Colonel Crump House

Colonel Crump Has Moved

2010-07-29T10:49:00.000-07:00

In an effort to allow myself more functionality with the blog, and practice with HTML, I have moved Colonel Crump to a new address. Please update your bookmark to the following link: melissawarp.com/colonel_crump. I am still working on its new design, but all future posts will be composed there. Goodbye Blogger- you have served me well.

Up On The Mountain

2010-07-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

We are here in Asheville, up on Flat Top Mountain at the Meltzer cabin. It is mighty nice to be here, as the temps are cooler, there is a little lake down the way, and trails on the mountain are plentiful (of course it is nice to see Grandma and Grandpa Meltzer too!). I took advantage of Gus’ naptime to head down near the lake and tried my hand at some nature photography.

Star City

2010-07-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

I have really been lagging behind with new entries of late, as I am sure you know. Trust that I have not forgotten about Colonel Crump, but rather, we have been on the go for the past few weeks since we returned from Minnesota. We now find ourselves in our old stomping grounds of Roanoke, after a quick four days back in Bowling Green with the Meltzer grandparents. As we came to the end of our eight hour drive from BG to our old hometown, we eagerly scanned the mountainous skyline for the infamous neon star atop Mill Mountain. It feels great to be back, though quite weird to pass on by our old house on Albemarle. We are doing the things we used to love (and still do), and are introducing Gus to them along the way... Like hiking up Mill Mountain, eating gourmet grilled cheese at Pop's Soda Fountain and walking along the Roanoke River on the greenway. There are also things we are having to go out and do on our own while one stays behind and watches over Gus, like bike rides on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and trail runs on the mountain. The other day Josh went up and visited the spot where we scattered Sally's ashes last summer.
We our staying with our great friends Eric (a regular reader and comment contributer to this blog) and Nicole and their little gal Aspen. We got to witness Eric produce about 100 liters of homemade Ginger ale for the wedding we all attended this past weekend: Angie and Peter. The couple have dated for years, and much to our excitement, they finally tied the knot in a Quaker ceremony out near the Peaks of Otter this past Saturday. What was distinct about this ceremony was that there was not an officiant. Instead, Pete and Angie began with their vows they had written for each other, and then we sat in silence until various members of the congregation stood to contribute a message to the couple. Because of this, the ceremony was a distinct and personal, and by its end so much had been revealed about how wonderful this pair is. Afterward we all headed over to a nearby park where we were treated to Eric's Ginger ale along with fresh tomatoes, cukes, squash and melon from Angie's dad's garden, along with pasta and potatoes and chicken. Music was provided by a local bluegrass trio, the Black Twig Pickers, and later in the evening the bride and groom, along with several of their friends performed musical numbers. We drove back to Eric and Nicole's under a full moon on a warm night, as Aspen and Gus snoozed in the back seat, with sounds of their light little snores keeping us company along the way.

The North Cross gang at Angie and Pete's wedding

Dinner!

The Macy-Landon's and Gus and Aspen

It has been great fun to see old friends, many of whom have added to their families while we have been away... Like Katie and Jeff and their firecracker of a son Sully. We watched Joy and Richard's 2-year-old scale the kitchen cabinets in search of more Captain Crunch. 10-month-old Apen's eyes widen and she coo's when she comes within range of Gus. Beth helped calm a distraught Gus as we ascended Mill Mountain. We had dinner with a group of great old friends last night in the company of all their wee ones playing under water misters in the back yard. Despite the fact we have been away for a few years, we slipped right back in where we left off. We sure have missed all these good people.
Tomorrow we will add to Gus' fast-growing list of visited states as we head down to Asheville, North Carolina and stay at Gus' grandparents' cabin up atop a mountain. We can't wait to dip the little bugger's toes in a lake once again.

Aspen and Gus

What we've been up to lately

2010-07-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

We have had a terrific time here in Minnesota, and it is hard to believe we are reaching the end of our stay. We think Gus might think he lives with his grandparents, as he has spent more time in Minnesota than his home state of Kentucky at this point.

Below follows a little re-cap of the past few weeks

My brother-in-law brought two kayaks to the Warp abode, and we have enjoyed paddling to the various sand bars near my folks' place.

Gus was in his first Fourth of July Kiddie Parade in Moose Lake

Gus' cousins had the chance to do a little bonding with him

We picnicked with all the kiddos in the backyard

All the cousins, sans Natalie, gathered in the sun porch with the grandparents

An intense card game with the kids

Gus has been sporting the g-diapers with success. We realized it appears as though we have monogrammed Gus' diapers with his initial.

And now on to the many faces of Gus. Our cameras are covering his every move, and below follow some of my favorite picks.

Gus with his great-grandma Ollie

In order to accurately represent this little one, I thought I had better include a couple of crying shots.

Gus has been meeting my good friends like Angie...

Amanda

The Hart-Bennett Family

We brought him to a BBQ restaurant where the owner (pictured above) went over the menu with us.

Gus has loved cuddling with his grandma

Down on Sand Lake

Skyping with his aunt Emily, who is living in Ghana

Taking a snooze with grandma Sandi while car shopping
The new car purchase. So long old Subaru.

Watching the Tour d'France with his papa.

9:00 pm sunsets

A Slice of Heaven

2010-07-07T09:23:00.000-07:00

Josh and I have been keeping busy with family at my parents' place on Sand Lake, which has provided a welcome break from computer time. I will return to post more photos soon, but for now I wanted to direct you to Josh's blog.

Mama Status

2010-07-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

Four weeks after the delivery of Gus, I thought I'd turn the focus on his mama for this post. How am I faring? Quite well, overall. I was actually feeling much myself a couple of weeks after his delivery, when I took the first post-Gus ride on my speedy green bike. It felt wonderful and a bit freaky to be moving so fast on the road again. And I could only think of my child back home being cared for by dad, and how empty I suddenly felt without the little guy. The same feeling hit me a few days prior, when I headed out on a walk and was called by Josh. Gus was crying in the background and Josh had an urgent tone. The kid needed something that Josh could not provide. And now that we are in Minnesota with my folks, Josh and I both are able to head out on bike again, but I dare not go much beyond an hour until I have some reserve milk supply for the caregiver.
Every once in a while it really sinks in that we now have a son. When I walk past a mirror holding the little guy, I have to take a second glance at the person holding the babe... Yep, that's me, and that's my kid. When he is crying almighty, Josh and I cannot give him back to someone else and have them deal with it.
Eating meals is different. Sometimes I have breakfast at 7 am, sometimes I am lucky if this happens by 10 am. And when I do eat, I am often doing so while holding the babe, or am quickly shoveling the food in so I can take my shift. Showers are overrated. My clothes now carry a milky scent. I am learning to sleep in a more upright position as I cradle Gus on my chest. I am not so alarmed as he cries and holds his breath, letting us know how very angry he is. And I nearly melted yesterday as he appeared to truly look into my eyes for the first time as I lay on the floor beside him.

Wadena Changed

2010-06-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

We visited my grandparents in Wadena on Friday, and witnessed how incredibly destructive the tornado was. Below are images from our trip to see Bruno and Louise.
Click on the images for a larger view

The garage and screen porch are completely gone.

The hole in the basement wall where a block blew out and hit my grandma

A brighter note: my cousins from Idaho were visiting along with us, which made the mood a little lighter. Above is Olive, 10 months old, and her mom Naomi and aunt Sarah.

A couple more shots from the neighborhood, which was obliterated by the storm.

Up North With the Babe

2010-06-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

Well, we managed the 16 hour, 2 day car ride fairly smoothly, as Gus decided against looking at the scenery in Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota and slept for most of the ride. While Josh or I was driving, the other sat in the back with Gus and used the Boppy® pillow as a headrest in order to catch some zzz's as well. We arrived at Grandma and Grandpa Warps' place in the evening (after a stop to see Aunt Shawn in Minneapolis) and were happy to pull the bikes and Gus' stroller off the top of the car and settle ourselves for a while.

The weather has been cool and somewhat sunny and it has been wonderful to look out from my folks' place and see the lake out front. The day after we arrived, we entrusted Gus' care to Grandma, and managed a bike ride followed up by a swim in Sand Lake. Yesterday we all headed to Duluth and stopped at our favorite pub, the Brewhouse, and picked up some Whitefish to grill for dinner. We also took a walk down along Lake Superior and along the way I was suddenly more aware of other people with strollers and small children. Our visits to old haunts will have a different twist now that we have a third little one to consider.

A Broken Heart

2010-06-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

Thursday evening I was rocking Gus, trying to calm him down for the night, when I received a call like no other from my mom. She was in Wadena with her brother, visiting my grandparents at their home of 46 years when a tornado struck the town. They all thankfully managed to get down to the basement upon hearing sirens, and soon after the twister touched down, carrying off my grandparents' garage and destroying their house completely. My grandma was hit in the head with a cement block that blew out from the basement wall, which led them in search of medical attention (read story here). Much relief to all, she turned out to be okay, and incredibly, no one in the town of 4,000 was killed.
My mom said they were scared to head up the basement stairs and open the door after the tornado hit. What they soon found was a completely different scene than what they left moments prior. I have yet to see photos of their house, but apparently the roof was blown off, pieces of other people's homes are lodged into the back side of my grandparents' home, my grandpa's car was turned on its side, the trees on the entire street are gone. The town was hit hard. Along with my grandparents' neighborhood, the school and community center were destroyed along with countless other homes.
My grandparents are both 89 years old, and were definitely approaching the point where they were needing to "down-size" into a senior-friendly, one-level home. But it is heart-wrenching to think that the decision was made ever so abruptly for them on Thursday evening. They did not have the chance to take their time in parting with what they have known to be home for 46 years. I look at the photos below thinking about how much time was spent perfecting their garden, flowers, shrubs and trees. How my grandpa had a spotless garage with his tools arranged just so. How the inside of their home had been so comfortable for them for so long.
It amazes me to think of the timing, and that both my mom and uncle happened to be visiting their folks during this disaster. We are so thankful that everyone was okay, and more thankful still that my grandparents were not alone when this happened.

The Heat

2010-06-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

* Note: Do not be alarmed, for we only briefly exposed Gus' milky white skin to some rays for this photo op.

It's been in the nineties these past few days, with no reprieve in sight through this week's end. This does not make us, nor Gus too happy, as we're going a little stir crazy staying indoors. Before the thermometer spiked, we took a late morning walk over to the skate park and past fountains where kids were cooling off. The three of us are soon bound for cooler temps and Gus' introduction to Grandpa Warp and all the other Warp relatives up in Minnesota.
And how is Gus? Terrific. Though Josh and I are really trying to adjust to the lack of sleep. Last night we decided to take on Gus duty in shifts, so I fed him and promptly headed to the guest room to sleep for a couple of hours. At around 2:30 am, we tag-teamed. Then Josh was back on duty around 6 and I was able to sleep until 9. Whew. We were agreeing that when evening hours approach, we both become a bit anxious, worrying about how Gus is going to perform for the evening. Thankfully neither of us have to report to work in the mornings (for now!), so we can take the mornings slowly.

