Baby Turtles and Exotic Birds are Magical

November 5, 2015November 5, 2015Leave a comment

Costa Rica is an unbelievable, underestimated, affordable gem of the Americas. When Joe and I visited Costa Rica we had high expectations to see amazing things and have some amazing experiences. We were not disappointed. The people of Costa Rica are friendly and welcoming. The food was fresh and we could drink water right from the tap. We swam in natural hot springs in the shadow of a volcano and we zip lined and took hanging bridge tours in the cloud forests and the rain forests. It is a beautiful, relaxing place to experience all kinds of fun.

I always travel with a camera so I can capture some of the coolest things, but I also try not to let my need for some photos interfere with my experience in the moment. I want to enjoy it firsthand, not see everything through the lens of a camera. In Costa Rica this was a challenge because I could have had my camera in hand the entire time with the constant, beautiful subject matter presenting itself.

As we hiked in the rain forest and the hanging bridges in the cloud forests, we saw birds that I did not even know existed. The beauty was shocking, and I loved spotting and trying to photograph the exotic birds, even though I am not by any means a bird expert. I was not always successful in taking good photos, but I did get a few beauties. We had read on the internet that one of the most mysterious and beautiful birds in Costa Rica was the Quetzal. I did not get a good photo of this bird, but we were there during its mating season and we did get to see a male and a female as they flew around through the thick forest canopy.

The Quetzal got its name from the Aztecs and they used the beautiful green tail feathers of the males in their ceremonies. These tales, told by our local guides, as we walked through the hazy, moist, dark, cloud forests, about the Quetzal and its connections to the Aztecs, a mysterious group of people that are shrouded in stories of elaborate ceremonies, human sacrifices and enormous reserves of gold, made the experience even more intriguing. Many books and movies have been done over the years and our interest and fantasies about the Aztecs helped set the mood as we quietly walked through the forest, clutching cameras and binoculars and stepping back into time. It helped that we also saw ruins and remnants of former civilizations all through Costa Rica. It added to the believability of the elaborate rituals and drama from the great civilizations of the past.

We also saw hummingbirds and their nests. Even though we have hummingbirds in Minnesota and see them occasionally, the number and variety in Costa Rica was like nothing we had seen before. We saw flocks of hummingbirds in the forest of Costa Rica and we saw many different species including one that was quite large. The parks and nature preserves had feeding areas that attracted hundreds of them in many different colors.

Costa Rica has been very proactive in preserving forests and habitat for their exotic birds and wildlife. We saw toucans and odd looking blue jays, as well as birds with beards and long fluffy feathers sometimes on their heads and other times on their necks. I have always loved hiking and I love looking around as I hike and in Costa Rica, I did not even realize how far we were walking, because we were so enamored with the surroundings.

Towards the end of our vacation in Costa Rica we signed up for a night time turtle hatching tour on the Guanacaste coast. We boarded a large van as it was getting dark at our resort. We had a driver and a guide. We signed up for the Turtle hatching tour, because we knew that it was green sea turtle nesting time. We
had seen the large green sea turtles while sailing the Guanacaste coast to go snorkeling in the days before our night tour. Turtle watching and hatching is a popular activity in Costa Rica. They protect their turtles and believe that education and connection between travelers and the turtles builds our appreciation of the turtles and helps to gain supp
ort for their protection. As we rode in the van, the guide informed us to be careful and not use flash on the turtles and to be careful not to step on the baby hatchling turtles. They wanted us to observe, but not interrupt the large females from laying their eggs and not disturb the baby turtles from their quest out of the sand and their race to the water.

We rode in anticipation along narrow dirt roads in the darkness, trying to double check our cameras to make sure we did not disturb the baby turtles. After we parked we still had a long
walk in the darkness, on a narrow path through the heavy brush that suddenly opened onto a dark beach, lit up only by a large orange moon glimmering over the water. You did not even need a flashlight to see the sand and what was ahead. The scene took my breath away. I had to look and pause, to soak in the moment. I could not believe DSCN1773 that I was here in this moment of time, surrounded by such beauty and nature. How lucky could a person be to be able to travel to such a place?

Time and other concerns became irrelevant; as we studied the edge of the ocean to see the large female green sea turtle lumber onto shore, heavy with eggs, to find the perfect spot to lay her eggs. As the guides whispered the details of the females’ trek to the beach upon which she herself had been born to lay her own eggs, we watched as she made her way to the tree line. As we saw her pick out the perfect spot, the other guide called to us in hush tones to come quickly, but watch our step as we made our way to another area where he had found a prior nest that was now hatching. We stepped carefully and stood still once we found our spot. As we watched, baby turtles no bigger than a fifty cent piece started popping their heads out of the sand, as if pushed from below and, as if being chased, they wasted no time in crawling as fast as their little flippers could take them towards the water and into the ocean. How they knew to run towards the ocean and not toward the trees, I do not know. If our guides told us I missed it, but I stood fascinated as one after the other emerged from the sand and each headed in the right direction. Not one went the wrong way, even for a few steps. They took off towards the ocean the minute their little heads emerged. There was no hesitation about which way to go.

Over the next few hours we moved from watching females the size of push lawn mowers, digging nests and laying golf ball size, pure white eggs, to watching in awe as the tiny bay turtles ran in the bright moonlight, for the safety of the ocean. I had to pinch myself that I was really there. I took few pictures so that I could fully drink in the complete experience. It felt magical to be on that quiet beach at night with waves gently lapping the sand and the moon lighting our way.

For someone like me, who does most of their work in an office and in Minnesota, this was a lifetime experience that left me wanting more. It was so healing. It was the kind of experience that makes you wonder why you have spent so much time indoors and you think hard about how you can travel more, spend more time outdoors and appreciate the nature and beauty of our world. It is not just that you want to see nature, you want to experience it. Experiencing nature changes a person. It touches you temporarily in the magical experience unfolding as you watch, but it also changes your perspective and it affects your permanent outlook. Those workday problems of the office seem small, conquerable and insignificant in the big picture.

I can put myself back onto that beach and into that rain forest, and I can feel my blood pressure falling and my stress level melting away. We know when we are with nature that we are small in
a big world and that we are meant to be outdoors and not struggling and stressing over things that many times do not warrant the amount of energy and worry that we choose to give to it. Spend more time in nature and in the appreciation of this big beautiful world, observing its magical wonders.

The Trevi Fountain and Incorrupt Corpses

October 22, 2015October 21, 2015Leave a comment

Rome is a fascinating place. Normally my philosophy is that each time you travel you should try a new placed, but with Rome, I could return and spend a month or more. The history and sites are amazing. Everything from the Vatican and Catholic wealth and history, to the crumbling ruins of the Roman Empire, the city is full of masterpieces in architecture, sculpture and paintings, and you do not have to be an art snob or a history buff to appreciate it.
I graduated from St. Scholastica with a double major in Nursing and Humanities. For the Humanities degree we had to specialize in one area, and my area was history. That bit of prior study in history, even though it had been many years before visiting Rome, was helpful, but not necessary to appreciate the splendor of the city. We did our research before traveling to make sure we see the best things the city has to offer.

