#41

• Driving into the mysterious black box.
• Epoxy: no gloves!
• Best factory job ever: Corvette assembly plant.
• A cricket as big as your head.
• Bats and more bats.
• Illusions in the dark.
• Fat man's misery: conquered.
• Fire tower: conquered.
• Zen through sleeping.
• Rooster in the cave.
• Mock pit crew competition.
• The smell of lantern smoke.
• Deer, pigs, wild turkeys, mouse, crickets, bats, snake.
• Pig at Pig.
• Tuberculosis and saltpeter.

By Popular Demand

Or, at least by request of my wife. Noting that this blog is only good for helping us answer questions like, "How long ago did we visit that lava tube in Oregon?" or "Have we ever taken an underground boat before?" Catherine asked me to type up a list of everything vaguely amusing we've done this year.

January: Trip to Nashville for Catherine's 50th birthday. Saw the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman, went to the Bluebird Cafe, Belle Meade Plantation, saw a Nashville Predators' hockey game, visited the Country Music Hall of Fame, several honky-tonks, Studio B, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, and the Parthenon. Had a super good time, and a super good dinner at Ellendale's.

February: Went to a taping of Prairie Home Companion at the IU Auditorium, which was nice, but overloaded with classical music. Much better: the Reba and Kelly Clarkson "2 Worlds 2 Voices" concert at the Conseco Fieldhouse. More amazing than amazing can be.

April: Passed my exams, spent the next week in Cincinnati for the Annual Meeting of the Society of Architectural Historians. Had a death in the family that week, so I pretty much stayed in the hotel room when I wasn't in a session, but we did have a brilliant evening out at the Cincinnati Observatory.

May: Catherine visits her parents, Susan goes racing. I went up to the Speedway for Pole Day. We both went up for Carb Day, but it was mostly rained out, so not much racing was observed. Memorial Day was spent in front of the TV, watching the race.

June: A week in Washington State, visiting my parents. Highlights previously noted. Really ramped up our goofing off this month. Spent a couple of days at the Write Inn in Oak Park so we could take in the Chicago stop of Cyndi Lauper's True Colors tour. Catherine finally got to tour the Frank's Oak Park studio. I think that makes our third FLW house tour together (she didn't get to go on the more in-depth tour I took my first semester back in grad school). Even though that jaunt to Chicago wore us out, we managed to road trip to Bloomington, Illinois, for another amazing Reba McEntire concert. Lady Antebellum opened for her, and it was great to hear Hillary Scott sing the Linda Davis role in "Does He Love You." If Reba needed a kidney, I'd totally be there for her.

July: Oh, yeah, an immensely long road trip to Shiloh. Another weekend in Columbus, Ohio. That's notable because while we were at the Columbus zoo, we discovered that not only am I afraid of kangaroos, I'm afraid of lorikeets. Five trips between Bloomington and Rantoul--I finally checked the odometer: 4000+ miles of driving in July. Good thing I like our car A LOT.

August: Finally, the State Fair arrives! I was happy enough just to get to see the chickens, but it was an extra great day because we got to see Carrie Underwood on the grandstand. She is much more awesome than I expected, and although she isn't Reba, I would definitely spend more money to see her. I think that might have been our best grandstand concert to date (and that's no small feat, since we also saw Reba on the grandstand once). That day at the fair was wedged in between three days spent volunteering for the Drum Corps International championships.

Today we FINALLY went to Bluespring Caverns and took the boat tour down the Mystery River (prompting this post: have we, or have we not, ever been on an underground boat ride?). Nice day; it included a side trip to Popcorn, Indiana, that demonstrated you should never believe marketing campaigns. This weekend was a warm-up for next, when we head to Mammoth Caves and the National Corvette Museum for a four-day weekend.

For such a miserable year, filled with anxiety, drama, death and preliminary exams, we sure had a lot of fun.

je ne parle pas français....

...but I still managed to find a hotel just two blocks from the archive I will be using in Vanves in November. I'm just saying.

Actually, I'm just saying because I've always wanted to go to Paris, but last time I had the opportunity, I was too tired to make the trip and I spent the long weekend in Brighton instead. Catherine has promised multiple times that she will visit me while I'm in France, and we've been planning to go to Versailles, since Vanves is only about 18km away, on the western side of Paris. One of the brilliant things about being an architectural historian: as long as you take time to look at a few buildings when you're out and about, it counts as research.

Anyway, I've reserved a studio with kitchenette in an apparthôtel, and couldn't be happier right now, really.

The Western Theater

Continuing, or returning to, our tradition of visiting Civil War battlefields in the hottest days of summer, we spent the holiday weekend at Shiloh. Actually, we saw four battlefields all together--Parker's Crossroads, Shiloh, Corinth and Spring Hill. Parker's Crossroads was just a lucky find for us, as we'd changed our minds about the route we would take to Shiloh at the last possible moment. Luckily for us, Ron Jr. and Sue Jordan of the Parker's Crossroads Battlefield Association were on duty at the visitors center. They walked us through the battle and the PCBA's preservation plan, and were just generally nice to us. In fact, everyone we met last weekend was nice, and almost made me not hate all of humanity. That engagement started off our weekend of battlefields in the right way, I think.

I can see why Shiloh is Rick's favorite battlefield--although Cold Harbor is still my favorite (after Gettysburg, of course). It was a nice mix of driving and walking, good interpretive markings, and not too crowded once we were away from the visitor's center. The main interpretive center is really in Corinth, MS, at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, although there is a small center at the battlefield itself. This is a new building, sweetly designed with good lighting and layout. I'm not sure who the exhibit designer was, but the signage was clearly done by a professional group. Staffed by friendly people who feel lucky to have the jobs that they have. Two good movies, one about the battle of Corinth, one about Shiloh. If you want a movie experience, best to do it here, the movie out at the battlefield must have been made in the 1970s. It wasn't bad content-wise, but the sound quality wasn't good, and all those fake beards glued to soldier faces were distracting.