The "S" Word

2010-06-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

Well, we are 11 days into this parenting gig and are no where near closer to figuring this little one out, namely in the sleep category. No two days have been the same, nor nights, and while adrenaline and reserves were getting us through the first week, today it has all caught up with us. Gus was awake for most of the day yesterday, which threw us for a loop. While he is awake there is not much multi-tasking to be done, as all focus is aimed at making the babe happy. He decided to call it a night early (at half-time of the Celtics vs. Lakers game that is), but was rearing for a midnight snack, and then was ready to start the day at 4am. He is mighty cute though, so while the grogginess tests our patience, Gus still has our hearts won over.

I don't dare move him as I type this entry one-handed!

New Parenting 101: Chapter I

2010-06-09T09:03:00.001-07:00

One-handed typing
We are sure to become masters at this, cuddling Gus in one hand, stretching to hold shift to capitalize a letter with the other.

Moses Basket
We received this from our neighbors across the street. At first we didn't think we'd be putting it to use, but this is where Gus seems to like to sleep. At night we put this right in the middle of the bed with us. Above Josh is demonstrating his rocking technique-- not only soothing to Gus, but a good strength conditioning exercise for Josh.

Facial Expressions
When Gus is waking he goes through about 20 different little expressions. Our favorite is the opera singer pose. I will post video of this sequence soon.

Crying
We are learning to go through the various checks when this occurs.
a) Hungry?
b) Diaper Change?
c) Hot or Cold?
d) Burp?
e) Wants to play?
f) Just plain uncomfortable and peeved?

Diaper Changing
After several surprise showers by Gus during diaper changes, we are learning to keep the little guy covered while shifting between dirty and clean diapers. Even still, we had another incident this morning which brought us directly to the tub for a wipe down.

Close Range
We are noticing his little eyes busy at work trying to focus on people and objects at close range. Above, Ingrid is demonstrating her stimulation technique.

Tummy Time
We were advised that Gus should spend a bit of time every day on his stomach, working his neck muscles and allowing his limbs to "free squirm." It's also fun for us to watch his little legs tuck into the frog pose, as seen above.

Chapter II coming soon.

One week old

2010-06-07T17:00:00.000-07:00

A warning that is probably obvious to you at this point: you are going to see a lot of baby photos and read a lot about a baby in the coming weeks/months. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, this is a momentous day, as Gus has been with us on the outside for a week now. We still look at him in wonderment, not believing he is really ours. I am totally smitten with him, so much so that I could not focus on the movie we were watching this evening; I had to go to where he was sleeping and scoop him up just to stare at him. Speaking of sleep, Gus managed to let us sleep in until 9 this morning, with just a couple wake-up calls for feedings.

These First Days

2010-06-05T12:54:00.000-07:00

Oh Gus. We have had quite a time these past few days just staring at this little being, as well as holding and cuddling with him and letting him sleep on our chests.

My in-laws and my mom are here in town, scurrying about the house cooking and cleaning and taking turns holding and watching over this little one. There have been countless moments where we are huddled around him, amused by an expression or position.

The freezer loaded up with meals that should last us some time

We are eating amazing meals cooked by Angela, Josh's mom. My mom and Richard headed out to our garden plot yesterday and weeded in the high humidity for a few hours. Richard spent this morning hanging a bird feeder outside our dining room window, and my mum went out to purchase more items for Gus.

Josh, Gus and I went to Gus' first doc appointment yesterday, which was quite eventful. Upon arrival we began filling out paperwork and Gus became a little fussy, so I began my first attempt at breastfeeding in public. Then he pooped, and the "virgin" diaper changing set was graced with his mark. I brought him back into my arms, proceeded the feeding, and pee gushed out all over Gus' onesie and my skirt. Round two with the diaper changing set. We were brought into the examining room and Gus let out another delivery of poo. Round three. We began to worry as we only had two remaining diapers, and our back-up onsie was already put into use. Gus was measured and weighed and began to pee again and we were on to #4. It was completely apparent at that point that his little body was doing what it should be, and that he is getting plenty to eat!

Josh resting on the new quilt made for Gus by his great Auntie Dale

Our only challenge at this point is helping little Gus flip his schedule back to sleeping more during the nights. We had a really successful time of it last night, where he slept in 2 hour blocks between feedings. We are hopeful that this will become more the norm.

** I am completely overwhelmed by the number of photos we already have of this little guy. Make sure to check out Josh's blog (titled Gus under Blogs of Interest above) for many more photos to come.

Gus Benjamin Warp Meltzer

2010-06-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

Or to keep it short and easy, little Gus. Though actually, he was quite big, much to mum and dad's surprise. 8 pounds 11 and 3/4 oz, 22 inches long. We love him dearly.

Will it be a May babe?

2010-05-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

No babe yet, but the contractions have begun... meaning it could be today, or a couple days from now. Either way, I thought I'd go ahead and post what I believe is the final piece of the belly progression sequence (click to see the larger view). We have begun timing these suckers... about nine minutes apart, and pretty tolerable. Can't wait to welcome this kiddo into the world.

We Are Going Crazy.

2010-05-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

While Josh sits across from me at the dining room table singing along to the (not so clean) lyrics of Doctor Dre I realize it has come down to this: we are going crazy. Despite the fact we are still four days from the due date, we are so ready to have meltzarp. With the school year complete, we are trying hard to distract ourselves with work on the "farm," cleaning bikes, painting, lynda.com tutorials and rediscovering old books to browse through. I don't think I am nesting, I am just trying to stay sane. I saw our friend Mike walking down the sidewalk yesterday evening and ran out to catch him, with Josh on my heels. He and little Mila were a good distraction for 15 minutes.
This morning we woke with the task of finding ourselves a diaper changing table. After visiting a number of consignment shops and considering a variety of options (if we hack the legs off of that dresser, it will be at the perfect level), we ended up settling on a pretty boring and cheap little number, with hopes that something more exciting will come along later.
We just saw the movie Babies, where a new Mongolian mum, dad, new infant and toddler all squeeze together on a motorbike and ride home from the hospital. The reason I note this is because I am going back to that car seat issue. The car seat is ready, yes, but it is the car that has been out of commission. After the heavy rains something went awry, and we have been waiting for over a week to have it diagnosed and fixed. Fortunately we do not have to turn to a motorbike for transport, but we really are hoping to hear back from the mechanic today.

Well, the mood has changed, as Josh has now changed the Pandora station to DeVotchKa. I had better get going, as I still have a long list of not so necessary things to get through today. And regarding meltzarp, don't worry, we'll keep you posted.

Crump House Barber Shop

2010-05-24T07:15:00.000-07:00

Much to my happiness, Josh spent his year in Mexico, and opening months in Bowling Green visiting the barber shop for his haircuts, and always came away with a sleek-looking do. But after his last experience waiting on a slow-working, ultra-careful barber last month, Josh lost all interest in wasting time and money going somewhere for his hair needs and has taken the task back into his own hands. So he performs an act as seen above, standing over the sink and garbage can with a razor, running the electrical cutting device back and forth and all around his head until he comes out with a somewhat uniform military-esque cut. Then I am summoned for the clean trim along the neck line and around the ears. I dislike this. But if Josh is happy to have saved $10 and a half hour, who am I to judge?

The Probable Gemini

2010-05-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

Now that school is over, Josh and I are experiencing an unfamiliar calm... which surely is about to change. We are waking pretty early, despite the need to do so, and have been heading to our "farm" each morning. On Monday we were ashamed of our plot compared to the neighboring gardens that looked oh so orderly. We had neglected the farm while wrapping up our last weeks at Western, and weeds had hungrily taken over after the great rains we received. But on day three of weeding and rescuing smothering vegetables, Josh remarked "the other people aren't going to know what hit them", as though the awesomeness of our patch was going to blow all other plot renters away.
On the babe front, we are on the 10-day countdown to the due date. We are trying to lull this little one into the world with loud commands to "come out now," despite people's advice that we need to enjoy these remaining child-free days.

Los Panzones

2010-05-15T12:33:00.001-07:00

Or, big-bellied people. It's pretty crazy that the watermelon under Josh's shirt appears to be smaller than our babe. Photo taken by Josh's photo student Leslye Davis at their end of the year picnic.

The babe has dropped

2010-05-12T17:19:00.000-07:00

Or so they say. And so it feels. This little one is enjoying nuzzling its head down hard on my bladder, and gives me a start every once in a while. As the babe pokes me on the sides with its elbows or heels, I try and poke it back, or rub the surface of the "poking" appendage in order to try and guess which body part it is. It responds quickly by pulling back in.
I am no longer riding my bike to school, and am trying to take it easy. While our friends Pete and Angie visited this past weekend it was nice to lounge around the house and eat good food, get caught up, and share laughs. Overlapping with them was our good friend Michael, who was en route to Minnesota from Alabama. So we had a houseful, and they all got to see my big buddha belly and gave the large mass a few rubs.
The semester is nearing its end, with graduation this weekend. Josh and I will wrap everything up on Tuesday, and then we move on to baby focus. There is a stack of books beside my bed that I am determined to speed read. We have to settle on this kiddo's name. That car seat still needs to find its way to my car. And it could be any day now...

Lakeside Homes

2010-05-03T19:40:00.001-07:00

It began raining on Friday night, and did not cease until Sunday evening. And it was coming down hard. It was as though the sky was releasing some major pent up frustration. As Josh and I drove to run errands on Sunday morning, my car sputtered and stalled a few times, likely due to something soggy under the hood. We saw a number of homes that were precariously near (or in) newly formed ponds. In the middle of the night we were awakened by a large crash, which turned out to be a tree limb. It thankfully did no damage to our house (or us!), and we were about as relieved that it did not crush the fig tree we transplanted to our yard from Roanoke (we are so proud of that tree, now sporting about 15 young, green figs).
While leaving campus this evening, Josh and I walked by this humorous item in a frat house yard... who knows how long this "pond" will remain, but for now it is being put to good use.

Friday Evening

2010-04-30T16:06:00.001-07:00

This evening I returned from work feeling fairly deflated. I began the day with an oatmeal upchuck, and throughout the morning this babe kicked me over and over. My back was sore, my hips seemed to give out each time I stood up, and my walk home felt like a major feat. I entered our house, opened the windows, and plopped down on the sofa and snoozed a bit while listening to the breeze. Somehow, I had a second wind and decided to head out on a walk. This is a small assortment of photos from my 5 or so block stroll around the neighborhood.

I remember collecting (what we called honeysuckle) Columbine flowers when we were young and eating the ends of the flowers where the "honey" is stored.

While taking photos, I was distracted by my bump.

