Lemonade award

I really appreciate getting a "Lemonade Award" from Donna at www.gatheratthefarm.blogspot.com! This is supposed to reflect a blog with "attitude and/or gratitude." Now I'm supposed to nominate at least eight blogs I follow for the citrus-y honor. I had a real problem putting the logo on my site -- part of the instructions that came with the award. I tried for days -- even enlisted Jack who, for all his years with IBM and teaching MIS at OU, couldn't do it either. Today I turned the problem over to daughter Zoe in England. She did it in a manner of minutes! I don't know how, so don't ask. She's such a whiz at computers! Anyway, now I have it on here and I'm supposed to list my eight. This is going to take a little time because apparently Donna and I like a lot of the same blogs! So stay tuned, I promise to make my list within the week.

Looking for Adventure?

I was working on my article about Grand View Lodge and called Maury Duval for a few details. He's the one who took us dog sledding. Our rides were short and lots of fun but nothing compared to the trips he plans for people with more time, more money and more of an adventurous streak. He takes groups of up to nine people on combo dog sledding/winter camping treks to what he refers to as "the boundary waters." The excursions start from Ely in far north Minnesota and go up to the Canadian border. "We see wolves, moose, mink, eagles, otters and occasionally the elusive wolverine and we ice-fish for lake trout," he told me. "Our camping equipment is tested to minus 60 degrees so we stay warm. And we have great meals -- some outfitters just take cans of stuff like Dinty Moore stew. We have steak for dinner and" fresh baked biscuits with sausage gravy for breakfast." He suggests that first-timers take a two-day/one night trip to make sure they enjoy it. For others, he'll arrange longer outings. Talk about getting away from it all. This is an opportunity to travel in virgin territory. Sounds like an amazing opportunity. If you're interested, contact Maury Duval, All-American Sleddog Kennels, 218-828-4665.

Frozen Follies

The ice fishing contest was quite and experience -- a lot of fun -- and it makes a great story. It did present some challenges -- like keeping the camera batteries warm enough to work. I took the picture (above) from the scissorlift. My friend Paulette got up in the lift and her camera wouldn't work! What frustration for her. Down below, Clare and Traci kept warm with their amazing snow dance.

Go Granny, Go

In the afternoon, after the dogsledding, we took to a more contemporary mode of transportation -- snowmobiling! I'd never done this before and felt pretty sporty trying out a couple of the machines. A slick little red number caught my eye and I was in love! There are miles and miles of groomed trails around Grand View Lodge. We helmeted up and, after an exploratory loop on the lake, took off. We zoomed along beside the highway, into the woods and over lakes. We started out at a leisurely pace but the macho guys leading the pack soon picked up speed. I had to get brave or lose sight of the machine in front of me. We averaged about 30 mph but, once, across a lake, we got up to 50. I was feeling pretty cocky and figuring I was going to really rack up the granny points with my three grandsons. Alas, pride goeth.... I took a curve too quickly and slid up a snowbank where I sat like the cherry atop an ice cream sundae until one of the guys came up and got my snowmobile back on the trail. It's really tacky to feel better at someone else's misfortune, but I have to say I did experience that awful feeling when I rounded a corner to see three of the men pulling another snowmobile out of a ditch. The rider was unhurt, so maybe I don't feel so bad! We rode between 20 and 30 miles and my thumb was starting to ache from pushing the accelerator -- and I had to pee. Our leader asked if we'd like to make a potty stop or just head home. I girded my bladder and voted for home. It was only about 15 minutes more. When I finally got back to the room and started peeling off the layers, I discovered my thighs felt like ice. I now have another use for the hairdryer!