We stayed in Corinth on Friday night (July 4), then did the battlefield on Saturday. It was an all-day endeavor, and we could have stayed out longer, but I think we got a pretty good feel for the battle as it was. Stopped at Shiloh church to talk to some men who were fixing a water leak, listened to the warning about copperheads in the pine trees, stood dutifully at the edges of the bloody pond and thought about it all. The battlefield has a nice picnic spot set up away from the auto tour route, so we had a nice lunch in the trees (before we were cautioned about snakes). Unfortunately, we weren't able to visit the Indian mounds because the trail was under construction and heavily guarded by caution tape.

Sunday was a long drive home. It's supposed to be an eight-hour drive, but we lost some time going to see the railroad crossing at Corinth, and also when we turned around to go to a rest area on the opposite side of the freeway so I could look at the Saturn IB rocket on display. Then we took up a lot more time with the Spring Hill battlefield. It's smaller than Parker's Crossing, but uphill from the parking lot. Ate lunch next to the creek near the battlefield pull-off, then headed north. The drive up I-65 was endless. I don't know what it was--everyone was tired and trying to get home asap after a holiday weekend? A lot of aggressive driving by people in over-sized vehicles. We have a couple of more road trips planned before I leave for London in September, but I'm starting to think I'm too old for this kind of weekend.

Back to Work

Apparently the airlines know all about me. Our reservation reference number for our flight to Washington state last week was LEZKWR. That's some sort of coincidence.

Today is my last day of vacation. I've been working off and on all month, in five-minute to five-hour spurts, but beginning tomorrow, I will start following my 32.5 hour work schedule (3 hours of writing in the morning, 3.5 hours of "miscellaneous academic tasks" in the afternoon. I've got to stop this practice of sitting down for five minutes to do a task, only to discover eight hours later that I've lost the entire day to research. That kind of behavior makes me angry and resentful, and quickly reminds me why I hate my chosen career path. If I want to make it through the long haul, I need to start forcing myself to work within pre-set limits. I've downloaded an electronic timer, and as soon as I finish this post, I'm going to install it. Write for three hours in 50-minute blocks and then STOP. Research/academic tasks for three hours in 50-minutes, with an additional 30 minutes of wrap up time, NO MORE.

Anyway, as I said, today is my last day of vacation. We've just returned from eight days with my parents. We tarred the garage roof, painted the wheelchair ramp, mowed the front lawn, helped my brother build a new dog fence, ran a billion errands, went over to the Methow to explore Pipestone Canyon and drive up Eight Mile (ran into snow before the end of the road), went up the Sinlahekin, had dinner with my best friend from my hometown, visited with three aunts and two uncles, and watched too much TV. We flew into Spokane on the clearly omniscient Frontier Airlines via Denver, and I have to say, for an airline experience (of which I have WAY TOO MANY), it was pretty nice. Avis Rentals, however, will be hearing from me soon--what kind of car rental agency sends you off in a 4-wheel drive with transmission fluid in it? Did they think I wanted to get stranded out in the middle of the forest with frozen gears?

So, back to the grind. A list of tasks to be completed tomorrow afternoon:

Writing Session

1. Literature review notes
2. Adapt fellowship to intro
   

Afternoon Work Session

1. E-mail M.D.
2. SSRC-IDRF bio/abstract
   
3. Article revisions
4. Make copies of dissertation writing workshop forms
5. Find JS book!
6. Overdue library book
   

After Work

1. E-mail L.S.
2. Call tree surgeon
3. Trim photos
4. Pick up paint chips
5. Mail insurance papers
6. Check medivac insurance policies
7. E-mail Ayse re: bills
   

We went down to Madison for the weekend, courtesy of my parents. We almost didn't go, as there was snow on the ground when we got up Saturday morning, and the route we intended to take was underwater from the flooding on the White River (see below), but we went anyway. Mostly there's not a lot to write about, because this is our third or fourth visit in as many years. Usually we stay up at Clifty Falls State Park, but the lodge is under construction now, so Catherine cut a deal with the owner of the Madison Fudge Factory and we stayed in a room above the candy store. It came with 1/2 pound of free fudge, as if we haven't had enough sugar in the past month.

We originally started visiting Madison because of the architecture and the park, but the truth is, we come back because movies at the downtown theater are only $3.50. We finally saw The Incredibles (great animation, good writing, so-so plot) Saturday night, and then went out for pizza afterward. It can be hard to find a meal in Madison this time a year, everything is closed for the winter, but when you do find them, they're all good.

The Ohio River is supposed to crest on Wednesday. In the meantime, it seems to be rising about a foot a day (based on our unscientific observations). Between our noontime walk along the bank and our 3 o'clock walk, the river had risen at least two inches, so it may be picking up speed.

Catherine at the river Saturday afternoon:



Same spot, Sunday afternoon:

The news today reminds me that I saw a building catch on fire this weekend. Or, more notably, I *didn't* see a building catch on fire this weekend, even though I was standing right next to it. Looking back, I suppose I did smell smoke, but apparently that's not enough to trigger any fight-or-flight instinct I might have. I eventually recognized the air was growing more smoky, but it wasn't until the fire engine roared up that I realized, hey, I can't breathe anymore. By that time, there were flames shooting out the windows, black smoke billowing into the street, fire hoses spraying. God knows what would have happened if I'd been inside the building rather than just standing across the street from it. Maybe I would have recognized the danger signs just a bit more quickly. Maybe not.

Spent mostly a solitary weekend in Manhattan. Catherine's workshop was a success, but that's her story, so I'll let her tell it if she wants to do so. My story is much more straight-forward and involves a lot of silence, since I spent the weekend walking around by myself.

