Explorations: Relict Prairie

I remember once a few years ago hearing that there was some prairie land in Pennsylvania, and thinking that there must be some mistake.  Prairie and Appalachia do not seem to go together.  When I think prairie, I think Laura Ingalls Wilder, I think North Dakota, Montana, and Kansas, I think bison.  So, with all these thoughts about what and where a prairie might be running through my mind, imagine my surprise to find that not only is there prairieland in Pennsylvania, but that it is only about 45 minutes from my home.

The Jennings Environmental Center, near Slippery Rock, is a state park that allows preservation of and education about the ecosystem of its relict prairie.  "Relict" simply means it is what now survives of what was once a much larger ecosystem, meaning the prairie land was once much more expansive than it is today.  The  prairie is only about 20 acres, and it is the only protected prairie in Pennsylvania.  It helps protect some rare, and in a couple of cases endangered, species of plants and animals, including the blazing star flower.  In short, this land is a real treasure, and it is practically in our backyards.  We simply had to go visit it.

A few days ago, when I began to look into the details of the prairie, I learned that it was in full bloom, and would only be in full bloom for a short period of time.  So, off we went.  When we arrived, it seemed as if we were just going to any old wooded park. We found the entrance to the trails, and off we headed.  The majority of the trails are woodland trails, but the do lead to and connect with 2 trails through the prairie.  And there was no mistaking when we hit the prairie portion of the trails.  It was, in a word, dazzling.

The area opened up from trees into wide open fields, with the blue sky above.  The fields were ablaze with the vivid colors of many different plants and flowers, and several different types of butterflies were floating about.  Immediately, I began wishing I had a better camera.  But as it was, I did get to capture some truly gorgeous photos.

We walked the two trails through the prairie, which was about half a mile total.  Then, we ended up on the woodland trails.  I actually found the trails a little confusing, one constantly leading to another, to another, to another.  We had no map, so after walking in the woods for about an hour, I started getting a little nervous that we were walking in circles.  I pulled the map of the trails up on my phone, and we then found our way back to where we needed to be, and got to walk back through the prairie before returning to our car.

A few times in my life, I have experienced nature in a way that is so pure, and serene, that it cannot help to bring me joy.  In graduate school, I had a place where I could go, enjoy nature, and think about life.  I often find myself missing that place a lot.  In Celtic spirituality, there is a reference to a "thin place", a place where heaven and earth are most thinly divided, where man can easily experience the divine, where God and His majesty are most evident.  To me, I often find thin places in nature, and I feel certain that, in this beautifully preserved prairieland, I have found another.

You can see the rest of my photos from the prairie here.

Out of Town: Outer Banks (Part 2)

This continues my recap of our wonderful vacation earlier this summer.  Make sure you check out Part 1!

On day 5 of our vacation, we decided to head up north again, this time to visit Roanoke Island.  I had big plans for all the things we would do there, but I seriously underestimated how far of a drive it was.  It took us about 2 1/2 hours to get there, including the ferry ride.  Because we did not want to be away from the dogs too long, we decided that we would spend our time on Roanoke visiting the Elizabethan Gardens.  They were stunning!  We also took some time walking around Festival Park and taking in the sites before heading back to Ocracoke.  If we ever go back to the OBX, I really would consider staying in Roanoke or Manteo.  There is a ton to do and see, and it is not only cute but chock full of history.  We wanted to see the Lost Colony play, but it just was not feasible. (It was so bright that day, and the sky was cloudy, so all my photos look hazy and washed out, stupid white balance.)

Because we had been packing so much into our days, by day 6, we needed a day to just chill. We slept in, and then we walked over to a nature preserve on Ocracoke, called Springer's Point. This is allegedly the area where Blackbeard's treasure might be buried. We did not dig however, we simply enjoyed the view. We went to the beach later that day, and were shocked to find it compl full etely empty. We soon realized why; the winds were whipping sand all around and the water was too rough to venture into. We went out for a little date night for the best meal we had all week, dinner at Howard's Pub. I even got to see a bit of the sunset from their rooftop deck.

  Saturday, day 7, was our last full day of vacation, and we decided to make the most of it. We got up at 4:30 am, and went to the beach to watch the sunrise. Let me tell you, it was totally worth it. It was simply spectacular. We went back home, and Hubby took a nap, while I walked to a part of the island we had not seen, the houses there were so lovely. Then, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach. Which was great, until I realized I had a horrendous sunburn. It made it tough to get a good night's sleep.

