Road Tripping

Mark Twain Lighthouse - Hannibal, MO

Home again, home again ... we're back home in Maryville after a week's worth of traveling, having left last Friday on a road odyssey/vacation that took us through Mt. Vernon, IA, to Marseilles, IL to visit Lauren's parents and family, to Urbana-Champaign, IL, to visit Lauren's friends whom she hadn't seen in several years, to Hannibal, MO, boyhood home of Mark Twain (and now tourist attraction du jour ... everything in the town either had Mark Twain's name attached to it or was related to the Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn mythos in some way ... we guessed that Clemens would probably be rolling in his grave if he knew what his name was now attached to).

Along the way, our journey took us to several bed and breakfasts, including Blythe Cottage Inn in Mt. Vernon (a nicely appointed basement and cottage house), and Lulabelle's in Hannibal (now a very well run B&B and restaurant-bar next to the river. It plays off the noteriety of the building's former use as an, ahem, brothel, in earlier days).

We also found a selection of coffeehouses in various locales ... Fuel and Brewcasso in Mt. Vernon, as well as another in downtown Champaign (sorry, we forget the name), and Java Jive in Hannibal (where we found out that even Mark Twain frequents the place for coffee ... one of the local faux Clemens was there in the morning). As Lauren observed, "looks like even the local characters stop here."

Brewcasso Exterior and Fish Boil


































Mt. Vernon found us stopping at Brewcasso last Friday night for a different reason: their take on the "Door County Fish Boil". The summer hosts at the coffeeshop had been throwing several special reservation-only dinner nights; the previous Friday's meal had been an Ethiopian one, but the one we attended was a Door County, Wisconsin tradition from the days of Norwegian fishermen where whitefish and potatoes were cooked over an open fire (in particular, the fish were boiled to remove the "fishy" taste from the fillets). The hosts, a nice couple from Wisconsin with 10 kids (5 adopted Ethiopian), had decorated the dining area with Packers memorabilia and were playing football-themed music.

Brewcasso Interiors




















http://www.brewcasso.com




















While we watched the preparations and chatted over appetizers (Wisconsin cheeses and summer sausage, accompanied by a chilled raspberry soup), the hosts performed the ritual of boiling the fish and potatoes (apparently, the important part of the boil is the boilover, which removes the starch and also helps put the fire out). Needless to say, the meal was excellent, accompanied by several varieties of fresh bread, and topped off by fruit pie a la mode from a local church bake sale (trust me, it's Iowan fruit pie ... having lived there for six years, I've found there's none better).

The Boilover




















After a light breakfast at the B&B, the following morning found us stopping by Fuel, another equally eclectic coffeeshop in town, for tea. (If you do make it there, be sure you arrive there early after opening for their berry scones ... hot out of the oven and crumbly.) We had to get back on the road shortly thereafter, but not before we sampled prune and poppy-seed kolaches at the local farmer's market.

Lunch found us at the "original" Iowa Machine Shed restaurant in Davenport, where Lauren was quite amazed by the decor (I think it was the hayrack/tractor rides they give in the parking lot that really impressed her).

With that, it was on the road to Marseilles and a stop at Lauren's parents for a few days of visiting her family, including meeting her Aunt Peggy and her sister Lisa's family, some walking "down near the river" during Marseilles Fun Days, a trail walk and sightseeing at Buffalo State Park (complete with buffalo), followed on Tuesday by breakfast and some sightseeing at Starved Rock State Park (named for the historical massacre of a band of Illini Indians by a band of Potawatami where the Illini were chased to a bluff, surrounded, and "starved") ... I'm given to understand that in more recent days, the park has its share of accidents (falls), often caused by stupidity, where people fail to realize that the law of gravity applies there as elsewhere in the world ;-).

Below: the Great Hall of the Starved Rock Lodge















The Buffalo at Buffalo State Park















On the way back from Starved Rock, we did some wine tasting, and Lauren also introduced me to Polancic's tenderloins ... she has often commented that the tenderloins done in her area make the best tenderloin sandwiches out there, so of course, we stopped for lunch so she could prove this to me. After that stop, she was proven right.

