My mom's complaining that I'm not writing enough blog entries. Well, I feel like the only thing I've been writing about is my feet and that has got to be boring. Three weeks ago, I switched strings (groups of animals I'm in charge of) at work and at about the same time took over being president of our zoo keeper group. I've spent most of my free time working on these things, rather than dinking around on my computer. Nothing exciting or worth writing about, just lots of research and figuring things out. Switching strings has been hard, but in a good way. So far, it's working exactly as I hoped and my feet are feeling much better. I'm also REALLY enjoying working with my "new" animals- especially the tigers, camel, swans and emus.
This morning I took a break from the crazy and went for a long hike at Banner Marsh with Logan and Duncan. We left home ~6am, hoping to see some cool animals right around sunrise. We weren't disappointed. I kept Duncan on leash while I made sure no one else was in the area. It turned out to be a good thing because there was a dead swan I'm sure he would have rolled in. Unfortunately, it was a native trumpeter swan rather than one of the abundant, introduced mute swans. Bummer, but something ate well. We climbed to the top of the levee and hiked south. I was scanning the trees for owls and the lake for beavers and otters. I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed an odd shape at the top of a huge tree that did indeed turn out to be a great horned owl! Logan and I both had binoculars and we watched for a long time. It was his first great horned owl and he was excited to see it. He was even more excited when we walked a few more steps and saw a beaver working in the lake. He was able to see its flat tail and we watched it swimming and diving. There was a second beaver, but it was pretty far out in the water and tough to see even with binoculars. We saw hundreds of coots, thousands of grackles, a large variety of ducks and geese and even a pair of Wilson's snipe. Duncan tore around and had a ball. Logan tore around and had a ball. I hobbled around and had a ball. If Logan hadn't had a football game at 11, we'd probably still be out there.
Logan is on a good flag football team this year. It's great that they score and win, but Logan seems a bit frustrated that he doesn't get as many plays. He has to share the "star" duties with all the other kids on his team. It's awesome to watch him because he's always completely tuned in with what's going on and eager to play. I think he smiles the entire game. I hope we can find him a JFL team this fall because I know he'll love "real" football.
Kaylin came along to the game this week because we promised a trip to Sweet CeCe's frozen yogurt following the game. If you haven't been to Sweet CeCe's, you should probably go today. I prefer ice cream to frozen yogurt, but this place's yogurt is the best I've had. The experience is out of a magical childhood dream. You get a huge cup and fill it yourself with any or all of 8 different flavors or swirls. You then move on to an area with lots of different candy, cereal and other toppings that can be dispensed from wall dispensers. You then move to a buffet table with soft toppings such as fruit, brownies and candy such as peanut butter cups that can't be in the dispensers. They even have hot fudge, caramel, whipped cream and cherries. It is fun and delicious. I can't wait to go back. I might be more excited about it than the kids. Gene loved it too. Oh, I forgot to mention that Sweet CeCe's is at the Junction City shopping center and that the prices are similar to Cold Stone Creamery.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
March Madness
I've now had three physical therapy sessions, have continued my home stretching and massage and have been working the outside area at the zoo rather than constantly on concrete for two weeks. The difference in my pain level is indescribable. I'm in shock. When I get home from work I no longer have to strategize how to accomplish everything I need to do before bed in as few steps as possible. I no longer need to wear crocs in the shower. I nearly had a panic attack the other morning when I forgot to take my pain pill before work because last time I forgot I was in agony the entire day. This time I didn't even notice. I haven't taken another pill since.
My feet are still really stiff when I get up after sitting or sleeping and there is still some pain, but it's not ruling my entire life. When I press on the areas of my feet and calf that a few weeks ago would have had me jumping to the ceiling, it now feels like pressing on an old bruise- it hurts a little, but no big deal.
The physical therapy sessions are long and painful, but I think they are helping a lot. I've had two different therapists describe my left foot as "crunchy". That makes me gag. They do painful massage of my calves and then massage my super-ticklish feet while I laugh and shake. My calves are covered in small bruises, but I sure can feel the difference in tightness. After hearing my story about moving from concrete to multiple substrates, the PT said switching was probably the best thing I could have done because working on unstable surfaces breaks up scar tissue and strengthens your feet. One of my major homework exercises is balancing on one foot while standing on a couch cushion because of the instability. Okay, enough about my boring feet, but I'm really, REALLY excited to see this much improvement in such a short time! Hooray!