  The next morning, it was time to say goodbye. We headed out pretty early, and on our way back up through the Outer Banks, we drove through the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge. Sadly, we did not see much wildlife. We spent the car ride home dealing with two car sick puppies, and my terrible sunburn. Still, it was all worth it.

I have spent a lot of time trying to determine what my favorite part of the trip was, and I have come to the conclusion that there was not favorite part.  It was all amazing, every last second of it.  I am so happy that Hubby and I had such an amazing week.  While we are not the kind of people to go to the same place every time, and we like to have variety in the trips we take, I do hope someday we return to the Outer Banks.  We had an amazing time, from the car ride there, to the ocean knocking me down (quite a few times), to eating dinner at our beach house.  I would not change a minute of it, not even the sunburn.

Feel free to check out my photos from the whole trip here. There are many really great pics, but a word of warning, there are over 1000 pictures total!

Out of Town: The Outer Banks (Part 1)

I cannot believe I put off writing about our vacation for over a month now.  I guess I did not want to come to terms with the fact that it is over.  Also, that is the same reason I am citing for still having sand in the trunk of our car.  I am splitting it into two posts, so that it won't be as long or as picture laden.

Since we started dating, Hubby and I have been fans of taking small extended weekend trips, but had never gotten to take a big vacation.  Partly, this was due to the fact that Hubby was never able to get a week's vacation in the summer time.  Last yer, however, Hubby changed positions at work, which meant he was only competing with a few other people for vacation availability.  He was able to get a vacation time in June, so off to the beach we went!

I volunteered to do all the driving on the way down.  I was so excited to go, we actually left an hour early.  We loaded the bags, put the dogs in the car, and off we went.  Our destination was Ocracoke Island, which meant 14 hours of driving, a 40 minute ferry ride, then a short drive down the island to our beach house.  We actually arrived several hours early, but I called the reality office and told them we were going to be early.  They let us check into our house 5 hours early, so that really gave us half a day extra, which was so awesome.  We spent that first day unpacking, exploring the island, grabbing some dinner, and then, we went to the beach.  I had not set foot on these shores in 12 years, so it was good to be back!

The next day, we got up, ate breakfast (we ate most of our meals in), and headed out for a busy day.  We went to Teach's Hole (the Blackbeard museum), the Preservation Society Museum, the Visitor Center, and the British Cemetery as well as some family cemeteries, explored the streets and shops, and ended the day with an amazingly romantic sunset cruise.  The island is so quaint, and full of history.  It is necessary to take a ferry to access it, and most people either walk, bike, or ride golf carts to get around the island.  I just love it there!

On Tuesday, we ventured north into other areas of the Outer Banks.  We took the ferry to Hattaras, to visit the Graveyard of the Atlantic museum, the Hattaras Lighthouse, the Bodie Lighthouse, and the Pea Island Nature Preserve.  Back on Ocracoke, we also visited the wild pony pens, and of course the beach.  We actually took the dogs to the beach that day, and they were unimpressed.

Wednesday morning was a pretty exciting start to the day.  I had decided to go para sailing.  Hubby opted to stay shore and watch.  The rest of the day was really low key.  In late afternoon, we went to the beach, just to walk and take some amazing pictures.  Like the big kids we are, we spend some time writing in the sand, and admiring some sand sculptures.  We stayed on the beach and watched the sunset.

So that is a brief summary of the first half of our vacation.  I cannot even put into words how wonderful and relaxing it was.  I loved the fact that we stayed in a beach house, which felt so homey.  We were able to cook healthy foods, snuggle up with our dogs, and just relax.  Out internet was not working at the house, which was a blessing in disguise, because we really just got to unplug.  Stay tuned to hear about the rest of the trip, and feel free to check out my photos from the whole trip here.  There are many really great pics, but a word of warning, there are over 1000 pictures total!

Cartoons By Hubby: Midlife Mysteries

"Nancy Drew and the Case of the

WHAT THE HELL WAS I SUPPOSED TO PICK UP AT THE STORE"

Backstory: This morning before leaving for work, Hubby mentioned that he was going to stop at the store, as we needed sandwich bags for his lunch and garbage bags.  Hubby was insistent that there was some other dry good type thing we needed to get.  I ran through the basics (paper towels, toilet paper, laundry soap, etc.) and with each suggestion, we discussed how we had plenty of that item, so it must be something else.  He was thoroughly frustrated that he could not remember.