You can take tours of Rome based upon the Dan Brown Novels, like The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, or you can take more general tours covering the most visited and famous fountains and Roman ruins. We opted for a general tour that included the fountains and especially Trevi fountain, which I had read about and seen in the movies all of my life. This tour also covered many of the sites which were in the Dan Brown movies, but also included the Coliseum, the Imperial Roman Forums, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon and many of the Roman ruins. It lasted most of the day.

We actually saw the Trevi fountain a second time while in Rome while just walking around the city at night on our way to dinner. It was lit in a way that made it look warm, romantic, beautiful and 110910 0506__313 mysterious all at the same time. It was as spectacular as I had imagined. We threw coins in the Trevi fountain and made a wish, just like in the movie Three Coins in a Fountain. Rome was a romantic and beautiful place.

The food in Rome cannot be forgotten. I am a pretty good cook
and I have been trying since we visited Italy to try to make some of these dishes. I have not succeeded. I don’t know if it is the extremely fresh ingredients or the spices or what it is, but I have not been able to even come close to that deliciousness. It is mainly pastas and pizza, but it is nothing like what we have here or anything that I could make, and then there is the wine that is amazing and the Limoncello after dinner. Wow! I have not been able to stop thinking about it.

We went on a completely separate tour of Vatican City and saw everything including St. Peter’sBasilica, the Sistine chapel, the Vatican Museum and we even took the 374 winding staircases to the very top of the Vatican Cupola, where we had a clear day and could see across the entire city. Both Joe and I grew up catholic, so seeing the Vatican after all of those years in catholic school was really something special from a historical, as well as personal perspective.

Joe had been an alter boy and always said he was on the Pontifical crew. That meant he was a server when the Bishop said Mass, at their church in New Ulm. It was a rare event and only the best alter boys served on the pontifical crew. So more jokingly than anything, he reminded me that he would be welcome at the Vatican, because he had served on the pontifical crew. I grew up with an uncle and a cousin who were priests, and six great aunts who were nuns, so I told him I would certainly be welcome, and so started the trash talk of who is the better catholic.

You cannot go into the Vatican with shorts, as you need to have your knees covered and your shoulders covered. We knew this from our research, so I wore a longer skirt and an appropriate shirt with sleeves. Many of the European churches require respectful and appropriate clothing, which is just fine, but it was surprising how many people were being turned away, because they
were wearing shorts and tank tops. Do your research.

We knew that St Peter’s is the site where they believe St. Peter himself was buried. We had also learned from our research that St. Peter’s is literally a burial ground for many of the past popes, and there are supposedly over 90 buried there. Most are interred where they cannot be seen, but St. Peter’s also has at least three dead popes that are on display, some of who passed on many years ago and others like Pope 110909 1119__660 John XXlll who just died in 1963. They are behind glass, encased in the bottom portion of some of the alters, for all to view.

St. Peter’s is a huge church inside, with many alcoves and lots of alters, dedicated to various saints and popes. When you visit you see many people walking around looking at the beautiful statues and the priceless artwork. Others are praying or just reflecting on the history and unbelievable grandeur of their surroundings. People move around quietly, speaking in whispers, in the dimly lit alcoves and under the high ceilings, painted with frescos by the masters. Everyone is trying to get pictures of the beauty around them, even though the lighting is not conducive to good photos.

We were there to see the beauty and grandeur, but I also wanted to see the displayed dead popes and the corpse of Pope Saint Pius X, who died in 1914 and according to the Catholic Church, is showing signs of incorruptibility. Incorrupt corpses are the dead popes or saints, who the church believes do not decay through the normal process of decomposition after death, because of their holiness. The theory is that they were so pure, their body does not decay. According to the church, if a body is embalmed, it cannot be considered incorrupt.

When I read about these on the internet before we went, I had to see them. They were bizarre. One looked like he was almost gilded in gold and another just had a creepy washed out, leathery look. Pope Saint Pius X is now considered a saint and incorrupt. There are about ten saints and popes displayed throughout Italy that are considered incorrupt by the church. One is Saint Francis Xavier, who died in 1552 and another is St. Bernadette who is displayed in France.

Initially, incorruptibility was discovered by accident when the church was moving bodies. Over the years, it has become a religious phenomenon where some believers travel many miles to see the incorrupt corpse, seeking miracle cures and guidance. Because they are incorrupt, the belief is that they have special powers even in death and their sainthood and piety is proven through incorruptibility.

Can a corpse be so pure that it does not decay? Who am I to judge, but it was one of the most interesting concepts and clearly from our visit, you could see that these figures provided many people with comfort and hope. And the reality is that the bodies, despite being many years old, still looked pretty good. Displaying dead bodies can seem ghoulish, but we saw many people praying in front of the dead Popes. Comfort, hope and guidance can come from odd places, but strong beliefs can be very powerful to an individual and the Vatican is a place where one cannot leave without experiencing a powerful presence.

For some, the Vatican is a pilgrimage of a lifetime and for others an interesting historical site steeped in fascinating and tumultuous and sometimes tragic history. But no natter what your religion, the Vatican is a destination that should not be missed. Rome should be at the top of any bucket list. From the Roman ruins to the fountains, the Vatican Museum full of priceless works of art and the city with the best food in the world, Rome is by far one of the most interesting and romantic places we have ever seen. Its multitude of historical sites,
friendly Italians and rich religious history are an experience of a lifetime. When in Rome, throw coins in the fountain and say a prayer in front of a dead saint. Such places can be powerful and electrifying for the soul.

Sun, Surf, Salsa & Dolphins

October 15, 2015October 14, 2015Leave a comment

We have taken a lot of great vacations with our kids over the years, but our trips to Mexico to escape the Minnesota winters rate very high on our favorite’s list. On prior vacations we had been out of the country, but only to Canada. Mexico was our first big trip flying out of the country and it required that everyone in the family have a passport. The kids were young at the time as our first visit was in 2004. We were all very excited about it. Joe booked an all inclusive resort in Playa Del Carmen just south of Cancun. All inclusive resorts are the best deal when you are traveling with kids. The food, drinks and fun are included, so as parents you do not have to keep pulling out your wallet every time the kids need a soda or a meal. The food was amazing. Endless buffets of fresh fruits, veggies, fish, meats and always lots of fresh salsa and chips.

Our resort had informal buffets by the pools, all day long, in case you did not want to miss any of the ocean and pool fun. The pools all had a view of the ocean and the resort staff stood ready at the ocean to lend you fins and snorkels or give you lessons on the sailboats for use by the guests. There was an endless amount of activities to participate in and when you all had too much sun, you could go shopping in the villages or on tours.

There were more formal buffets in two different dining rooms in the main lodge, for evenings,
and vendors sold jewelry under the night sky, perfect to look at while strolling with a glass of wine. Family friendly movies played on the beach at night, and other nights they had magic shows and dancers of all kinds to entertain the guests. We always said it was like being on a cruise, but without the boat. These were fun times with the kids. I had to bring along a lot of sunscreen and big T-shirts so that the hot Mexican sun did not burn their white, winter Minnesota skin. Everyone got too much sun anyway, but we did our best.