On Wednesday, we set out for Urbana-Champaign, arriving at about 10:30 that morning for a slightly rainy walk downtown and some shopping... among the finds were (for me), a 1st ed. copy of the Star Trek Concordance, and for Lauren, a Christmas gift. Later on, a find for the parents was a Senseo pod coffeemaker at the local Habitat for Humanity store.

The afternoon brought lunch with Mariellen, one of Lauren's Quaker friends, and a small tour of the UIUC campus, which I "almost" attended back in 1996 (and in one more case of "almost but not quite", I would have missed Lauren by about 3 years, as she had departed in 1993 for upstate New York). One stop was Espresso Royale in Urbana ...as Lauren noted, the back room space was reportedly once a bar that was George Lucas' inspiration for the cantina in Star Wars.

The evening brought dinner at the "best Thai restaurant in the Urbana-Champaign area" with friends from Lauren's former "Saturday Night" group (from left, Ken Sarno; the group's informal mentor, U of I professor emeritus Les Savage; Chris Mayer and Mike Barkley; followed by Lauren and myself), followed by a stayover at Ken's "new" house out in the country 25 mi. south of Urbana (which provoked a small amount of house envy ... especially when Ken showed us the new addition which will eventually house the hot tub).

Lauren's Friends at Dinner











Thursday afternoon and this morning brought us to Hannibal, where besides the aforementioned Lulabelle's (staying in the "Gypsy Rose" room), we occupied ourselves at the local stops, scavanging for scrapbooking supplies for the wedding guestbook/scrapbook, dropping in for ice cream at Becky Thatcher's, earning survival certificates for climbing the 244 steps up to the Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse on top of Cardiff Hill (and making it back down again), as well as stopping at Jam Session, the local pipe and bowed instrument shop, where we both tried a bowed psaltry and Lauren added a new tin whistle to her collection.

At Java Jive, we lamented with some of the local customers a recent city council decision to remove the trees from the downtown area because they thought that the tourists would be offended by the bird poop. The crews with the chain saws were out even as we watched.

Wedding Planning

Once again, it's very, very, very hot in Maryville (95 yesterday, 91 today, 97 Saturday, 98 Sunday) ... but not at our place ... thankfully, the HVAC crew passed their certification test and finished up the heat pump installation, and we've been in cool comfort for the last few days (especially since the storms that came through yesterday evening). We're hoping we can go to the local county fair sometime today or tomorrow.

On other fronts, Lauren and I finally started doing wedding planning (budgeting, getting reservations, checking with family, etc.). It's been a little stressful at times (paring down the guest list, for one thing), but slowly but surely we've been making arrangements (church, officiant, and reception), designing our invites, pouring over websites for cost-conscious wedding ideas, doing our budget planning, selecting attendants, and coming up with something nice out of it for all of us. We'll have more details later as we go. In case anyone is wondering, we're registered at Wal-Mart, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Amazon.com ... just do a search on either Leach-Steffens or the reverse, and you should find us.

Sleepy Sunday

Today's been a sleepy Sunday ... 4th of July is fast approaching, and it's been really warm again here (temps in the mid 90s Friday, and a 100- degree day yesterday), so apart from church this morning, both of us have been keeping indoors under the a/c, with the exception of a walk Saturday morning (while it was still a little overcast) to the local Farmer's Market. Between the walking and going on a diet, Lauren's lost about 8 pounds so far ... she doesn't think it's noticeable, but I do. And for me, it's good for my health, as well.

We'd planned to go camping out at the lake Monday and Tuesday for the 4th, but the threat of storms for the next few days has ruled that out, and a road trip to central MO wine country got postponed (Just as well, given the 10 cent a gal. price hike in the last few days).