Otherwise, things are pretty normal. The kids just finished a week of state achievement tests. Logan took them for the first time and was taken in by the created drama from the teachers. He was incredibly nervous about "not doing well enough" and then last Sunday tried to go to bed at 7:30pm to get plenty of sleep. I told him he should try his hardest and that would be good enough. I told him to try not to stress over the tests because they don't matter much to him personally, the teachers are worked up because the overall scores affect how much money the school gets. He actually understood that concept and was disgusted at how worried he had been. He also was disgusted that he couldn't fall asleep at 7:30 and then realized he could go to bed and wake up at his normal times and be fine. If nothing else, I suppose the stupid achievement tests are a good life lesson to always question authority- it is often wrong. In the case of achievement tests and No Child Left Behind, there is nothing right.
Logan has his first football game (indoor flag football at the Y gym) today. He's really excited and hopes his team wins at least one game this year. Last year's team was 0-6. He made several touchdowns last year, but this year he completely understands the game and I imagine he'll do well. This year he's playing for the Eagles. Cool.
Gene built a really nice money collection box for my zoo keeper group's "Vote For Your Favorite Animal" fundraiser. Starting in April, look for the box in the main zoo hallway and after you ooh and ahh over the box itself, drop a few coins (or bucks) into one of the collection tubes and vote for your favorite animal. All money collected will go to conservation. Thanks, Gene!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Feet
A few weeks ago, I was having pretty bad issues with my left foot. I did some more internet research and found some stuff I'd never tried before. Gene made fun of my snake oil remedies, but I was desperate for some relief. I read that tightness in your calf can cause (or be caused by) foot pain. This site recommended a couple of massage tools that I bought and used. Over my vacation week, I finally worked out the knot in my calf. It has made a HUGE difference in my pain level! I also am using a knobby foot roller massager that has eliminated the knots in my heel. Again, the pain has diminished greatly!
I did also check in with my doctor. He's been telling me forever that working on concrete is the reason my issues never resolve. I told him I had the opportunity to switch "strings" at work to an area I'd be on less concrete. He told me to try it. I didn't want to stop working with my beloved lions, zebras and red river hogs, but when faced with surgery or quitting the job I love, it made sense to give it a try. Also, the area I was planning to move to is the area I worked before the zoo's Africa addition. Many of the animals are the same and it's not like it was any less hard to leave them a few years ago!
This week I started working with tigers, camel, takin, muntjac and Aussie animals. I am LOVING working outside again. I'm sure it helps that the weather this week has been gorgeous, but I always did love working outside. I laughed every year that my heated and air conditioned building with the Africa animals was totally wasted on me because I preferred being outside. I do miss having a toilet in my area, but that's probably my biggest loss. I'm thoroughly enjoying being back working with my "old" animals. I had forgotten how much I loved working with black swans and emus! And not only am I enjoying the animals and being outdoors, my feet have been great! I leave work and I'm not in agonizing pain!
I'm sure a week of time off and the massage tools contributed greatly, but the change in pain level is huge. I imagine it's partly psychological as well, but hey, whatever works! I'm feeling optimistic about my feet for the first time in years. I also start physical therapy today, so hopefully I can get some good help and advice and keep up the improvement.
I did also check in with my doctor. He's been telling me forever that working on concrete is the reason my issues never resolve. I told him I had the opportunity to switch "strings" at work to an area I'd be on less concrete. He told me to try it. I didn't want to stop working with my beloved lions, zebras and red river hogs, but when faced with surgery or quitting the job I love, it made sense to give it a try. Also, the area I was planning to move to is the area I worked before the zoo's Africa addition. Many of the animals are the same and it's not like it was any less hard to leave them a few years ago!
This week I started working with tigers, camel, takin, muntjac and Aussie animals. I am LOVING working outside again. I'm sure it helps that the weather this week has been gorgeous, but I always did love working outside. I laughed every year that my heated and air conditioned building with the Africa animals was totally wasted on me because I preferred being outside. I do miss having a toilet in my area, but that's probably my biggest loss. I'm thoroughly enjoying being back working with my "old" animals. I had forgotten how much I loved working with black swans and emus! And not only am I enjoying the animals and being outdoors, my feet have been great! I leave work and I'm not in agonizing pain!
I'm sure a week of time off and the massage tools contributed greatly, but the change in pain level is huge. I imagine it's partly psychological as well, but hey, whatever works! I'm feeling optimistic about my feet for the first time in years. I also start physical therapy today, so hopefully I can get some good help and advice and keep up the improvement.
Friday, February 24, 2012
More time off
I'm trying to figure out how to make my bird list on the side of my blog a LINK to a bird list, but so far haven't figured it out. If it gets too crazy I'll take it down.