Head Down

2010-04-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

We just returned not long ago from an appointment to check on this babe's progress. By simply feeling my stomach (and performing a few other checks), the doc could tell this little one is positioned head down, aiming for the exit. We don't even know our son/daughter yet, but he/she is already making us proud. Somehow this has assured us that the babe is right on track for delivering "right," and it has sense enough to start getting into position. I am a little nervous that he/she might change his/her mind and flip back up, but at 5 1/4 pounds and 18 inches long, this sucker's running out of room to maneuver him/herself. Now those jabs under the ribs and at my sides are making a lot more sense, as I imagine its little legs bending and straightening.

Good for the belly

2010-04-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

There are two weeks left of classes left at WKU, and unbelievably, the beginning of Baby 101 will soon follow. Despite the nausea that has failed to cease (or ceased to fail?) during these past eight months, the time has gone faster than I imagined it could. The babe inside has now found a crevice under my ribs and delights in poking under them once in a while. When I feel movement, I put my hand on my stomach and feel its little bum, or elbow, or head... who knows!
To ask us if we feel prepared, our answer is wishy washy. The diapers are stacked up, little onesies are waiting to be spit up upon and the blankets are ready to swaddle.
But. We are not settled on names, especially in the male category. The car seat is not installed. And most importantly, will we know what to do with this new being? Will it love us as much as we are prepared to love it?
I thought I would include a photo of my recent purchases from the back up and running farmers market... this week we are enjoying asparagus, greens, strawberries, beets and new potatoes. And I was just out to our "farm" (ie; the community gardens) and was pleased to see large onion, corn, bean, and pea sprouts (along with a large crop of weeds!). I added tomato, pepper and squash plants to the mix and then called it a day before the rain rolled in.

Call Us Crazy

2010-04-16T19:22:00.001-07:00

Or later you can tell us "I told you so," but we're giving the cloth diaper bit a trial. With a little twist... these are hybrid cloth diapers, otherwise known as gdiapers. They have a cloth exterior with Velcro® tabs and...

A removable plastic snap liner, which contains a disposable insert. Or one might use a cloth insert. The disposable option obviously makes it the hybrid. But instead of taking 500+ years to decompose, it takes two months. We're not trying to be weird, we just think this makes sense. Figuring how many diapers a babe goes through in a day/week/year, that's a pretty hefty plastic footprint. And expensive one at that. So we'll keep you posted, but for now, we are sold on them, and hope it is a successful venture.

Expanding

2010-04-09T19:55:00.000-07:00

In another day I will have reached 33 weeks. The babe is now most likely around a whopping four pounds, and might be around 17 inches, head to toes. Today I took a walk up the hill from our house and felt those extra pounds I am carrying, along with the zapped energy this babe is sucking up from me.

Spring seemed quite a ways off when we discovered we were pregnant back in September. Now that it has descended upon us, the due date at the end of May seems quite tangible.

I love the way sun streams into this future baby room in the evening. As you can see, we have not done much transforming as of yet, but the babe clothes are certainly starting to stack up.

Farmin' and Egg Smashin'

2010-04-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

One of the only things missing from the Colonel Crump house is a big, sunny backyard. Yet as luck would have it, the city rents plots of land at a nearby park for gardening. So Josh and I spent $30 to rent a 30'x60' plot of Kentucky soil. We arrived at our "farm" this morning and had quite a job ahead of us. This new garden is about ten times the size of our garden back in Roanoke, and we only made it through planting rows of corn, onions and greens before we had to break for the day (it did not help matters that each time I leaned over to plant it felt like I was balancing a basketball between my chest and legs). We are very excited about the potential of this garden, if we're actually able to get through planting everything!

Later in the day we headed over to Rachele and Scott's place for an egg smashing party. The goal was to decorate an egg in an appealing manner, which we then judged. Afterward we partnered up and knocked eggs with our opponent. The winner (unsmashed egg person) competed against another winner. In the end, it came down to Scott and me, and as you might gather from the photo sequence (thanks to documentarian Josh), I was a bit overly surprised about my win.

Three-way tie of best egg-designs

Ingrid's "smushed" egg

My trusty unicorn egg

(I just like that Mila's giving the peace sign in this photo)

The young spectator of spectacles, Mila

After all the eggs were smashed, Rachele and Scott made a salad out of the egg "guts"
(Thank you Josh for all of the photos)

Minnesotans in Kentucky

2010-03-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

My folks flew in from Minnesota to visit this past weekend. Crazy as it sounds, the weather's been nicer in northern Minnesota than in Bowling Green this past month. So we were relieved to have at least one day of warm, sunny weather while they visited. In celebration, we headed to Mammoth Cave to hike on Sal Hollow trail. Along the way, we had to make a quick stop on the curvy road we were following and my folks were fortunate enough to witness me puking on the side of the road. Shortly afterward we ate our sandwiches and carried on with the hike we had planned.

Later that evening we made homemade pasta with Andouille sausage. In the photo below my mom and Josh are running the pasta dough through the "extractor" (much like those little Play-doh sets, except this is the grown up version). Saturday night's wind rolled in colder temps and a cloudy sky for Sunday so we had a leisurely breakfast of waffles and then made our way to shop for a grill and a table and chairs for the deck. After stops at a few different stores, we made our choice and officially graduated from charcoal to a gas grill with new "infrared heat" technology. We tested it out with some buffalo burgers and spent some time during dinner discussing baby names. Unfortunately, we did not reach a consensus.

My folks left this morning after dropping me off for work (ensuring that I got there early as opposed to my usual couple minutes late). They left me with their still nameless sixth grandchild warmly tucked in my belly, and will return in two months when the Meltzarp creation will have emerged.

To end, a view of the increasingly larger tummy. Josh took this photo while we were on break from our birthing class, where we were shown videos of babies emerging from their mums. It left me a little freaked out!

Vernal Equinox

2010-03-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a nice week back in Bowling Green, as the sun has finally begun to make more of an appearance, and the weather's warming. The students on campus have come to life, doing more than hurrying along to class as they stop and play frisbee and sprawl out on grassy stretches (I just hope these weren't the students who were missing from my class last Thursday night!). Better yet, on my bike home for lunch the other day I passed a group playing beer pong out on their porch. It was 1:00 pm, the sun was out, why not? Class? What class?
I find it fitting that as everything begins to grow and come to life again, my belly (and babe!) is following suit. The kicks inside are no longer just flutters, but some serious pelts. One of my amusements of late is sitting and watching my bare stomach ripple. And as I've grown larger, people seem to be getting nicer and nicer. The other day at Home Depot as I carted around a load of mulch, I had about eight different employees stop and ask me if I needed help. As I made my way out to the car, two came running over to assist during the loading process. While I was kneeling down to get a jar of mayonnaise yesterday at the grocery store, a little girl appeared, muttered "I've just got to do this," and gave me a hug.
Josh and I have begun to attend classes that are supposed to prepare us for the birth. I was reminded again of how little space this babe's head and shoulders must squeeze through, and how my internal organs are continually adjusting for the expanding space that this babe requires (now the weight of a head of cabbage, or 3 lb.- whichever is easier to imagine). We worked on breathing exercises and the partners practiced pushing exercises, as they did not want the ladies spurring some early labor action.
Yesterday I went to join my friends Rachele and Scott and their now 4-month-old Mila who were picnicking at the park up the way. I received great instruction on how a Baby Bjorn works, what to check when the babe is unhappy, what different facial expressions might be indicating. It is a whole new language that I am anxious to figure out.

Southwest Tour II

2010-03-14T17:06:00.001-07:00

The day after our sunny trip to the Grand Canyon, around a foot of snow descended upon Flagstaff (elevation 7,000 feet). We changed our plans from driving down to Sedona, to heading a bit higher into the mountains to a nordic center, where we rented cross country skies. The conditions were blizzard-like, with high winds and heavy amounts of snowfall. Our tracks were completely covered upon return to our original path, and the only way we knew we were following a trail was due to little orange blazes nailed to trees every fifty feet or so.

After the snowy adventure, we returned to Jacquie's and walked to a bar where Jacquie and Kate enjoyed beers and I had a refreshing Pepsi. Then it was dinnertime at Jacquie's place.

The following day we drove back to Vegas to return Kate to the airport for her flight home to Portland. We tried to convince her to change her flight back, but that whole work thing got in the way.
Jacquie and I then drove north to Zion National Park. Thanks to the National Park Service, I have posted a map to show our route (click to enlarge).

Zion was absolutely spectacular, and in such a remote setting. There were few tourists, but it was apparent that this will soon change with summer's arrival. We checked into a great little hotel in the quaint little town of Springdale on the edge of the park.

We planned a good hike up to Angel's Landing. In the photo above, Jacquie is pointing to where we would soon ascend.

Looking down at the route we had just followed.

And continuing up...

Soon we were in a snowier zone, and the climb was getting a little more precarious.

We reached the last stretch of this trail, which we began to ascend, but as we gripped onto chains and tried to find safe footing on ice, we decided to turn around.

The photo above shows the route we would have taken, which traverses over the narrow point of rock to the cliff in the center of the photo. Once again, this confirmed that our decision to turn around was a good one. The views were plenty nice from where we were too.

If you look closely, you can see the road far down below.

On our way back down, passing through a switchback section called Walter's Wiggles.

One of many Juniper trees along the trail

Jacquie and the beautiful layers of sandstone

View from below the upper falls, where the Emerald Pools lie.

After two days in the park, we had to venture back south to Flagstaff. If you reference the map above again, we made our way down to Hurricane, on to Pipespring National Monument, then followed Hwy 89 past the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Along this route was the infamous town of Colorado City, where a community of Morman Fundamentalists live. We stopped at the mercantile in town and were stared at by women who looked much different from us. They sported long, shapeless dresses, and their hair was braided in a peculiar way. This stop was all the more interesting to me as I am in the middle of the book Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer, which addresses this town in particular, and the practice of polygamy.

In the photo above are the Vermillion Cliffs. Much of our drive through northern Arizona looked this way, with wide open expanses of arid land, and stunning rock formations. There were few cars and hardly a person was in sight. We arrived back in Flagstaff at dusk, ate Mexican food at La Fonda, and the following day Jacquie drove me down to Phoenix to catch my flight home. It was such an adventure of a trip, and reaffirmed that I am lucky to have friends like Kate and Jacquie.

Southwest Tour I

2010-03-08T21:08:00.000-08:00

I landed in Las Vegas last Friday and hopped on a shuttle to meet my friends Jacquie and Kate at a giant castle hotel named The Excalibur, which was on the strip next to other out of this world hotels and casinos. The city was a sight, with people gambling and drinking libations at all hours of the day and night, men on street corners handing out "business cards" with photos of naked women, a mini Elvis posing for photos with tourists, scantily clad women dancing on bars, LONG stretch Hummer limousines, and oh so much more. It was so interesting simply people-watching in this city.
I was probably not the type of tourist the city hopes for, as I did not contribute a cent to the slot machines, nor liquor, nor shows for that matter. But I did partake in the eating of overpriced foods and my slumber in the Excalibur was peaceful. Though winning big money would have been nice, I just didn't think it was in my cards, and most important to me was that I was with my good friends.

A number of people walked the streets with these large plastic vessels filled with sweet alcoholic drinks. This mini Eiffel Tower was given up on.