On our first trip to Mexico, with our new fresh passports in hand, we decided to go through customs in an order where Joe went through first, and then the kids between us, and me last. So we were book ending our kids to make sure everyone stayed together. After we landed, we gave each of the kids their passports to hold under our watchful eye, and Joe proceeded forward as planned. His passport got a quick stamp and so did Sara and Ben as they went through. When it came to Jenny, just in front of me, the agent looked at her and her passport and looked at me. He looked at a fellow agent beside him and conversed in Spanish, a language I had not mastered enough to follow other than to clumsily order food or a drink, or exchange simple greetings. He was not stamping her passport and continued to discuss something with his coworker and even pointed at her passport. I exchanged a glance with Joe, as he stood just beyond the red ropes after passing through customs and he kind of shrugged. The Mexican customs agent stopped talking and looked at her passport again. I mustered up my best lawyer, authoritative, but respectful, no nonsense voice and said “Is there a problem?” He looked at me and said “no” and stamped her passport and mine and we were through. After we were out of earshot I expressed my concern to Joe and his response was “they were probably just talking about what they wanted for lunch.” That was a good laugh and ended our concern.

We moved on to our awaiting resort van with our tour guides dressed in matching flowery shirts, and we were off for fun and sun! We went sailing and snorkeled with every kind of fish possible. One day we decided to go to a natural water park of sorts called Xcarat. It was a short bus ride away and offered a full day of family fun. It had manatees and birds of every kind. It had bell helmet diving for the entire family. We tried everything. Jenny was the youngest and so on these adventures she had to in some ways be the bravest. She was so small but she put on her heavy bell helmet and she snorkeled with us and she never complained. I sometimes think it is why she is so adventurous now in her twenties because she was required to participate in a lot of things at a very young age.

Xcarat also had snorkeling on a river through caves and it offered swimming with the dolphins. Even though this was a little pricy, I viewed it as a once in a lifetime opportunity to enjoy the dolphins when the kids were most excited about the allure and beauty of dolphins and the ocean. They had seen movies about dolphins and read about dolphins, but to touch a Mex04b nd swim with them was magical. The looks on their faces was worth the price. It was the highlight of the trip and something they still talk about as adults.

The kids loved the people in Mexico and interacted with them with ease. The young adults working at the resort worked on teaching the kids Spanish. When they came to get towels at the pool they used the Spanish word they had learned to ask for them and said please and thank you in Spanish. Sara studied a little Spanish in school and actually helped us out when we were a little lost at the Xcarat resort. We had gotten into an area that was more remote in the park while looking for the Mex04d restaurant. The workers at the resort in that particular area were working on a construction project and not the workers trained to work with guests. They spoke no English so Sara stepped in and tried her best to use her Spanish to find our way to the area for lunch. She was successful and they understood enough of what she was saying to direct us to where we needed to be. The kids even learned enough Spanish on our vacations to negotiate purchases at the little stores and to order at restaurants.

We also went to Mexico and an all inclusive in 2007 when the kids were a little older, and that time we went to the island of Cozumel. That was an entirely different experience because they were older and we did different things. The girls went parasailing and Ben and I went scuba diving. That Ben has always been a lot better than me at diving. He is a natural. Calm and cool on the dive and he was the best dive buddy ever. He watched after me and we saw sharks and barracuda together. It was a mother and son bonding event.

One day on Cozumel we rented a van and a local driver to take us slowly around the entire island. We stopped at beaches and the Mayan ruins and the shops and local restaurants. We saw sights and tried to enjoy the local food, culture and the people, in the warm Mexican sunshine. We had good times together and filled each day with activities, and then at the end of each busy day, when we were all tired from too much sun and fun, we had great food together while listening to the live music and shows provided by the resort.

I am so thankful we took the time to do these adventures together. We will always have those memories. Once the kids started college and worked on creating their own lives, making those family memories was a lot harder. We took the time away from our jobs and the kid’s busy sports, band and school schedules to make family time that they will remember forever. We notr only had a great time, but the kids learned to interact with and respect people from other countries and cultures, and they learned to be brave in the big blue ocean and in trying new and exciting and sometimes scary things, like snorkeling in caves. They learned how to go through customs and navigate through airports together. They ate unfamiliar food and learned to love it. They swam with dolphins and they laughed and played together in the warm sunshine. There is nothing more important than family and family adventures. In hindsight, we had a really good time together as a family, but our kids also learned life lessons and now have fond memories of our time together. It made us all closer and stronger. Time is irreplaceable. Use it well.

A View From The Sky

October 1, 2015Leave a comment

When I first started dating my husband Joe, some 32 years ago, he had always said that he was afraid of heights. Afraid maybe is too strong a word. He would say things like I don’t like heights and I am not comfortable with heights. Heights make him woozy or dizzy. After almost 30 years of marriage I can say he was mistaken and I have the pictures to prove it.

In 1986 we went to Hawaii on our honeymoon, and even though he was defining himself as uncomfortable with heights, he agreed to go on a helicopter ride over the mountains of Kauai. The helicopter swooped and dived through the mountains, over edges, and waterfalls. He hung on and so did I, but we saw some of the most beautiful scenery on the garden island that was only visible from the air. The lush green mountains grew as cliffs out of the Pacific Ocean. We could see the waves crashing onto the shores below as we flew low and fast, the pilot deliberately turning the helicopter onto its side to give us the perfect view and a brag worthy ride. He gave us just the right amount of comfort in the craft, and his skills, offering high speed
turns and dips gave an exciting feeling of danger. He was
a good tour guide.

We wore our little headsets to listen as he gave us the name of each waterfall and bay. He pointed out all of the tour highlights and we were able to ask him questions about the landscape. I had never been on a helicopter before and had the same uncomfortable feeling about it before we started, but it quickly became a favorite experience for both of us.

On that same trip I told him I was a little afraid to go snorkeling way out in the ocean. He had been to Hawaii before and he reassured me on the boat to the snorkel site that I would love it and it was perfectly safe, even though the boat tour guide indicated that the snorkelers sometimes see sharks. The guide even gave us directions on what to do if we saw any large sharks, so I was a little nervous as we hit the water. We descended the stairs of the large tour Catamaran right into the water with our masks on and ready, but as I got in I accidentally got some sea water in my mouth, and as if surprised, I started breathing shallow and quick. He turned to me and said in a really calm, but questioning voice, “What are you doing? Put your snorkel in.” It snapped me right out of it and I laughed and put the snorkel in and he grabbed my hand and we were snorkeling. We saw fish of all colors, but no sharks. I was in love with a new sport. I went on over the years to snorkel all over with Joe, including Cozumel, Mexico, the Florida Keys and Costa Rica, and about 10 years ago I even became a certified Scuba Diver.

A few years after Hawaii, Joe and I went on a helicopter ride down into the Grand Canyon. The helicopter took us over Hoover Dam and over the edge of the canyon. It had the same great mix of beauty, danger and a comfort in the pilot’s skills, as our Hawaii experience did years earlier. We took off from Las Vegas where Joe was attending a conference. Flying over the Vegas strip was a part of the tour that was surprisingly interesting. I am usually only interested in the nature and natural beauty, but looking at the Vegas strip from above, with the many people walking the streets from casino to casino was surprisingly cool. It looked like a colorful river moving in unison along the sidewalks. Of course the canyon was the best.