Over the weekend, we took a break from the Babylon 5 marathon of the previous week and finished watching the last half of the anime series "A Vision of Escaflowne" ... quite enjoyable, except I still wonder what happened with the ending, which to me made no sense given the characterizations of the two leads, Van and Hitomi. We suspect a last minute (and poorly written) rewrite or editing cut (or maybe a badly translated dub). Without spoiling the ending, suffice it to say that if you are a romantic, you'll likely be disappointed (and tempted to write your own fan-fic ending to replace it). Note: this is the series version of Escaflowne, not the movie reimage which, in the opinion of my fiancee, got everything wrong.

Weekend Camping

Lauren and I were up in Des Moines this weekend for a camping trip and to visit friends. Every year for the last couple of years, the Tai Chi group/book club I belonged to has held a solstice celebration ... a campout where we reflect, let go of past issues, and enjoy feasting and friendship. I hadn't camped out for awhile, but things went quite smoothly, the weather cooperated, and we all had a great time.

I also got to stop by my old church and catch up with everyone ... it was good to see everyone there.

Way Cool Blog

There are blogs, and then there are blogs ... while surfing over the weekend, I ran across the coolest weblog/informative/life improvement site (especially if you're a geek, as both myself and my fiancee can lay claim to the title).

The site is called Lifehacker ... it's a tasty mix of techie information, personal improvement widgets, and out and out tips and nice to knows.

http://www.lifehacker.com/

It's Just Too Darn HOT Here

Literally. The temperature in Maryville this afternoon is up to 99 degrees. We're hoping that it rains and cools down this evening and weekend ... and just that. We'd hoped to go camping this weekend (a trial run out at Mozingo Lake, a few miles out of town, to test out the camping gear), but between the weather (heat going to a chance of storms later on), and the bass fishing championship out there, which has probably taken up most of the RV and tent camping slots, the lake is probably too darn busy. Oh well. There'll be other weekends.

Apart from some brief trips outside to do maintenance on the watercourse (cleaning a pre-filter), cutting some fresh dill from the garden for a lunch dish, and some garden watering, we're staying indoors and vegging today under the a/c.

House History

A couple of days ago, a couple of visitors dropped by in the morning. As it turns out, one of the visitors, an older gentleman, was visiting relatives here in Maryville, and stopped by to see his old house and take pictures ... he had lived here back in the early 1950s. What followed was an interesting discussion about the house's history, which at the time he lived here, was apparently quite smaller. Until he built on a few pieces, the northern third of the current living room was an open porch and both the storm cellar/back deck/porch and second bedroom/office and bathroom didn't exist. When we asked him what they did for a bathroom, he pointed to a grove of trees next to the garage and said, "We had an outhouse back there." (It's long gone and filled in, but it probably explains why the trees grew pretty well in the back yard!)

It became quite clear that we owed this gentleman a lot (in particular, the comforts of indoor plumbing).

The Beginning of the Sleepy Season in Maryville

Well, it's Memorial Day weekend in Maryville. Which is to say, "There's not much going on around here." We enjoyed a weekend of sunny weather until, of course, today -- so we're celebrating the beginning of grilling season by not grilling.

Not to say all is boring in the summer in Maryville. It's definitely a different feel to a town whose social life is largely driven by what's happening at the college (or, alternatively, what's being served at Your Maryville Hy-Vee). Summer in Maryville tends to include the following attractions:

1. Horses. At Sonic Drive-In. As one enterprising young rider put it, "Saves on the gas money."
2. The Chatauqua. At least every other year, we get a visit from a traveling show of historical reenactors. This year, the event highlights Theodore Roosevelt, Fred Harvey, and George Washington Carver, among others.
   
3. BBQ. BBQ is a constant, between Bubba's new restaurant and roadside stands like Hey Vern's and Pink Floyd's. (However, too much BBQ will lead to me being a BBW.)
4. "Getting the Runs will give you the Blues". No kidding -- this was the official t-shirt of the Maryville Marathon/Blues Festival a few years ago. These events are hosted in the same weekend.
5. The Art Fair. There's some pretty good local and traveling talent that shows up at this small art fair every year in early July.
6. The County Fair. See and be seen -- what else does one do at a county fair? (Personally, I like the big slide...)
7. Fishing and camping at Mozingo Lake. It's finally getting warm enough that tent camping doesn't require thermal survival blankets.

