Warm up the tractor with charcoal? Yup!

The ice storm is ending after 5 days. The first picture shows our clump river birch tree today. The second picture shows it all bent over with ice last Friday. We've been reluctant to leave the house for fear of what we'd find upon our return!!






The last time our power went out Tom had to resort to a new method for warming up the diesel fuel in the tractor. Tom found an old butcher kettle that his dad used years ago (I won't go into those stories!!) and added some charcoal. It was working beautifully until...the power came back on!

We both agree that this has been the most significant weather event we've ever experienced. We are entirely sick of ice, power outages, generators, etc. Dan, on the other hand, measures weather events by the extent to which his XBox playing time and/or ESPN channel surfing is compromised.

Tom and I went to the power company Christmas party a week or so ago. The CEO spent time acknowledging the staff, board, and the linesmen. The real heroes, though, are the linesmen who drive around in all kinds of weather working double shifts to replace poles, hook up wires, etc.


Here is Tom walking on the ice to our porch.

Bursts of greenish-blue light...

Driving home from the family Christmas at Jeanne's we saw bursts of greenish-blue light in the distance. It was powerlines cross-crossing in the wind. Emergency vehicles were working on downed lines. We figured our power would be out when we got home but it wasn't!

Deer, squirrels, and birds can't find anything to eat because everything is covered in ice. We put out bird food and toss vegetable scraps for the critters. There's no relief in sight for a week as temperatures are supposed to remain below freezing.

Tom and Brian are off to see if they can start up another neighbor's generator as power is off at many homes.

Thank goodness for generators...

Central Illinois was hit with an ice storm last night. Tom's power company said that over 50% of their customers are without power and we are one of them. Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative is calling in other crews to help.




Here are some photos of the trees around our farm. Click on a photo for a close-up.








Tom got the generator going.



The last picture shows a tree on the right that was damaged 18 years ago.

Don't cry for me Argentina...

Armed with only a map, a rental car, my brusque Spanish, and a desire to see Argentina we set off during Thanksgiving week.

Moments after arriving in Mendoza, Argentina, we had lunch. Dan immediately ordered up a steak (see next) while Tom and I shared llama empanadas. They were good except for the corse black hair I found in mine. Tom said later he saw me both discover and discard of it...


You can see a guy with crutches behind Dan asking the server for some change. Even so, we saw few beggars during our stay. What we did notice were lots of people hawking little trinkets at the outside cafes...things like lighters, socks, prayer cards, etc. They would stop by each table and see if anyone was interested. If not, no problem. They'd just move to the next table. Remember to click on a picture to enlarge it.


I took this picture for my colleague and pal Sandy who likes to know the extent to which other countries accommodate wheelchair users on their city streets. This picture was taken in a park noted for its tile decorum. When Dan saw this picture later that evening he responded casually, "Only Mom would take a picture of a sidewalk."



So even though Dan had beef for lunch, we managed to find this guy who grilled us beef for dinner. I wasn't quick enough to take his picture with the cigarette hanging out of his mouth over the meat. Our table was adjacent his grilling spot and oh was it delightful. I must make a grand statement and say that Argentina smelled like one great big beef grill. Everywhere you went you smelled someone grilling up tasty meat! This is not something I can claim for some of the places I've dragged my family over the years...

Argentina is known for these 4 things: beef, wine, ice cream, and mate. Well, we drank plenty of mate in Paraguay last year so we focused on the other 3 this year. Er, well, Dan didn't partake in the wine. He did, however, do double duty on the beef and ice cream.





Plaza Independencia, Mendoza at night








Uspallata is 2 hours outside of Mendoza in the Andean foothills. It is a small community of 3-4000 people. We stayed here 3 nights getting to know small-town Argentina, enjoying the people, visiting the mountains, etc.















Euchre is omnipresent on all our trips. During siesta time, or at night after dinner, we'd while away the hours playing euchre. You can probably guess who had only 2 points.






I insisted on taking a picture of every wine bottle. In this picture, Dan has clearly grown tired of this practice. It's just that I needed references on what was good!






We stayed at a hotel noted for its "Peronist Tourism Era." Among its many charms was a bowling alley with duck pins. The ball return and pin reset persons were imported from Chatsworth, IL.






You can see Tom Terrific awaiting the results of the next bowler.








The highest mountain in the western hemisphere, Aconcagua, is in the distance. It is 22,000+ feet high. What a thrill to go there.







In case you are wondering what those Argentine highways will be like that Karen and Joel will cycle across...







And what those dark tunnels will be like to cycle through...








And then suddenly we met 2 men who were doing just that! Biking across Argentina! They were hearty and friendly. Tom and I felt like this is something that Karen and Joel can and will do (regardless if we think they are a bit loco).