After we had swooped in and out of the Grand Canyon, seeing some of the best highlights, we landed on a plateau about halfway down where we had a champagne brunch. It was amazing. Those red rocky deep cliffs and the sparse vegetation were adv01 beautiful. I have hiked the Grand Canyon but, there was no better way to see a lot of the most famous parts of the Canyon in a small amount of time than to fly over it and get that bird’s eye view.

We have done a lot of things involving uncomfortable heights and things that took us out of our comfort zone. On our European vacation for our twenty fifth anniversary, we took the steep railroad up to the top of the mountain in Innsbruck, Austria. It was the railroad used during the Olympics. We also took the railroad to the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado when we were on our intergenerational trip with my parents and our kids. Both took us to great heights and gave us that bird’s eye view that almost makes a person light headed. It was fabulous.

In 2014 we went to Costa Rica and we zip lined in the rain forest canopy. Our platforms were so tall, they had to build onto the large trees because they were too tall to be braced to the ground below. That was exciting and a little scary, but we were bound and determined to give that a try and we both agreed we would do that again.

We have made it a point not to let small adv03 fears define us. If Joe and I would have always taken the safe route and not done things that made us uncomfortable we would have missed out on a lot of very exhilarating experiences. We decided long
ago not to let our fears define or limit us, and we have been good in encouraging each other even when our gut feeling may not agree.

They say you should go with your gut, but that old adage is wrong when it comes to travel and adventure. Your gut many times tells you to be afraid and cautious, but if you never did anything that was a little scary and out of your comfort zone, you would never have that exhilarating feeling of flying sideways over a waterfall on Kauai, getting a bird’s eye view of the Grand Canyon or tasting the salty ocean water and watching for sharks.

Crazy Fun Cousins

September 24, 2015Leave a comment

I grew up in Buckman, Minnesota in the sixties and seventies, surrounded by great grandparents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and all kinds of cousins. The Buckman/Pierz area was settled by German Catholic farmers. It was a great place to grow up. Our farm was just outside of Buckman. My dad had grown up in Buckman and my mom in Pierz. My dad’s parents lived about a mile away across the fields, and my mother’s family lived a few miles away just south and east of Pierz.

My great grandparents settled in the area when they came from Austria and Germany with their families in the late 1800’s. It was, and still is, a tight knit community where everyone knows everyone else and they socialize mainly through church activities and hunting, fishing and farming interests. We were always surrounded by extended family. If anyone got married or died everyone attended. We went to every church Bazaar and our family social life was mainly visiting and hanging out with relatives.

My dad had only one brother, who was a priest, but he had a cousin, Ray in the area who was like a brother and his kids were close in age and we played with them a lot over the years. My mom was the oldest of a family of six and her dad was from a family of six, and her mom was from a family of ten, so there were a lot of cousins and second cousins and great aunts and uncles and so on. Family reunions were a blast!

My mom had two sisters who were close to her age. In her family they had three girls and then three boys. One of her sister’s, Marilyn, settled in Buckman about two miles away from our farm and the other, Corrine, settled just east of Pierz. Marilyn had seven children, Corrine had five and we had five. The kids spanned in age over about a 15 year or more period, but we usually all played together. We were very good at being inclusive rather than exclusive. As one of the older ones, I remember having big family get togethers and I would almost always be carrying a baby or watching after a younger child. I usually had a little one on my lap and it usually was not my younger brother, but a young cousin.

Everyone got along really well or at least after all of these years, I don’t remember any real conflict. I do remember that we stuck together on our outdoor adventures and we watched out for each other and the little ones. Back then our parents did not hover. We were left to run around the farm and play without any supervision. The parents played cards or visited and they expected us to get along, play nice, and not do anything dangerous. We knew the expectations and most often followed the rules.

We sometimes went to parks together and sometimes just got together at each other’s farm or Grandma’s farm. We played ball in the summer and had just enough kids to make it work for fielding. The pitcher and everyone moved in when a little kid went to bat and pitched it slow and we older kids pretended not to catch the ball, so they could run some bases. We went ice skating and built snow forts in the winter, and we sometimes stayed in and played board games like Clue, Operation, Monopoly and Life. We
played in the hay barns and the corn fields and we climbed trees and we rode bikes. We were outdoor kids.

When we got thirsty and hungry we sometimes snuck into the house and one kid took potatoes chips and another took a bottle or two of pop and we went out to the barn and shared our loot. Sometimes we also took the Ketchup from the refrigerator and used it as dip. Once in a while we took a package of Jell-O and shared the powder out of the box. It was exactly like the old time candy called Pixie sticks. I think that may still be around. Had we asked for the treats, I am sure our parents would have given them to us and I am sure they knew we were taking them, but sneaking in to take them was a lot more fun and adventurous.

My aunt Marilyn lived closest to us. She originally had an old farm house that was two stories and we loved playing there. When we were young I remember we had Pop It bead fights. Pop it beads were plastic, hand-size beads that connected together to make things. It was really a baby toy but we used them as grenades for Pop It bead fights. If you grew up in the fifties and sixties you have seen them. I am not so sure they still make those, but I still have some that I found for my kids and I kept them because of my fond memories of sitting behind furniture in teams and having a pile of Pop It beads next to us, and throwing them at each other in a Pop It bead war of sorts. This sounds strange, but I have vivid memories of playing that in my aunt’s farm house. I also remember doing Light Bright with my cousins, and then turning off the lights to admire our creation. They also had one of the coolest doll houses. It was made of metal and had rugs and wall paper painted onto the metal. We had doll furniture and dolls to arrange in the dollhouse, and surprisingly that kept us busy for hours in the upstairs play area. Marilyn had the seven children and she had a really fun and loud house. We liked going there.

My aunt Corrine also lived in a two story farm house, but outside of Pierz, so it was a little 84a farther away. They had a horse before any of us, so that was our first opportunity to become comfortable around horses. She had a fun farm with rolling hills and dairy cows. I distinctly remember being upstairs at Corrine’s house playing with multiple cousins and playing on the bed, which of course got carried away into jumping on the bed and one of us jumped too high and hit the light fixture and broke it and the light bulb. It made a crash to be
sure and we all became very silent waiting for the yell from the parents who were playing cards on the main level. It took no time at all for one of the parents to be yelling what was going on up there and of course we gave the standard answer of, “Nothing, the light just broke on its own.”

The parents had their standard laugh and exchanges of those statements of those darn kids and then the standard reply was to tell us to settle down and behave. We played a lot in their hay barn and in the outbuildings which were full of cool old farm stuff. Corrine had an apple tree and was an excellent cook and baker. She was the best! We looked forward to her dinners and her apple pie.

