Day 10: Favorite Color

A visit to Lewis and Clark Cavern, between Bozeman and Butte, offered up many colors.

It was 55 degrees inside this cavern complex. So many different formations, from huge columns to very thin, barely there growth made this a very enjoyable visit. We spent about an hour and a half bending over, squeezing through tunnels and between closely formed rock columns. We stepped down 600 steps, slid on our behinds down a very slick section, and stood in complete darkness as we were told about a CCC worker who tried to make a buck from stealing. I saw pipe organs, bacon, waterfalls, a baseball bat, and a native house. A very nice way to spend an afternoon indeed!

Day 9: BIG!

Do I need to say it- Montana and Wyoming are big, have big landforms, have big miles between cities and towns, and have big places to visit. I drove about 4 1/2 hours on Monday through some big, beautiful countryside of Wyoming and Montana. The landforms were fabulous, the sky was a perfect blue, and the Wind River Indian Reservation scenic canyon drive was a delight to drive, even though it slowed me down somewhat. Take a look at what I saw on Monday, July 9, 2012:

There are very beautiful rock formations in the canyon and along both sides of the road through most on Wyoming and Montana. The soil is different colors on some of them, and there is an obvious difference in the time periods some of them were developed. Because there are such long stretches between cities and towns AND not so much traffic in some areas it was easy to slow down and get photos OR snap them from the open window or windshield. There are places which remind you this is definitely the northern USA and weather plays a serious part in traffic flow and how snow is slowed down from crossing the roads. I have seen many snow fences which keep the wind from blowing snow all over the roads. There are also signs indicating roads are closed during the winter. Then you come upon a striped gate which closes so you must turn back. This makes it easier for sled dog teams to train on snow covered roads!!! No worries about traffic!!!

Day 8: Lunch

When I travel I generally eat in the car. Today my lunch started at about noon and continued until about 4:00!!! I had a nectarine, then some cherries, then a few pieces of Wayne's pretty good beef jerky, a package of six chocolate cookies, salad I made on Sunday, more beef jerky, and more fruit. I figure if I stop to eat I'll take more time than if I eat in the car. I got to Casper, Wyoming at 10 pm Mountain time, way further than I anticipated stopping. Had I eaten lunch and dinner in the restaurant I would have, mostly likely,not made it that far. So, here's to simple meals, drawn out meals, and eating in a beautiful environment that isn't 100 degrees! That was food for my eyes and will be described at a later date.

Day 7 GARDEN

I do not have one so I do not have a photo of one!

Day 6 CHAIR!

Virginia, place of my birth. Virginia, where I went to grad school. Virginia, where our nation got her start in 1607. Virginia has four obvious seasons, unlike where I live now that has going to be hot, hot, hotter, still hot. I spent 25 years of my life in Virginia watching how to be a teacher, learning to be a teacher with five years of formal post high school education, and four and half years being a teacher (You have to count student teaching, as it was some of the hardest work I ever had).

I grew up in Fishersville, a very small town with two elementary schools and one high school. Most people went through all twelve years of school never transferring as is the norm now. Many of these people still live there or in a town/city close by. We all had our churches which we went to every Sunday. The public library was very small but we met our friends there generally every two weeks in the summer when the books were due. There were several spots everyone knew: Shopquik, Mitchell's Grocery, and the mini golf area with the in-ground trampolines. And no, no one ever broke their neck there even though there was no protective fencing, wire, or protective perimeter. (Correct me if I am wrong!). High school was fun with clubs, student government, sports, and community service events such as the March of Dimes walk in Gypsy Hill Park. What a hoot that was with the tallest guys talking the steps for each dime pledged. As far as getting around the park first I think we won the first year I participated, but in reality our recipients were the winners. No one expected a token trophy or medal because we didn't need something tangible to make us feel good,unlike today's kids, many of whom think they are owed something for helping others.