I've been using the at-home portion of my vacation to attempt to accomplish all the little things I tend to put off. I have been having a much harder time reading tiny fine print than I used to and I'll be 40 this year so I had my first ever eye exam. I've been giving a boss and a coworker a hard time about being in denial about needing glasses. The coworker FINALLY broke down and got glasses, but the boss is at that point where she can't read anything but still refuses the obvious fact she needs help. I've teased both of them enough that I better NEVER be in a situation where I can't read something! I told them that I've learned my lesson from them and that when the time comes I'm going to get reading and/or prescription glasses and not be a baby about it. I don't need either yet. The doc said I'll probably start needing reading glasses sometime between ages 41 and 43. Apparently that is when most people with no previous eye issues start to lose their close vision. Phew!
Duncan had what I believe was his first vet appointment with me present. We've only had him for a year and since he was old enough that he'd had all of his vaccines, a heartworm test and was already neutered when we got him, he hasn't needed any of that stuff until now. Duncan's such a weenie I was pretty nervous how he'd act. Plus, the last time he was at the vet's was to board and that was a bad experience. We walked into the waiting room and almost immediately one of the front desk girls squealed "Duncan!" and ran over to pet him. He peed all over the floor. Well!
They quickly ushered us to an exam room. Dunc seemed to calm down a little when he realized I wasn't leaving. The tech came in and drew up vaccines and then drew blood for a heartworm test. Duncan didn't flinch at the blood draw, but HATED the cotton ball and masking tape bandage she put on his leg. He refused to put any weight on the leg, so was hobbling around, trying to figure out how to walk. We laughed, but I've drawn enough blood on nervous animals to know that you leave that bandage on for five or ten minutes or they will bleed all over the place! The vet came in and did vaccines and an exam and Duncan did great. He got his bandage off before we left and then didn't pee again when we were paying. Overall, he did great, but peeing inside the building in front of my former coworkers? Pretty embarrassing!
Logan finished all of his make-up work from missing two days of school in about 20 minutes, cementing in my brain that taking him to Minnesota was the right thing to do. He was excited to tell his teacher about seeing a snowy owl. I was relieved that Wednesday (the day he returned to school) was a half day so he only had school for 3 hours. He was pretty tired, but he thought the trip was worth it.
We can't wait to go back to Minnesota! I had been loosely planning our summer vacation to go west to Colorado. Now I really just want to go back to Minnesota. I'd never really given any thought to Minnesota before because my mom complained about her annual childhood trips like it was the worst punishment on earth. I only saw a tiny area of the state, but I loved it! I thought the Duluth area was the most beautiful place I've ever been!
I'm spending the rest of my time off slowly chipping away at the clutter. It's overwhelming to have so much stuff. I'll get a table or counter cleared and within a day, Kaylin will have her cake decorating stuff or knitting stuff or hair bow stuff or fairy stuff ALL OVER. Everything that child does makes a gigantic, impossible mess! I have to say, of all her messy hobbies over the years I hate the cake decorating most of all. Hardened cement frosting is everywhere. EVERYWHERE!!! Sigh. Better get off the computer and get cleaning...
I've been using the at-home portion of my vacation to attempt to accomplish all the little things I tend to put off. I have been having a much harder time reading tiny fine print than I used to and I'll be 40 this year so I had my first ever eye exam. I've been giving a boss and a coworker a hard time about being in denial about needing glasses. The coworker FINALLY broke down and got glasses, but the boss is at that point where she can't read anything but still refuses the obvious fact she needs help. I've teased both of them enough that I better NEVER be in a situation where I can't read something! I told them that I've learned my lesson from them and that when the time comes I'm going to get reading and/or prescription glasses and not be a baby about it. I don't need either yet. The doc said I'll probably start needing reading glasses sometime between ages 41 and 43. Apparently that is when most people with no previous eye issues start to lose their close vision. Phew!
Duncan had what I believe was his first vet appointment with me present. We've only had him for a year and since he was old enough that he'd had all of his vaccines, a heartworm test and was already neutered when we got him, he hasn't needed any of that stuff until now. Duncan's such a weenie I was pretty nervous how he'd act. Plus, the last time he was at the vet's was to board and that was a bad experience. We walked into the waiting room and almost immediately one of the front desk girls squealed "Duncan!" and ran over to pet him. He peed all over the floor. Well!