We played and got together at our farm too. We had endless fields and beef cows and lots of outbuildings including a storage shed we referred to as the shendy. We played a game over the top of the shendy called Annie Annie Over where you had teams on each side and the ball was thrown over the top of the shendy. If the team on the other side caught it, they all came running over to the other side to tag out the other team. If we got tired of games we thought of other shenanigans. We climbed in the barns and the silo. Once at our farm we convinced my cousin Karen to climb a knotted tree of ours that was not very high and then to jump down into a large blanket being held around the sides like we had seen firefighters do on TV. There were about ten kids holding around the edge of the blanket, but that blanket never even slowed her down. She hit the ground with a thud. Luckily she had jumped feet first and only had a sprained ankle. Sometimes we tried things we should not have. We played a lot of Kick the Can at our farm and hid in the corn fields around the house. We swung in the barns and we made hay forts. It was a nice place to grow up.

We played at Ray’s farm too. Our cousins there were also close in age and his farm was the most fun. He had chickens of all colors, geese, and turkeys wandering lose in the yard. You could hunt for eggs and play in the corn cribs. Ray’s farmyard was, and still is, full of beautiful flowers. 24e

Some of our cousins were almost as close as siblings and even though some of us have left the Buckman/ Pierz area, and are scattered around Minnesota, we remain close. Some of us still go camping together and get together for dinners, parties and family events. We still see each other at funerals and weddings. We make time for family, because family is important.

Our parents and aunts and uncles taught us to be good people and to value family. They taught us to let everybody play, to be fair and to be nice to the younger, weaker kids. Nothing else would have been tolerated. They taught us to be gracious winners and good losers. They taught us to be polite, respectful and helpful. They taught us that it is OK to explore, but they also taught us to watch out for each other. These were all great life lessons that are just as important today in our workplaces, in our homes, schools and in our neighborhoods as well as just the right way to live our lives. The world would be a beautiful place if everyone lived by the rules we learned with our cousins. We may not be able to change the entire world, but we can do our best to live by these rules in our daily lives and hopefully set an example for others. Living by these simple rules not only is the right thing to do, but it makes our little part of the world a better place for all.

Try Anything Once

September 10, 2015September 9, 2015Leave a comment

Anyone who follows my writing and knows me well knows that I am more of an outdoor girl than an indoor girl, and I have never been known for my sophistication. I like to keep it real and simple, and I have no problem embracing and loving my farming roots. Even though I would rather be at an Eagles or Fleetwood Mac concert, I actually like a lot of different kinds of music.

When I was in college in Duluth at St. Scholastica, in the late 1970’s, we were required to take a class or community education item that had nothing to do with our major. It had to be approved, but the number and variety of choices were very great. The school really pushed us to have a well rounded education. It was a really good school. In my very first year of college, I selected season tickets to the Duluth Symphony Orchestra of all things. As I say, you need to try everything at least once and even at that age I knew it was more fun to get out of my comfort zone and try new things than to embrace the same old things.

I was in the nursing program and loved my science classes including the anatomy and physiology courses that came with the mandatory cadaver lab. I actually liked cadaver lab. I grew up on a farm, so life and death were a part of our existence, and being from a small Catholic community, everyone attended every wake and funeral that occurred. The wakes always involved open caskets with viewing of the body and the kids came along to the wakes from an early age. I was not bothered by a dead human and found the study of human anatomy fascinating.

So when it came time to pick a class unrelated to my major out in the community, I chose the symphony, something that had nothing to do with science or memorizing the parts of the body, and something we did not listen to on the farm. It was not expensive thanks to a relationship between the symphony and the college. Two other friends signed up with me and surprisingly we enjoyed it a lot more than we expected. We had talked beforehand and decided it may be quite boring, and as tired as we were from studying anatomy until all hours of the night, we would probably fall asleep. However, that was not a problem at all. We never fell asleep. We actually really looked forward to it after a while.
There was a monthly concert and I was excited for it. We dressed up and went to dinner before hand and it got to be a real event. It was so different than what I had done in the past. We were listening to Aerosmith and Bob Seger and we went to rock concerts. The symphony music was so much better than I thought it would be. I was really surprised how emotional the music felt. It could make you move in your chair or it could make you feel nervous or excited or be completely relaxed where your mind could wonder. It was surprising. I am glad the school required us to expand our education and interests; otherwise I never would have bought tickets to the Duluth Symphony on my own. I would have gotten too busy with the tasks for my classes and what must be accomplished; unless forced to do this required education I would not have had that wonderful experience.

It was more than 30 years ago, but the educational affects of trying new things still lingered. A couple of years ago I heard one of my law partners talking about his daughter who is an opera singer. She had the lead in the Romeo and Juliette opera at the Ordway in St. Paul. I was really excited about that. I had never been to the opera and my first reaction was that I don’t like opera. But I caught myself. How could I dismiss it so easily as something I don’t like, if I have never been to one, and this would be extra special because we kind of knew someone in it or at least we knew her mother and father, and we knew they were really nice people. We had heard about their daughter Elli, and how she lived in New York and she was a sought after opera star in Europe and the U.S. We had also seen pictures and she was a beautiful girl. I was definitely in.

I knew I could count on Joe because he is always a good sport about trying new things, but I wanted to make it a real event and why not pass on that Scholastica philosophy of trying new things? I asked my kids if they would go and I explained who Elli was and that we would have to dress up. They were all in. They had never been before, but they always took the opportunity to do something new as well.

I invited my parents too. I knew they would be up for something new, exciting and different. They were farmers from Buckman, but they were well traveled having been to Australia and all over Asia, and of course all over the U.S. This made it even more special because now there were three generations of us all dressed up and going to the opera, all of us for the first time. It was interesting because we had all been camping, traveling, boating and fishing together for years, but never the opera. Not all three generations. I was so proud of all of them, kids and parents alike, for being so adventurous and willing to try something new and so upbeat. I love this crowd. They are never a bunch of complainers or whiners, and they try to always be positive. My parents and my kids are all a lot alike. They are fun to be around, because they are all adventurous, fun and positive people.

We dressed up at my house so even the getting ready was an event. We went to dinner first and then the opera. Joe dropped us off at the door like dignitaries, and we went in to wait for him. The opera was surprisingly good. Beautiful costumes and great singing. Of course Elli was amazing and looked lovely and even though the opera was in Italian, you knew exactly what was going on. It was a cultural experience for everyone that again took us a little out of our comfort zone, but again reminded me and of course taught my kids that you should try everything at least once. Don’t assume or jump to the conclusion that you will not like something until you have experienced it.

We also learned that when you try new things, you will actually enjoy them if you are with the right people. Going with positive people is a key to enjoying new adventures and frankly the key to a happy life. Some people look for the things that are negative or look for things to complain about. No one likes being around that, because it makes everyone feel bad. It takes practice and the right attitude to find the good things in life and enjoy life. To always find the good and positive things to say about anything and anyone. That is the attitude of my people—my parents and kids— and that is the attitude that makes new adventures fun! Practice positivity. It is never said better than in the old adage: if you cannot say anything nice don’t say anything at all. Surround yourself with positivity and you will be happy and you will be able to find something great and enjoyable in every new thing that you try.

