Saturday, July 15, 2006
An absolutely lovely two-week vacation provides the exegesis for the recent blank spots in here. Let me catch up a bit.
We left home on a Thurdays morning, late as usual, and drove into West Tennesee. Another eight hours saw us through St. Louis, with a relaxed and refreshing stop for lunch and a visit to the Arch, ending up at a friend's house in Kansas City. Two children of friends live in the area, both having four children now, and we were able to share a couple meals and visit with them all in one of the most welcoming homes and clans I've ever encountered. Simply delightful people, the kids especially.
From there, we headed north through Sioux City and Sioux Falls, then West. Overnighting in Mitchell, we visited the Corn Palace - really an interesting site - there the next morning, and headed West again stopping in Wall at the (locally, anyway) famous Wall Drug. What a hoot! Total tourist immersion if I've ever seen it, but oddly enough, I was able to purchase a beautiful pair of Western boots to replace my old pair that is 24 years old.
Continuing West, the next night was in the Badlands, which proved to be a salient highlight of the whole affair. It's a stunningly gorgeous area in its barrenness, especially in the early or late day when shadows are longer and colors are more vivid. At those times, the contour of the land is highlighted to remarkable effect. Visit the place if you can.
We arrived in Custer State Park and set up camp at Sylvan Lake in the pouring rain and elected to skip the mania of the fireworks at Mount Rushmore. I had not realized that rock climbing was abundant within a short walk of the camp and so had left my gear except for shoes and chalk home. Paddleboating on the lake was a delight with the kids as was the Wildlife Loop, Mount Rushmore, and just walking around. All in all, we very much enjoyed the area, relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet, except for the Harley riders, but of course, they have their charm, too.
In a change of plans, we drove down to Colorado Springs and got to see my brother-and-law, my old climbing partner, his wife and children, and an old music buddy, who now spends times with his twin boys and enjoys this season of life much as I do. Wimbledon finals, both men and women's, both Kill Bill's, and several good meals were in the offing, mixing sensory delights with the joys of old friends, making for another relaxing but pleasantly full visit, another sweet memory of a favorite place and people.
The drive home was uneventful as we elected to skip sight-seeing along the way. Three days got us home again.
Things could scarcely have gone better. Much needed rest and time away benefitted everyone, and the visits in the Springs were overdue and very welcome. A great time was had by all.
A couple books: James Patteron's Maximum Ride was a quick and fun read. One of those books that sort of goes in one eye and out the other, but is a lot of fun while it's happening. Later, I picked up Tanith Lee's Electric Forest by accident because it was on the shelf next to Usula K. Le Guin's books. I enjoyed it and will probably try her work again. John Varley is an old favorite of mine and Mammoth is a recent work, one that I particularly enjoyed.
Back on the dictionary front: For my birthday, I got the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. Sometimes I wish it was single volume, but it fills exactly the role I wanted it to. What a great tool!
That just about gets things up to date. Life is good, and has been good, especially in the last few weeks.
We left home on a Thurdays morning, late as usual, and drove into West Tennesee. Another eight hours saw us through St. Louis, with a relaxed and refreshing stop for lunch and a visit to the Arch, ending up at a friend's house in Kansas City. Two children of friends live in the area, both having four children now, and we were able to share a couple meals and visit with them all in one of the most welcoming homes and clans I've ever encountered. Simply delightful people, the kids especially.
From there, we headed north through Sioux City and Sioux Falls, then West. Overnighting in Mitchell, we visited the Corn Palace - really an interesting site - there the next morning, and headed West again stopping in Wall at the (locally, anyway) famous Wall Drug. What a hoot! Total tourist immersion if I've ever seen it, but oddly enough, I was able to purchase a beautiful pair of Western boots to replace my old pair that is 24 years old.
Continuing West, the next night was in the Badlands, which proved to be a salient highlight of the whole affair. It's a stunningly gorgeous area in its barrenness, especially in the early or late day when shadows are longer and colors are more vivid. At those times, the contour of the land is highlighted to remarkable effect. Visit the place if you can.
We arrived in Custer State Park and set up camp at Sylvan Lake in the pouring rain and elected to skip the mania of the fireworks at Mount Rushmore. I had not realized that rock climbing was abundant within a short walk of the camp and so had left my gear except for shoes and chalk home. Paddleboating on the lake was a delight with the kids as was the Wildlife Loop, Mount Rushmore, and just walking around. All in all, we very much enjoyed the area, relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet, except for the Harley riders, but of course, they have their charm, too.
In a change of plans, we drove down to Colorado Springs and got to see my brother-and-law, my old climbing partner, his wife and children, and an old music buddy, who now spends times with his twin boys and enjoys this season of life much as I do. Wimbledon finals, both men and women's, both Kill Bill's, and several good meals were in the offing, mixing sensory delights with the joys of old friends, making for another relaxing but pleasantly full visit, another sweet memory of a favorite place and people.
The drive home was uneventful as we elected to skip sight-seeing along the way. Three days got us home again.
Things could scarcely have gone better. Much needed rest and time away benefitted everyone, and the visits in the Springs were overdue and very welcome. A great time was had by all.
A couple books: James Patteron's Maximum Ride was a quick and fun read. One of those books that sort of goes in one eye and out the other, but is a lot of fun while it's happening. Later, I picked up Tanith Lee's Electric Forest by accident because it was on the shelf next to Usula K. Le Guin's books. I enjoyed it and will probably try her work again. John Varley is an old favorite of mine and Mammoth is a recent work, one that I particularly enjoyed.
Back on the dictionary front: For my birthday, I got the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. Sometimes I wish it was single volume, but it fills exactly the role I wanted it to. What a great tool!
That just about gets things up to date. Life is good, and has been good, especially in the last few weeks.
# posted by goldpython @ 8:08 AM 