Arrived in midtown Manhattan really late Wednesday night, so late that it was actually Thursday morning. I'm not all about midtown, in case anyone's wondering, because midtown is all about money and shopping. Even if I had money, I wouldn't waste it shopping. But Catherine's class started out at NYU on 42nd, so that's where we were for the weekend, and since there was nowhere I really needed to be, that's as good as place as any from which to start.

Thursday was ours, so we went up to American Museum of Natural History for the day. Catherine made an appointment with one of the entomologists so we could spend some time "behind the scenes" with Alfred Kinsey's gall wasp collection. The collection is kind of amazing simply because it is so extensive, but it's a little difficult to appreciate gall wasp variation w/out a microscope. Still, the curator told us quite a bit about them, and then took us over to look at his specialty, the bees. We learned a lot we didn't know about social, solitary and parasitic bees, and looked at some really neat bees from central and south america.

We spent the rest of the day at the museum. I think the museum is overpriced in a way. You think--well, the collections are huge, it's worth the money, but they really only give you about seven hours of viewing time (if you take 45 minutes at some point in the day to eat and use the bathroom). If it had longer opening hours, I would have been more satisfied. Actually, I guess $13 isn't bad, but if you want to go to the planetarium, that's another $9. Or if you want to see any of the visiting exhibitions, like the frogs, that's an additional $6. Anyway, if I lived in New York, I guess I'd have a season pass and then it would be very economical, but as a tourist, I'm not sure if it was worth it or not, since we only saw about 1/6 of what was there.

Catherine had an evening meeting at the Museum of Sex, anyway, so I guess we couldn't have stayed at the museum even if it had been open until 9 p.m. Then we had dinner at the Japanese restaurant next door to our hotel, which I would recommend if I could remember the name of it. Also, I ate an Eli Zabar solar system (even though it was promoted as a galaxy).

Friday and Saturday I was on my own while Catherine was doing her exhibition design stuff. I started at the New York Public Library, at which I spent about an hour at the Newton exhibit. I almost bought the catalog, but I think I'd rather just buy a good book on Newton. I think you'd probably have to visit three or four times to really "get" the exhibit, but then again, I think it was aimed at people who didn't know much about Newton, so maybe not.

I spent most of the day after that just walking. I walked up the east side of the park, and back part way. Then I just spent a lot of time in midtown Manhattan waiting for Catherine to get back from class. I was really worn out, and I thought I was just out of shape, but I ran it through mapquest this morning and my north-south movement alone covered 9 miles. Obviously, my east-west movement wasn't as extensive, but I think I walked about a half-marathon with a pack full of books on my back, so that's okay.

I should have stopped walking on Friday and gone to the Cooper Hewitt or the Whitney, especially as I found out on Sunday there was a Noguchi show at the Whitney, but I didn't. We thought we might go to MoMA Friday night, but it was free night, so there were thousands of people waiting to get inside. My relationship--intellectual, emotional and otherwise--with MoMA is a bit complex, and I guess I'm not sorry I didn't have the chance to darken their doorway this weekend. I'm all about Modern art and all, but not all about MoMA.

More Japanese food for dinner on Friday.

Saturday I walked up to Central Park (because I obviously didn't walk far enough on Friday) and skated for a couple of hours. It was a pretty decent agility test, like being caught on a huge, moving obstacle course. Lots and lots of children. I probably should have gone to Lasker. One of the skate guards was pretty good looking, though, so that made it worth my time. I thought about asking her where she came by her skate cred, but it would have just been flirting and she was getting enough action from the other skate guards.

Spent most of the afternoon walking and reading at the Coliseum Books cafe. Picked up some spices for Garry and Amanda. Sat in the hotel and read and watched Love Don't Cost a Thing, which I just saw a few weeks ago w/white people, only it was called Can't Buy Me Love. Why would anyone remake such a movie? It boggles. It didn't keep me from reading my book, I can say that.

We ate an early dinner at Porta Rossa, very decent Italian food right around the corner from our hotel. When we got back to the hotel, Catherine watched Love Don't Cost a Thing, which, again, did not take me away from my book.

Mostly I slept on Sunday. We talked about getting up and going to the UN, but decided to just have a leisurely morning instead. A smooth afternoon flight, I didn't lose my car keys despite my stupidity, and the cats were fine when we got home.

To summarize:

I didn't shop.

I didn't see any shows.

I didn't spend much money.

The corollary to that, of course, is: I didn't go to MoMA.

I didn't talk to any strangers.

I did make snap judgements about people around me based on their cell phone and face-to-face conversations.

I did find a place for dogpoet to get another blue cup.

I did avoid every Falun Gong member that tried to approach me.

I did admire the sharp lines of the Salvation Army women.

I didn't do enough to really warrant a journal entry.

And tomorrow we're off to New York, because of course I can afford to take two days of LWOP during two consecutive weeks. The question now is: do I save a few dollars while I'm there by skating at Lasker Rink instead of Wollman Rink? Safety v. four dollars....hm...tough call.

I just realized that I missed my three-year anniversary of being off Coke (the drink, not the powder).

Too many choices. Besides the race yesterday, we had many other choices for entertainment this weekend: the Lotus Festival, the International Mongolian Festival, the Multicultural Festival, the Chautauqua of the Arts, the Apple Butter Festival, and a hot air balloon race.

We had to cross the Mongolian Festival off our list because tickets were $40 a piece. That's a bit steep for a one day pass, no matter what the attraction. The Chautauqua and the hot air balloon race missed us because I was too tired to drive that far yesterday afternoon. Really too bad, because I wanted to see the balloons go off. We did the free-of-charge parts of the Lotus last night, and that was fun. Today we went to the Apple Butter festival, and right now Catherine is at the Multicultural Festival. I'm going to meet her there later, after I clear some e-mail out of my inbox. I think I've earned a vacation.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation.