Chicago Exploration

September 3, 2015September 2, 2015Leave a comment

As much as I love the great outdoors and our National Parks, it is also fun to explore our urban areas. My daughter Jenny had a great idea the summer before she started high school, that she and I should go to Chicago. She mainly wanted to visit the Chicago Institute of Art, but she also had a plan for us to try getting around on the “L,” and to sample the food and do a little shopping. She has always had an interest in art.

I had been to Chicago a number of times and enjoyed it for a few days here and there. I am glad I do not live there and have to deal with the traffic, noise and crowds on a daily basis, but the food and the fun things to see are worth the trip. I made reservations for us at a hotel just off of Michigan Ave (the main drag in downtown Chicago where all the action is) to help save a little money, and we went during the week, so it was not as crowded. We drove down and then parked our car at the hotel and either walked to our destinations or took the “L” train around the city. This is about a six hour drive and the drive is part of the fun. You can learn a lot about your kids in six hours. You have a lot of time to talk about just about everything. She was the copilot and had to have the money ready when we went through toll booths. She learned a lot about travel and getting around a big city on those trips.

Once we got to Chicago I had her help me watch the signs on where to turn and she was good at finding the hotel and our parking garage. That first time driving in downtown Chicago was a little nerve wracking, but we enjoyed Chicago so much that we went back almost every summer for a while and sometimes Sara, my oldest daughter, came along as well. We got to be very comfortable at getting around in Chicago after a few years.

We saw the Institute of Art. I had been there before, but it was even more fun seeing it through my daughter’s eyes. The beauty and talent is almost overwhelming. I always say I cannot stay more than a couple of hours at any one visit. My mind is so overwhelmed, that I no longer appreciate the uniqueness of each piece after a while and feel like I am just glossing over a particular piece of art. So we have gone a number of times and saw different collections on each visit. We essentially learned how to look at art and really appreciate it.

We also visited the outdoor art in Chicago including the Bean, and we rode the “L” to Chinatown. It was our goal to try something unique each time we were there. We had a lot of fun trying things at the restaurants in Chinatown, and always had good stories to tell after that. We shopped in Chinatown and went into the bakeries. Over the years it got to be one of our favorite places and we visited it each time we were in Chicago.

We did the other touristy stuff on Michigan Avenue like shopping and going to the top of the Sears tower, but we also loved trying new restaurants. The first year we had to have Chicago-style Pizza and even though it is still a favorite, we also tried new restaurants with Asian flavor infused lamb chops and delicious things where we did not even know what we were really ordering, but we were there to try new things and get out of our comfort zone and so we did.

We learned to read train schedules and get around on the “L,” we rode to Chinatown and we walked all over and we learned to be comfortable and confident, or at least look that way, even when we were sometimes a little unsure of ourselves. We visited the Chicago Museum of Natural History and one year we took an architectural boat tour on the Chicago River. We always had a plan for all of the things we wanted to see each year, but we also deviated from the plan to explore the city and see new things. We always had very full days to make the most of our visit and we always found a new restaurant for each evening, and to make it more special, we would dress up for the occasion.

We had so much fun together and we never ran into any trouble. Even though we were tired at the end of the trip, I was glad we did it. We were exploring together. We had to read train and road maps together and read the city street maps as we walked to find new restaurants or stores. Jenny was really good at that at a young age and saved us a few times from going the wrong direction. We were not so much mother and daughter on those trips, but more like travelers exploring together, making decisions on where to go and what to see. We had shared experiences of everything from, “that was great” to “remind me never to order the curry baby octopus again.” Yes, that is a true story. It was baby octopus and it was very yellow from the curry on it. It was also one of the worst things I have ever eaten and I have eaten squirrel and wood chuck and every organ from the cows and pigs on our farm, so I think I am a good one to judge.

When you are raising kids, it is easy to find very legitimate reasons not to do these extra adventures. It always costs money that you don’t always have to spare and you have to take time off from work, even when work is really busy, but in looking back I am glad I did not make the excuses, and even though it would have been easier to have the whole family go or have Joe drive us like he did on our family vacations, the dynamics would have been completely different. This way the focus was on just us and we had to fend for ourselves and we got to do what we wanted without any guys. It made us more confident and self sufficient and it brought us closer together. No one and no amount of time can take away our shared Chicago adventures. They are a part of us, our stories and our memories forever.

Everyone Needs an Adventure Buddy

August 13, 2015August 8, 2015Leave a comment

My husband Joe and I just got back from our second trip to Voyageurs National Park by Lake Kabetogama on the Minnesota-Canadian border. We load our big Lund fishing boat, wear our adventure pants, head up north to a resort called Moosehorn, and rent a cabin for a week offishing Walleye. This is our second time to the resort because the owners, Christy and Jerry work really hard to make sure you catch fish and have a great time. We caught some really nice Walleyes, and more importantly, we were able to spend a really nice week together. I caught the biggest Walleye. More on that later.

You can do these types of things whenever you want when you are empty nesters. Joe and I have been on some very fun adventures together since our nest became empty. You can read more about by browsing the Practice Fun Living and Empty Nest Shenanigans pages on this site. We loved raising our kids, but the reality is that those years are about them, as it should be. We spent a lot of time in those years, through all of the different phases from diapers and then school, and all of the activities such as soccer, hockey, dance, plays, band and our wonderful family vacations. It was a hectic time, and with all of the kid activities, we sometimes had to work really hard to stay connected as a couple. We did stay connected; we now have been married for almost 30 years, and we can once again appreciate each other’s company as we are back to having things more about us and what we want to do.

I look back on those family years and even though some of them are a blur, one thing is for sure. I married a really nice guy who took care of us all and would do anything for his family. We recently sold our family home in Blaine, and I was talking to a friend and I told her that none of the light bulbs in that house had ever burned out in 25 years. At first she looked confused and then it dawned on her that of course they had burned out, I just did not have to change them because Joe quietly always replaced them. I don’t even ever remember having to ask him to replace any. He just took care of them. I also had my last car for ten years and during that time it never once ran out of washer fluid. Another thing that he just made sure was always done.

Over the years he has had to do a lot of things for his family. I have come to the conclusion that it is not big spectacular things, but the small things that make a good dad and husband. He has not had to defend his family against an intruder or wrestle a bear or cougar in a National Park so the kids and I would not be mauled, although that would be a good story, but over the years he has had to take care of all of their gadgets that break, whether phones or cars, and schedule and keep track of oil changes on sometimes as many as five different vehicles. He has paid a few parking tickets for our college students—luckily no one has ever done anything serious, and when they were in High School he had to help them with their math and calculus, since he has a PhD and actually easily understood that complicated homework.

Over the years Joe fixed many a broken door, screen, window, dresser drawers and toys. He was there for them when they needed him and he has always been a low maintenance guy. Joe loves watching his Twins baseball and he is so easy going that he seldom complains. As our kids say, he can live off of a handful of peanuts and is happy with that. He mows the lawn, pays the bills, and would drive his family thousands of miles on family vacations. He had to put up with all of the pets our kids wanted over the years and had a real tolerance for all of the noise in our house when the kids were teens and had their friends over for movies, music and games. Those teens ate everything in the house like locusts, and were so loud you needed ear plugs sometimes, but it had to get really bad before he complained.

