upgraded room! Now how "urgent" was that? So here we are! Today we'll go on to the twin cities in MN - maybe we'll get to see our friend Arleene Sweet. Then on to Bartlett, IL Saturday, and see how my brother is doing. We're pretty close to 9,000 miles at this point.
WILDFLOWERS IN YELLOWSTONE PARK
We stayed in a cabin at Roosevelt Lodge, our favorite place, which is sort of out-of-the way in the park.
We had lovely hikes, like one up to Trout Lake, where we saw scores of spawning trout in the stream running into the lake.
TROUT LAKE
Wednesday we drove up over the Beartooth Pass, an incredible drive, where there's still a lot of snow, beautiful wildflowers and magnificent views, and on to Red Lodge, MT.
BEARTOOTH HIGHWAY: SNOW, MARSH MARIGOLDS AND VIEW
Then we went across Montana to Glendive, MT and on to Beach, ND, just over the line from Montana, where we spent the night Wednesday, and had one of our "evening walks in a strange town." We love exploring a new place and imagining living there. Thursday morning we went on a few miles to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND, another very special place, sort of like the Badlands, but different too, and with several "prairie dog towns" which are another sight to behold! The grandkids would love them! The park is, in a way, a monument to the important role Theodore Roosevelt played in the creation of national parks and monuments.
We went on from there to Lemmon, SD, the hometown of Kathleen Norris, author of Dakota, Cloister Walk, Amazing Grace, and other books I have enjoyed. We read parts of Dakota; A Spiritual Geography as we drove. We had a little supper in Lemmon and then had a long drive yesterday evening to Aberdeen, SD, where we spent the night and where I am writing now - in a very fancy suite which we got because we made a reservation through Hotel.com but the Super 8 in Aberdeen didn't have the room Hotel.com sold us, so they upgraded us to this suite at the same price. This created a bit of anxiety last night because we got a text message on the cell phone saying there "was an issue with our reservation," and that it was urgent that we call a number. But we kept going in and out of cell phone access and we worried whether maybe we wouldn't have a room - it was getting on toward 11 p.m. at this point, so we had a right to worry! We finally reached the number and found that they just wanted to tell us we had an upgraded room! Now how "urgent" was that? So here we are! Today we'll go on to the twin cities in MN - maybe we'll get to see our friend Arleene Sweet. Then on to Bartlett, IL Saturday, and see how my brother is doing. We're pretty close to 9,000 miles at this point.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Horsing around
DAY FIFTY: Today the Feinlands headed back to home. They drove to Salt Lake City where they will spend tonight and fly out on an early flight in the morning for Bradley. So there were many goodbyes today. Max took it all in stride pretty well, but he did get close to a four-hour nap this afternoon. Ellen and I hung out and had a quiet day. Tomorrow, we'll head for Yellowstone.
DAY FORTY-NINE: Saturday, Ben and Miriam helped Ellen make a "cherry-berry pie."
Then Ellen suggested we all take a walk down to the horse arena, which is just down the road. It was an inspired suggestion, because it led to a wonderful experience for the girls. Inside the arena, we found a mother and daughter riding. Emma, the daughter, was practicing moves on her new horse, Kentucky. Emma is a barrel racer, which is sort of like a slalom course for horse and rider. Only fourteen years old, and she is good. Her mother, Kelly, said Emma had been riding since she was two. Kelly offered to give Tamar a ride on Choppers, the 18-year-old and very gentle old trail horse she was riding. She even put a child's saddle on Choppers so Tamar could get her feet into the stirrups. Then after several trips around the arena, she did the same for Miriam. They were both thrilled, as you can see:
TAMAR ON CHOPPERS, WITH EMMA
MIRIAM ON CHOPPERS
DAY FORTY-NINE: Saturday, Ben and Miriam helped Ellen make a "cherry-berry pie."