A sight like many in the city

Taking a break for beers. Well... though it appears I have a finished beer in front of me, I actually spent the evening watching the girls enjoy their cold beverages.

Note Jacquie is sporting her Bon Jovi t-shirt, gearing up for the night ahead. Jacquie went to see Jon perform on Saturday night and then we packed up the following morning and drove eastward to Flagstaff, Jacquie's hometown.

On our way out of town we stopped at a Chipotle, a favorite fast food place. Above I thought I'd offer my view of my beer-gut-like stomach with food in lap.

We had a long wait at the Hoover Dam, where they are constructing a new bridge (pictured above).

The following day we made the drive to the Grand Canyon from Jacquie's place in Flagstaff. Though it was my second time seeing the canyon, it was once again such a stirring sight. Over and over we could not help remarking on the beauty of this geological wonder.

We thought it might be good to show proof that this little babe had its first trip to the Grand Canyon, despite the fact it wasn't offered the same views that we had.

Way down below (this was taken with zoom), hikers make their way up a trail.

Spring Break

2010-03-05T09:53:00.001-08:00

The beauty of working at a university is -of course- interacting with students and teaching a subject that you love. But I'd be hard-pressed to find a student, or teacher who doesn't look forward to the breaks. That said, we've reached spring break, and while Josh ceases to break and will be in eastern Kentucky with a group of WKU students working on various photojournalism projects, I am Vegas bound. I'll be meeting up with my very dear college friends Kate and Jacquie (you might remember them from last year around this time, when they came to visit in México). We plan on spending enough time in Vegas to allow Jacquie to go to a Bon Jovi concert with her beau, and will then head on to some parks. I am looking forward to one of my last trips sans child in arms (though it's making it's presence known in tummy) and am sure to post a lengthy recap or two of the trip.

Under the Water

2010-02-28T21:04:00.000-08:00

This evening Josh experimented with an underwater case for his camera while we swam in the campus pool. He captured some funny shots that he is posting to his blog. In order to jazz up my own blog (in the competitive spirit), I thought I'd throw in a few shots too.

Blue Skies

2010-02-20T11:32:00.001-08:00

Though it is a Saturday, I woke early this morning, and could not get myself to fall back asleep. Something we have not seen in days- the sun- showed its face today. It changes everything, charging my urge to start my garden and open the windows, along with just getting out and enjoying it. In honor of the 60 degree sunny day, I hung the butterfly that my grandpa made on our back fence.

I thought I'd include another one of these... the belly progression. Last night I was feeling pretty sorry for myself as I nursed a sore throat, and then proceeded to empty the contents of my stomach for the umpteenth time. This is becoming so common, that soon after I finished puking, I headed back outside to continue bringing in the groceries left in the car. I have tried reasoning with this babe inside me, whose kicks are becoming more persistent. But as long as the nausea is a sign that this bugger is about as healthy as can be, I'll tough out the puking.

My Best Friend

2010-02-15T12:51:00.000-08:00

Upon arrival home from work last Friday, Josh told me to pack up a bag, and that we were hitting the road for the weekend. While he wrapped up cooking a homemade pizza for the trip, I scrambled upstairs and threw a bag together. Two hours later, and about 100 miles west we arrived in a beautiful area known as "Land Between the Lakes." We checked into the lodge at Lake Barkley State Park. I began making myself comfortable by sprawling my belly out on the bed and tuned into the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, when once again, Josh told me to get my coat on, and we were back out the door. We drove a half hour to Murray State University and there I was surprised with tickets to see (and hear!) Bela Fleck playing with two African bands (sample a bit here). The music was incredible... a beautiful blend of string instruments I had never seen before, and impressive rhythms from self-made drums. The babe inside me was jumping all over the place.
The weekend was gray, but we hiked regardless, and imagined how great the lakes will be to return to in the summer. For lunch on Saturday, we headed into the town of Cadiz and visited a diner, where the owner spoke in a hushed tone about how the formerly dry county had recently voted to allow the sale of beer. Later that evening there was a Valentine's Dance taking place at the lodge, but we decided to play a few rounds of ping pong and then return to Olympics viewing instead. The unexpected getaway was sweet, and reminded me that I am one lucky wife.

***

And now we've come around to Monday. For some reason (probably the waking early) Mondays make me sick. I attended our regular 7:30am Monday meeting, went to Spanish class, took a swim, and then on the drive home I made an emergency park job, hugged my car bumper, and proceeded to puke in the street. Ugh. I got back in the car, wiped the snot from my face, and headed home to make some lunch. It's as though this babe is keeping me in check, ensuring that I don't get too comfortable while it's housed inside!

The long short month

2010-02-08T16:19:00.000-08:00

It seems February always moves this way for me... though it is the shortest month of the year, I feel that it inches along. In our elementary school music classes, our teacher Mr. Hobaugh annually played a dreary number composed by Franz Joseph Haydn to coincide with President's Day, noting that February is a tough month to get through, as spring has not yet arrived, and winter is wearing out its welcome. He matched the classical music with dreary slides, which never quite helped snap us out of the winter doldrums.
After a good bout of gray and cold, I am longing for a few simple things, like riding my bike free of jacket and mittens, and getting into my car without a tense body, impatiently waiting for the heat to kick in. I know my Minnesota readers are probably scoffing at my Kentucky wimpiness, but I figure that if we're not going to have much snow, what's the point of cold? And now my Virginia readers are probably scoffing at my request for snow, as they've received historical proportions of the white stuff.
But despite my complaints, we are coming off of a wonderful weekend, where my attention was largely diverted from the weather to spending time with my in-laws. They came to check up on us, and the growing belly that houses their first grandchild. We spent a good deal of time relaxing in the Crump house, but also saw an exciting Hilltopper men's basketball game and got together with some folks for a Superbowl viewing. They left this morning as Josh and I bundled up and mounted our bikes to head to work, and headed back south to Georgia. We're looking forward to the next visit, when the house will be just a tad more crowded, and the spring weather is sure to be in full force.

No more monkeys...

2010-02-02T19:12:00.001-08:00

This is a quick little post for our niece Avery, as she just experienced a shocker after, you guessed it, jumping on the bed. She fell off and broke her... elbow. Apparently she took it extremely well at the doctor- so much so that everyone was commenting on it. And now she is wearing a little pink cast, which was immediately autographed by her friends at daycare.

SSSnowww.

2010-02-02T18:15:00.000-08:00

Man we love it. The snow makes us crazy, and it has been driving us crazy to hear how much of the white stuff is hitting our old stomping grounds of Roanoke. Roanoke of all places! So when we were delivered a blanket of 5 inches, Josh and I were out at a nearby park, setting the cross country track for anyone else who happened to have a pair of skis to put to use. The conditions were perfect, and we made our way around the park four times, responding to people's remarks along the way. One man in particular joked, "You ain't from around here, are you." Another woman told me that they have not had snow like this in 14 years. Sigh.
The following day we headed out to our friend Scott's farm to do a bit of skiing the corn (phrase we picked up from a skier out in West Virginia, referencing snow that is almost too thin to ski) and afterward feasted on ribs (my first time eating them in maybe 16 years?). It was a wonderful weekend, that went by much too quickly. I woke early Monday for work and either felt the very drowsy effects of pregnancy, or was experiencing the Monday blues, as I tried to focus on the work at hand.

Scott and Ingrid

Ingrid and the sun

Back to the Belly

2010-01-25T14:20:00.000-08:00

This is the weirdest phenomenon: no matter how much exercise I might be getting, I am gaining weight, and my belly's getting bigger. I recognize that this is a normal part of pregnancy, but it has been a little tough for my active side to accept. I had stopped for a moment while swimming yesterday, and a woman asked me if I was on the swim team (I'd like to think it was because of my stellar stroke, but I think it was because of my swim team cap). I told her no, and surely shocked her when my belly and I got out of the pool.
I can tell I am getting slower at everything, and tasks that used to seem effortless are no longer so. My bike commute to school includes a couple of small hills that now cause my heart to make me more aware it is there. And the constant feeling of having to pee (I know, too much information) makes the ride much less enjoyable. For the first time in twenty years, I am not running. I know I will not be riding my road bike come warm spring weather.
Yet when I run my hands over this growing belly, my perspective changes. I cannot get over the fact that there is something growing inside (now the size of a spaghetti squash and nearly a pound). This is all temporary, and is leading toward a really cool product. I can hold out another four months.
To end, I know he's still adding to this, but if you're curious about the blog that Josh is creating, you can check it out here.

Departing Shots

2010-01-20T08:20:00.000-08:00

The day before leaving Ecuador, an Ecuadorian participant in the workshop, Santiago, brought us into downtown Quito to do a bit of exploring. We spent our time in the historic section of the city, where colonial buildings and plazas are plentiful.

Micah, a workshop participant from California, in the foreground

Back at the hotel the evening before our Quito excursion, this was a common scene each evening in the cafeteria: students working with instructors to edit their work from the day

On our last night in Cumbaya, we were treated to a spectacular sunset, with rainbow and all.

Uday (from Texas), Anja (Germany) and Dave (Virginia) shooting photos

The Belly

2010-01-18T15:18:00.001-08:00

Rio Muchacho

2010-01-15T19:06:00.000-08:00

This is quite a larger post than normal, but after taking around 400 photos during my time on the organic farm called Rio Muchacho off the coast of Ecuador, it was hard to decide what to include!
After an all night bus ride from Quito to Bahía, on the Pacific coast, three others from Quito and I rode on a bicycle taxi in the early morning rain to catch a water taxi to get across the channel to San Vicente. In San Vicente we then waited for a bus to take us on north past the coastal town of Canoa, and they dropped us off along the highway at the entrance of a long, rutted dirt road. We were then picked up by the Rio Muchacho jeep and rode 8 km inland to the farm.

We arrived in time for a breakfast of fruits, yuca bread and granola, served in a bowl made from the shell of the mate fruit, with a spoon made from mate. Much of the food served on the farm is grown there, including the bananas, melon, pineapple, yuca, and coffee we had for breakfast.

There were about 12 volunteers working on the farm while I was there. They each pay $200 for a month of meals and lodging, and take organic farming classes in the afternoon, and work on the farm in the morning. Those at the table above are from Quebec, Germany, Virginia and Minnesota.

After breakfast we brought our bags to our cabins. I shared my cabin with the Spanish instructor, Alejandra. We were right on the river, with a small balcony, outdoor shower, self-composting toilet, and screened in area for beds.

Shower and sink at the entrance to the cabin

We jumped right into touring the farm, beginning with examining the worm compost beds pictured below

Above is a big bag filled with methane produced from the excrement of the animals on the farm. They use the methane to help provide energy for hot water.

Some of the volunteers were working with seedlings up at the huerta (garden)

Seedlings up close

A loofah plant

A volunteer from Germany and a guest (like me) named Mauricio showing off an incredible pepper in the garden

Eggplant.

Cacao

Broccoli.