We did a lot of fun things with those kids over the years, and we had a lot of fun together. The guy has skills other than mowing lawns and fixing broken stuff in the house. When we took a driving vacation around Europe for our 25^th anniversary he bossed it up on the roads, including keeping up with the Germans on the Autobahn, and he caught on quickly to driving without obeying the traffic signs and weaving around the hundreds of motorcycles on the streets of Rome. I had my hands over my eyes more than once. Yes, we got a couple of tickets in Europe for driving down the wrong way in Amsterdam and in Italy, but that was my fault as the navigator and it was well worth it, for the great sites that we saw on that vacation. There was not a scratch on the car and after being in Europe for about two weeks. I knew he had this driving thing down like a local when we went to a German restaurant for pork hock night and he parked our car with two wheels onto the sidewalk, just like the locals.

It is good to have an adventure buddy with balls who is not afraid to try something new, and a guy with some skills who knows how to do everything from fix the computer to catch fish. We have zip lined, snorkeled, and we have sat our butts in the Natural hot springs of the blue lagoon in Iceland. We have visited the cliffs on the Mediterranean at the Cinque Terre in Italy, stayed on a farm in the Alps by Innsbruck Austria, and a castle on the Mosel River in Germany. We have hiked and fished in Hawaii, Alaska and Costa Rica and we hope to have many adventures ahead.

It is good to have the right adventure buddy. We encourage and reassure each other and more importantly we have fun together. If you cannot have fun together, a marriage will not last for 30 years. I have found that you have to find common interests, and the key is that you enjoy being with the other person.

We enjoy many things and we can still have fun at things we have been doing for years. We work together on the planning and preparations for our adventures and we have a list of future adventures that we already know we want to try. Last week at Kabetogama, as usual with our fishing adventures, there is a lot of trash talking about who will catch the biggest fish and the first fish. I make him take pictures of every fish I catch, no matter how embarrassingly small it is. I did catch the biggest fish this year and have been rubbing it in since we are back, but he reminds me that he caught the first fish. Most importantly, we enjoy our time together. We go with the flow; we enjoy not only the adventure, but the planning, preparations and getting there and back, and talking about it afterward even when it is trash talking about who caught the biggest fish.

Picking the right adventure buddy for both your vacation adventures as well as your own life adventure is crucial to enjoying your time on this earth. Who would have thought, looking from afar that the quiet guy who gets little recognition when he changes the washer fluid on the cars and changes light bulbs in the house, the guy who is mowing the lawn and paying the bills, going unappreciated and almost unnoticed most of the time, would be the best husband and dad a family could ask for. The kids and I have appreciated the things Joe has done for us, even though we have not expressed it as often as we should.

Appreciate your adventure buddy, your quiet guy who has done his duty for his kids and wife; the guy who asks for little in return, but shows up for everything from changing dirty diapers to hauling the kids stuff to college. It has been a fun ride and we have many more adventures ahead. Life can be fun with the right Adventure Buddy!

Everybody Loves Dinosaurs

July 30, 2015July 29, 2015Leave a comment

In the early 1980’s I was a nurse at Ramsey Medical Center. In college I had worked two jobs and went to school full time, so after I graduated and had only one job to go to, no studying and I was single, I thought I had too much time on my hands. You can only do so much drinking and chasing of guys. I always liked Dinosaurs (who doesn’t?), so I went to volunteer my time at the Science Museum of Minnesota, in St. Paul. I worked in the Paleontology laboratory with the Dinosaur bones. They had a dig site in North Dakota and the Paleontologists would spend part of their summer unearthing the large bones and then would ship them back to the Science Museum for further work and study.

In the field they would see a small part of the bone sticking out of the ground and would dig way around it so that rock and dirt were still surrounding the bone, and then they would lift out the large specimen containing the fossilized bone and would wrap it in casting material, like a doctor uses to cast a broken arm to protect it during transit to the museum. It was then put on a train to St. Paul and taken to the museum. Once at the museum, the people working in the lab would carefully remove the casting with a cast removal saw, just like at the doctor, and then use dental tools and picks to slowly and carefully remove the bone. This was my job. They had a lot of fun people working there who were students learning to be paleontologists, people who actually were paleontologists, and then a bunch of us interested volunteers.

I always liked learning new things and this was something I knew nothing about other than what I had read in National Geographic or learned in school. It seemed really exciting and something completely different than my nursing. It was also an opportunity to work quietly by myself after the hustle, bustle and intensity of a hospital shift that sometimes involved life and death. This was a quiet place to reflect and think of other things, while carefully working on the specimen. I could come whenever I wanted to and work as long as I wanted. The lab was set up so that I had a work area that was always the same and whatever specimen I was working on was mine and no one else worked on another’s specimen. I had some really cool bones over the couple of years that I worked there.

Once I was working on a large specimen, and was early on in uncovering what was inside, and as I worked carefully, an animal skull started to appear. It was very exciting. The next time I came back, it was gone. One of the Paleontologists had taken it for further study because he identified it as a type of prehistoric pig and was doing his PhD thesis on that particular species and whether they had a type of bone disease at that time. It was all the buzz around the museum and how exciting it was for the paleontologist, since he needed these pig skulls for his work.

It was a great experience. They took volunteers to North Dakota every summer to help at the dig site. I just could not make that work without quitting my regular job and career as a Labor and Delivery Nurse, but I would have loved to go along.

One of the benefits of volunteering at the Science Museum was that I had free admission any time I wanted, and free Omni theatre productions. That was amazing. I went to every exhibit and I went to every new Omni show when it came out. I actually went to many of the Omni presentations multiple times. I could also get passes for my family and took my parents to a number of shows at the Omni. After my kids were born, I took them to the Science Museum multiple times per year. It was a great winter activity in Minnesota and I liked it just as much as they did.

I would always point out the lab that I had worked in a few years earlier and they thought it was pretty cool that I had helped to dig dinosaur bones. I even made pretend dinosaur digs for them and even brought it to their schools a couple of times. I boiled and bleached some cow bones I got from the meat market and then placed them into metal pans and poured a mixture of sand and plaster over them, so that one had to use tools to get them out, but it was not too difficult so that the younger kids could help. I gave them safety glasses and some small tools and they were able to have a pretend Dinosaur dig. I think I had as much fun with that as the kids.

One of my most fun stories is when I brought a pretend dinosaur dig to school for my son’s kindergarten class. I had it all set out and the teacher and students were very excited. The teacher was so nice and patient. She was asking the kids about what they knew about dinosaurs and they were eager to tell her about all of the things they had read. Not to be outdone, one of the boys insisted that he had not only read about dinosaurs, but that his grandpa owned a live pterodactyl. It flew around his house, but he put it in a cage when they came over so that it did not try to pick them up with its talons. The teacher was speechless, but then said is that a real story or a pretend story. Of course he insisted it was real, so she politely just moved on to something else. Smart teacher.