Friday, July 8, 2011
Workshop
DAY FORTY-EIGHT: The highlight of today was a workshop that Ellen and I led for the Boise Hospice Singers, a group like our group back home, Hallowell. BHS is led by our friend, Susan Gelletly, and Ellen and I had a little part in helping to get it going. This was actually our Third Annual Workshop! The BHS has grown and become firmly established since it was formed three years ago. It has over forty members, many of whom come from a strong musical background (e.g., several are retired music teachers). We met for a potluck lunch at noon in a lovely space called the ENSO Art Space, a gallery cooperative leased by eight artists, one of whom is a member of BHS, Chris Binion. Chris’ art and that of another artist adorned the space, and the room was attractive, as well as live acoustically. The event was well attended (over twenty people), and the lunch was spectacular. The workshop itself was a mix of singing and sharing experiences. We opened with a song Navajo Chant, which goes “When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.” After introductions, we introduced Hallowell to them and then opened the floor to questions. After a while we segued into a discussion of the lyrics of the songs we sing and how they resonate when sung in the context of someone dying. We sang, inter alia, Over the Rainbow, All Through the Night, Angel Band and How Could Anyone Ever Tell You. Several folks had meaningful experiences to share and it didn’t seem very long before we had come to closing time. People seemed to appreciate our being there and we enjoyed it too.
BOISE HOSPICE SINGERS
Earlier I found time to UPS my Canon A85 back to the factory for a free fix, and we visited the fabulous Boise Coop, which is always fun to walk through even if you buy very little. Now we are driving to Arco, ID, where we’ll spend the night. Tomorrow we’ll join the gang in Alpine, WY where all Ellen’s grandchildren and their families are gathered, and have one day with them before the Feinlands return to Massachusetts. We ourselves will be moving on, on Monday, to Yellowstone National Park. We have reservations for two nights in a cabin at Roosevelt Lodge, our favorite part of the Park. Then on Wednesday, we’ll start the long trek home.
Earlier I found time to UPS my Canon A85 back to the factory for a free fix, and we visited the fabulous Boise Coop, which is always fun to walk through even if you buy very little. Now we are driving to Arco, ID, where we’ll spend the night. Tomorrow we’ll join the gang in Alpine, WY where all Ellen’s grandchildren and their families are gathered, and have one day with them before the Feinlands return to Massachusetts. We ourselves will be moving on, on Monday, to Yellowstone National Park. We have reservations for two nights in a cabin at Roosevelt Lodge, our favorite part of the Park. Then on Wednesday, we’ll start the long trek home.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Camera problems and solution
DAY FORTY-FOUR: I’ve been beset with camera problems! My digital camera suddenly started rendering blurred images in magenta tones. I happened to be going to a camera store in Salem to get a roll of film developed from the Yashica, and they immediately recognized the problem as a failed sensor. Which means that’s the end of that camera! R.I.P. sweet little Canon A85 Powershot! You’ve served me well, taking over 14,000 photos. I’ll need to buy a new digital camera. Problem is, there are lots of options, each with it’s own peculiar set of pros and cons. The simplest thing would probably be to get a Canon A2200 Powershot. It’s only $129 or so, and has a lot of nice features; however it doesn’t have much zoom. Of course, I’d love to have a digital SLR, but that is a major investment. It’s also nice to have a digital camera you can just slip into your shirt pocket, which you cannot do with an SLR! Choices! Choices!
Meanwhile, one of my two Yashica camera bodies has developed a problem: the film advance lever is broken. That happened about half-way through a roll of film. That body had the best strap, so I’ve moved everything over to the other body which works ok except for one thing: the cap for the battery chamber is so worn, it’s impossible to turn it with a coin, or even a screwdriver. When the batteries wear out, I’ll have to figure out some way to open that chamber. It may involve drilling a couple of holes. Once I get the cap off, I can put the good cap from the other camera body on to that camera. I’m not sure I want to keep on using the Yashica and film, but it’s been fun to use it on this trip, and right at the moment, that’s the only working camera I’ve got!
LATER: I learned from John that Cynthia had a similar failure with her Canon A70. She now has an SX130IS which she likes very much. It has a lot more zoom than mine did, plus complete manual control menu. So this choice is complicated by many options!
EVEN LATER: I went on-line to learn more about sensor failure and "lo and behold," Canon has an advisory that says that it will repair free of charge any cameras on a particular list that has that problem, regardless of age. The A85 Powershot is on the list! I called Canon and sure enough -- they'll send me a voucher and even a UPS label for shipping in my camera. So I can get my camera repaired free; I just won't have the use of it for the rest of this vacation trip. But then I told all this to our host, Susan, here in Boise and DOUBLE "lo and behold," (1)She has a Canon A75 with the same problem and was thrilled to learn she could get it fixed and (2)she has another digital camera she will loan me for the rest of the trip and I can mail it back to her when I get mine back! Wow! Problem solved! That gives me the option of getting a new camera if I want to when get back home, and have the leisure to think through the options. But if the A85 comes back like new, I just may be happy with that until I feel flush enough to get a digital SLR. Meanwhile, I still have a working Yashica SLR with 28mm, 50mm and 300mm lenses which I can also use on the remainer of this trip. Yay!