Mauricio and I then went on a walk with Oscar, a Ecuadorian who lives and works on the farm. He brought us back into the woods a ways to see this great tree with branches that grow downward and root into the ground.

We then went to help out in the kitchen. The cocinera (cook) was a spunky woman whom. I liked a lot. She kept telling jokes, which were a bit hard for me to follow in Spanish.

Oscar, Maurico and I de-podding beans

Tomate fruits soaking in water. We peeled these for juice.

Peeled tomates

A shelf of mate cups

A soup of potatoes, leaks and corn

The son of one of the cooks, standing near jars of seeds

The following day we went to the garden and picked veggies and banana leaves to take for lunch

We then went back to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Above I am in the process of running the banana leaf over a fire to soften it for wrapping our lunch inside.

The wrapped product (a tonga)

Oscar and I then headed out on horses to go and scout for monkeys. I was a bit nervous about horseback riding while pregnant, but my horse Costaño was very mellow, and stopped every few minutes to eat along the way.

Oscar pointing out a school that was built for children who live in this very rural area that can be unreachable by car during the months of the rainy season

He also pointed out many birds along the way

We stopped to eat lunch at this house owned by a 90-year-old woman. She was not home, but we sat on her porch to eat our tongas.

The ingredients inside the tonga: rice, beans, veggies, plantains, egg and peanut sauce

A poinsettia plant near our lunch spot

Banana and papaya plants

A little boy we met at the small swimming hole where we cooled off

Cows along the way

When we returned, Oscar's horse provided lunch for its babe

I walked around the farm a bit upon return to take more photos.

Cotton plant

Alejandra working with a volunteer on Spanish

The following morning I prepared to go milk cows with Oscar and Jill, a volunteer from Pennsylvania. In the photo below Jill is feeding the horses

One of the pigs on the farm. They do not raise them for meat, but rather use them for composting and producing methane and manure

A baby cow eating before it was our turn to try milking its mom

I was horrible at this, so I let Oscar take over. Thinking of my time ahead feeding my own babe, I gave the cow a pat

Jill giving it a shot

Our bounty of milk, waiting to be turned into cheese

While waiting for the cheese to begin forming, we went out to dig yuca out of the garden

The cheese beginning to congeal

We brought the yuca inside and peeled it, than shredded it, which turned it into a mushy pulp

Later we mixed molasses, raisins, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla with the yuca and patted the mixure down over banana leaves in a bowl

The yuca mixture was then put over a fire, and a small fire was built over the top in order to cook the mixture into a yuca cake

Oscar and a visitor from Lithuania sitting with the owner of the farm, Nicola

A volunteer from Denmark relaxing after lunch

A farm dog curled up in a cool spot

A solar-powered dehydrator for herbs and peppers

After lunch some of the volunteers and I were treated to "facial mask treatments" with local black clay by Oscar

Relaxing and letting the clay dry

We then headed down to the river to catch crayfish

On my last morning at the farm, I photographed these girls on their way to school

And I went down to clear a field with a few volunteers and helped plant yuca, corn and potatoes

Gathering a few tomatoes and peppers for the collection of their seeds

A good bye view of the main lodge

In the afternoon I caught the taxi boat back over to Bahía from San Vicente

And before catching the night bus back to Quito, I stopped at a small diner for grilled chicken and a Fanta. I was back to the world after a stay in what seemed to be the middle of no where (in a good kind of way).

Hello from Ecuador

2010-01-09T16:18:00.000-08:00

Above is a view of the city of Quito, where the Truth With a Camera workshop is based for this week. The city is situated in a beautiful valley, sandwiched between mountains and volcanoes, and is a combination of the colonial old, and high rise buildings. We have seen little of the heart of Quito, but upon first impression there are many commonalities with Guadalajara. There are beautiful plazas and historic colonial buildings, cobblestone streets and narrow sidewalks where there are a number of vendors including the indigenous and small children on the sidewalks and at intersections.

Josh and photo instructor Dave waiting to purchase cell phones

Josh and Dave walking in old town, Quito

Above is a view of the campus el Colegio de Comunicación y Artes Contemporaneas, where the workshop is being held (we are 20 minutes outside of Quito, in the community of Cumbayá). The campus and facilities are incredible, and all of the studies are centered around the arts and communication. Josh and I both were imagining ourselves on an exchange at this university some day.

Fittingly, we are staying in Hotel Cumbayá, in Cumbayá. The family-owned hotel is spotless, and offers comfy little rooms. The sleep has been nice once we block out the street noises of car alarms and barking dogs.

Josh and Dave working in the cafeteria of our hotel. The breakfast we had previous to this is pictured below: croissants, coffee, tomate fruit juice, eggs, papaya and bananas.

On Saturday many of the students for the workshop had arrived, and we went on an excursion two hours north to Octavalo, where there is a live animal market every Saturday. The ride was beautiful, heading up and down past high mountains and lush valleys. And the market was incredible, where there were farm animals all around being poked and prodded and negotiated for, many of which were sure to meet a fate much different than that of Wilbur the pig.

View along the way to Otavalo

I tried to look past the disturbing fact that many of the animals were, well, being treated like animals, bound and tangled around a stake like the one pictured above.

Two "grown" nine-month-old pigs, working on digging a hole in the ground for cooling themselves.

Checking out the potential of this piglet

Josh negotiating a price for this little piglet.

Cuy, or guinea pig is a delicacy in Ecuador

Nine-day old calves

A pup checking out all the baby chicks

A woman checking out how much meat potential this chicken offers

Roosters being sold for fighting

After visiting the animal market we hiked in to see a waterfall

Upon leaving the waterfall, we encountered this woman who was quite popular because of her terrific contraption for peeling strips of mango, which were then doctored up with lime, salt and picante.

Tomorrow I will be leaving Quito and traveling on an overnight bus to a place called Rio Muchacho, an organic farm on the coast of Ecuador. The farm serves as a model for more sustainable farming practices and houses an environmental education center for local children. I will spend some time working on improving my Spanish, and hope to do much of the following (as noted on the Rio Muchacho Web site):

• Tour of the farm to see the recycling systems & tropical crops eg. yuca, turmeric sesame, coffee, pineapple, passion fruit, cocoa, banana, and examples of rice, ginger, balsa wood, and more.
• Make chocolate- from the bean to the cup
• Hike in the rain forest and tour the coffee plantation
• Visit a nearby water fall and swim in the river.
• Roast and grind coffee over an open fire.
• Milk cows and make flavored cheese.
• Fish river shrimp.
• Make a cup and/or and spoons from gourd.
• Cut palm seeds & tagua to make rings & pendants.

Sounds like a glorified week at summer camp! I will be without internet until Friday, but am sure to have a large posting soon thereafter.

On the Road Again

2010-01-06T12:09:00.001-08:00

Well, we returned to Kentucky, unpacked all of our new baby goods (including unstrapping a stroller from the roof of our car- my goodness, what is happening to us!) and exchanged the winter clothes in our bags for warm weather attire, and now we sit in the Miami airport, awaiting our departure to Quito, Ecuador. Josh is helping run another Truth With A Camera workshop, and I have come along to help, and perhaps head down to the coast for a bit. Before leaving I made some fairly desperate calls to my doctor, then insurance company, then doctor, then insurance company, practically begging for more Zofran to get me through the trip. Because the medication is expensive, my insurance company is wanting me to try other cheaper options, those of which are less safe for the growing babe, and myself. But finally after a day of phone calls, the insurance company came through, and I am in the possession of enough drugs to -hopefully- keep me puke-free while on the road. We are excited for this adventure, and are savoring one of our last flights/trips that will be child-free (well, on the outside that is).

First Baby Photo

2010-01-04T10:59:00.001-08:00

Well, there it is. Our now heirloom tomato-size babe. The radiologist confirmed that our little one is 19-weeks-old, and that it is feisty. While being scanned, the babe waved its little arms around and scooted its legs up to its chest, and turned its head from side to side. We received a great show. Apparently we were part of the few 2% at our doctor's practice who chose not to know the sex, though I admit I did try to guess as I examined all the little white specs. My favorite part of this pic is its little hand resting behind its head.
This was a welcome visit after a surprise puking episode last night. I thought I was on the mend from the nausea, but after trying to go a day without Zofran, my stomach rebelled. I have no choice but to tough it out, and after seeing proof today that there is indeed a good reason for the sickness, I am maintaining a brighter attitude.

Hasta Pronto Minnesota

2010-01-01T20:04:00.000-08:00

We have reached the end of our stay here in Moose Lake, and in order to make the most of the snow we will not have in Kentucky, Josh and I headed to the Moose Lake State Park for a last ski. The conditions were perfect, and the setting sun made it all the more beautiful. We only had to cut it short due to the biting cold, as the temp hovered around zero.

It is always hard to leave, especially after so much time with family and old friends, and moving at a more relaxed pace. We had a lot of laughs at the antics of the kids, and nice leisurely breakfasts and dinners. And now the low is supposed to reach -25 tonight, and we are hoping that the car will start in the morning for our trip south. Good bye for now Minnesota, and we are sure to be back soon.

The Kids

2009-12-29T19:50:00.000-08:00

We had a mellow Christmas here in Moose Lake, as the big snow storm kept us from traveling. We celebrated with snow removal, an attempt at skiing down on Sand lake through the blizzard and getting my folks hooked on The Wire. The following day my sisters and their kiddos descended upon us, and things became quite lively.

A bit too much light in the background here, but a sweet moment nonetheless with grandma and grand kids looking at digital photos

Avery, the youngest of the grand kids, cuddling with Josh after she had a bad puking episode (note Josh's classy Rebels garb, borrowed from the stash of old Warp t-shirts).

A brighter moment

The Snowy North

2009-12-24T07:01:00.000-08:00

We completed our first semester of work at Western Kentucky and loaded up the car to head north to Minnesota. The 13-hour drive did not seem so long, and we made it to my relative Nancy's house in St. Paul late evening, just in time to catch her wrapping up a game of bridge with friends. The following morning we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at a nearby cafe and then headed out to buy Josh underwear and socks, and to search for pants and shirts at Goodwill, as we (notice the "we") forgot his bag of clothes in Bowling Green. Later that evening I saw good friends for dinner, and much of the conversation was focused on being pregnant with two pregnant people in the room.
We have now hunkered down in Moose Lake, preparing for the big winter storm that is headed this way. We've already received around 5 inches, and another foot or two is projected. Josh and I couldn't be happier. In the mean time, we've enjoyed the few inches of white stuff on Sand Lake with our skate skis, and yesterday we zoomed around the whole lake with Winnie, my folks' dog (hence the video taken by Josh above).

Progress

2009-12-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

The other day one of our new friends in town called to see if we were interested in having their crib. And now, there it sits outside our bedroom, half-assembled and awaiting its move into baby headquarters at the other end of the hall. I woke up last night on my regular 3 am trip to the bathroom and gave it a double-take, wondering where the thing came from. Reality is also sinking in to my waist and bust line. One by one, sometimes two by two, more items in my closet are becoming too snug. Today I sadly realized my favorite belt from México no longer fits. And I leaned over to tie my shoes and nearly popped the button off my pants. Apparently the babe is now the size of an avocado, and in a few weeks I might actually feel it jiggling around. I would post a photo of the belly status, but my photographer husband has frowned upon this. I am still awaiting his permission to release his new blog address.