One thing is true: Catherine and I do not take lazy vacations. And if anyone is wondering why there's a hole in the ozone, I can probably explain: we (I) drove 1900 miles while we were gone. Fly 2000, drive almost-2000, fly another 2000 home. I am single-handedly depleting the world of its fossil-fuel reserves.

The trip started out fairly slow. We flew into PDX on Saturday afternoon, and arrived at Catherine's parents' house right after lunch. Highlight of the day: the plane didn't explode.

Most of my time in Portland was divided equally between eating, reading and sleeping. We did get out some, though. On Sunday, for instance, we went into town to the Portland Art Museum. Nice museum, but if you go, be prepared to spend as much money as it would cost you to visit the Guggenheim--no kidding. Same price as the Seattle Art Museum, and the SAM is better (sorry, Portland, but it's true). Highlight of the day: paintings from the "Northwest School" in the permanent collection.

Monday, Catherine and I went out to the coast. Perfect weather, we both got sunburned walking on the beach. We stayed out until the fog came in around 4:00. Highlight of the day: lunch at the Nehalem Dock Restaurant, owned by Tom "Wally" Inouye (Pool Service). If you skateboard, you know who that is. If you don't, you probably don't think that's cool. Second highlight of the day: I found a children's book I've been looking for at an antique store in Nehalem. Nehalem apparently rocks on many levels.

Tuesday, we had an incredibly late breakfast (our fault, we had to go running before we ate), then went up to Pumpkin Ridge for lunch almost immediately afterward. We dined w/some friends of the family, and it was really, really fun. Highlight of the day: that meal.

On Wednesday we left Portland and drove to Goldendale to spend some time at the observatory. We timed our visit to coincide with the Perseid meteor shower, which made for a really late night. Between our afternoon viewing and our evening viewing, we had nothing to do, so we drove to Bickleton. It's like starting out from the middle of nowhere and driving 30 minutes just so you could look over the edge to make sure you really were in the middle of nowhere. Highlight of the day: The billboard in Hood River had a huge picture of John Kerry as a windsurfer. Second highlight of the day: Looking at Venus through the telescope in the middle of the afternoon. Third highlight of the day: sweet and sour tomatoes. Fourth highlight of the day: the meteor that left a smoke trail. Anti-highlight of the day: the sliver I got in my thumb from the bench behind the observatory.

I'm not sure how many miles there are between Goldendale and Okanogan. My estimate is "too many." We compounded the damage by adding more miles on, taking a detour to Vantage so Catherine could visit the Ginkgo Petrified Forest. Being petrified, it hasn't changed much since I was there in college. It was really incredibly hot and the air quality was bad (we drove through a brush fire just south of Toppenish, and later saw the Fisher Fire blow up), so we didn't spend much time on the interpretive trail. We did acquire--legally--a few chunks of petrified wood to bring home. Highlight of the day: the cheese and tomato pastry my mom made. Anti-highlight of the day: heat and smoke.

Spent Thursday night w/my mom and dad, and then on Friday, we went camping up the Twisp River w/all the aunts and uncles from my mom's side (except my famous Uncle Dale, who was out fighting fire). Highlight of the day: not getting eaten by a cougar. Second highlight of the day: the swimming hole. Anti-highlight of the day: yellow jackets and heat.

Too hot to hike on Saturday, so we went driving in the backcountry w/my Uncle Ernie. He really needs a mini-van w/four wheel drive. First we went downtown to the farmer's market, then took the Poorman's Creek cut-off up to Black Pine Lake. Then we came back down around and went to Roads End, looking for Gilbert. It's amazing how difficult it can be to find a place when a) it consists of only two old cabins; b) the driver hasn't been there for 35 years; and c) nobody has a Forest Service map. Highlight of the day: relatives. Anti-highlight of the day: relatives.

Sunday, Catherine and I needed some time out (see "Anti-highlight of the day," above), so we drove up to Falls Creek Falls, up the Chewack/Chewuch. It was nice and cool in the spray of the falls. When we came back through Winthrop, we stopped to look at my grandparents' old house. Not even recognizable. Highlight of the day: being given a good deal at the fruit stand because of my family name. Anti-highlight of the day: pizza.

It was really crowded at my parents' house after this because my brother and sister were both visiting. We stayed in a tent in the backyard. Monday we went down to Brewster to visit my grandmother. Tuesday I drove to Tonasket twice. On the first visit, we saw my cousins Wayne and Sheryl, my cousin Ron, and my Great Aunt Pearl and Uncle Emert. On the second visit, we went out to dinner with Shawn and Marsie. Highlight of the day: watching a two-and-a-half-year-old trying to sweet talk firefighters in the Whistler's parking lot. Quasi-anti-highlight of the day: visiting a lot of people I might never see again.

The drive from my parents' house to Mt. St. Helens felt really long, but I guess it was only about 350 miles or so. We drove down through Ellensburg and over White Pass because I'd never been that way before (at least not since I was an infant). It's a very picturesque drive, but not particularly speedy. It was good to get out of the Okanogan Valley and all the smoke. The smoke got A LOT worse around Entiat/Orondo because of the Fisher Fire, but once we were actually in Wenatchee and heading toward Blewett, the air quality was much better. Highlight of the day: the spectacular view of Mt. Rainier.

We spent the last few days of our trip at Mt. St. Helens. I think we liked this part of the trip the best because it involved a lot of reading and thinking, but also a lot of outdoor time. Although we weren't exactly stupid about volcanoes in general or Mt. St. Helens in particular, it's true that we gained a lot of knowledge in the three days we stayed near the mountain. Part of what we learned came from the exhibits at the three visitor centers at the monument. The rest came from the books we lugged across the country to read as we went. We also talked to a lot of locals while we were there. You'd think they'd be tired of talking to tourists after 24 years, but it really didn't seem that way. Highlight of the day: watching the glass blowers @ the gift shop. Anti-highlight of the day: Weyerhaeuser.