Meanwhile, one of my two Yashica camera bodies has developed a problem: the film advance lever is broken. That happened about half-way through a roll of film. That body had the best strap, so I’ve moved everything over to the other body which works ok except for one thing: the cap for the battery chamber is so worn, it’s impossible to turn it with a coin, or even a screwdriver. When the batteries wear out, I’ll have to figure out some way to open that chamber. It may involve drilling a couple of holes. Once I get the cap off, I can put the good cap from the other camera body on to that camera. I’m not sure I want to keep on using the Yashica and film, but it’s been fun to use it on this trip, and right at the moment, that’s the only working camera I’ve got!
LATER: I learned from John that Cynthia had a similar failure with her Canon A70. She now has an SX130IS which she likes very much. It has a lot more zoom than mine did, plus complete manual control menu. So this choice is complicated by many options!
EVEN LATER: I went on-line to learn more about sensor failure and "lo and behold," Canon has an advisory that says that it will repair free of charge any cameras on a particular list that has that problem, regardless of age. The A85 Powershot is on the list! I called Canon and sure enough -- they'll send me a voucher and even a UPS label for shipping in my camera. So I can get my camera repaired free; I just won't have the use of it for the rest of this vacation trip. But then I told all this to our host, Susan, here in Boise and DOUBLE "lo and behold," (1)She has a Canon A75 with the same problem and was thrilled to learn she could get it fixed and (2)she has another digital camera she will loan me for the rest of the trip and I can mail it back to her when I get mine back! Wow! Problem solved! That gives me the option of getting a new camera if I want to when get back home, and have the leisure to think through the options. But if the A85 comes back like new, I just may be happy with that until I feel flush enough to get a digital SLR. Meanwhile, I still have a working Yashica SLR with 28mm, 50mm and 300mm lenses which I can also use on the remainer of this trip. Yay!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Oregon Days
DAY FORTY (July 3, 2011): We drove from Medford, OR up to Cutler City, OR on Sunday. That was the day after our LONG day, so we got up pretty late, had breakfast at a truck stop, and drove up I-5 to Corvallis, OR (where my son-in-law’s brother, Neil Shay, lives and works as Director of the Oregon Wine Research Institute, but I didn’t know how to reach him and we didn’t really have time to stop anyway), and went over to the coast to Route 101 and then up a fairly short distance to Cutler City, which is really just a part of Lincoln City.
Our friends, Roger and Bonnie Hull, have a modest little cottage there – what was originally a little fishing shack I guess, which has been upgraded and expanded over the years into a nice little cottage. Bonnie is an artist; Roger is an art historian. They are fun to be with. Their son, Zach, his fiancée, Ashton, and their friends, Ian and Amy, were also there. The cottage sleeps eleven in a pinch, so there were plenty of beds, but only one bathroom. Ellen and I had the best room in the cottage – the new “studio” room at the back. We had fresh, grilled salmon our first evening (July 3rd), and it was very interesting talking with the “young folks,” whose world is very different from ours. Zach is an entrepreneur who is on to what could be a very good idea (or a huge flop) involving using the internet to fill empty seats at concerts by means of a kind of lottery. If it catches on, it will be HUGE. Ashton is just starting an exciting job managing a theater-tech department at Lewis and Clark University. Ian is one of six owners of a vegan bar/restaurant in Portland, OR ("The Bye and Bye") which has been so successful that they are opening a second one (which can be risky too). All the owners actually work at the bar (Ian is a bar-tender), and have committed to putting in time at both places to assure quality control. So these are folks taking risks in a dicey economy. We wished them well.
