Today was the annual Mennonite relief sale at the local fairgrounds, and the photo is part of the long table of pies for sale. And I'm supposed to be able to walk by and not sample one? In fact I did get by the table -- but not the homemade doughnuts or the ribeye steak sandwich or the homemade ice cream with hot fudge sauce. Of course, it was all for a good cause. But you know, perhaps the weight problem isn't Iowa's fault; perhaps it's mine...
Friday, May 30, 2008
It's hard to lose weight in Iowa
I've had a hard time staying on the weight wagon for the last year or so. The worst culprit is probably travel, especially when the travel involves breakfast in the meeting room. Oy! But Iowa has lots of temptations on its own:
Today was the annual Mennonite relief sale at the local fairgrounds, and the photo is part of the long table of pies for sale. And I'm supposed to be able to walk by and not sample one? In fact I did get by the table -- but not the homemade doughnuts or the ribeye steak sandwich or the homemade ice cream with hot fudge sauce. Of course, it was all for a good cause. But you know, perhaps the weight problem isn't Iowa's fault; perhaps it's mine...
Today was the annual Mennonite relief sale at the local fairgrounds, and the photo is part of the long table of pies for sale. And I'm supposed to be able to walk by and not sample one? In fact I did get by the table -- but not the homemade doughnuts or the ribeye steak sandwich or the homemade ice cream with hot fudge sauce. Of course, it was all for a good cause. But you know, perhaps the weight problem isn't Iowa's fault; perhaps it's mine...
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Iowa City Farmers' Market
Farmers' markets are among the treasures of life. I've enjoyed them several places, even in downtown Arlington, VA, but the farmers' markets in Iowa City and Coralville are among the best. Everything is guaranteed local, because people are only allowed to sell things they made or grew themselves, and everything is laid out beautifully because people are drawn to wonderful displays. There are five of these markets each week, but the largest is the Saturday morning market in Iowa cith, shown here.
This market opens at 7:30 am, and Judy's always there by 7:15 so she can walk around and find the "specials" -- the stalls that have only one or two packages of berries, or the best tomatos, or whatever else is particularly good that week. She can then stand in line at the booths she chooses and wait for the whistle that lets vendors start selling. And my job is to stand in the second-best line and to carry whatever we buy. That keeps us in fresh vegetables (and other things -- this week, morel mushrooms) for the week to come. It's a great way to start the week!
This market opens at 7:30 am, and Judy's always there by 7:15 so she can walk around and find the "specials" -- the stalls that have only one or two packages of berries, or the best tomatos, or whatever else is particularly good that week. She can then stand in line at the booths she chooses and wait for the whistle that lets vendors start selling. And my job is to stand in the second-best line and to carry whatever we buy. That keeps us in fresh vegetables (and other things -- this week, morel mushrooms) for the week to come. It's a great way to start the week!
Coconut cream pie
This one's for Deanne, who loves coconut cream pie...
While we were in the Ozarks, we went into Branson one day and found a tea room that advertised "Coconut Gream Pie". We went in and saw that the coconut cream pie looked really good, so when we ordered we asked them to hold five pieces for us. The picture shows the table with the pieces of pie, and they were even better than they looked. Yummy! Deanne, we wish you'd been with us...
As for my brothers going into a tea room, those are stories that stay within the family ;^}
While we were in the Ozarks, we went into Branson one day and found a tea room that advertised "Coconut Gream Pie". We went in and saw that the coconut cream pie looked really good, so when we ordered we asked them to hold five pieces for us. The picture shows the table with the pieces of pie, and they were even better than they looked. Yummy! Deanne, we wish you'd been with us...
As for my brothers going into a tea room, those are stories that stay within the family ;^}
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Family weekend in the Ozarks
Last weekend we drove down to Table Rock Lake to have a visit with my siblings and their spouses. Driving down was interesting and we had to backtrack a couple of times to find the right roads. We loved the cultural ambience of the Ozarks, and one of our backtracks came when we missed a turn while admiring the local architecture.