Off to college I went, LONGWOOD COLLEGE. First it was an all girls school, then the state put a stop to that. Sophomore year we went co-ed and it was weird at first, however we got used to it. Again there were clubs, frats and sororities, sports, music, drama, skipping classes to go to VMI, and classes we got to CHOOSE to attend, or not. We were adults and given so much freedom. For some this was a disaster and they left by Christmas, others lasted the whole year. For me I knew this was my ticket to a successful career so I needed to be somewhat serious. I did in fact get it done in four years, joining a social fraternity (yes females have fraternities!) and was inducted into an honorary one as well. Graduation brought mixed feelings, as some had jobs waiting others did not. Enter the University of Virginia, totally unexpected. No job except for the hotel one in Virginia Beach. I had no idea what I would do until I talked to a guy in the hotel bar about grad school. After I discovered scholarships might be able for UVA I quit my job, went to interview and in two weeks was enrolled in a graduate program, provisionally that is. I had no GRE scores so I needed to get some. November of that year I tested and was surprised at how well I had done. I could have never gotten in undergrad with my SAT scores (seriously way under the minimum required!). I finished all classes in one year, except one I got a C, same as an F for UVA. I had a job teaching adaptive PE in Norfolk as long as I passed that last class.

I did and spent two years teaching in three schools, writing IEPs, and creating a regional games for Cerebral Palsy. We took kids to national CP games in Rhode Island one summer and those kids came back to break their records the following year at our event. Norfolk, Virginia was also well represented at all Special Olympics events and I was so proud to be able to see growth in my students from one S.O. event to the next. While in Virginia I was trained by national trainers and received National Special Olympics coaching certification/training in at least three sports. I knew that would come in handy. (More on that later). Living in Virginia ended when I went to Munich, Germany to teach PE. From there I moved to Oklahoma in 1985. People tell me I'm an Okie now since I've lived here so long. WRONG! I'll always be a Virginian who lives somewhere else. And those Special Olympic coaching certifications I got? I was told my services were not needed where I live now. What a mistake they made! So Day 6 Chair- How my UVA chair would bring back memories for this blog entry, I wasn't sure. I am glad to have been brought up in Virginia, been educated in Virginia, been employed in Virginia...All of this was the foundation for the rich life I have experienced. I clearly have not spent much of it sitting in the chair.

Day 5 On the Floor

Wayne cannot believe all of my shoes. What he does not understand is they all have a different purpose. You don't wear flip flops to church, nor do you wear nice shoes on a hike. Granted, I do have about 10 pair of fake Crocs. Orange (regular and water shoes), blue (light/dark), green, rainbow, purple, white, pink, and black (currently living in China!). A person cannot wear purple fake-Crocs with a black and red Chinese outfit, now can I wear green ones with my blue dress. Athletic shoes- Last year I had to have two pair of black shoes for my job in Alaska. Since I wore them for work I couldn't use them for hiking in Denali, meaning I needed a pair for walking. I needed nice shoes for the train and if you wear them for other situations they cease to be nice. Rainwear footwear is a necessity, as when it rains it pours and you really need rubber shoes for that. LL Bean's duck shoes are great and now they are made as slip-ons. Does all of this justify my need for different shoes? Well of course it does. It's not like I have Jimmy Choos, nor do I want Jimmy Choos. I can make a house payment for the price of a pair of those! I digress... Shoes go on the floor, walk on the floor, and bring color to another wise drab piece of carpet- on the floor.

Day 4 Having Fun I thought I would be having fun making these little peach pies, however it was not as I had hoped. I have only done this once, with my friend Sandy in Nebraska, in June. She made it look way easier than I found it to be in my own kitchen.

The smell of peaches, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg- WOW! That mixture alone was amazingly aromatic. The crust, however, was a different story. It was my first time ever making pie crust by myself and I couldn't get it thin enough with a Tupperware rolling pin so I guess I need to buy a wooden one. Maybe I am just too hard on myself. Looks only matter if you're serving to others than the people in your house! Taste was great, smelled awesome...Next time will be better!

OK, I had to add this photo, even though this is supposed to be one idea per day.This is Cadie and she makes me happy to see her. She's Erika's dog and is a real hoot...so active and such a puppy! So I'm having fun!