We did some hiking on the Boundary Trail and the Hummocks Trail on Friday. The Boundary Trail is really hot and exposed (and steep and rocky in places), but the Hummocks Trail is mostly shady, going through wetlands formed by the eruption. We went back up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory after we were done outdoors and just hung out for awhile, asking the intrepreter questions. Highlight of the day: the boreal toad. Anti-highlight of the day: Weyerhaeuser.

Mt. St. Helens is w/in spitting distance of Portland, so we didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn to make it to the airport on time. It was a nice quiet trip home, I did some of the studying that I'd been putting off all vacation, and had a good pasta salad on Concourse C of the United Terminal in Chicago. Highlight of the day: the plane didn't explode. Anti-highlight of the day: vacation ended.

I'm not sure what Catherine did when we got home this afternoon, but I read the paper then went to bed for the next three hours. We're both exhausted for some reason. I guess we did a lot of driving, and I do feel a little dehydrated, but I'm not sure why we feel so worn out.

Saturday we drove to Columbus, and arrived early enough to spend some time at the Franklin Park Conservatory. It was crowded and hot, and looking back, I would guess my dehydration started right there. Anyway, the butterflies were very nice, as was the garden train set. It was the last weekend of the Chihuly exhibit, thus explaining the dense crowds, ordinarily we don't have much competition when we go to look at plants. The Chihuly glass was nice, but I think this makes my 3rd Chihuly exhibit, so it didn't knock my socks off. Also, some of the pieces I'd definitely seen before--what I want is a "here's what Dale is doing RIGHT NOW" exhibit, not a collection of his older pieces.

Stopped off at the increasingly derelict Wexner Center on our way north through town. I don't think they're ever going to re-open that place. Went to see a movie in the evening--F9/11, like good internet liberals. It was either that or pay $20.00 to see Harry Potter on the IMAX screen.

Sunday we got up early and went for a run at Highbanks Metro Park. Excellent decision. After we showered, we drove up to Bucyrus to do some looking around for my dad. Spent a lot of time at the Oakwood Cemetery looking for family plots, and wandered around a lot downtown, photographing several late 19th/early 20th c. buildings contracted by one of his relatives. I was sick a lot, and it was quite hot out, and it was really a long day, but we got a lot done. On our way back to Columbus, we stopped at the Ohio Wesleyan University in Delware to photograph another building contracted by the same relative who worked in Bucyrus.

Stopped back at Highbanks Park on the way back to the hotel, watched some groundhogs for awhile. Thought about going to another movie, but decided we were too tired, so after dinner we went to a nearby park to sit and read read. Only we didn't read, we spent the evening watching skaters at the skate park in the Olentangy Parklands in Worthington. Almost all the skaters were adults, one guy was even skating in a pair of tailored dockers, he looked like a banker. Only one woman, maybe my age, and one little girl who had very groovy tiger-striped knee and elbow pads that matched her skate shoes.

A good but oh-so-unhealthy muffin at Tim's this morning (maybe *that's* why I feel so rotten), then we drove home. We made really good time considering I wasn't even speeding. And now I'm ready to go to bed and sleep for a week, but I suppose I really must get up and go into work tomorrow.

Thank god for Chinese food.

Otherwise I might have had to cook dinner tonight, since I was stupid enough to volunteer to do it.

Spent a good chunk of the early evening trying to figure out a way to visit our families this summer. I haven't seen my parents in over a year now, so we've really got to do it soon. My tax refund is marked for airfare, and we'll worry about the rest of the expenses later.

One thing we'd like to be able to do is take an extra day between visiting Catherine's parents and visiting mine and spend the night in Goldendale, WA. And no, I'm not crazy. It's just that there's an observatory in Goldendale, and I've never been there. It has public programs Wed-Sun in the summer, and I think we might be able to fit it in, both financially and temporally. That would be really, really cool. We both want to do it so much we actually got into an argument about it tonight because we were both thinking we couldn't do it and were disappointed and grouchy.

Some day when we've got all the time and money in the world, we're going to run around the country visiting cool astronomy sites (this was Catherine's idea, I swear). I would really like to tour the Very Large Array, and it would be cool to go to places like Kitt Peak. And apparently there's a growing B&B industry, with places like this that cater to astronomy folk. If only we were millionaires.

I am sure everyone around me will be glad that I've stopped freaking out about my birthday. It was a surprisingly happy day (two days, really, because Catherine gave me two days worth of presents to celebrate the big three five). No one can be depressed on their birthday if they wake up on in a sleeping loft in a cabin overlooking the Skykomish River on a beautiful summer day in Washington. It's just not possible.

Catherine did me the great favor of packing our bags whilst I went for a birthday jog--great for clearing my sleepy head. I ran up Index Creek Road (twice), good surface, gradual uphill climb (quick downhill on the way back). Since Chong cancelled our lunch plans, we weren't in any hurry to get to Seattle, so we went for another hike after leaving the cabin. We did the Heybrook Lookout Trail, and enjoyed clear views of the river valley. Catherine managed to add a few photos to her "Susan Scared" collection after I climbed to the observation deck of the lookout tower. These will make a nice addition to the group of shots of me looking like I'm about to die that she's captured over the years.

We did eventually force ourselves to drive into Seattle. I'm afraid that I've completely lost the art of urban living. As I said to Catherine later that evening, "I've maximized my misanthropic potential." After dumping our bags at the boat, we went up to Capitol Hill for my birthday dinner. Broadway is supposed to be prime people watching territory, but I was all, "People! Get away from me! Now!" Creepy kids. They need to get a hair cut and get a job, that's what I'm saying. Broadway hasn't changed much over the past fifteen years. Businesses come and go, but the street urchins look just about the same.