They quickly ushered us to an exam room. Dunc seemed to calm down a little when he realized I wasn't leaving. The tech came in and drew up vaccines and then drew blood for a heartworm test. Duncan didn't flinch at the blood draw, but HATED the cotton ball and masking tape bandage she put on his leg. He refused to put any weight on the leg, so was hobbling around, trying to figure out how to walk. We laughed, but I've drawn enough blood on nervous animals to know that you leave that bandage on for five or ten minutes or they will bleed all over the place! The vet came in and did vaccines and an exam and Duncan did great. He got his bandage off before we left and then didn't pee again when we were paying. Overall, he did great, but peeing inside the building in front of my former coworkers? Pretty embarrassing!
Logan finished all of his make-up work from missing two days of school in about 20 minutes, cementing in my brain that taking him to Minnesota was the right thing to do. He was excited to tell his teacher about seeing a snowy owl. I was relieved that Wednesday (the day he returned to school) was a half day so he only had school for 3 hours. He was pretty tired, but he thought the trip was worth it.
We can't wait to go back to Minnesota! I had been loosely planning our summer vacation to go west to Colorado. Now I really just want to go back to Minnesota. I'd never really given any thought to Minnesota before because my mom complained about her annual childhood trips like it was the worst punishment on earth. I only saw a tiny area of the state, but I loved it! I thought the Duluth area was the most beautiful place I've ever been!
I'm spending the rest of my time off slowly chipping away at the clutter. It's overwhelming to have so much stuff. I'll get a table or counter cleared and within a day, Kaylin will have her cake decorating stuff or knitting stuff or hair bow stuff or fairy stuff ALL OVER. Everything that child does makes a gigantic, impossible mess! I have to say, of all her messy hobbies over the years I hate the cake decorating most of all. Hardened cement frosting is everywhere. EVERYWHERE!!! Sigh. Better get off the computer and get cleaning...
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety-Jig
We spent Monday night in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. It snowed 2-3 inches overnight and I was a bit worried about driving conditions, but the snow was no problem at all. We were packed, breakfasted, gassed up and on the road by a few minutes after 8am. I hoped to be home by 6pm so I could attend a coworker's going away party, but I really wanted to see Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in the winter. I figured we could spend two hours there and still make it home in time for the work dinner.
I don't have a GPS and usually use AAA online for my trip maps. The bad thing about AAA is that it can be really hard to enter a place that doesn't have a very specific address and isn't in their list of "popular places." I finally gave up on AAA and used MapQuest for directions to Necedah. There are many good reasons I don't use MapQuest, and I really should have just gone to the Necedah site and used their directions. MapQuest got me to the general area of Necedah, but instead of taking me to their main entrance, they sent me on a small county road. I wound past some farm houses and back into the woods when BAM! The road was suddenly unpaved and I was driving through the forest in snow deep enough that it was scraping the bottom of my car. I stuck to the truck ruts and drove as fast as safely possible to not get stuck. I couldn't stop or turn around because the snow was too deep. Seriously, this small, country road SUDDENLY turned into a one-lane dirt path! I finally came to a (closed) gate and a tiny parking area and was able to turn around. I guess on a good summer day, the gate would have been open and I would have been able to get to the Necedah visitor center. I made my way back out of the woods and back onto the main drag, where the paved and plowed park entrance was a half-mile up the street. My Yaris wasn't made for off-roading, but it did pretty well! Thank goodness for my new tires! Logan got a thrill. Yet another MapQuest FAIL we'll be laughing about for years to come.
Necedah was beautiful with all the fresh snow. We spent a long time in the visitor center, watching the feeders in warmth and comfort. We then talked to a park ranger about how the roads through the park were and whether the water was all still frozen over. She had seen the resident gray wolf pack early that morning, but we didn't get that lucky. We opted to not have any more thrilling adventures with the tiny Toyota and unpaved, snow-covered roads, so we took a short hike close to the visitor center and started our journey home.
We stopped in Wisconsin Dells to grab some lunch and go to Logan's favorite cheese store. He doesn't care much about the cheese, he likes their huge selection of toys and candy. He found a flipper baseball game (think Woolly Willy or Doodle Balls) and a set of rattling magnets to keep him occupied on the way home. We also got Kaylin a set of pig jacks and some cheese and got ourselves some snacks.
The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful. There was no snow south of Wisconsin Dells. We stopped once for gas and a bathroom and made it home a little after 5pm. Fortunately, Logan REALLY enjoyed peeing in empty water bottles while driving because if we had to stop every time he had to go we'd probably still be on the road!