DAY FORTY-ONE: The day of the Fourth of July, I got up early and went for a nice walk on the beach, and then we sat around and talked at breakfast; the “guys” took off on their motorcycles to return to Portland, the “gals” followed soon after in their VW Beetle, and then it was just Bonnie, Roger, Ellen and me. We had a couple of quiet hours until we went to the Greens – Jim and Carol Green who also live in Salem and have a somewhat more substantial “cottage” just a few steps down the street. There we had cocktails (with “Mexican Mess,”), supper (traditional 4th of July grilled sausages and burgers with potato salad and cole slaw), and dessert (a huge “Star Cake,” – chocolate layer cake in the shape of a five-pointed star). The Green family included their son, Jimmy, his wife, Sandy, their two teen-aged children, Bella and Jake, and two other grandchildren, Lily and Jack (whose parents had to be elsewhere). Jimmy works for a company which supplies information to car-dealerships, telling them who are prime potential customers. His company claims, at least, to be able to tell a dealership who in their area is most likely to buy a new car this month! – thus making it possible for the dealership to target that audience with a special ad campaign. So maybe that’s what lies behind those circulars we get that have a plastic key attached to them that you can use to drive away a car (ha! ha!), or tell you that you’ll get a prize if you just come in. This is definitely not the world we normally live in, but I guess our world is sort of rarefied. After all that, there were fireworks on the beach. By then (close to 10pm), it was getting pretty cold! There were a lot of fires on the beach with folks clustered around them. As Bonnie said, it looked like a civil war encampment. The fireworks were pretty good.
DAY FORTY-TWO: Tuesday, July 5th, I again got up early for a walk, and then Ellen and I packed up and drove into Salem, stopping first for breakfast at the Otis Café, in the town of Otis, famous for great breakfasts punctuated by black molasses bread:
Ellen had a one-half order of sausage gravy over hashbrowns, and soon learned that a one-quarter order would have been plenty! It was hard to imagine a full order.
Then we drove into Salem and met Joanne Elizabeth, a friend who had planned a very nice day – lunch at Minto Island Growers, an organic farm stand and food cart – a wonderful light, fresh, salad-y lunch to offset breakfast.
MINTO ISLAND GROWERS FOOD CART
Then a ride through the countryside to the Buena Vista Ferry over the Willamette River – about a 3-minute ride.
ELLEN AND ME ON THE FERRY
Then another little ride to the Ankeny Wildlife Refuge, then into Salem to drop off my roll of film, and to the Hallie Ford Museum where Bonnie Hull was co-curator of an exhibit of the schematic drawings of two well-known women landscape architects and garden designers of the early 20th century in Salem, OR – Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver. That was a very interesting and visually appealing exhibition – and that was just when my camera started acting up! I have one usable photo, but not the best example of their work.
A LORD AND SCHRYVER PLAN FOR A GARDEN
I did get an example of another artist’s exhibit, Ross Palmer Beecher, which is utterly unique – all made of pieces of tin and other metal like bottle caps, keys, utensils, etc.
HEAD OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN BY ROSS PALMER BEECHER
We love the Hallie Ford Museum which features the work of artists of the Pacific Northwest and is the brainchild of our friend, Roger Hull, who was an art historian at Willamette University for forty years and just retired last year. After the museum we made a short visit to Deepwood, a mansion and garden in Salem where L&S's influence can be seen. In the evening, J.E. hosted us and the Hulls for a delicious supper al fresco in her backyard. An altogether lovely day.
DAY FORTY-THREE: Now it is Wednesday and we've driven to Boise, ID. On the way, we stopped first at Rosie's in Mill City for coffee and scones; then we stopped for a bit in Sisters, where a Quilt Festival is going on. The town was humming with hundreds of quilters who come from all over the Northwest for this annual event. Then we drove over the Presidential range and down into the eastern Oregon desert through John Day, and on down to Boise. Tomorrow I'll look for a new camera!