Anyway, dinner was good as usual, and Catherine bought me a few books at Bailey/Coy to augment the present she gave me earlier in the day (a watch). Neither of us felt like walking around, so we went back to the boat to watch the traffic on Lake Union. Very nice evening.

My real present was the trip to Blake Island/Tillicum Village on Friday. Tillicum Village isn't as lame/exploitative as it sounds, I'm happy to say. We did, however, have this whole conversation about preserving tribal traditions. I seriously believe white people use Tradition as a major weapon of oppression--we like to keep our tribes in blankets and canoes. We like them exotic. We encourage them to remember their traditions and get angry if they'd rather be stock brokers. This is really a dilemma--how does a tribe pass on its history to its young people and still exist as real people? How do white people learn about different Native American tribes without acting like colonialist, imperialist idiots? Tillicum Village is definitely a tourist spot, but on the other hand, it employs a lot of people from coastal tribes, and it does give a glimpse at Native American history that white people otherwise don't see.

I am thoroughly disgusted at the fact that I grew up with one foot on the reservation and managed to completely avoid learning about any of the tribes' history. Seriously, my parents currently live...I don't know, 15 feet, 20 feet? (however long their back yard is) from the reservation, and yet it might as well be on Mars. Until I was 12, I lived 5 minutes from Suquamish. Then I lived just off the Colville Reservation through high school. In college, I could see Lummi Island out my window. Yet, anything I know about any of the Northwest Coastal tribes or the Colville Confederated Tribes I learned as an adult. In school, the only thing they gave us was that damned Chief Joseph film they made us watch twice a year from junior high through high school.

Anyway, I think Tillicum Village was pretty good at getting people to stop and think about life as a Native American for a few minutes, even if it was all about traditional life. The presentation kind of collapses all the tribes together, barely distinguishing the Haida from the Lummi from the Makah, etc., but I guess there is only so much you can do in 30 minutes.

It was really a good day. The boat ride over to the island took about an hour, and we were pleased to have a female captain. Spectacular views of Seattle, Bainbridge and Vashon Islands as we traveled. Although I'm in theory a vegetarian, I've never been known to turn down a good salmon dinner, so Tillicum Village was a good dining choice. After the meal, we spent a few hours just wandering around the park, spending time on the beach, watching the birds, enjoying the sun. Peaceful ride back to the city, too.

Supper was sandwiches at the Elliott Bay Bookstore, where Catherine bought me a few more books. My birthday loot really stacked up at the end of the day! She had already bought me a Raven book on Blake Island (I love the trickster, he's always been my favorite ever since Brian told me about him). I think I ended up with 7 books altogether, plus a watch, plus the cabin rental, the boat rental, and the trip to Blake Island. I should turn 35 more often.
10:19 PM


The bad thing about living in a small town: everyone knows your business.

The good thing about living in a small town: everyone knows your business.

Mark's funeral broke the attendance record for the Ellisforde Church of the Brethren. More than 300 people showed up, and they had to sit people in the Sunday School rooms and the church basement. Fire trucks from Oroville, Tonasket, Riverside, Omak, Okanogan, Brewster and Pateros showed up. The DNR showed up. The County Sheriff and local police showed up. Ernie Boltz read the scripture Shawn selected from Mark's bible, then they played the music Mark had wanted. My mom said it was "weird" and "eerie." Turns out it was Elton John. The Fireman's Prayer was read, and the firemen gave Shawn a flag. After the funeral, they had a three gun salute outside.

I don't really have to worry about Shawn. She said there were 30 rigs--not including the ambulance--at the house the day Mark died. The minute the call went out over the scanner, everyone showed up to help. Although the "helpful advice" she's been getting is starting to get on Shawn's nerves, it makes me feel better to know people are looking out for her. We took her out to dinner at Whistler's, and people instantly converged on the table to talk to her. Glenna Brown took the baby for a long time so we could sit and have a quiet meal (not that Marsie was any trouble when she came back. She's cute as the cutest bug!).

I was nervous about the visit, but it mostly went okay. It helped to see that people are actually changing the water on the alfalfa for her and all that. It freaked me out a bit to look across the room and see a black box with Mark's ashes, and part of me still kept expecting him to walk in the room just like always. I don't know how Shawn stands it, but she's a stronger person than I am, so I guess I'm not surprised she's surviving.

I saw the list Shawn was keeping to write thank you notes, and was glad to see a long list of names with dollar amounts jotted behind them. I don't know how she's going to make it financially, and I guess a lot of other people don't know how she's going to make it, either. How do you make a $10/hour job pay a mortgage, car payment, utilities, and food for a mother and a baby? It's not like the cost of living in Tonasket is lower than anywhere else. In fact, dinner at Whistler's cost us a lot more than a similar dinner would have cost us at home. How is she going to do it?

Well, at least she has a job. Generally, when people think of poverty in the U.S., they think of urban issues: inner city kids or homeless men on the sidewalks. People seldom talk about rural poverty. I don't know, I think Americans have this idealized vision of people living off the land, being healthy because they work outdoors all day, and enjoying the fruits of their labor with every harvest. Well, let me just say, that's not the way it is. According to a report I read in the Seattle P-I last week, Washington is second on the list of states where people go hungry (Oregon is first). The stats were based on people accessing food banks, which tells me that they are actually under-reporting the problem. Where, exactly, are the hungry people of rural Washington supposed to get this food bank food? Drive to Wenatchee? As if.

True story: The guy who owned the property behind our orchard at Whitestone bought a used car. He told my dad he was really excited about having a car so he could finally make one of those long trips he'd always wanted to make. "Going to Seattle?" my dad asked. Nope. This guy was going to *Okanogan*, a whole forty miles away. Turns out he'd never been out of the valley in his entire life. This isn't the type of person who is going to be able to access the resources intended to abate hunger.