Around noon, he texted me and said "Kitty litter is the mystery item we need".  I congratulated his discovery, to which her replied (I am paraphrasing) he would like to see that no good so and so Nancy Drew figure that  out any faster.

Thirty minutes later, he sent me the drawing.  This is what almost-middle-aged people do.

Thankful for.... being waylaid

We have been at the beach this past week, and today was our last full day here.  I was determined to make the most of it.  Hubby is not much for swimming in the ocean, so he happily sat on a blanket in the sand and read, as I swam.  Periodically, I would leave the water to sit and chat with him, drink some water, and make sure I was not getting too much sun (I failed at that last one, ouch!).

After one of my breaks, I was heading out to the waves, when I heard a tiny little voice cry out "follow me".  I turned around to see a little girl playing in the surf.  I though maybe she was just talking to the water, so I started to walk out into the waves.  Suddenly, she ran up to me, quite insistent, and cried "I SAID, follow me!".  She then ran off to a pile of sand she created, and kept making sure I was following her.  When I got over to her, she told me the pile of sand was from her digging her own pool.  She then told me that she would let anyone come to her pool, all they had to do was ask.  It was so simple, so sweet, so accepting.  She said "You can come into my pool if you want".  So, of course, I sat in the wet sand, and chatted with her.  She rattled on and on, about how she was at the beach with her mommy and daddy, and it was a "honeymoon", which I think was her word for vacation.  She asked if I lived at the beach, and when I told her no, but I wished I could, her breathless reply was "wouldn't that be lovely?".  She told me her name was Kate, and pointed her mom out to me.  Her mom smiled and waved, which leads me to believe she is used to Kate making friends with strangers like this.  

Kate began drawing in the sand and squealing when the surf would wash away her drawings.  Then she noticed that when the surf receded, tons of tiny little clams could be seen.  She then picked a handful of them and gave them to me, and told me to take them home with me.  I thanked her, and told her I was going to put them in my beach bag.  

I walked over to Hubby, told him I never made it to the water, and explained why.  I finally did go into the waves, and during my next break, I watched Kate frolic with more of her new found friends.  She approached people of all ages, races, body types, you name it.  She was spreading joy with equal opportunity.  

As I watched Kate walking along the beach with her dad, I could not help but think of all the people she must have made smile today.

In the Big City: A Night with John and Jonathan

I know, I know, this blog post is way overdue.  I meant to do it last weekend, and time got away from me as we were preparing for vacation.

Shortly after Hubby and I got married, he introduced me to the musical stylings of a guy named Jonathon Coulton.  Jonathan used to be a computer guy, with musical dreams.  He took a leap of faith and left his programming job to follow those dreams.  His early songs contain lyrics that really appeal to the geek culture, on topics such as robots, zombies, and (surprise) computer programmers.  He completed a project called Thing a Week, where each week he wrote a new song, many of which are pure brilliance.  His newest album features songs which seem a bit more mature, deeper, and heartfelt, although the same can be said for many of his older songs as well.

Last fall, we got to see Jonathan open for They Might Be Giants.  While the concert as a whole was great, we totally enjoyed his opening act more than the headline performance.  It was then that we vowed that if JoCo ever came to Pittsburgh as a headliner, we would, without a doubt, go see him.  We found out that JoCo was in fact going to be in Pittsburgh this summer, and despite the fact that his show was a mere 3 days before we were leaving for vacation, tickets were purchased fortwith.  As the days, hours, then minutes to the show ticked away, I could barely contain my excitement.

We arrived at the the venue, Rex Theater, five minutes after the doors opened.  This means we got right up to the stage.  This is an intimate feeling venue to begin with, but being at the front was tantamount to being at a little coffee shop performance.  I could just tell this was going to be amazing.

As the show time arrived, I noticed this guy casually taking the stage, tuning a guitar, and I thought, man, that is a burly looking sound guy.  Silly me, that was no sound guy, that was John Roderick, lead singer of the band The Long Winters, and my new fangirl crush.  He started talking a bit, and really engaged the audience.  He asked for a request for his first song, and someone yelled out "Cinnamon" (video is not from my show, but another show in the tour).  He sang the song, and Hubby and I became instant lifelong fans.  His voice is so pure, and mellow.  And his singing is so earnest, honest, and unrestrained.  He clearly loves what he does, and has fun every time he performs.  Not to mention there is something incredibly romantic about his performance.