Good Tidings

2009-12-12T19:03:00.000-08:00

The other day we received a package from our eighty-something-year-old friend Edna back in Roanoke. She sent us elaborately decorated cookies, and each one was wrapped in a napkin and placed inside a plastic bag. She also sent her famous "stained glass window" bars, made with colored marshmallows and chocolate. I became a little teary as I unwrapped one of the cookies and thought of how much time she put into decorating each one. Josh met Edna on an assignment for the Roanoke Times a number of years ago, and ever since she has been baking for us for each of the holidays. Edna lost her husband to cancer many years ago, and never remarried and has no children. She lives on her own outside of Fincastle, a few miles down the highway from the dairy farm she and her husband owned (which is now divided by that highway). She is just one of many who are aging and facing the inevitable fact that she may reach a point where she can no longer live alone in her home. But she is embracing the time she has, and we feel fortunate that we are a few of the many whom she has touched with kindness.

Mazel Tov

2009-12-08T13:05:00.000-08:00

We just returned from a trip to Josh's hometown of Athens, Georgia where his sister Emily was married. We had such a wonderful time. Emily and Alan were married in a huge brick building, which used to be part of Kenny Rogers' ranch outside of Athens. It was a traditional Jewish ceremony where the couple was wed by a rabbi beneath a chuppah (symbolizing the new home the couple will create) with their parents standing close by. Emily circled Alan seven times (an interpretation of this is that circling represents the creation of a new family unit separate from each of their own parents'), and at the end of the ceremony Alan stomped on a glass (representing the fragility of marriage). The party afterward began with everyone dancing the Hora, where the guests circled around the couple over and over, and the couple and their parents were hoisted up in the air on chairs. The band then switched over to Latin music and there was more dancing, eating and drinking. My in-laws Angela and Richard worked hard along with Emily and Alan to ensure it was going to be a terrific celebration, and indeed it was.

Unfortunately I took very few photos!

I met some of Josh's relatives that I had not met before, including his only cousins Matt and Andy. We caught up with them, and Josh's aunt and uncle, and vowed to head up to Toronto and Montreal to visit them some day soon.

Matt and his girlfriend Georgina.

Andy and his parents (Josh's aunt and uncle) Dale and Bob

Josh's great uncle and aunt, Johnny and Carol

Instead of invading Josh's folks' house, we stayed in a beautiful, new, LEED-certified hotel downtown. Josh and I had a chance to head over to the University of Georgia campus to go swimming, and visited a favorite Athens restaurant called The Grit. We also bought our first official item of baby clothing at a craft market: a tiny sweatshirt with a hand-sewn moose on the front. We had so much fun over the weekend that I was beginning to believe that I was on the mend from all of the nausea I've been experiencing. But then I had another episode last night, and sadly marked it up to week 11 of puking. On top of that, it rained very heavily all day today, and I could not stop thinking that it would have been snow if we lived further north. And I tried not to think about Emily and Alan enjoying the warm Caribbean waters in Aruba. But enough feeling sorry for myself, and another big "mazel tov" to my sister-in-law and her new husband!

165 Beats Per Minute

2009-12-02T18:27:00.000-08:00

I can't think of many more exhilarating moments than what happened today in the doctor's office. As my doctor ran a sensor over my lower stomach, the unmistakable sound of a quick chugging heartbeat rang loud and clear through a speaker. Josh stood by my side recording, and Dr. Lyons proclaimed, "It doesn't get any better than that."
Through that heartbeat, it is reassuring to know that our now peach-size babe is working so hard at growing bigger. It made my episode of upchucking my lunch an hour previous to that fade into distant memory.
I am afraid that Josh is soon to trump me, as he works on creating a blog with images and sounds from the pregnancy. Once he has that up and running, I will surely provide a link so that you are provided the whole multimedia experience.

This Time of the Year

2009-12-01T15:22:00.000-08:00

Josh and I celebrated Thanksgiving on our own for the first time in our 11.5 years together. It was quite momentous, as we determined how we wanted to cook the birds (Cornish hen and a regular old chicken) and whether to go with traditional fixings. We ended up with apricot-glazed chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green beans and cranberries. And custard to end. All very wholesome, and all made from scratch. As Josh can attest, I crashed on the sofa soon after the meal's completion, and have an even deeper appreciation for the ladies that have cooked this meal for me/us in the past.

I also turned a year older a few days ago, hence the photo above, which was taken [ahem] 29 years ago. I am surrounded by my neighbor friends (all boys. Tiffany Manty had not yet moved to the neighborhood). And there's Sarah, with red hair. She was one of my best friends for years, and I believe she taught me how to tie my own shoes not long before that fifth birthday. This year we had a few friends over too. I decided against the silver crown, but a cake was present, along with the birthday theme music and a wish after the candles were blown out.

Pit Stop

2009-11-25T08:29:00.000-08:00

We had a great treat these past few days, as our good friends Naomi and Jose stayed with us on a stopover on their long, roundabout journey back to California after living in México for over a year. It was so much fun to have them in the house, and we made hearty meals together and had great conversation. Jose also taught us how to play the card game "Oh Hell," which brought out our competitive sides (well, Josh's and mine anyhow). In the photo above Jose and Naomi are preparing rice pudding, and following below are shots of us making homemade pasta for ravioli, filled with kale, ricotta and chicken.

We tried to encourage our friends to move in with us, or buy a house on our street, but they had family to travel and see, and plans to return to California. So we will look forward to the next time we cross paths, which we hope is very soon.

To end, Josh spent a number of years competing as a swimmer, and last Saturday he experienced another side of the sport. He stood over the lanes and watched carefully to ensure that each swimmer touched the wall with both hands during their turn to return to the other side. WKU was holding an invitational swim meet, and came away winning after three days of competition.

Changing Shape

2009-11-21T08:04:00.000-08:00

Blogging has not been the same these past few months, as I have avoided revealing something that has taken over much of our focus. Yet rounding the corner to 13 weeks, I figured that those of you who have stuck with me this past year and beyond, deserve to know this fact: we got pregnant. Hence the "emergency trip" by my mom in October, when my morning sickness was at its height. And the stuff is still lingering, lucky me. Fortunately I was prescribed an anti-puking medication, which has helped prevent dashes to the nearest toilet. Or tree.
I am in no way concerned about documenting this experience, as Josh captures all the details. He has been following me around the house with his Leica, and now there are a number of photos of me like the one above and below, in my new favorite places (I hope he doesn't mind that I stole a couple). And maybe some day some of you might be lucky enough to see the photos of me clutching the toilet.
Despite the sickness, this is exciting. At 10 weeks in, we heard the heartbeat. And as the title suggests, I am indeed changing shape. Apparently this being inside of me is currently the size of a kiwi, and is starting to make fists and wiggle its toes. Pretty amazing to imagine.
So now, this blog will certainly have yet another focus, one which I hope remains interesting and a little entertaining. And I will continue to try and sneak a photo or two in from Josh's stash.
I will leave you with this closing shot.

A little piece of México

2009-11-18T12:39:00.000-08:00

This will deserve a sequel blog posting, but for the time being I need to write Part I. A few days after my previous Mexican food craving posting, Josh and I headed out on a bike ride. And on that bike ride, we crossed the railroad tracks and passed through a little neighborhood that is coined "Little México." In Little México there are a couple of Catholic churches, a Mercadito (Latin American food market), a tortillera (tortilla-producing shop), and convenience stores advertising calling cards. And as we sailed through the neighborhood out of the corner of my eye I spotted something familiar. At a little road-side stand perched next to the tortillera was a large hunk of meat turning on a spit and cooking under a flame. Josh and I hit the brakes and turned around to inquire. Sure enough, they were preparing tacos al pastor, and it just so happens this Mexican family cooks up the tacos for sale every Friday through Sunday. For this particular culinary delight, we may not have to travel all the way to Guadalajara after all. But before I get ahead of myself, we will surely visit the stand this weekend and I will report with Part II.

Ode to the Juicer

2009-11-12T08:12:00.001-08:00

While responding to a friend's e-mail requesting restaurant recommendations for Guadalajara, I started longing for the quick trips to our local tamale and taco stands, as well as the corner restaurant with pozole. I can vividly remember employees of each of these culinary establishments, and can imagine they are going about their work just as they did while we were living there, busily tending to a long line of customers. The thought of a torta ahogada (drowned pork sandwich) has suddenly stimulated my taste buds. And this is coming from a former vegetarian. And oh how I miss the fresh bulk mole that Josh an I bought at the local market and cooked with fresh chicken. Sigh.
So these past few days, as the prices of oranges and tangerines have dipped lower than usual, I am stocking up and am enjoying another item that I have missed: fresh squeezed juice. We brought this simple yellow juicer back from México with us and it has been put to good use these past few weeks. Though I feel a bit guilty that the oranges have had to travel a greater distance to get to me, it is helping me to get past these other cravings that won't be satisfied until I am back in Guadalajara.

Homecoming

2009-11-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

It was homecoming weekend at WKU, which brought much activity to campus. Josh and I watched the homecoming parade on Friday night, complete with floats for the fraternities and sororities, one of which came through half-charred, after an unfortunate incident with a hot bulb coming too close to tissue paper. After the parade we headed over to a Mexican restaurant called Puerto Vallerta with some photo students. Josh and I were two of the oldest, most sober people in the place, and snobbishly tried to enjoy the not-so-Mexican food.
To end the evening, we biked back over to school to see the volleyball team play a match against Florida International. Florida had an amazing hitter who seemed to magically rise over the net to pound the ball into unattainable places for our team. Because of this, and a night of poor serving, we lost.
Yesterday we headed back over to school for a School of Journalism picnic, and then had a fun time of people-watching. Campus was packed with tents where various organizations were picnicking. Sorority girls walked awkwardly across the grassy field in high heels and short cocktail dresses, while the fraternity boys were dressed up in suits and khakis. And what was most interesting to me was seeing students walking with cases of beer and coolers, as this was unheard of on the dry campus of UMD, my alma mater. The guys pictured below not only had coolers, but a thermal-lined shopping cart to hold more ice and beer.

Josh and I were happy to discover beverages that were free for the taking, and snuck by for a second round of these yummy chocolate milks.

Though the volleyball team had another game, we decided to instead watch the WKU swim team in a dual meet against Xavier. Our swim team is huge, and is made up of a number of talented swimmers, and in the end, both the men and women came away with wins. Our football team on the hand, was once again unsuccessful and their chances of a win this season is looking bleak. We did not stay for the game, but could hear the sounds from the stadium from up on the hill at the Crump house.