If you want to pursue some of the things mentioned in this blog, here are some links:
Dr. Neil Shay: agsci.oregonstate.edu/owr
Bonnie Hull: www.bonniehull.com
Roger Hull: www.willamette.edu/cla/arth/faculty/hull/index.php
Zachary Hull: sang-froidridingclub.com (scroll down to his name)
The Bye and Bye Bar: www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id
Lord and Schryver: www.lord-schryverconservancy.org
Hallie Ford Museum: www.willamette.edu/arts/hfma/index.htm
Rosie's Scones: rosiesscones.com
Sisters, OR Quilt Fest: www.sistersoutdoorquiltshow.org
Our friends, Roger and Bonnie Hull, have a modest little cottage there – what was originally a little fishing shack I guess, which has been upgraded and expanded over the years into a nice little cottage. Bonnie is an artist; Roger is an art historian. They are fun to be with. Their son, Zach, his fiancée, Ashton, and their friends, Ian and Amy, were also there. The cottage sleeps eleven in a pinch, so there were plenty of beds, but only one bathroom. Ellen and I had the best room in the cottage – the new “studio” room at the back. We had fresh, grilled salmon our first evening (July 3rd), and it was very interesting talking with the “young folks,” whose world is very different from ours. Zach is an entrepreneur who is on to what could be a very good idea (or a huge flop) involving using the internet to fill empty seats at concerts by means of a kind of lottery. If it catches on, it will be HUGE. Ashton is just starting an exciting job managing a theater-tech department at Lewis and Clark University. Ian is one of six owners of a vegan bar/restaurant in Portland, OR ("The Bye and Bye") which has been so successful that they are opening a second one (which can be risky too). All the owners actually work at the bar (Ian is a bar-tender), and have committed to putting in time at both places to assure quality control. So these are folks taking risks in a dicey economy. We wished them well.
DAY FORTY-ONE: The day of the Fourth of July, I got up early and went for a nice walk on the beach, and then we sat around and talked at breakfast; the “guys” took off on their motorcycles to return to Portland, the “gals” followed soon after in their VW Beetle, and then it was just Bonnie, Roger, Ellen and me. We had a couple of quiet hours until we went to the Greens – Jim and Carol Green who also live in Salem and have a somewhat more substantial “cottage” just a few steps down the street. There we had cocktails (with “Mexican Mess,”), supper (traditional 4th of July grilled sausages and burgers with potato salad and cole slaw), and dessert (a huge “Star Cake,” – chocolate layer cake in the shape of a five-pointed star). The Green family included their son, Jimmy, his wife, Sandy, their two teen-aged children, Bella and Jake, and two other grandchildren, Lily and Jack (whose parents had to be elsewhere). Jimmy works for a company which supplies information to car-dealerships, telling them who are prime potential customers. His company claims, at least, to be able to tell a dealership who in their area is most likely to buy a new car this month! – thus making it possible for the dealership to target that audience with a special ad campaign. So maybe that’s what lies behind those circulars we get that have a plastic key attached to them that you can use to drive away a car (ha! ha!), or tell you that you’ll get a prize if you just come in. This is definitely not the world we normally live in, but I guess our world is sort of rarefied. After all that, there were fireworks on the beach. By then (close to 10pm), it was getting pretty cold! There were a lot of fires on the beach with folks clustered around them. As Bonnie said, it looked like a civil war encampment. The fireworks were pretty good.
DAY FORTY-TWO: Tuesday, July 5th, I again got up early for a walk, and then Ellen and I packed up and drove into Salem, stopping first for breakfast at the Otis Café, in the town of Otis, famous for great breakfasts punctuated by black molasses bread:
Then we drove into Salem and met Joanne Elizabeth, a friend who had planned a very nice day – lunch at Minto Island Growers, an organic farm stand and food cart – a wonderful light, fresh, salad-y lunch to offset breakfast.
Then a ride through the countryside to the Buena Vista Ferry over the Willamette River – about a 3-minute ride.
Then another little ride to the Ankeny Wildlife Refuge, then into Salem to drop off my roll of film, and to the Hallie Ford Museum where Bonnie Hull was co-curator of an exhibit of the schematic drawings of two well-known women landscape architects and garden designers of the early 20th century in Salem, OR – Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver. That was a very interesting and visually appealing exhibition – and that was just when my camera started acting up! I have one usable photo, but not the best example of their work.
I did get an example of another artist’s exhibit, Ross Palmer Beecher, which is utterly unique – all made of pieces of tin and other metal like bottle caps, keys, utensils, etc.
We love the Hallie Ford Museum which features the work of artists of the Pacific Northwest and is the brainchild of our friend, Roger Hull, who was an art historian at Willamette University for forty years and just retired last year. After the museum we made a short visit to Deepwood, a mansion and garden in Salem where L&S's influence can be seen. In the evening, J.E. hosted us and the Hulls for a delicious supper al fresco in her backyard. An altogether lovely day.