Take also, for instance, the Makah tribe from Neah Bay. According to Robert Sullivan, the per capita annual income for the Makah tribe in 1995 was $5,200. Everyone (white) thinks that Native Americans are rich these days, that they get huge allotments because of the casinos. Well, there's no casino in Neah Bay, and even if there were, who the hell would go there? It's incredibly remote, and no one would drive all the hell the way out to Cape Flattery to go gambling. There aren't any jobs outside the "Beautification Committee." And I'm not even going to start listing all the other issues that might keep a tribe impoverished in the U.S.

When we go to visit my parents, I come away depressed for a number of reasons, not the least of which is finding myself plunked down in the middle of a dying, impoverished town. The stores are boarded up, the houses are falling to pieces, no one has a job, there's no water, the price of living has sky-rocketed. I drive down the highway and look at these vast, brown wastes of land where there used to be orchards, but the owners went bankrupt and had to push them. There are just wind machines sticking up in empty fields of brush now. There's a burn ban on, so some of the orchards that have been pushed haven't yet been burned. They are just stacked in piles, growing drier, waiting to be lit on fire. I actually had to fight back tears at one point when I was driving, it's like driving past heaps of giant bones waiting for the crematorium.

There's just no hope for an agricultural recovery, and it's mighty fucking depressing. It's worse than it was when I was a kid, and everyone is getting desperate. Eastern Washington is a tinder box waiting to go up in flames. People are hungry, people are resentful. The white people look around and see all the Indians and Mexicans on the street and start blaming it on them. I was having a conversation with my aunt about how much I hated Brewster, it's an ugly, depressing town, and halfway through, I realized we were in agreement, more or less, but she was blaming it on the fact that the population was 3/4 Hispanic (I didn't even know that. It's been ugly my entire life, long before formerly migrant workers started to settle there). Hispanic, Hispanic, Hispanic! I can't even count how many times I heard that word used in a negative manner last week. It is apparently interchangeable with "Ecologist" in my family. Who knew it was a swear word?

My cousin, Meaghan, who is ten, was in the grocery store a couple of weeks ago. A couple of boys walked by and said, "Hola" in a friendly manner. Meaghan's response? "I'm not Mexican, you know!" Fair enough. She's part "Louisiana French," and 1/8 Coeur d'Alene Indian. I hate the fact that she's already learned that she's not supposed to be brown, she's not supposed to be Mexican.

We live in a fucked up world, and I can't figure out how to make it better.
8:31 PM


Trail Reviews (in the order of appearance):

Rainy Lake: My uncles helped clear this trail when they worked for the Forest Service in the old days. It's hyper easy and good for kids (1 mile each way). It's paved for wheelchair use, but can get a bit bumpy with duff and gravel. Well worth the walk even if it is raining--where else can you see such a beatiful glacial lake with so little effort? There's not even any grade changes, just a flat trot out to the lake. You need a Forest Pass to park in the parking area. Keep driving east on Highway 20 to the Washington Pass overlook for some spectacular views.

Slate Creek Trail (Twisp River Trail #440): Easy hike, good trail for families once the creeks have gone down. Mostly a ridge trail, in that it follows the course of the canyon above the road. Not very hilly despite what the published information says. The single track was in good condition with only faint tire marks, so bikers must not be using it all that much. We went out and back, although allegedly you can do a 13 mile loop if you feel like walking on road FS4440 (yuk).

Mutton Ridge Trail #365: This was probably our favorite of the week, even if it did go straight up the side of a freaking mountain. The trailhead is near the sign for Salmon Meadows campground above Conconully (don't go into the campground looking for it like we did, you won't find it). Drive past the campground sign (away from the campground), across Meadow Creek, and there you will find the trailhead for three trails: Mutton Creek Trail #391 (it's only a mile long and good for kids), Mutton Ridge Trail #365, and Angel Pass Trail #344. Angel Pass Trail and Mutton Ridge Trail coincide for the first mile. When you get to the fork, go *left* otherwise you will be going to Angel Pass.

This trail goes up, up, up through the forest. It's dry with little undergrowth, and is broken up by the occasional high elevation meadow. It's also free range country, so watch out for the cattle. We started two stampedes on accident. Be prepared to get your feet wet just before the two-mile mark, the cattle have torn up the creek banks pretty thoroughly, so it's kind of a balancing act to get across the last time. You may see the two-mile marker to the left of the trail--it's attached to an fallen tree.

Pump House Trail: You might want a walking stick for this one. It's not terribly strenuous, but it does climb uphill the entire way. Also, the path is really rocky (like a riverbed), so a walking stick would be handy on the descent (and also to beat down spider webs).

Heading west on Highway 2 from Stevens Pass, turn left onto Index Creek Road just before you get to Baring. Figure out where to park your car where someone won't have it towed--it's mostly private property on either side of the road. Once you park, walk across the suspension bridge just off Highway 2 (you can drive across it, but I don't know where you'd park once you got there). After you cross the suspension bridge, walk on Index Creek Road until you see a sign to your right that says "Skylandia." Cross two foot bridges, and turn left onto the old logging trail (before the pump house). We missed it the first time, but it's actually pretty visible. This is a great trail, really wet and verdant and mossy. No mistake, you're in the northwest. Look for the giant old-growth stumps, in some of them you can still see the logging notches under the moss. There is a campsite to check out, and about a mile up the trail there is a patch of asphalt, why is it there? No idea. The locals have made good use of a giant fallen tree, incorporating it into a footbridge. The trail apparently extends some way up the mountain, but we had to stop when we came to a creek bed with no obvious crossing. I didn't want to break a bone trying to cross so close to the start of hockey season.