It was a great trip and we had a lot of fun. Logan is now excited about birds and has announced that he likes them and is "now interested." He keeps talking over and over about how he not only saw his first wild owl, but his first wild owl was a SNOWY OWL! Warms my heart :)
Gene and Kaylin spent their weekend time together going to Michaels (craft store) three days in a row. Duncan was devastated that I was only home for a few minutes before leaving again and when I returned at 8:30pm, he wouldn't leave my side. He did leave me to sleep in his usual spot in Logan's bed, though. (Phew!) Four more days off. Maybe I'll go birding!
I don't have a GPS and usually use AAA online for my trip maps. The bad thing about AAA is that it can be really hard to enter a place that doesn't have a very specific address and isn't in their list of "popular places." I finally gave up on AAA and used MapQuest for directions to Necedah. There are many good reasons I don't use MapQuest, and I really should have just gone to the Necedah site and used their directions. MapQuest got me to the general area of Necedah, but instead of taking me to their main entrance, they sent me on a small county road. I wound past some farm houses and back into the woods when BAM! The road was suddenly unpaved and I was driving through the forest in snow deep enough that it was scraping the bottom of my car. I stuck to the truck ruts and drove as fast as safely possible to not get stuck. I couldn't stop or turn around because the snow was too deep. Seriously, this small, country road SUDDENLY turned into a one-lane dirt path! I finally came to a (closed) gate and a tiny parking area and was able to turn around. I guess on a good summer day, the gate would have been open and I would have been able to get to the Necedah visitor center. I made my way back out of the woods and back onto the main drag, where the paved and plowed park entrance was a half-mile up the street. My Yaris wasn't made for off-roading, but it did pretty well! Thank goodness for my new tires! Logan got a thrill. Yet another MapQuest FAIL we'll be laughing about for years to come.
Necedah was beautiful with all the fresh snow. We spent a long time in the visitor center, watching the feeders in warmth and comfort. We then talked to a park ranger about how the roads through the park were and whether the water was all still frozen over. She had seen the resident gray wolf pack early that morning, but we didn't get that lucky. We opted to not have any more thrilling adventures with the tiny Toyota and unpaved, snow-covered roads, so we took a short hike close to the visitor center and started our journey home.
We stopped in Wisconsin Dells to grab some lunch and go to Logan's favorite cheese store. He doesn't care much about the cheese, he likes their huge selection of toys and candy. He found a flipper baseball game (think Woolly Willy or Doodle Balls) and a set of rattling magnets to keep him occupied on the way home. We also got Kaylin a set of pig jacks and some cheese and got ourselves some snacks.
The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful. There was no snow south of Wisconsin Dells. We stopped once for gas and a bathroom and made it home a little after 5pm. Fortunately, Logan REALLY enjoyed peeing in empty water bottles while driving because if we had to stop every time he had to go we'd probably still be on the road!
It was a great trip and we had a lot of fun. Logan is now excited about birds and has announced that he likes them and is "now interested." He keeps talking over and over about how he not only saw his first wild owl, but his first wild owl was a SNOWY OWL! Warms my heart :)
Gene and Kaylin spent their weekend time together going to Michaels (craft store) three days in a row. Duncan was devastated that I was only home for a few minutes before leaving again and when I returned at 8:30pm, he wouldn't leave my side. He did leave me to sleep in his usual spot in Logan's bed, though. (Phew!) Four more days off. Maybe I'll go birding!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Duluth, Part 2
We headed out this morning and had no trouble finding Sax-Zim bog. As always, it was absolutely nothing like I expected. It was about 20 times more gigantic than I would have thought. I wish I had set my trip meter when I entered, but we did a large loop that was recommended on their website map and I'm pretty sure I drove over 40 miles! As I said before, there was very little snow, so we had a very slim chance of seeing great gray owls and we didn't. We did see LOTS of eagles, ravens, crows, hawks, chickadees, common redpolls, northern shrikes, a very cool black and white bird I have yet to identify and the bird of the day- a ruffed grouse. By the time we FINALLY made it back to the road we entered on, we were both pretty bored and TEN MILES west of where we entered! I could pretend to be disappointed in the lack of snow, but if there had been any real amount of snow we wouldn't have been able to drive much of the area since it was 95% unpaved. I didn't expect much, but really wanted to say I'd been there. It was worth the trip.
We then headed back into town and went to the Lake Superior Zoo. I was impressed that the majority of their outdoor animals were very cold tolerant and on display. We saw our second snowy owl of the trip, but it was captive. Logan was thrilled to see one up close and get to study it for a while. The zoo grounds were beautiful, with a natural waterfall and creek running through. We had a good time.
