bodner044

Today was a long day.  The picture of Josie and Maggie tells it all.  We left Minneapolis at 9 a.m. central time and arrived here nine hours later - definitely their longest time ever in the car, ever.  We were all ready to get out - "Mom - are we there yet?" Having said that, it was a beautiful drive.  Blue skies, moderate temperature, varying landscapes - all the reasons that we have come West. Folks here have a sense of humor - I suppose you have to when summer (per the locals) is only June, July and August. Example: billboard along 94 West - "North Dakota Morning Commute"  - the picture showed a completely empty road. Example: owner of Buffalo Gap Guest Ranch, our accommodation for tonight: "60 degrees below zero keeps out the riff-raff." Once we arrived, the most we could manage was drinks on the patio of the ranch - tough, eh?  It was particularly difficult with the view!

Yes, 2 places in 3 days that have the same name - not a typo!   Today has been a walk down memory lane in many respects, some memories almost 30 years old and some literally freshly born ... As some of you know, I graduated with a Master's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1988.  I have been a Christmas correspondent with several of my fellow students during the last three decades, but we have not been together in the same place in all that time.  Until today.  I was so delighted to have dinner with a fellow graduate that came all the way from Duluth for the occasion.  We had a delicious meal and even better conversation.  I am so grateful for relationships that can pick up where they left off, even if that was many moons ago! This stopping point also presented an opportunity to visit with a former member of my HR team and his wife, who are celebrating 8 weeks with a newborn.  It was a blessing to rock the baby to sleep and give th...

Today offered a little more sanity. Up at 8 am for a leisurely quality breakfast at the Extended Stay .... not.  We took a walk down the street to the Starbucks - Spicy Chorizo sandwich for me and Bacon, Egg and Gouda for the Spousal Unit.  Along the way, we passed a local fun park.  It was deserted on a Friday morning at 9.30 am, but I can imagine it jammed with children licking dripping ice cream cones after the mini-golf and the kiddie rides. Next thing I know we are crossing the mighty Mississippi - I can never get over the width of it.  On the other side?  The great state of Iowa - and home to the World's Largest Truck Stop - Iowa 80. A few important facts about Cedar Falls: It was originally named Sturgis Falls but was later re-named Cedar Falls after the Cedar River.  However, there is not a waterfall anywhere near the town. There are more than 100 miles of scenic trails in the Cedar Valley.  We enjoyed part of  lovely trail along...

Well, we made it.   Our day started at 7 am (hard for retirees who aren’t used to getting up until 9 am!) in order to be ready for the movers at 8.   And they were right on time!   Almost nine hours later, we left the house in Troy on our way to Bloomington, IL, our first stopping point.   As I write this, I am still coming down from the adrenalin rush – the Smirnoff Ice Screwdriver is helping!   I remember that we crossed into Indiana around 5.30 p.m., and that Josie complained as we went through Indianapolis, but most of the five hours to Bloomington is blurry.   There are a couple of notable exceptions. Mile 200 on 74 West in Illinois – there is a sign for a Scuba School, with a number to call.   I am pretty sure there is not a body of water deep enough for scuba diving within 200 miles! We had an unparalleled opportunity to experience MULTIPLE instances of the great American past-time – road construction.   My personal favorite was the piec...

Tomorrow is the day.   We start our seven-day journey from Ohio to Montana. So much has led to this point in time.   Selling the house in Cleveland.   Moving into temporary digs near Dayton.   The retirement gatherings.   Flying #1 Daughter to San Francisco for her summer internship.   Taking the cats to the vet for a final check-up. Transitioning the computer and Rav4 to #1 Son. Supervising the packers who boxed everything to be loaded on the truck tomorrow. It has been a whirlwind; we are ready to get on the road! Josie among the boxes As I have been preparing for this and thinking about blog posts for our trip, I studied other westward journeys and I learned a few things (or re-learned my eighth-grade history – take your pick). The Louisiana Purchase occurred in 1803, opening up western territories.   Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition to map the newly acquired area, to find a practical route through it, and to establish an...

I am sad to say that our family experienced a sudden, unexpected death this past week.   Such times inevitably result in personal introspection – what is the state of our relationships with others? Are we at peace with God if tomorrow we should meet our Maker? During these moments of self-examination, I often turn to nature for consolation and inspiration. The crabapples in our neighborhood are in full flower this week, but those flowers are susceptible to the wind.   At one house, so many petals had fallen that it looked like a drift of snow up against the grass. On our patio, the scattering of petals mimicked snowflakes.   So delicate.   It made me sad to think that so quickly the spring beauty of the trees would be gone. Then I looked at the crabapple that donated the petals, and saw the bumblebees that were working overtime to collect the pollen before the impending thunderstorm stripped the tree.   The flowers may pass away, but they will be replaced by th...

One Christmas, the Christmas tree that we had painstakingly tied to the roof of the Chrysler mini-van flew off onto the roadway behind us, narrowly missing the car that was in our wake.   Of course, we quickly braked and then reversed to retrieve the precious cargo.   (As a result, Spousal Unit jammed the tree into the back of the van to avoid another catastrophe. As Number One Daughter tells it, she was pulling pine needles from her hair for weeks after this event since the tree was practically in her lap.)   Anyway, the point is – we didn’t leave the tree on the side of road. Apparently, we are alone in this practice – our recent road trips have presented numerous opportunities to observe trash on the highway.   Ever wonder about the various belongings that are smashed up against the concrete barrier?   Take the metal frame of a table – did someone see that fly off the back of the truck and think ‘thank goodness we don’t have to take that to the landfill!’ Or ...

Another one of my ‘goals’ for retirement has been to start cooking again.   Spousal Unit (chief cook and bottle washer for the last 20 years) welcomes this, but with a bit of smirk that becomes more and more understandable as time passes.           Exhibit A: Me: “Why can’t I get the ice cubes out of the tray?” Spousal Unit: “Try twisting the tray.” Me: “Wow – it works.” Spousal Unit: “You have so much to learn.” Of course, my “rookie” status has led to some gentle hazing from the expert.   One morning, I offered to help with breakfast.   His response? “Can you make the toast?” Me: “Retirement is going to be fun – we better keep sharp objects out of the kitchen.” Since then, we have partnered together to make several items (with no calls to 911).   Pineapple Carrot Cake Salmon Quinoa Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes But I don’t think I am out of the woods yet.   As we prepared the shopping list for the sloppy joes, Sp...

What is the wellspring of my love of gardening? It could be my Dad – throughout his life, his lawn and garden was an art form to be perfected through back breaking work, often involving his crew of seven kids.   Late in life, he found an ideal outlet at a garden center and earned money on the side trimming trees.   You know, pruning the trees was not really about the money - he saw it as a labor of love, both for the tree and especially for its owner.  I learned so much from Dad about how to employ pruning to shape a tree, how to cut In our neighborhood the branches to keep the specimen healthy, how to look at the tree with a critical eye – Spousal Unit would say that all of the kids inherited the ‘family stance’ – we stand back from the yard or the tree, put our hands on our hips and lock our knees – all with a view to determine if perfection has been obtained, or if something is still out of place. Volunteer pansies in the back yard It could be the wonder I experience ...