  Don't just take my word for it, view the video I shot. I wish I had shot more, he was that amazing.

 

Once he was finished, there was a short break, and then the man himself, Jonathan Coulton took the stage.  I may have squealed a time or two.  Or ten.  I make no bones about the fact that Hubby and I are geeks, but we were in good company, as this was a room full of geeky awesome people, and JoCo was our king.

Jonathan's music is fun, and musically quite intricate.  His songs are really so full of heart, packaged in such a way that us nerdy types will relate.  And a lot of his music is just really really fun.  Again, here is someone who clearly loves performing.

I was happy that he played a lot of his old standards, as well as cuts from his newest album, Artificial Heart. He did a good blend of silly songs and serious songs, playing some of our favorites of each type. He even let "his henchman" sing a song, which was excellent.

 Once again, do not take my word for it that JoCo is amazing. Listen for yourself.

Both John and Jonathan put up with a lot of ribbing from the crowd. Nerd type people often do not realize when a joke has gone too far, and are prone to perfecting the art of beating a dead horse.  As a result, there were way too many jokes about the performers ordering us pizza, based off of John's quip about a burgh based pizzaria named Pizzaburgh, mentioned in the opening act. Still, the guys all took the jokes in stride, and I felt like they both made a real effort to connect with the audience, which contained all ages. I was standing near a father who was with his preteen son and teen son, all three singing the words, and Jonathan spoke to the youngest son during the show. You could tell it made that kid's night.

The show ended with John taking the stage with Jonathan and his band, to sing some songs together, including their duet from the Artificial Heart album, Nemeses.

And then, the best show closer ever, they played a cover of Bad Company's Feel Like Making Love (this video is not from my show but another show during the tour, still, you get the idea).  It was nothing short of amazing, and I am still kicking myself for not recording it.  John Roderick was playing a broken guitar, and he still kicked major tail.

The show was nothing short of pure magic.  We stayed after to meet John Roderick, and buy one of The Long Winters' albums, which he happily autographed.  We wanted to wait for JoCo, but we were exhausted and still had a long drive home, so sadly, we had to leave.

Since the concert, over a week ago, I have listened to pretty much nothing but the Jonathan Coulton station on Pandora (to which I also added The Long Winters), and I cannot wait until I can see both of these amazing performers in concert again.

View the rest of my photos from this night of musical magic here.

Pomp and Circumstance

Last summer, I wrote about how proud I was as I watched my brother graduate from his Nurse Practitioner program at OSU.  Now, I get to proudly tell you about watching my sister graduate from her Early Childhood Education program at Ohio University.

Back home, we have a regional campus of Ohio University.  It is the campus that I attended when I went for my undergrad education.  It offers amazing educational opportunities to those who seek them out, it provides an educational environment for people who would otherwise have no access to higher education.  Because it is a strictly commuter campus, the scheduling often allows for "non traditional" students to begin or continue their educational endeavors.  My sister was one of those "non traditional" students.

Four years ago, after much thought, Kim decided she wanted to go to college to become a teacher.  To anyone who really knows her, this is no surprise.  My sister is amazingly patient when it comes to small children, and creative in ways I could never dream of being.  She has a way of engaging with kids that makes them just take a shine to her.  It is kind of magical to watch.  So, her becoming a teacher seemed as natural as breathing.  But it required a lot of work.  For four years, I have watched my sister balance work, family, a home, and school.  While this often required a bit of juggling, she never let any of the balls she juggled drop.  And I have watched her husband and kids help support her along her journey.

 
I have seen my sister make wonderful friends in her program, friendships that will last a lifetime.

This past weekend, all the hard work finally paid off.  My sister graduated from college.  And not just graduated, she graduated Magna Cum Laude.  Where we are from, it is still somewhat rare for people to have a college education.  The fact that my parents have three kids, all of who are college graduates, is a big deal.  I cannot tell you how incredibly proud we all are of her.  I had tears in my eyes pretty much the entire weekend, because I was so proud of her I could just burst.  The fact that she was graduating from my own Alma Mater made it that much sweeter.

We got to hold a graduation party for her, and so many people came out to celebrate the momentous occasion.  While we did have to chase away some rain, the day ended with a beautiful rainbow which ended on my parents' property.

Thank you Kim, for allowing me to be a part of your journey, for inspiring me to never give up on my own dreams, and for being such an incredible role model to those around you.  I love you so much, and am so proud of you.

View the entire photo set here.