We had time for one more thing so Logan chose to go back to the lakefront to skim rocks across the ice. While he did that I talked to some birders who were scoping gulls and added some new birds to my list. I have to admit, I NEVER would have bothered to scope the gulls on my own. Gulls bore me. Maybe in a few years when I can identify everything else, rare gulls will be the thrill of my life. Until then, I'll happily add to my list when others do the work.
We were sad to leave Duluth. It is one of my favorite areas I've ever been. I loved the beautiful lake and hills, the birch and pine forests, the casual attitude of the people, everything... I asked Logan what he hoped to get out of the rest of our trip and he really wanted to swim. I plan to go to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge tomorrow and it's ~ an hour north of Wisconsin Dells. I couldn't remember any hotels between the Dells and Eau Claire that FOR SURE had pools. We decided to play it safe and stop at the same hotel in Chippewa Falls we stayed at our first night. Then we saw a billboard for an AmericInn with an indoor waterpark and went there instead. It's no Great Wolf Lodge, but it has a slide pool, a basketball pool, a baby pool and a hot tub. I swam for a bit and soaked in the hot tub for a while which was great for my foot. Then I begged Logan to come back to the room with me for a few minutes while I showered and changed. Now I'm watching him swim and writing this entry. He's having a blast! Totally worth a little extra driving tomorrow!
We then headed back into town and went to the Lake Superior Zoo. I was impressed that the majority of their outdoor animals were very cold tolerant and on display. We saw our second snowy owl of the trip, but it was captive. Logan was thrilled to see one up close and get to study it for a while. The zoo grounds were beautiful, with a natural waterfall and creek running through. We had a good time.
We had time for one more thing so Logan chose to go back to the lakefront to skim rocks across the ice. While he did that I talked to some birders who were scoping gulls and added some new birds to my list. I have to admit, I NEVER would have bothered to scope the gulls on my own. Gulls bore me. Maybe in a few years when I can identify everything else, rare gulls will be the thrill of my life. Until then, I'll happily add to my list when others do the work.
We were sad to leave Duluth. It is one of my favorite areas I've ever been. I loved the beautiful lake and hills, the birch and pine forests, the casual attitude of the people, everything... I asked Logan what he hoped to get out of the rest of our trip and he really wanted to swim. I plan to go to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge tomorrow and it's ~ an hour north of Wisconsin Dells. I couldn't remember any hotels between the Dells and Eau Claire that FOR SURE had pools. We decided to play it safe and stop at the same hotel in Chippewa Falls we stayed at our first night. Then we saw a billboard for an AmericInn with an indoor waterpark and went there instead. It's no Great Wolf Lodge, but it has a slide pool, a basketball pool, a baby pool and a hot tub. I swam for a bit and soaked in the hot tub for a while which was great for my foot. Then I begged Logan to come back to the room with me for a few minutes while I showered and changed. Now I'm watching him swim and writing this entry. He's having a blast! Totally worth a little extra driving tomorrow!
Duluth
I've been a big-time blog slacker and now have too much to catch up and am overwhelmed so I haven't been writing at all. I have to quick update about Kaylin's knitting and will then go into my amazing Duluth road trip with Logan.
After the dramatic tears of sorrow and frustration, knitting is impossible class, Kaylin sat down and learned to knit. Of course, she couldn't knit like everyone else, she had to do it her own way. And of course, her own way is about 10X cooler than the regular way :) For whatever reason, Kaylin decided to knit using pencils rather than knitting needles and proceeded to knit a really cool headband and some wrist band bracelets. The pattern looks like it was done by an expert. She took her stuff to class and I figured the instructor would be offended by Kaylin's lack of respect for the "right" way, but she was impressed by her creativity and watched Kaylin knit with pencils and finger knit for a long time. I think Kaylin won "Most Improved" for a one week period. She was thrilled by all the compliments from the other students and I imagine she'll continue to knit long past our final class. I, on the other hand, feel that I have fulfilled my commitment and may never knit another stitch. Yay!
I had a week of E-time I needed to use up before the end of March. I would really have loved to take another birding/zooing road trip with Meghan, but we're too short-staffed at the moment for both of us to get the same time off. I still wanted to go somewhere and do something; I wanted to go birding somewhere I'd never been, but where? My biggest goal for this winter was to see a snowy owl in the wild. I missed my "sure thing" opportunity in Chicago due to illness and other obligations. I googled and googled places to see snowy owls and Duluth, Minnesota seemed like the best option. But did I really want to go to Duluth in February? Yes. Yes I did.