I haven't even mentioned the surrounding area, which features such gatherings as the Hopkins Picnic, the Pickering Horse Show, the Graham Fish Fry, and some other happenings I haven't discovered yet...

On The Road Again (continued)

Yesterday was an experiment in mobile blogging ... I sent in yesterday's entry with my Treo, and would have added the photos from the trip, except we're still experimenting with a way to get the photos from my Treo to a laptop for uploading; you can post photos by e-mail on Blogger, unfortunately, none of my e-mail access from my Treo supports file attachments. I would have considered grabbing the photos off my SD card using Lauren's laptop; unfortunately, the hotel we were staying at had minimal Wi-Fi coverage ... only enough for her to check e-mail before wimping out, so I waited until I could sync the pics over to my laptop the next day after returning home. In any case, after a four hour drive back from Columbia, I'm adding this post with the pics before taking a loooong nap. Long drives are starting to get harder on both of us, I'm afraid.

The drive down and back left me with a few pithy conclusions about the state of interstate travel these days, none of them positive:

1. Despite gas prices lowering from their highs of recent months, it still seems like there is gouging (or some inaccurately caliberated pumps) out there. $15.00 doesn't fill your tank anymore (and I drive a fairly fuel-efficient and well-maintained car).
   
2. With troopers patrolling less and less due to increased gas prices, the days when most interstate drivers only kept to 5 or 10 miles beyond the speed limit are long gone. Average road speeds are now in the mid-80s/low 90s. With no enforcement, and long distances, people will speed because they can.
   
3. Because of point #2, tailgating and rudeness is on the rise. I had several cases where someone rode my back bumper, forcing me to slide into the slow lane, or used the slow lane to pass me.
   

The high points from the trip:














On the way down, Lauren took me to lunch at a Missouri winery/restaurant, Les Bourgeois, near Rocheport, that she had been to before and thought highly of, for both the view from the restaurant and the food. The pictures are of the restaurant and the incredible view from it, which overlooks both the Katy Trail and the Missouri River.















The food itself, we can both attest, was as good as Lauren promised, between a split appetizer, Cuban pressed sandwich for me and a panini for her, followed by a split dessert, and I'd highly recommend eating there, if you're on your way through Missouri on I-70. Their website address is below:

http://www.missouriwine.com

After the intern visit in Jeff City, we trundled back to Columbia for the overnight stay, and after checking into the hotel (and waiting out a nice rain shower, as well as meeting one of Lauren's professional organization colleagues to transfer a portable whiteboard), a search of the phone book and some web reviews helped us sort through our dinner choices. On the way to finding the restaurant, we checked out the homes (among them, some very nice, and very old, four-squares).

For dinner, we found a (thankfully) very inexpensive Thai place called Bangkok Gardens (26 N 9th St) for dinner in the District (historical downtown) area. Lauren had the Tom Ga Kai (coconut milk and chicken soup), while I had the Laap (Larb). While the Laap was a little greasy (we agreed it should have been drained a little more), it was mildly but satisfyingly spicy ... bear in mind that Lauren has me "in training", while I have to be vary careful about my spicy food choices.

After dinner, we walked around the downtown and window-shopped, discovering a very nice wine/cheese store and restaurant (see photo); quite expensive (we were content to window-shop), but they had a nice mix of domestic, Missouri-grown, and French wines.

On The Road Again

Just a short post for now, with more later. Lauren and I are in Columbia, MO on the way back from Jefferson City, MO, where she met with one of the interns she is supervising.

Pet Me! Pet Me! Why Aren't You Petting Me?

Why aren't you petting me? Why?
Signed, Kitty.