Going to the Dogs

I can't believe I came home from frozen Minnesota only to hear the weather man say we're about to get a really bad winter storm - freezing rain/sleet mix. And it won't be fun like Minnesota. The dogsledding was a real highlight. We went in shifts - two of us riding on the sled, Maury Duval driving the team of 10 dogs. Maury made the sled himself using white ash. Cindy sat in back and I squished up against her as tight as I could get. With a shout of "hike" we took off on a groomed trail that wandered over the snow-covered golf course. At first the dogs squabbled amongst themselves, more interested in social and anti-social behavior, but they quickly settled down to business. We clipped along at about 12 mph. On one curve, the sled swung wide and we headed for a tree. Maury halted the dogs and Cindy and I clambered out so he could lift the sled out of the snow and back on the trail. We were just about to load back up when the dogs got impatient and took off. Maury grabbed the sled and, pulled off his feet, went skidding down the trail on his side. As he passed Cindy she heard him say, "This is not good!" He finally got the dogs stopped and we loaded up again. We were almost home when we slid around another corner and turned over. I toppled out, head first into the deep snow - getting snow in the eyeholes of my spiderman mask. I had to dig my new camera out of the drift. It survived like the little trouper it is. Maury mumbled something about more weight on the front of the sled making it tougher to turn. Hmmmm, I believe I was the weight on the front of the sled! I wish I knew how to operate the video feature on the camera. I would love to have recorded the sound of the dogs and their eagerness to get to work. They were truly amazing and this was an experience of a lifetime.

Fish Fear Them

"There's a whole ice fishing culture," Larry Stelmach told me as he huddled over a hole in the ice at the 19th Annual Ice Fishing Contest. "Some people think we're crazy. It takes a special kind of person to do this." He's not kidding -- and he's not alone. There were approximately 10000 people on ice-covered Gull Lake. It was -15 when we left the lodge at 10:30. I think it made it up to 0 by afternoon. Fishermen -- and women -- started lining up to have their fish weighed just minutes after the opening cannon. And they kept it up for several hours, hoping for prizes. The big winners are the charities supported by this fab festival and the community which has developed such a great cameraderie in the effort. Was I cold. Yes, but not as much as you might think. Of course, I had on so many layers of clothing that I couldn't bend my arms or legs -- two pairs of wool socks, two pairs of long underwear (one silk, one cotton), blue jeans, insulated pants, a turtleneck topped by a sweatshirt covered by my down coat, insulated gloves and boots, a knit headband over my ears and topped off by my now beloved and much appreciated spiderman mask! What a great day! I still hate cold weather but these Minnesotans know how to party and they don't let a little thing like cold temps slow them down. And they're cute. Lots of lumberjack-looking guys -- towering hunks with lots of facial hair and nice manners. Larry offered me a beer. After my, "No, thanks," he added, "Would you think I was rude if I had one." Are you kidding? What a gentleman. And he took off his glove to shake my hand when I left. I was impressed. But then, a lot of things have impressed me on this trip.

Great White North

I'm looking past the computer monitor at a vista of tall pines and snow. There's a long path, shoveled, lined with lights, leading down to the frozen lake. It's absolutely beautiful and absolutely cold. High today has already been -- 20 -- it's headed down to 2 by this afternoon. The skiers have just left and the first group of dogsledders is out now. I'm waiting my turn. I have on so many layers, I can hardly bend to sit! Are we having fun yet -- yes -- and it's just going to get better!!!!

What Was I Thinking?

It was 6o here today. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 78. And I'm going to Minnesota where the temperature Friday is going to be 5. What's wrong with this picture? Oh, I have all my warm clothes -- two pairs of long underwear, wool socks, insulated pants and gloves, neckscarf and hat. But it occurred to me that my face is going to be hanging out. Margaret Kysar suggested I go to Ace Hardware and get one of those knit thingies -- a hat that comes down over your face but with holes for your eyes and mouth. I've got good news and bad news. Ace had them. That's the good news. The bad news is they only had kids' hats. And I didn't have time to run all over town trying to find a nice grown-up one. So I'm going to Minnesota with an evil Spiderman mask. The good Spiderman hat is red with a black web. The evil one is black with a white web. My ensemble is blue and black. So I will be coordinated. I promise a picture. It should be so amazingly embarrassing that it will be lifted to an iconic level. And I'll bet there'll be a little silent envy by those less sartorially spectacular ..... or less warm.