Wallace Falls Trail: This trailhead is easy to find, as it is located in Wallace Falls State Park, Goldbar, Washington. We took the "Woody Trail" instead of the railroad grade. This lower trail is shorter, but allegedly a little more rugged. We had no problems--it was easier than Mutton Ridge, but harder than Slate Creek. The trail system is quite accessible, so very popular, and we were never really by ourselves. And I'll admit, we stopped at Middle Wallace Falls, we just didn't have enough daylight left to go to Upper Wallace Falls (I was tired of uphill by then, anyway).

Nice view of the falls, nice place to spend the day. Two thumbs up for accessibility and la buena vista.

Heybrook Lookout Trail #1070: You need a Forest Pass for this one, too. It's right off Highway Two at the 37.6 mile marker (just across from the Snoqualmie-Mt. Baker Forest sign as you head west from Baring). The trailhead is on the north side of the highway, the forest sign on the south side.

When you stop to register at the trailhead, you will see a pile of walking sticks. Take one 'cause you're going to need it on the descent! Be kind and put it back when you're done with it. This trail seemed short, about a two-mile round trip, but it goes unrelentingly up (900 feet elevation change). Actually, the up isn't the problem, it's the down. We definitely used the walking sticks.

Don't give up even if you don't like uphill climbs. Pretty soon you'll be at the lookout tower and will have the best view you've had all week.

Blake Island: We hiked around Blake Island after eating lunch at Tillicum Village. Not a challenging hike by any means, but definitely one of the most beautiful places to work off your dinner. We interrupted our progress to hang out on the beach for a bit. The island is only accessible by boat, so we had plenty of opportunities to watch boat traffic, one of my favorite past times. This was the second easiest hike of the week (Rainy Lake being the easiest), but one that I would repeat daily given the chance.
3:52 PM


I'm officially a 60-minute runner. We had to get up and run early last Saturday, we were freezing to death. The thermometer at camp said 38 degrees when we went by on our way to the road, no wonder we were so cold. Even Carl got cold, and he had all the blankets in his tent.

Anyway, I felt good at the 60-minute point, but I know the run was easier because the air was cold and dry. It was a great run up the river. We went running and/or hiking every day we were on vacation (one of my upcoming notes here will be trail reviews), and I feel all the better for it. I'm not a great believer in "nature as great healer," not by a long shot, but it did do me good to get away from everyone and spend some time out in the wilderness for a change.

Camping was fun, it's amazing how much I like my extended relatives. You'd think we'd hate each other given that I'm the only left-leaning person in the clan, and my uncle truly believes "ecologist" is a cuss word. It just goes to show that politics don't have to be divisive. Just because we don't agree doesn't mean we don't get along. Maybe there's a little bit of compromising going on, maybe I should push my point a little harder, but frankly, I'd rather just go wading in the river and forget about it all for a few days.

Hard to escape the fact that Bush is an idiot, though. I spent some time fuming about his forest-land power grab maneuvering last week. I'm glad someone showed up to protest him in Portland, even if they got tear-gassed for their efforts.

Anyway, camping. Was fun. Played in the river, went for a couple walks, went hiking on the Slate Creek trail, took the kids up to Rainy Pass for the short hike into Rainy Lake. Ate a lot of food I didn't have to cook myself (bonus!).

Today my co-workers gave me a going-away party. It was really nice of them. They made good food and gave me a couple things, gift cards to Office Depot and Borders. I didn't even freak out about the fat content in the pound cake and ice cream.

It feels kind of strange sitting here, doing less than nothing, waiting for it to be five o'clock. Everything is packed up, even my earphones, so I can't listen to music. Mostly I am just waiting for it to be tomorrow. I hate to fly, but I am anxious to be at home. I'm really looking forward to the drive over the Cascades, and I'm looking forward to having my car window down as we drive up the valley, listening to the sprinklers in the orchards. I miss sprinklers! There is no irrigation system in Indiana, and I miss the ch-ch-ch sound of sprinklers outside my bedroom window at night. Instead, we just have those damn cicadas.

Well, it occurs to me now that maybe we won't drive up the valley, we might go over the North Cascades Highway, then over the Loop. It doesn't matter because, as they say, All Roads Lead to Tonasket.

Vacation is almost here, finally. Places I plan to be:

Okanogan (where my parents and aunt live)

Twisp (camping on the river with my mom's family)

North Cascades Smokejumper Base (looking for Uncle Dale)

Okanogan National Forest (day hiking, driving with Uncle Ernie[!])

Tonasket (hometown, visiting Shawn and my cousins)

Sky Cabins (never did find anyone to share it with us)

University of Washington (obligatory visit to alma mater)

Tugboat Challenger (our favorite B&B, lots of time spent watching the boat traffic on Lake Union)

Capitol Hill (birthday dinner on Broadway)

Tillicum Village (grade school field trip 25 years after the fact)

Blake Island State Park (Catherine got the "hiker's special" so we could spend the afternoon in the fresh air)

3:07 PM


Interesting books on the "new" shelf of the Undergraduate Library:

• Warren Leon, Is Our Food Safe? A Consumer's Guide to Healthy Choices
  
• Jeffrey Reiman, The Rich Get Richer & the Poor Get Prison: Ideology, Class & Criminal Justice
  
• Jennifer Par Talwar, Fast Food, Fast Track: Immigrants, Big Business, and the American Dream
  
• Maude Barlow, Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World's Water
  
• Frank Clifford, Backbone of the World: A Portrait of the Vanishing West Along the Continental Divide
  
• Phyllis Chesler, Woman's Inhumanity to Woman
  
• Richard Rodriguez, Brown: The Last Discovery of America
  
• Andrew Kimbrell, The Fatal Harvest Reader: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture
  
• Juliann Sivulka, Stronger Than Dirt: A Cultural History of Advertising Personal Hygiene in America, 1875-1940
  
• Nina C Leibman, Living Room Lectures: The Fifties Family in Film and Television