Lastly, we have had a beautiful weekend, and took advantage of the weather to fit in a couple of late fall bike rides. So many of the rides in this area are along narrow little roads like the one above, where our only worry are loose country dogs, which never fail, come running directly toward and in front of our moving bikes. And yesterday we had a close encounter with a spooked horse who galloped across the road in front of us. Other than these unwelcome animal run-ins, it felt great to get out on some country roads.

Thanks Mom

2009-11-01T12:31:00.000-08:00

There's my mom getting swallowed by Big Red. She stayed for a week, and before flying out had the opportunity to meet the WKU mascot at a volleyball game. Along with that, we watched a quick three games to complete the Hilltopper's win over Troy University (Alabama).

Though I was a not the most fun to be around during this past week of sickness, we managed to get out on campus and around Bowling Green a bit. The meals were kept pretty bland, and mostly white (potatoes, chicken, white bread, cream of wheat) with an occasional color thrown into the mix. Thankfully, the week ahead looks brighter, as I graduated to chili at a friend's pumpkin carving fest yesterday, and tried out waffles and blueberries this morning. I never gave food so much thought as I have over these past weeks. After dropping my mom off at the airport, I returned to a quiet, lonely house. She definitely made my week of feeling sorry for myself a happier one.

The sun is sitting low in the sky, and I have raked about all the leaves that will fall from the large trees standing over our house. The weeks ahead promise to be busy, with daily meetings with students, and a whole slough of athletic and arts events coming up in the evenings. Josh is due back from western Kentucky any time now. I am looking forward to seeing him again.

Chicken Soup

2009-10-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

While Josh is out of town for the Mountain Workshop, my mom has come back to town to stay for the week, as I've been under the weather. It's been great to have her here. Not only did I put her to work cleaning our bathrooms and floors, cooking meals and running errands (kidding about the putting to work part, but she has done all of the above), we also fit in a nice trip back up to Mammoth cave, where the leaves are at their prime, and we took a beautiful hike on Sal Hollow Trail.

A whirlwind weekend

2009-10-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Josh and I visited the Adirondacks for the first time, along with our great friends Pete and Angie. The occasion was our friend Jessica's marriage at Elk Lake Lodge, a place coined by National Geographic as "The Jewel of the Adirondacks." It certainly was beautiful, and reminiscent of the Boundary Waters, but with mountains. All of the guests were provided lodging in the various lodges and cabins scattered on the shore of the undeveloped lake. Jess and Lytton's ceremony was unique because there was no officiant; everyone present married them by contributing a blessing. We then had a cozy evening in the main lodge with dinner, numerous toasts, and a bit of music provided by guests. So many of those present were graduates of Swarthmore (where Jess attended college) and Columbia (where Lytton and Jess are working on their doctorates in medieval literature), so we felt we were in the company of many driven intellects.

The following morning Josh and I took a walk around the east shore of the lake. It was quiet, sunny and beautiful, with lush moss covering much of the path and great strands of birch trees standing over us. We wanted to make our way around the whole lake, but we needed to return to our friends, and then back south to Kentucky.

The second part of this story highlights the amount of travel we packed into this weekend. Josh and I first flew into New York City and upon arrival, we hopped on the M60 bus, bringing us into Manhattan, and then we caught the subway down to meet Josh's sister and brother-in-law to be, and Pete. We all walked over to a Korean restaurant strip near Penn Station and picked a place where we were served a spread of various types of kimchee, tofu, rice, seaweed salad and more. We walked the city a bit, and then Pete, Josh and I took the train our to Long Island, to pick up Angie and began to drive north. On Sunday, we drove the 5-6 hours back south, then Josh and I hopped on the subway for an hour and a half ride to JFK. We caught our flight, landed in Nashville, and drove the hour north to Bowling Green. I walked through the door and continued walking until I fell into bed. It was all worth it, but the next time 'round I think we might take an extra day to make it happen.
Below follow photos taken by Josh:

Lastly, I wanted to end with good wishes for my mum, who is celebrating a big birthday today. This photo features her about 32 years ago. She hasn't changed a bit and I love her so.

The Cabin

2009-10-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

We have reached fall break and decided to make the trip to Josh's folks' cabin outside of Asheville, NC. In order to get here from our parts of Kentucky it is a beautiful drive along the Cumberland Scenic Highway, which turns to highway through the Daniel Boone and Cherokee National Forests, and at the end of it all (nearly six hours later) one follows a 21-switchback narrow road up a mountain, and upon arrival at the top is a locked cattle gate. Beyond the gate are acres of land with trails and a lake, and around 20 houses whose owners inhabit their share of the land cooperative up here. It is a development in a very undeveloped sense. My in-laws' place is set back from the dirt road that winds up to other houses, a log house that appears as though it was plopped down in the middle of a small clearing of trees. There is no lawn to speak of, nor much other "grooming" around the outskirts of the house. I did add a few of my grandpa's raspberry plants, which are cautiously taking root 20 feet from the house.

We have been up here catching our breath in a sense, before diving back in to work in BG. This evening our good friends from Roanoke will be joining us here, and tomorrow so will Josh's folks. One thing missing this whole while has been Sally, our dog. We never came here without her, and to be here now without her sitting out on the front deck steps staring out into the woods makes us sad. On our walk on the trails yesterday an old golden retriever visited us, and we attempted to lure her along just for the canine companionship.

Last night we headed down the mountain and into town. Each time we do this, it never ceases to depress us a little. We are disheartened because Asheville is always hopping; Tuesday nights and Saturday nights can look the same. There are always new restaurants that have opened since our last visit, and there are many "old" restaurants that are doing just as well as always. There are great coffee shops and galleries and a thriving bookstore and movie theater. The reason this gets us so, is that both Roanoke and Bowling Green do not quite match up to this vibrant downtown standard (though Roanoke's certainly getting there). But we sure are happy to partake in this scene once in a while.

The field at the top of a hill adjacent to Flattop Mountain

A lonely apple tree in the field. Apparently there was an apple orchard at the top of this mountain once upon a time.

The view from an overlook on one of the trails near the cabin. Mount Mitchell, the highest point on the east coast, is in the distance

Closer view of development down below. Similar to Roanoke, Asheville faces serious mountaintop development issues. One threat in particular that we are worried about is a proposed luxury golf course development in the field that I photographed above.

The small, spring-fed lake on Flattop Mountain. Josh's folks' place is directly across the lake, beyond the trees a ways.

Introducing...

2009-10-04T17:52:00.000-07:00

...Three of our new friends. Just when I was lamenting the lack of them, we found some. Josh and I headed out for dinner on Friday night at a lively, locally-owned cafe near our place, and happened upon Ingrid. We hit it off and ended up spending a few hours talking over dinner. Then Ingrid invited us to go to a bluegrass festival today with her friends Scott and Rachael, and we hit it off with them too. Things we have in common? We are all new to the area and are employed by WKU. And we all learned today that nearby Ohio County is a dry one, where possession and consumption of alcohol is illegal. So we sipped our ice tea and ate pulled pork sandwiches in the company of other wholesome folk on the old Bill Monroe homestead while band after band performed.

The Things I Like

2009-09-29T07:32:00.001-07:00

Well, my husband, yes. I like him a great deal. But I realized I had not yet posted a "full body shot" of our house. After a week of rain, the sun poked out and we took advantage of the opportunity to take a walk up the street to the lovely...

Water tower. Isn't it great? A funny welcome back to the U.S. after our year in México. If I am lost while driving around Bowling Green, I look for it, as it sits on one of the highest hills in town. And "our" hill is historic, as I mentioned in another posting (note sign below).

Think I better note, Kentucky was a divided state during the civil war, with both Union and Confederate supporters. That is something I like too.

This is something I like and dislike. It is terrific to see so many bikes parked outside of our building every day. It just isn't fun trying to pull it out of the heap when leaving school.

Speaking of bikes, yesterday I was biking around campus and topped a hill to the theme music Chariots of Fire coming from the campus bell tower. That was pretty nice.

I also like the Hilltopper volleyball team. They won again last night in a close 5 game match against Xavier. They are a strong team, with friendly-looking gals.

BFF

2009-09-24T13:05:00.001-07:00

It was a Friday night and I was laying on the sofa going through names with Josh. I was listing each of the new friends that I have made here, stretching a bit when I noted our loan officer and realtor. My list was not very long, but Josh reminded me that it's only been a month.

Because we are primarily surrounded by college students all day, I think Josh and I are in a confusing in-between land, trying to figure out who can be our friends. We have had opportunities arise to attend social gatherings with students, go bike riding with a student, go to dinner at a student's house; a student requested my friendship on Facebook. I like these students a lot. But I am determining the "boundaries" and am hopeful for encounters with people closer to my age.

Today when I was biking to school I was startled and confused by someone calling out my name. Hardly anyone knows me here yet. I turned to find it was a student, and one whom I advise at Imagewest. He had a loaf of bread in his hand and was heading in to the frat house to make lunch. I smiled and biked away, considering that regardless of whether I can call someone a friend, it's nice to be noticed.

Running and Meat

2009-09-20T19:47:00.001-07:00

There is great hoopla surrounding football at WKU. Tents are set up, tailgating is encouraged. A huge marching band performs and canyons and fireworks are set off. Though the Hilltoppers team has not been so successful, hoards attend games in the 22,000 seat stadium.While Josh and I watched the WKU football team play last weekend (Loss, 13-35), I decided to visit the other side of the spectrum on Saturday morning and walked over to Kereiakes Park, where a WKU cross country meet was being held. It was a still morning with high humidity and remnants of fog. And it was quiet. As I hit the outer edge of a cemetery I encountered the women turning the bend in the first of three laps around the park. At the front of the pack was Janet Jesang, a Ugandan WKU junior who, by race end had achieved over a 30 second gap to win first. And equally impressive was Patrick Cheptoek, a Ugandan WKU senior who cleared the finish well in front of the second-place racer.
There were maybe fifty people in attendance, most of them seemed to be related to, or close friends of the racers. There were large stretches where the course was void of spectators, and it was up to the runner to work up the stamina to push harder. Their faces were set in determination with the simple goal to push their speed until they crossed the finish line... without the fanfare.

Photos taken with phone, so the quality is not the best...

And then the meat. We were invited over for dinner at a Western Kentucky professor couple's home 15 minutes outside of town. They raised a cow called "Freezer Bound" and at 3 years (which is old for beef cows) he left his life on their little tract of land and is now stored in their big freezer. They wanted to have some friends over to share chili made with Freezer Bound's hind meat. We also visited their hens and roosters and saw the contraption they use to move the chickens around to fresh plots of grass each day. The chickens go crazy when they hit a new patch of grass and tackle over each other for clover. I was highly amused, as you can tell from the video.

This is such a common site! Tobacco drying in the neighbor's barn

To end, and make this a real clutter of topics, I thought I'd post a photo of the stained deck for all those who have been eagerly awaiting the outcome (before shot here).