Cat Lovers Unite

If you love cats, you'll love www.icanhascheezburger.com. The pictures are great and the captions hysterical. And, occasionally, they include other animals. The video of the hedgehog eating a carrot is a hoot. I'm too cold to go in my office and use the computer there - the one with my photos on it. So this will have to do for today!

I've Got Good News and Good News

Congratulations to Kansas City on their listing as one of five international destinations to watch this year! I love Kansas City -- have a great time EVERY time I visit. That's the good news. And now more good news -- this designation came from SmarterTravel.com. I checked this site and found LOTS of good information including a chart of all the airlines "extras" charges. Bookmark this site -- it's a gold mine.

Sad News

My friend and fellow writer, Sharyn Kuneman, died. I wish I had a picture to put with this post. I see her clearly in my mind's eye -- short, strawberry-blond hair and always smiling. Whenever I saw her name on the list of journalists for an upcoming press trip I knew it would be a fun trip. She was a great traveler; never let glitches get her down and she was the first to tell a joke on herself. I remember sitting with her at breakfast in Freeport, Maine, and talking about funny things that had happened to us on trips. One of her stories was about a time she only took one pair of shoes on a trip -- and got them wet. How to dry them fast? Hmmm, how about the microwave. It seemed like a good idea until the microwave melted the glue that held the soles and the uppers together -- and, all of a sudden, she had topless bottoms! I'm glad she shared that -- sounds like something I might try -- like the time I decided to warm my pajamas in the microwave and, not realizing there was a kleenex in the pocket, set them on fire. Sharyn will be fondly remembered and greatly missed.

A Puzzling Tradition

Jack and I spent the evening putting together a puzzle given to him as a Christmas present by the 3rd grade class he reads to each week. He'll take the picture to school tomorrow to show the kids. This puzzle was pretty easy. Last year the class gave him one of a red barn in a snowy field in front of a snowy mountain range. We didn't finish that one until spring break! This is supposed to be a travel blog -- but what does a travel writer do on vacation? Stay home!!!!! Hang with me -- I am hitting the road again in two weeks and I'll get back into work mode.

Christmas Is Officially Over

That's not a theological statement, just a physical fact. Jack made me take the tree down today so the recyclers could pick it up and mulch it -- sort of tree reincarnation. I loved the tree. I loved getting up in the gray early mornings and turning on the lights to enjoy their colorful sparkle. Now all that's left of it is a pan of yucky water and piles of needles. Rats!

This Is Just Gross -- And I Love It

The only thing weirder than someone who owns a brain jello mold is the person who bought it for her! I absolutely love weird. I've had this brain mold for a long time. I only used it once but didn't get the jello solid enough and when I unmolded it, the brain ran all over the plate. I happened to mention the mold to my minister's wife. Two of her children were studying the brain in their enrichment classes and she asked to borrow it. She was successful and got major props from the classes when she showed up with edible brain on a plate. I was talking to another friend who shared a new recipe for a raspberry/cranberry molded salad. It included whole berry cranberry sauce, raspberry jello, pineapple, pecans with sour cream mixed in -- a lovely pinky-purple color. You can see where this is going, can't you? My grandkids were duly impressed -- but they refused to eat it. Too bad, it was really good!

Big Day at the Bird Bath

One of the best buys we ever made was a heated bird bath -- it's better than television. Boy, was it busy today. I counted 14 species -- most I could positively identify: chickadee, cardinal, blue jay, robin, tufted titmouse, house finch, goldfinch, wren, hairy woodpecker, bluebird and junco. Three I'm not sure about -- simply my best guess from poring over the bird book: pine siskin, yellow-rumped warbler and hermit thrush. Anybody else seen any of these or are these outlandish guesses? The other day there were five male cardinals in the trees in the back yard -- looked like God had tied bright scarlet Christmas bows on the bare branches. Today I got this picture of the bird bath -- sorry it's a bit blurry. You can enlarge the picture by clicking on it. You can easily see the cardinal and blue bird and robins. There's a goldfinch tucked behind the robins. Happy birding!