We very much enjoyed seeing everyone and catching up, and everyone was very glad to meet Judy. Here's the gang:
Left to right: me, Phil and Marlene, Judy, Beth and Bob, and Andy. Phil, Andy, and Beth are my siblings, in decreasing age order. While there, we had to go to Silver Dollar City because it was one of our father's favorite places. They were having a bluegrass festival so we saw this Cajun group perform (bluegrass? Cajun? you figure it out...)
Another day we rented a boat and went out for an afternoon on Table Rock Lake. We found some familiar waterbirds, like Ducks, out for a swim. We had seen a similar species in Washington DC, but their coloration was a little different.
And here's a shot of the four siblings plus Judy out on the lake.
We very much enjoyed seeing everyone and catching up, and everyone was very glad to meet Judy. Here's the gang:
Left to right: me, Phil and Marlene, Judy, Beth and Bob, and Andy. Phil, Andy, and Beth are my siblings, in decreasing age order. While there, we had to go to Silver Dollar City because it was one of our father's favorite places. They were having a bluegrass festival so we saw this Cajun group perform (bluegrass? Cajun? you figure it out...)
Another day we rented a boat and went out for an afternoon on Table Rock Lake. We found some familiar waterbirds, like Ducks, out for a swim. We had seen a similar species in Washington DC, but their coloration was a little different.
And here's a shot of the four siblings plus Judy out on the lake.
Friday, May 16, 2008
The flowers that bloom in the spring, tra-la!
With springtime we have had the usual (and wonderful) tulips and daffodils, and we're getting the small woodland flowers we love at the edge of our little woods. But a couple of things are very special to us.
The picture shows our lilacs (left) and redbud (right). The lilacs are special to Judy because they remind her of the lilacs her kids gave her for Mother's Day years ago but were left with her former house, and the redbud--small as it is--is special to me because Judy gave that to me for my birthday a year ago. We hope you have some special springtime flowers too!
The picture shows our lilacs (left) and redbud (right). The lilacs are special to Judy because they remind her of the lilacs her kids gave her for Mother's Day years ago but were left with her former house, and the redbud--small as it is--is special to me because Judy gave that to me for my birthday a year ago. We hope you have some special springtime flowers too!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Where do you get your news?
News is all around us, with local and national newspapers (I loved getting the Washington Post every day when I was with NSF), weekly and monthly magazines, and local, national, and international news broadcasts. But what we get in the US is immensely sanitized and US-centered.
So - where do you get your news? Let me suggest that at least once you go to someplace you had never thought of: the official Kazakh news service. It's probably less different than you might think, but at least it's not US-centric and maybe it's even got something interesting that you'd never find on CNN or in the Post. Have fun!
So - where do you get your news? Let me suggest that at least once you go to someplace you had never thought of: the official Kazakh news service. It's probably less different than you might think, but at least it's not US-centric and maybe it's even got something interesting that you'd never find on CNN or in the Post. Have fun!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Open house!
No, it doesn't mean what you think it means -- it's not an invitation, it'a a command. It means that after a very long winter with a LOT of snow and rain, we can finally open up the house and let in fresh air. And along with the fresh air we get bird songs (robins, cardinals, blackbirds, wrens, ...) and the smells of the flowering trees outside. Tonight we may even have dinner in our enclosed porch. Ah, springtime...
Friday, May 2, 2008
Getting a haircut
Getting a haircut is simple, right? You just go to the barber shop, tell the barber what you want (unless you have a regular barber who knows what you want), and wait until it's done. Unless your favorite barber is 900 miles from home...
As it turns out, my favorite barbershop is in Arlington, Virginia near where I lived while I was with NSF. I get decent haircuts at the same price as in Iowa, and they give really nice hot towel and neck massage service as well. I'm writing this from Arlington after some NSF panels and here's the barber shop. After all, sharing funny details of your life is what personal blogs are all about, neh?
As it turns out, my favorite barbershop is in Arlington, Virginia near where I lived while I was with NSF. I get decent haircuts at the same price as in Iowa, and they give really nice hot towel and neck massage service as well. I'm writing this from Arlington after some NSF panels and here's the barber shop. After all, sharing funny details of your life is what personal blogs are all about, neh?
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