Almost Done

It's almost done. After two weeks of intensive packing, loading, unloading, and placement, the move is almost done. All I have left to do is bring in the suits from the car and hang those, and go dry clean some bedding post-move, and it's done. The move, that is. And I've got Internet access back, so I can begin job hunting again.





















In and around that, it's been a series of home improvement and gardening projects. Thank God Lauren is better at that than I am. I'm merely content to hand tools or hold up items on the wall while she works, or rake, hoe, and water outside.

Thankfully, we've been able to fit almost everything in the house (Lauren swears that the house is doing a TARDIS imitation because the house seems to have more interior space now and seems even more roomier than before I moved in, and that's with everything I moved down) ; we've gotten the living room and office to the point that we can see the floor again, just in time for one of the kitties (who have been guest posting during the move) to do a protest dump or yak near the litter box.




















The indoor and outdoor projects are done or very close; the aforementioned gardening is almost caught up, quite a few home improvements are either complete (bathroom renovations, with the exception of new tile and the possibility of heating plate beneath it), or planned waiting only for a weekend's effort (painting the exterior), or, like the furnace replacement and central air addition, four season room/outside deck, and exterior garage (so Lauren can start winemaking again), waiting only for long-term money.

Busy ... yeah, it has been. But we've been improving things as they go .

Purrrrrrrrr

Purrr ... I'm Opalina, or Opie the tortoise Tabby ... life is good, even if that evil Stinky isn't speeding around the living room, trying to sniff my butt or get in my face. Hah. Like I'd let her if I could move fast enough .... it's bad enough that I have to ask her for typing lessons so I can write this. At least she isn't chasing me around the house tonight ... I get all of the exercise I can stand from her running after me.

Tonight, it's finally quiet here; no more pounding on the walls, no more moving things around ... and Stinky is nowhere to be found, while I'm lying on the couch (ah, pillows!) feeling the breeze from the ceiling fan ruffle my fur. I think I'll go shed ... my owner (aka, she who provides the food), says that I "projectile shed" ... can I help it if I have a thick coat?

I've perfected this "look" which the humans call "pathetic". I call it using what I have ... right now, I'm using it on the new guy so he'll pay attention to me. That's not working, so then I reach over and combine it with a little gentle pawing ... one paw, right on the wrist while he's typing, and stretch out the paw just so, all while giving him the most yearning look possible ... now he's petting me ... purrrr.

End of the school year...

Well, I have survived another crazy busy school year! Finals week was especially interesting in that Richard and his stuff started moving in at about the same time I started prepping for finals. This was surprisingly not traumatic -- even with painting the living room the night after giving the first final! He dealt amazingly well with my finals mode -- "Pardon me, sweetie, but I'm locking myself in this room for a while to grade more papers, okay?" He'll adapt pretty well to marriage with a faculty member.

The highlights of this school year: mentoring three new faculty members and enjoying that feeling of being an associate professor; getting a few more students interested in research; finally writing that research grant I have been threatening to write for three years; realizing that winning awards is not as important as living a balanced life. The low points: watching my Korean colleague Jang-Ae get harassed by students.

Now it's the summer season, which is somewhat more relaxed but still busy. I will teach an online summer class, meet periodically with two students doing research projects, and supervise about 12 interns in Child and Family Studies. I will also finish planting the veggie and herb garden, design a kitty garden and a small rock garden, weed ALL the gardens periodically, put edging in the front border and perhaps around the side and back, and finish fixing up the pond with new water course that was added this spring. Yes, that's LESS BUSY for me.

Meow!

Meow! I'm Stinky, aka Stinkerbelle, or what my humans call the "evil cat". They are busy moving things around the house, and playing with some very smelly white liquid-y white stuff. I sniff the air. It's not milk. I wish it was milk. I'd love to play in it, but I can't, because they have me in the bedroom, with the DOOR SHUT. So I thought I'd type on the laptop (my owner calls it "sitting on the keyboard", but I know better). I can't type very fast yet (you wouldn't be able to either, if you were using your butt and tail), but between that and my nose, I should get faster.