I researched and researched birding hotspots and got a new set of tires for the car. I checked weather dot com daily, hoping for no big Minnesota blizzards. I had every intention of going by myself, but then Friday morning while I was driving Logan to school, he asked if he could come along. I was stunned. I mean, it's a long drive and the only thing I had planned was birding. He wanted to come. Okay, cool. Let's do it!
I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive. Our usual road trips involve the van that has TV and video. And comfortable seats. And doesn't stink like red river hogs and zebras. Would Logan be bored to death on the drive? Would we spend more time at the hotel pool than birding? I need not have worried, my boy is loving this trip!
We left home around 1pm Saturday. Logan had football until noon and Kaylin and I had knitting until 12:30. We drove along the Illinois River to Lacon and saw tons of bald eagles. We then drove up through Rockford and Madison, past Wisconsin Dells, and finally stopped for the night in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. We spent ~6 hours driving, with ~2 1/2 more hours to Duluth. We stayed at the only hotel we could find- a Holiday Inn Express- and Logan was thrilled to not only have his own bed, but to get to use hotel blankets for the first time in his life! (Only Gene will get that.) We were on the road by 8am, headed toward Duluth. We were the ONLY people on the highway, it was a gorgeous day and we were full of excitement. Full of excitement to the point I guess my foot was a little heavy on the gas pedal because I flew past a well-hidden cop who promptly pulled me over and gave me my first speeding ticket since 1990. Crap! Oh well, at least he was super nice about it. We moved on at a much slower pace and arrived in Superior, Wisconsin. I found the airport and fairgrounds where a snowy owl had been spotted the day before and looked and looked to no avail.
We headed over a huge bridge into Duluth, where we stopped at the touristy lakefront area. Logan skimmed rocks over the ice at the edge and it made a weird whistling noise. We then walked across the lift bridge and walked along the sandy beach on the other side, looking for rocks and driftwood and marvelling at the ice "caves" along the lakefront. We drove up along the north shore of Lake Superior, stopping occasionally to hunt for rocks or just play. I didn't realize how few and far between our dining options would be and it was after 2pm before we found a small town and a McDonald's. We then went on to Gooseberry Falls State Park which reminded me very much of Starved Rock State Park, with trails and canyons. We hiked probably at least 2 miles and saw some little birds, lots of cool scenery, some mini squirrels I have yet to identify and a pair of young deer that came right up to the bird feeders at the visitor center. I think Logan enjoyed every moment of the day and even lugged full-size binoculars on our entire hike.
It was late afternoon and starting to get dark. I wanted to check the Superior airport area again before total darkness so we headed back that way. I had pretty much given up on seeing snowy owls for the day, but when we were headed over the bridge between Duluth and Superior, I looked up and there was one perched on a lamp post! I think I screamed and scared Logan to death, but he looked quickly and saw the owl! Not only was it the first wild owl Logan's ever seen, but it was a SNOWY OWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We headed to the airport and didn't find the owl so decided to try going back over the bridge to see if the OUR owl was still there. It wasn't. We found a Comfort Inn in Duluth, ate dinner at the Perkins next door and Logan swam for an hour.
It's almost 8am and Logan's just starting to stir. Today we're planning to head north to Sax-Zim bog. It's a well-known birding hot spot, known for sightings of great gray owls. I don't have a lot of hope of seeing one because they are most often seen along roadsides when the snow is deep. There might be a quarter of an inch of snow in areas the sun never hits, but nothing deep enough to even cover a mouse. It's sort of like how bald eagles flock to the open waters of dams when the weather is extremely cold, but when the water is open they spread out all over the place. I still want to see Sax-Zim bog just to say I've been there, in case I don't get up this way again. If we make it back to town in time, we then plan to go to the zoo before starting our journey back home.
Yee-haw! Logan's awake and getting ready. We'll grab some breakfast, pack up and get a move-on! So far, it's been a really fun trip!
After the dramatic tears of sorrow and frustration, knitting is impossible class, Kaylin sat down and learned to knit. Of course, she couldn't knit like everyone else, she had to do it her own way. And of course, her own way is about 10X cooler than the regular way :) For whatever reason, Kaylin decided to knit using pencils rather than knitting needles and proceeded to knit a really cool headband and some wrist band bracelets. The pattern looks like it was done by an expert. She took her stuff to class and I figured the instructor would be offended by Kaylin's lack of respect for the "right" way, but she was impressed by her creativity and watched Kaylin knit with pencils and finger knit for a long time. I think Kaylin won "Most Improved" for a one week period. She was thrilled by all the compliments from the other students and I imagine she'll continue to knit long past our final class. I, on the other hand, feel that I have fulfilled my commitment and may never knit another stitch. Yay!