DAY FORTY-THREE: Now it is Wednesday and we've driven to Boise, ID. On the way, we stopped first at Rosie's in Mill City for coffee and scones; then we stopped for a bit in Sisters, where a Quilt Festival is going on. The town was humming with hundreds of quilters who come from all over the Northwest for this annual event. Then we drove over the Presidential range and down into the eastern Oregon desert through John Day, and on down to Boise. Tomorrow I'll look for a new camera!
If you want to pursue some of the things mentioned in this blog, here are some links:
Dr. Neil Shay: agsci.oregonstate.edu/owr
Bonnie Hull: www.bonniehull.com
Roger Hull: www.willamette.edu/cla/arth/faculty/hull/index.php
Zachary Hull: sang-froidridingclub.com (scroll down to his name)
The Bye and Bye Bar: www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id
Lord and Schryver: www.lord-schryverconservancy.org
Hallie Ford Museum: www.willamette.edu/arts/hfma/index.htm
Rosie's Scones: rosiesscones.com
Sisters, OR Quilt Fest: www.sistersoutdoorquiltshow.org
An adventure
DAY THIRTY-EIGHT: We had a little adventure last Friday. I decided to take us up over a mountain out of Koosharem, UT (I love these names) going to Monroe, UT - it looked like a short-cut on the map that would save us time. First off, the road quickly turned to gravel - something the map did not indicate. Do we keep going? We decided, yes. Then the road got pretty rough, rutted and rocky. The Corolla was being put to the test (remember - it has 330,000+ miles on it!). But then just as we thought, this is too much, the road would smooth out again. We kept going up and up. The view got pretty great, but the road was not so great. The map said seven miles to Monroe. We went almost seven miles and came to an intersection, with sign posts pointing to various places - none of which said, "Monroe." They were all places that were not on our map at all. Where were we? We decided to go just a little farther. The road turned into something more like a trail. Finally, a pickup truck came along and I stopped it, and asked the driver, "Could we get to Monroe on this road?" "Nope! I wouldn't advise it. Not in a car!" Oh dear! So, we turned around and went all the way back to where we started. That little caper cost us an hour and a half! HOWEVER, it was beautiful. My dear Ellen didn't complain. She was glad we dd it! And there were rewards for sure. We got this beautiful view:
We went by this lovely grove of aspens:
We saw this beautiful wildflower which we think is the Cardinal Flower:
We saw prickly-pear cactus in bloom:
And we had a long stretch where we didn't see another human being.
We went by this lovely grove of aspens:
We saw this beautiful wildflower which we think is the Cardinal Flower:
We saw prickly-pear cactus in bloom:
And we had a long stretch where we didn't see another human being.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
What a Day!
DAY THIRTY-NINE: (Saturday, July 2): Ok, take out your road atlas, and find Nevada. Now look up in the northern third, and find I-80 going East-West, and look for Winnemucca in the west. Take U.S. 95 north out of Winnemucca for about 31 miles and then take Route 140 west. We took this road today, and it has been one of the most memorable rides ever. Not because it was spectacularly beautiful with thrilling features, but because it was beautiful in a totally different way: it was almost featureless for mile after mile after mile. It was empty in an extraordinary way, and to traverse it was like a meditation. Time slowed down. I don’t want to suggest in any way that it was boring. Far from it. It was a kind of out-of-body experience that went on for hours.
TYPICAL SCENE FROM THE CAR WINDOW ON ROUTE 140
But let me go back. We started out this morning in Beaver City, UT – the birthplace of Butch Cassidy, and yet a town so Mormon that with a population of only 2500, it has three huge Mormon churches. It would be interesting to know how they relate to each other.
The road from Beaver City to Grand Basin National Park was beautiful and fascinating, and our enjoyment of it was enhanced by having a copy of Roadside Geology of Utah by Halka Chronic (an interesting name), which helped us understand what we were seeing. We were in that huge part of the west which is called “The Great Basin,” which constitutes much of Utah, Nevada, and part of Arizona and Idaho, an area where no rivers flow into the sea, but simply into the ground. At one time, over 10,000 years ago, much of it was a huge inland sea, Lake Bonneville. Pushing up into this huge lake were some 200 mountain ranges, creating islands. Most of that ancient lake is gone (the Great Salt Lake is a vestige), but the “islands” remain – mountain ranges separated by utterly flat valleys, in which the “soil” is often what is called caliche (ka-LEE-chay), a kind of natural cement (formed by millenia of the evaporation of water saturated with salt, calcium carbonate and other minerals) in which plant roots have a hard time finding purchase. The drive from Beaver, UT west involved going over a mountain range and down into a valley, across the valley and then up over another range, etc, over and over again. An amazing ride.