Embarking on our own little adventures, we decided to go rock climbing, zip-lining, and rappelling, all for the low, low price of $30 US. No waivers or releases to be seen. All we had was this little slip of paper...until they took that, too.





Here is Dan rappelling 50 metres down to the bottom.








And here is Tom rock climbing up 40 metres.








Close up of Dan the rappeller.








Tom loved the cars in Argentina.








Here is our Peronist Hotel, a throw back to the 40s.








City plaza in Maipu, Mendoza.








Our last meal in Argentina at the pedestrian plaza. It was siesta time so many people had already left.

Uspallata, Argentina 27 Nov 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!

It is about 88 degrees and blue sky. We are surrounded by the beautiful Andes mountains. Yesterday we traveled to Aconcagua Provincial Park, home to the highest mtn in the western hemisphere. Traveled to the Chilean border through the snow capped mountains.

Tom is leading the Euchre tournament. We love to sit outside at little cafes, drink wine (well, Dan drinks Sprite), watch the world go by, all while playing Euchre. It has been fun and relaxing!

Today we are going rappelling, rock climbing, and zip lining (canopy tour?). So far, the only paperwork we´ve seen is a receipt. Waivers and releases are nowhere to be seen!

Tomorrow we will drive back to Mendoza for our last night.

More later!

Mendoza, Argentina Tues, 25 Nov 08

We arrived yesterday. Flew over the snow capped Andes from Santiago, Chile. Of course, something was wrong with our airline tickets and, even though I confirmed everything 1 week before leaving, they still didn´t recognize our tickets in Chile. We finally flew standby which meant we sat in various spots throughout the plane.

The cars here look something like out of Cuba...old jelopies. Our rental car isn´t far behind. Tom is delighted of course. We will try to keep him from breaking any laws on our excursions to the mountains for the rest of the week.

Had an empanada yesterday for lunch. I asked what the filling was and the server said it was very delicious. Finally he said it was llama meat. He was right, it was good.

So far the beef and malbec wine are fab.

Our night at the Park Hyatt was lovely. The beds felt great after the long journey. Today we will leave for the mountains and see what awaits us there. We have no reservations anywhere and are just winging it.

More soon!

Fall tillage with Dan

Tom showed Dan how to do fall tillage today. They made a few rounds up and down the field together before cutting Dan loose on the Deutz-Allis tractor and the disc.







They were working on the Germanville farm about 4 miles from home.

Quebec City

I traveled to Quebec City earlier this month for a conference. The foliage was spectacular. Visiting QC is a unique North American travel experience. The architecture, the language (French), and culture is unlike most places in our part of the world.





I stayed at the Auberge Internationale which is a youth hostel. Surprisingly, there were people older than me staying there! The price was right - $32 per night...cheaper than the cab ride ($32.50) from the airport!






I had a lower bunk in a room for 6 women. Bedding was provided although you had to bring your own padlock and towel.







Jim Raymond is a former student and son of my good friend Lisa from Chicago State. He enjoyed the night life of Quebec City!








This is the home where I grew up in Hancock, NY.

In baseball, anything can happen...

Dan's 8th grade team had a great season, but it ended yesterday at the state tournament. Aunt Jeanne and cuz Erin joined us at the game.




Tom is back to the harvest now that we are out of the tournament. He remarked this morning that his ideal work day begins with about 4 hours of reading newspapers, magazines, markets, etc. Having to get out the door before 10 am to harvest the crop is quite a challenge for him.

Please.

Running on Empty Promotes Physical Activity

The new Ford Fusion not only sends messages that the fuel level is low, it also tells how many miles are left before the car stops. We take sport in investigating how many miles beyond those left before the car runs out of fuel... Next thing you know we were walking down the rural road to find someone to spare us some fuel. It made for a memorable Saturday night date.



Here is the new grain truck. It is 20 years old. Tom and Mick went to get their class B licenses. As you know, Tom is notorious for flunking his DMV tests (his is still driving his motorcycle illegally). Well, he flunked the class B written test, too. Mick took pleasure informing the DVM clerks that Tom flunked the test, and his daughter even went to Harvard! He passed it on the second try.




Not sure what Dan thinks of the grain truck - no air, no radio, no power windows, no shoulder belts...








Here are the Funks at the Kinesiology and Recreation Kickoff event last week.

Wrapping up the summer...

Here is a plane applying chemicals to our neighbor's bean field. The pilot is making a steep ascent to clear the telephone wires. He's having way too much fun. Click on the picture to see how gutsy this dude is.





A mother load of sand for the pond. The boys had quite a time playing in it. Never mind that they are 13 and 14 year olds.









Some flowers along my little walk.








When we told Dan that we're celebrating our anniversary he said, "I thought you were married on the Final Four?" We explained that we originally Tied the Knot in August, and then Tied a Double Knot on the Final Four.










Imagine running into this little number on the way to the mailbox.