I had a week of E-time I needed to use up before the end of March. I would really have loved to take another birding/zooing road trip with Meghan, but we're too short-staffed at the moment for both of us to get the same time off. I still wanted to go somewhere and do something; I wanted to go birding somewhere I'd never been, but where? My biggest goal for this winter was to see a snowy owl in the wild. I missed my "sure thing" opportunity in Chicago due to illness and other obligations. I googled and googled places to see snowy owls and Duluth, Minnesota seemed like the best option. But did I really want to go to Duluth in February? Yes. Yes I did.
I researched and researched birding hotspots and got a new set of tires for the car. I checked weather dot com daily, hoping for no big Minnesota blizzards. I had every intention of going by myself, but then Friday morning while I was driving Logan to school, he asked if he could come along. I was stunned. I mean, it's a long drive and the only thing I had planned was birding. He wanted to come. Okay, cool. Let's do it!
I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive. Our usual road trips involve the van that has TV and video. And comfortable seats. And doesn't stink like red river hogs and zebras. Would Logan be bored to death on the drive? Would we spend more time at the hotel pool than birding? I need not have worried, my boy is loving this trip!
We left home around 1pm Saturday. Logan had football until noon and Kaylin and I had knitting until 12:30. We drove along the Illinois River to Lacon and saw tons of bald eagles. We then drove up through Rockford and Madison, past Wisconsin Dells, and finally stopped for the night in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. We spent ~6 hours driving, with ~2 1/2 more hours to Duluth. We stayed at the only hotel we could find- a Holiday Inn Express- and Logan was thrilled to not only have his own bed, but to get to use hotel blankets for the first time in his life! (Only Gene will get that.) We were on the road by 8am, headed toward Duluth. We were the ONLY people on the highway, it was a gorgeous day and we were full of excitement. Full of excitement to the point I guess my foot was a little heavy on the gas pedal because I flew past a well-hidden cop who promptly pulled me over and gave me my first speeding ticket since 1990. Crap! Oh well, at least he was super nice about it. We moved on at a much slower pace and arrived in Superior, Wisconsin. I found the airport and fairgrounds where a snowy owl had been spotted the day before and looked and looked to no avail.
We headed over a huge bridge into Duluth, where we stopped at the touristy lakefront area. Logan skimmed rocks over the ice at the edge and it made a weird whistling noise. We then walked across the lift bridge and walked along the sandy beach on the other side, looking for rocks and driftwood and marvelling at the ice "caves" along the lakefront. We drove up along the north shore of Lake Superior, stopping occasionally to hunt for rocks or just play. I didn't realize how few and far between our dining options would be and it was after 2pm before we found a small town and a McDonald's. We then went on to Gooseberry Falls State Park which reminded me very much of Starved Rock State Park, with trails and canyons. We hiked probably at least 2 miles and saw some little birds, lots of cool scenery, some mini squirrels I have yet to identify and a pair of young deer that came right up to the bird feeders at the visitor center. I think Logan enjoyed every moment of the day and even lugged full-size binoculars on our entire hike.
It was late afternoon and starting to get dark. I wanted to check the Superior airport area again before total darkness so we headed back that way. I had pretty much given up on seeing snowy owls for the day, but when we were headed over the bridge between Duluth and Superior, I looked up and there was one perched on a lamp post! I think I screamed and scared Logan to death, but he looked quickly and saw the owl! Not only was it the first wild owl Logan's ever seen, but it was a SNOWY OWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We headed to the airport and didn't find the owl so decided to try going back over the bridge to see if the OUR owl was still there. It wasn't. We found a Comfort Inn in Duluth, ate dinner at the Perkins next door and Logan swam for an hour.
It's almost 8am and Logan's just starting to stir. Today we're planning to head north to Sax-Zim bog. It's a well-known birding hot spot, known for sightings of great gray owls. I don't have a lot of hope of seeing one because they are most often seen along roadsides when the snow is deep. There might be a quarter of an inch of snow in areas the sun never hits, but nothing deep enough to even cover a mouse. It's sort of like how bald eagles flock to the open waters of dams when the weather is extremely cold, but when the water is open they spread out all over the place. I still want to see Sax-Zim bog just to say I've been there, in case I don't get up this way again. If we make it back to town in time, we then plan to go to the zoo before starting our journey back home.
Yee-haw! Logan's awake and getting ready. We'll grab some breakfast, pack up and get a move-on! So far, it's been a really fun trip!
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