Brings Me Back

2009-09-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

We are fairly settled here in the Crump house, and now I am doing the piddly things, like organizing and scanning in old photos. There are many to note, but this one in particular floods me with good memories. Tiff was one of my best friends throughout elementary school. She lived a road away, and when we were called home at the end of the day, we'd take turns biking each other back for dinner. We both had banana seat bikes, of course, and Tiffany had a basket where her little poodle Molly would ride. The way I remember it, we always had a plan...we made radio shows, organized files in our "law office," and played with our Monchichi dolls. At Tiff's house we experimented with her mom's makeup, played The Bangles loud and jumped on her bed, made candles for a science fair, and tormented her older brother Zach.
In high school we grew apart some, as many childhood friends do. But as I look at this photo in particular and think back on long summer days, I'm quite thankful that so many were spent with Tiff.

Action Packed

2009-09-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

It has been a sporty weekend, beginning with the issuing of my WKU ID, which I went on to use later in the evening for free admission to a volleyball game. The Lady Hilltoppers had an impressive win over Northern Illinois, closing the deal in three matches. And I had a close-up view of Big Red, our mascot who is one of the top picks for favorite college mascots in the nation.

The following day, Josh and I biked to Pig, and stopped back in at the Porky Pig Diner for water and Cokes. Many of the roads were narrow and winding and had very little traffic, and along the way we were offered views and smells of tobacco drying.

Later that evening the Hilltoppers football team was playing University of South Florida and we decided to bike down and watch the game from behind a fence for a bit. Our team was getting crushed*, but we were offered the diversion of watching the flag team warm up before their half time performance.
*We are more excited about attending the WKU basketball games, which promise to be better, as WKU made it into the second round of the final four last year.

Today I worked my muscles on cleaning and staining our back deck. Here are the before photos... I did not quite finish today, but will post the after shots soon. I am sure the suspense will be hard to handle.

And a few parting shots to finish off my sporty blog. The photos below are from going to see the Hot Rods (named so because of the corvette factory here in town) with my folks last weekend. This minor league team plays in a brand new stadium where it's hard to find a bad seat.

Rock

2009-09-08T09:40:00.001-07:00

One thing Kentucky is known for is its extensive system of caves, and in Bowling Green we are sitting on top of some of the most impressive of these limestone wonders, which extend in all directions. The most noted and well-known is Mammoth Cave National Park, a 25-minute drive north from our place. My folks drove down to visit over this long weekend and we made visits to both Mammoth and Lost River Cave parks to do a different style of hiking.

An osage orange, which we thought was peculiar looking

This lends an idea of how damp it is in our area... beautiful moss/ lichen

Coming up from visiting a Blue Hole (explanation of one is a bit further below)

Click on these photos to make the image a bit larger. These informative markers are at Lost River Cave right on the edge of town.

The deep, deep Blue Hole

The following day at Mammoth Cave. Preparing to enter via the Historic Entrance. Goodbye sunshine.

Back in the 1800's and early 1900's this part of Mammoth Cave was used for dances, sermons, mining of gypsum, hideaways for soldiers and early tours given by slaves who new the underground passageways well. Many people left their names scratched into the limestone walls, and because of little effect from the elements, the names are well-preserved. The one above dates from 1839. Even then people were wanting to make their mark.

People also used candles to "smoke" their names into the rock

A huge drop. We had the ease of walking across this via bridge, but the first explorers used a ladder laying horizontally to crawl from one side to the other.

My folks and me. The route on our tour was lit, and quite passable. But we were offered a few opportunities to experience what a more hardcore caving experience might feel like as we squeezed through "Fat Man's Misery" and at another point when the pathway lights were turned off. There are 365 miles of discovered routes through Mammoth Cave, and according to a friendly man in the gift shop, he believes there are over 1000 miles of passageways.

After Mammoth, we stopped in nearby Pig, Kentucky to visit none other than Porky Pig's Diner for their recommended pulled pork sandwiches and catfish.

My folks marveling at the Porky Pig decor, in front of bottles of homemade BBQ and tarter sauce.

On the way back down to Bowling Green.

As I write, my folks are driving 15 hours back to northern Minnesota. I wish them safe travels and that their GPS doesn't fail them.

Smoking

2009-09-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

Josh and I were introduced to the website bikley.com by a new friend here in town, and found a slew of bike ride possibilities in our area. We tried out a 40 mile route yesterday that took us on windy, hilly roads, leading us past a number of farms and beautiful vistas. Among the sites were tobacco farms; a crop I had never seen growing before. Despite the fact that this plant is bad on a number of accounts, it is beautiful nonetheless. At this time of year the leaves are large and a striking yellow. They were in the process of harvesting the crop yesterday and drying leaves could be seen hanging in tobacco barns, the beginning of their journey on to being stuffed inside of tiny rolled papers, quenching people's addictions.

First Days

2009-09-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

Above is the building that both Josh and I are working in on the WKU campus, The School of Journalism and Broadcasting. I took a quick walk yesterday evening before heading to observe a class, and liked what I saw. The campus was alive with students... some playing frisbee, a couple tossing the football back and forth, groups scattered sitting on the lawn. You can find just about anything on a college campus, especially a larger one like Western. And what is nice about that is that people can embrace the studies and activities that may not have been as popular in high school, like those practicing in the marching band and creating a performance with flags below (I was pretty far away so this shot isn't so great). I am eager to find my own niche too.

Evening In the Crump House

2009-08-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

This feels like a momentous night here in the Crump House. Josh and I both are preparing for our first "real" day of work tomorrow. For him, this entails office hours and teaching photojournalism courses in the afternoons. I will fill my time with advising for a design agency run by students on the campus of WKU, called Imagewest. I will also teach a course on web and print design for journalism majors. We both have been reading, web researching and writing, occasionally passing one another in the kitchen for a water or snack break. It's back to reality.

Last week I met the staff that I will be advising. The agency consists of student designers, account managers, and PR reps. They are great kids, and really enthusiastic about what is to come. The agency is touted as the only student-run agency in the nation... all of their projects are for profit, and entail work for the university, Bowling Green and beyond. I am trying to limit the number of times I tell the students that they are lucky, and that I wish I had an opportunity like this when I was in school.

I am starting to feel like I am settling in here. I know my way to Home Depot. We've already come up with a couple of pretty biking routes. I look forward to the lonely whistle from the trains passing through town. I got some rug backers down so we'll quit slipping in the hallways. We've let the neighbor students know that the party has to move inside if it's after midnight. I know which boards creak and which cupboard the plates are in.

It is good to be home.

The Stiles Wedding

2009-08-27T20:20:00.001-07:00

As promised, here is part two of the Washougal adventure. On Kate and Alex's wedding day I took a run on Marble Road and soaked in the views of the mountains surrounding Kate and Alex's piece of land. On the way back I stopped to pick blackberries and then brought them in to contribute to the big egg breakfast that was being produced. We then got to work on our various tasks... creating Dahlia corsages and boutonnieres, making name boards, hanging ivy and giving Pepper the dog a bath. The wedding was to begin at 3:30 at their place, and Kate and Alex seemed so relaxed about the whole ordeal.

Kate and her mom toasting just before the ceremony

We were quite proud of the flower arrangements that we created, and Kate embellished the tables further with her honey in tiny jars.

Kate, Pepper and the bees

Gary prepping the backgrounds for portrait-taking

Jacquie took portraits of everyone who attended the wedding

There are a large number of photos of Jacquie, Kate and me... college buddies.
These are my favorites

This is the very best.

Kate's mom, her brother, and her best woman, Stephanie

A visit to the chicken coop

We drank home brew and local wine, ate salmon and cupcakes, and danced in the old gym late into the evening. The celebration went without a hitch, and it was very hard to pack up and leave the place the following morning. As I write, Kate and Alex are most likely out on a lake in a canoe in the great northwoods of Minnesota, enjoying the tranquility after such a terrific hoedown. I wish them all the best and look forward to the next trip out west again to see them.

***

And then I was Kentucky bound. I drove 860 miles from Minneapolis to Bowling Green and am now back to the world of waking up to an alarm and rushing off to work. I will lend an exciting synopsis of my new jobs in Bowling Green in upcoming posts.

Washougal

2009-08-25T10:07:00.001-07:00

Onward from my trip to Minnesota I flew out to Portland for my dear friend Kate's wedding. She and her now husband Alex bought a place about a half hour outside of Portland along the Columbia River in Washougal, Washington. Their new old house is a converted school with a little old gym and barn. They have settled in nicely with chickens and roosters, a dog and cats, a large and fruitful garden, and beautiful renovations. Their views all around are gorgeous, looking down to the river or out to Mount Baker and surrounding mountains.

Blackberry bushes surround their property

Pepper the dog on the upper deck

Kate reeling Pepper in

Hops (Alex is a beer brewer)

Bee hives (Kate is a beekeeper)

Back view of the barn

The old gym

Looking down to the dining room and kitchen

Our friend Jacquie and I stayed at Kate and Alex's place and helped with wedding preparations. The day before the wedding we visited a dahlia farm and picked 30 dozen dahlias.

Later that evening we rode to a beautiful lodge on the river for dinner. I will be working on part two, "The Wedding" to post in the coming days...

Gone Again

2009-08-16T07:02:00.001-07:00

After a short week of settling in to the Colonel Crump house, I flew north to see family and pick up my car. During this time my good friend Jacquie was also visiting her family so I went to visit her and more friends at her folks' cabin on Deer Lake in Wisconsin. It is the quintessential cabin, one like many to be found on lakes in Minnesota and Wisconsin... with wooden decorations, bunk beds, wood stove, a small kitchen... and of course, a portable dock out to the lake, and a pontoon. We cruised the lake at night and had a dinner picnic under the starry sky (I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true!). The following morning we were awakened by the bang of a gun roar of motors to mark the start of the Muskie fishing tournament. The lake is known for its Muskie fish, which are gigantic!

In the morning Jacquie produced "egg bake," and excitement to us all.

***

I have come full circle. When first beginning this blog I remember posting photos from a visit to the Carlton County Fair. Here we are again, and this time I have photos taken by my nephew Casey.

One of my favorite aspects of the county fair is that they judge just about everything you can imagine... pies, vegetables, hay, flowers, quilts, chickens. I am hoping that a fair like this one never dies out; A place where small farms and locally produced goods are celebrated.

A New Era

2009-08-12T19:43:00.001-07:00

Or so it seems. We have transitioned to living back in the states, and not only that, we are living about 200 meters from a gigantic american flag-painted water tower in a historic neighborhood in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. And better yet, Josh and I took a walk up the hill from our place and found that the top of the hill was famous for the stationing of 4,000 confederate soldiers during the Civil War. Our place was built some 20 years after those soldiers departed.

Our place long ago, and our place more recently. Photos source: Picturesque Bowling Green and Landmark Association

It is good to be here. Thanks to the help of movers
we made the eight-hour move across the Cumberland Gap successfully. The place is beautiful... so much so that I have been moving around cautiously, afraid I might "break" it?

I am going to try my best to keep this interesting, despite the fact I am no longer living in a foreign place. Then again, Kentucky might seem different enough? Thanks for sticking with me.