Great Basin National Park is one of the smaller, lesser-known, less-visited parks, but for that reason all the more attractive. It contains an incredible diversity of life and geological features, mainly because within the park, the elevation varies so much, from deep caves to the top of Wheeler Peak at 13,000+ feet. It is home to fine stands of the Bristlecone Pine – which is said to be the longest-lived life species on the planet! Some of these pines are reputed to be as much as 5000 years old! Why didn’t I know this before? We had a lot of ground to cover today, so we couldn’t linger, but we’ll return if we get the chance.
BRISTLECONE PINE
From Great Basin we rode for a while on Route 50, called “The Loneliest Highway in America.” It was so-termed in a 1986 issue of Life Magazine in a derogatory way – there was nothing there, no “tourist attractions,” to travel it you had to be a survivor, so best to avoid it. The Nevada Tourist Board made this insult a point of pride and created a “Route 50 Survivors’ Guide.” You can visit each major town on Route 50, get your “passport” stamped, send it in, and get a "Survivors of Route 50" Certificate! But we abandoned Route 50 at Eureka, NV and headed north up to I-80 and then on to Winnemucca, as described above. If the editors of Life thought Route 50 was “empty,” I wonder what they would have thought of Route 140!
We found ourselves wishing we could read a book about the creation of Route 140 – John McPhee would be the ideal author - why does it even exist? (“Why is there something instead of nothing?” - Heidegger) Who envisioned it? How was it planned? Who had to be persuaded to pay for it? How was it laid out, surveyed, and actually constructed? It could be a fascinating book.
The sequel to this day is that we had planned to drive on to Klamath Falls, OR to find a motel room (no motels on Route 140!). But when we got there, every room in town was taken. After 1 or more hours of fruitless searching, we had to just keep going and drove to Medford, OR where we finally found a room in a Motel 6 at 2:00a.m. We had driven almost 900 miles and been the the road 18 hours. Boy did that bed look good!
But let me go back. We started out this morning in Beaver City, UT – the birthplace of Butch Cassidy, and yet a town so Mormon that with a population of only 2500, it has three huge Mormon churches. It would be interesting to know how they relate to each other.
The road from Beaver City to Grand Basin National Park was beautiful and fascinating, and our enjoyment of it was enhanced by having a copy of Roadside Geology of Utah by Halka Chronic (an interesting name), which helped us understand what we were seeing. We were in that huge part of the west which is called “The Great Basin,” which constitutes much of Utah, Nevada, and part of Arizona and Idaho, an area where no rivers flow into the sea, but simply into the ground. At one time, over 10,000 years ago, much of it was a huge inland sea, Lake Bonneville. Pushing up into this huge lake were some 200 mountain ranges, creating islands. Most of that ancient lake is gone (the Great Salt Lake is a vestige), but the “islands” remain – mountain ranges separated by utterly flat valleys, in which the “soil” is often what is called caliche (ka-LEE-chay), a kind of natural cement (formed by millenia of the evaporation of water saturated with salt, calcium carbonate and other minerals) in which plant roots have a hard time finding purchase. The drive from Beaver, UT west involved going over a mountain range and down into a valley, across the valley and then up over another range, etc, over and over again. An amazing ride.
Great Basin National Park is one of the smaller, lesser-known, less-visited parks, but for that reason all the more attractive. It contains an incredible diversity of life and geological features, mainly because within the park, the elevation varies so much, from deep caves to the top of Wheeler Peak at 13,000+ feet. It is home to fine stands of the Bristlecone Pine – which is said to be the longest-lived life species on the planet! Some of these pines are reputed to be as much as 5000 years old! Why didn’t I know this before? We had a lot of ground to cover today, so we couldn’t linger, but we’ll return if we get the chance.
From Great Basin we rode for a while on Route 50, called “The Loneliest Highway in America.” It was so-termed in a 1986 issue of Life Magazine in a derogatory way – there was nothing there, no “tourist attractions,” to travel it you had to be a survivor, so best to avoid it. The Nevada Tourist Board made this insult a point of pride and created a “Route 50 Survivors’ Guide.” You can visit each major town on Route 50, get your “passport” stamped, send it in, and get a "Survivors of Route 50" Certificate! But we abandoned Route 50 at Eureka, NV and headed north up to I-80 and then on to Winnemucca, as described above. If the editors of Life thought Route 50 was “empty,” I wonder what they would have thought of Route 140!