All of this noise ... furniture being moved, items being put here and there (more things to crawl over and under, too!)

Ah ... there goes the big guy ... the new one with the hair the same color as my fur. I'm going to see if I can run between his legs and get out into the living room ... DARN. Not fast enough. The door shuts again.

Meanwhile, my other two pals, Kitty and Opie, lounge, like moving was just another day for them. I bat Kitty, hoping to get a rise out of her; predictably, she rolls over and lies there. Opie, meanwhile, just ignores me.

Oops! Here comes my owner. She loves me, even though I bite her toes.

Packing

Funny thing, packing. You find things you had thought lost, revisit the past ... a playbill and parking stub from the first time I watched Phantom (the musical, not the movie); books from your undergrad days. You also find things that make you wonder why you kept them for so long (of course, those go to the dumpster).

Bowing to the Inevitable

After a couple of weeks of job hunting in Des Moines (without much luck), Lauren and I have decided that it's time for me to move. Toward that, I'll be moving to Maryville, MO, and moving in with Lauren.

http://www.maryvillemo.org/index.html

I've given my apartment office my 30 day written notice, and I've started packing (and taking the opportunity to sort and pitch). My last day in Des Moines (for now) is going to be somewhere around May 12th.

In a way, it was inevitable. Sooner or later, at least one of us was going to have to move so we could be together. With Lauren having the better job situation at her college, and me being out of work, I've got the flexibility to move. It's a little sooner than I'd planned (I'd hoped to move in September or as soon as a better job developed in KC), but apart from that, it's probably the best circumstances for me to move, with no current financial or job ties (i.e., no house to sell).

Despite that, it's a little bit daunting because of the trade-offs. I don't have a job lined up there yet, and there's the challenge of trying to fit two household's worth of furniture and belongings together (and for me, the additional challenge of moving my belongings down there as efficiently as possible). And there will be some adjustments: I'm going to be giving up a lot that's familiar to me: friends, activities, places, entertainment venues.

In its place, I'll have a smaller town, and I'll have to look for new opportunities. But I'll be with Lauren.

Progress

Spent this morning filling out resumes online and submitting for three more positions, one in KC, one here, and one in St. Joe, Missouri. I don't doubt my skills or abilities. However, after talking to a few of my peers in my profession and sounding out the state of the profession, it's become clear that I need to diversify, or consider openings in academia, because the number of technical writing openings in the financial services/IT industry has dropped considerably in the last few months; jobs that were there aren't there any longer, or are on very short-term contracts.

Now the question becomes: "what else am I good at?" I've already got two Masters degrees and I'm carrying student loan debt. What can I do to extend/expand my skillsets? Where should I go next?

The Busy Season

Poor Richard is having to deal with one stressed kitty here -- it's the Busy Season in academia (the other Ivory Tower). The busy season starts in late February with midterms, followed by grading midterms, followed by what could best be described as "Banquet and Honor Season" -- just this week, I have been at an evening reception to honor Who's Who among American College Student recipients, a dinner and commemorative lecture given by an alum of the department who now leads the Family and Consumer Science and Nutrition section at the USDA, and tonight is the department honor banquet.

Next week, thank goodness, is Spring Break here, followed by more receptions and banquets: the honor society I help advise is receiving an Outstanding Student Organization commendation Monday, and I am invited to the Tower Service/Committment to Quality banquet Tuesday because I nominated one of the winners (I think). One of these days, I'd like to go to a banquet where I am actually being honored!

Ivory Towers

Hi everyone,

Just a brief update: today was the second day of working for an unnamed financial services company as a consultant. It's rather funny: back in graduate school, we talked about working in the ivory towers of business or academia, and now I find myself actually working in a tower ... even though I'm on the third floor of the building, it's still a bit daunting ... the cubicles are bigger, the goals are higher, the processes are even more complex than any I drafted at my old company.

It's nice to know that despite the new job and the new faces, that some things don't change except in degree.