Read All about It

Nice article about my son-in-law Simon Forward in todays "Cornishman." I'm so impressed with his writing -- he really works to craft each sentence and puts them together with such wit. I hope my own style is "breezy" and conversational -- not simply sloppy or slapdash -- but I'm humbled in the presence of a REAL writer!

Squirrel Wars

Jack has an on-going battle with the little critters who regularly raid our bird feeders. We have a squirrel guard on the support pole -- it's about four feet above the ground. One of the more adventuresome squirrels climbed a nearby walnut tree with a branch that aaaallllmmmoooossst

hung over the feeder. The squirrel would venture out as far as he could on the flimsy limb then drop three feet to the feeder, hoping to balance on the slender rods. He was pretty successful until Jack went out with the pole saw and trimmed the tree. Then Jack sat in the kitchen with his cup of coffee and laughed as the squirrel went up and down the trunk looking for his branch. The squirrel has had the last laugh because now he backs up and launches himself at the squirrel guard, hoping to land above it. And, as you can see, he's succeeded! Oh well, squirrels need to eat, too, but at least the obstacle course slows them down.

Partnerhood of the Traveling Pants

Caution: No picture accompanies this entry. Viewing such an image could be hazardous to your sense of humor!

I don't know what possessed me -- I HATE COLD WEATHER -- but I've accepted an invitation to go to Minnesota in January. Well, I actually do know what possessed me. I need a great winter story and the pictures of Grand View Lodge plus the list of activities -- dogsledding, sleigh rides, ice fishing, skiing and snow tubing, snowmobiling and an elegant spa for unwinding -- looked irresistible. So I had to break down and find some insulated pants. They arrived just in time for our bitter cold snap and I came home from walking the dog yesterday morning (it was 16) absolutely toasty. Here's the bad news. Pants big enough to go over my butt are made for people 7 feet tall -- I'm just 25 inches short of that. Talk about a roll-up! And here's worse -- Jack wore them when he walked the dog yesterday afternoon. Needless to say, they looked better on him. Here's a visual for you -- if it snows on me when I'm bundled up in my new ski pants and my down coat, I'm going to look like a walking igloo! But I'll be warm.

O Christmas Tree....

I finished decorating my Christmas tree last night -- only two weeks later than usual. I love my tree and thoroughly enjoyed putting on each ornament. It seems it's all about me! The decorations reflect things I love most -- my family and travel.

In the close-up, you can see the Arc de Triomphe, a London bus, a Chinese lantern, an Oklahoma bison, a Lake Charles, Louisiana, alligator (that's the magenta ornament in the top center of the photo, and a Scottish bagpiper. There's also a Simpich cloud baby -- souvenir of a Kappa Kappa Gamma Christmas homes tour in Kansas City - about 40 years ago. You can just barely see a little tin frame (from Laredo, Texas) with a picture of my oldest grandson, Calvin. The other two boys, Austin and Alexander also have framed pictures elsewhere on the tree. There's also a little white paper wreath with a picture of my son Jay - made when he was in pre-school.

The tree is dotted with over a dozen jigsaw wreaths with pictures of family members. They're all my favorites, but I especially love the wreath with my mom and dad. Mom's been gone seven years and dad ten, but they're always in my heart and no Christmas would be complete without sweet memories of Christmases past.

Calgon, Take Me Away

I was shivering at my desk yesterday when I got a cruelty email from Padre Island. It was reminding me that South Padre is a real bargain, warm and where I want to be. Yes, they occasionally have a cool day this time of year but all in all it's a great nesting place for snowbirds. And for birders -- from South Padre over to McAllen are some of the best birding spots in the country. Dolphin tours are popular and New Year's fireworks are a real blast. Check out their web site at http://www.sopadre.com/. In the meantime, I'll just grab another blanket and pretend that freezing my butt off will make me thinner!