We found ourselves wishing we could read a book about the creation of Route 140 – John McPhee would be the ideal author - why does it even exist? (“Why is there something instead of nothing?” - Heidegger) Who envisioned it? How was it planned? Who had to be persuaded to pay for it? How was it laid out, surveyed, and actually constructed? It could be a fascinating book.
The sequel to this day is that we had planned to drive on to Klamath Falls, OR to find a motel room (no motels on Route 140!). But when we got there, every room in town was taken. After 1 or more hours of fruitless searching, we had to just keep going and drove to Medford, OR where we finally found a room in a Motel 6 at 2:00a.m. We had driven almost 900 miles and been the the road 18 hours. Boy did that bed look good!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Arches National Park
DAY THIRTY-EIGHT: I've been "off-line" for a while because I did something that made it impossible for me to get into my blog - I kept getting "Bad Request" messages! I felt like a naughty puppy! But I finally figured out how to fix that.
We have been in Moab, UT and Arches National park since Wednesday. We drove down from Alpine on Wednesday, through very gusty wind, scattered thunderstorms, heavy traffic around Salt Lake City, constant construction on I-15, and on top of that we got pulled over for speeding! But he let us go with a warning. I think we'd been going maybe 50 m.p.h. in a 45-m.p.h. zone that looked desolate. So it was sort of a wild drive, but the section along I-70 between Salina, UT and Moab was utterly spectacular. Canyonlands galore.
We joined the Feinlands in Moab and have had a fun time exploring Arches with them, giving Julie and Jerry, and the older children (Mimi, 9 and Ben, 12) a chance to do more serious hikes while we did things with Tamar, 7. Arches is a wonderful park. One of our favorite spots is called Sand Dune Arch. You go through a narrow passage between high, thin "fins" of red rock into a kind of private grotto which is all red sand beneath your feet, towering red rocks walls on all sides, and some beautiful pinyon oak shrubs growing, to add the contrasting green color. It was magical. Here are some photos:
TAMAR WITH A LIZARD FRIEND AT THE VISITOR CENTER
ELLEN ENTERS THE GROTTO
ELLEN AND TAMAR IN SAND DUNE ARCH
A NICE SHOT OF ELLEN AND ME THAT TAMAR TOOK
JERRY AND MIRIAM CAVORTING
We've put in pretty full physical days despite having been down with flu just a few days ago. I was pretty beat last night but feel good today. We're with the kids this morning while Julie and Jerry do the "Fiery Furnace" trail in the cooler temperatures of the morning (it will get up to 104 degrees today). Then Ellen and I will take off and go across Utah into Nevada on our way to Salem, OR.
We have been in Moab, UT and Arches National park since Wednesday. We drove down from Alpine on Wednesday, through very gusty wind, scattered thunderstorms, heavy traffic around Salt Lake City, constant construction on I-15, and on top of that we got pulled over for speeding! But he let us go with a warning. I think we'd been going maybe 50 m.p.h. in a 45-m.p.h. zone that looked desolate. So it was sort of a wild drive, but the section along I-70 between Salina, UT and Moab was utterly spectacular. Canyonlands galore.
We joined the Feinlands in Moab and have had a fun time exploring Arches with them, giving Julie and Jerry, and the older children (Mimi, 9 and Ben, 12) a chance to do more serious hikes while we did things with Tamar, 7. Arches is a wonderful park. One of our favorite spots is called Sand Dune Arch. You go through a narrow passage between high, thin "fins" of red rock into a kind of private grotto which is all red sand beneath your feet, towering red rocks walls on all sides, and some beautiful pinyon oak shrubs growing, to add the contrasting green color. It was magical. Here are some photos:
ELLEN AND TAMAR IN SAND DUNE ARCH
We've put in pretty full physical days despite having been down with flu just a few days ago. I was pretty beat last night but feel good today. We're with the kids this morning while Julie and Jerry do the "Fiery Furnace" trail in the cooler temperatures of the morning (it will get up to 104 degrees today). Then Ellen and I will take off and go across Utah into Nevada on our way to Salem, OR.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
