Month: May 2017

Sunday Serenity: Green

Posted on by Annie

Spring the middle of the country is sure different than Spring in Southern California, where I grew up. The grass, the corn fields, the bird song, and especially the big trees have captivated me the last month or so. What were bare branches a few months ago, I have watched sprout tiny green buds that unfurl into different shapes, from big maple leaves to light, delicate cottonwood leaves. The wind blows through and the leaves shake and shimmer in the sunlight. Out my window right now is a riot of trees with branches so loaded down with green leaves that I don’t…

Read more

Weekly Update: May 17, 2017

Posted on by Annie

tl;dr: Left Colorado, got windshield damaged and replaced, loved Nebraska campgrounds, currently trying to avoid tornados in Kansas. Longer version… Last Wednesday seemed great driving, all “blue highways” from Fort Collins into western Nebraska, ending at Lake Minatare State Park. Beautiful park, with a ton of waterfront electric sites, lots of trees, and a big lake. It wasn’t till Thursday morning that I discovered that great drive had also left me with a great chip and crack in Bella’s windshield. So my first “tourist” activity in Scottsbluff was a visit to the Safelite glass place, where we arranged the replacement to happen…

Read more

Scotts Bluff National Monument

Posted on by Annie

Time to feature a National Monument since so many of them are under fire right now. These places are our shared history as a people, and we come to them to learn and to appreciate the courage and struggle that most of them represent. Scotts Bluff (named for Hiram Scott, who died here after being left for dead) was a major stop on the trails west: The Oregon Trail, The California Trail, the Mormon Pioneer Trail, and the Pony Express. Here’s the pass they went through on their way west. It is the Mormon Trail that my dad’s ancestors took…

Read more

Sunday Serenity: Small Things

Posted on by Annie

Spring, the season when everything feels new. Signs of growth are everywhere if you stop to look for them, like these tiny buds on pine trees in Colorado. Each cone in a pine tree can be male or female, and at this point they don’t even look like the pine cones most of us know. They have potential, though, and with time, sun, and water, they change. Soon, all these soft little ovals will harden and look like actual pine cones and then, the cycle of life continues as they grow, spread their seeds and keep the forests alive. Each pine…

Read more

Carhenge

Posted on by Annie

There’s something oddly mesmerizing about seeing a pile of old cars painted grey and carefully arranged into a faithful reproduction of Stonehenge. That a family did it to honor their patriarch makes it even better. I’m pretty sure my family owned more than a few of these car models back in the day. I’m also sure that if I suggested to my family that we do this to honor my late, car-obsessed dad, the answer would be a very quick round of nays. But the Reindars were no ordinary family. Jim Reindar, the artist and ringleader of this place, designed the installation and…

Read more