When I was volunteering at the museum I would walk around on breaks and talk with other volunteers. It is one of those places where each time you go you see new things or notice things you did not notice before. They had other volunteers in various areas and I remember one particular incident where I was looking at a strange instrument called an Angklung, originally used in Indonesia, as I understood it. The other volunteer went to great lengths to explain its origins and at that time he was allowed to demonstrate how it worked. It was a beautiful instrument making the most interesting sounds of clicking and yet it had a musical quality to it from the ringing of the bamboo.

Years later, when I was dating my husband he took me to a concert done by Andreas Vollenweider. This was in the eighties and the New Age sound was all the rage. Andreas was from Switzerland and made the most romantic and beautiful music ever. His music is actually still quite popular because it has such a unique sound. It is mostly instrumental and he plays an electro acoustic harp and is backed up by talented musicians who play multiple instruments, including some interesting percussion instruments from all over the world. As I sat at the concert, letting his beautiful sounds wash over, he played a song that made me sit up in my chair. The sounds were so unique; I knew right away his percussion section had an Angklung. It was absolutely beautiful. It was so odd to make that connection so many years later. I still listen to Andreas and the song I heard at the concert with the Angklung is still one of my favorites. He uses the Angklung in many songs on that particular album, but no other song features that Indonesian instrument like that one. When I listen to it now, it reminds me of my past and of my good memories from the Science Museum.

I only volunteered at the science museum for a very short time. I think it was less then two years, but it is amazing how that short time had such an impact on me. I took my family on trips to see fossils and dinosaur digs on our family vacations, and I had my kids at the Science Museum and museums like it many times. It is funny how that very short time from my past had such a great impact on my experiences. Had I not volunteered, I would not have learned about the Angklung and I would not have known so much about fossils and dinosaur bones. It is interesting experiences like this that make life itself interesting. I have often said that I have never regretted the new things that I have tried in my life and the experiences that I have had. It is these experiences that have made my life interesting and full.

Beaver Fever

July 23, 2015July 21, 2015Leave a comment

Yes, Beaver fever is a thing. It is actually a slang name for a Giardia infection, which one gets usually from drinking contaminated water. The water can be contaminated from wild animal feces, and one can get it from drinking water from streams or lakes even in pristine country like Alaska. Before Joe and I went to Alaska on our 20^th Anniversary trip, we had heard about Beaver Fever from my Mom, who was insistent that they had gotten it when in Alaska by eating ice from a Glacier that was brought into a tour boat for the Tourists to taste and touch.

My parent had driven up the Alcan Highway with my younger brother. The rest of us kids were already either in college or in the working world and did not go along, as we had our own lives by then. My parents drove their RV up the Alcan Highway with my mom’s brother and his family who also had kids along so it was perfect for my brother. He was young at the time maybe six or seven years old. My uncle had two boys who were very close to his age and two girls a little older then the boys. It was a perfect group to travel together.

My uncle tells the story that my brother almost got him arrested at the Canadian border. The boys all had Nerf guns to play with and frequently rode together in one of the RV’s. When they went across the Canadian border, a border guard came onto the RV and asked my uncle whether they had any guns they were taking into Canada. He indicated they did not, at which point my young, innocent brother piped up and said “Oh, yes we have guns.” The border guard immediately became interested and when my uncle tried to explain that he is talking about their toys, the guard stopped him cold and told him to be quiet while he talks to the boy. He asked my brother to show him the guns and my brother showed him the colorful stash of Nerf guns, at which the guard had a good laugh. It is one of my favorite stories.

It was these two families traveling together that my Mom insisted had contracted Beaver Fever from eating Glacier ice. Well I had been warned, and we do heed our mother’s warning because most often she has been right, so when my husband and I went to Alaska we were armed with the Beaver Fever warning. We had the trip all planned and part of it was a boat tour of the Kenai Fjords National park. If you have not been there, you have to see this in your lifetime. It is amazingly wild and beautiful. You take a boat out of Seward on the Kenai Peninsula for an entire day trip. During the trip you see whales, sea lions, puffins and birds of all types, and of course you see lots of glaciers and you see the glaciers calving, which is when large chunks of ice fall off. Many ice chunks are so large that the sound is like an explosion and they set off a huge wave when they hit the water. It is a really cool experience. Even the air around the glacier is wet, fresh and cool; even though we were there in July, we wore jackets.

The tour operator took us through the Fjords and along islands and coasts, telling us all about the wildlife we were seeing and the history of the area. We tried our best to get the perfect photos to try to capture the beauty that was before our eyes, but I never seem to get those perfect photos. I have great photos, but for me it is never as good as being there.

As we toured around, the boat staff served drinks and food and kept everyone entertained. So there we were on the double-decker boat tour, and as we watched a glacier calve and heard the sounds and felt the waves, even on our huge boat, the staff pulled in a large chunk of the glacier ice with enormous tongs and put it up on a buffet like table, and started using a pick to make it into smaller pieces and made glacier margaritas with the crystal blue ice and lemonade for the kids. So there was a dilemma! Who does not like margaritas and even more importantly, who would not like a margarita made with Glacier ice from the Kenai Fjords? But what about the Beaver Fever we had been warned about? So the choice becomes either, go for it and drink the coolest margaritas ever, made of glacier ice and served in the fresh air of the Kenai Fjords and risk the Beaver Fever induced vomiting and diarrhea, or skip the experience and watch as others lined up to sip the cold fresh lime juice and orangey triple Sec, with Silver Tequila that I could see them pouring, by the half gallon full into the large covered pitchers that were then being shaken vigorously over the uneven chunks of glacier ice. I got in line still knowing I could get out of line if I decided against it at the last minute. As I waited my turn, I rationalized and developed my arguments of why this would be ok. First my mom could be wrong. After all they were traveling with a bunch of kids. They could have picked up anything. Second, if this Beaver Fever was from Glacier ice would these boat tours serve the margaritas? They take groups out in boats ever day during the tourist season. Wouldn’t their passengers all be complaining about getting sick afterwards? And if such a thing did exist, I am a nurse and probably have pills for that in my travel bag which looks like a pharmacy.

By the time I was halfway through my rationalizations, it was my turn and I took the chilled margarita and the first sip was amazing. It was more orange flavor than lime and by far, the best margarita I had ever had. It was not blended and yet it was so icy cold, it almost gave you an ice cream headache. It was smooth and refreshing, because the orange was overpowering the lime by a little and it did not have the severe bite. Of course it did not hurt that we were drinking them on the deck of a boat, in one of the most beautiful and wild places on earth while watching the whales swim around the numerous lush green forested islands.

Sometimes you just have to take a chance and jump in with both feet, even though you know there is risk. We did not get sick at all and I am guessing that if any Beaver Fever parasites existed in the glacial ice, the Silver Tequila was enough to kill them. Of course this would be an entirely different story if we had become sick, but it still would be a story. Sometimes you just have to trust and take a chance that all will be OK. There is very little that we do when we are exploring the world that is risk free, but the opportunity to get out of our comfort zone and experience new things is exciting and a big part of why we want to see those most beautiful and sometimes exotic places. Travel well, jump in with both feet, taste the food, drink the margaritas and know that exploration takes some bravery and some risk, but it is well worth the experiences and the stories.

Fun Living

Stories by Joan Quade

Category: Adventure