Outstanding October Operations

Tom's combine was on the fritz for about a week at the start of harvest. But now that it is fixed things seem to be progressing slowly and surely. 

 I zipped out to Colorado for family weekend in Boulder. Karen was returning from Mexico on this day but Joel, Dan and I managed to enjoy a beautiful hike at a place called Lost Lake. 

The four of us were able to have dinner one of the nights I was there so I eventually did get to see Karen. :)

The next day Dan took me to the Boulder Watershed where he lived and worked this summer.


The next picture is of one of the lakes in the watershed at 10-11,000' feet. The spec of snow in the mountains is the Arapaho glacier.

Our national conference was in St. Louis this year.  Amy, me, Marta and Tracy



Below was ISU's homecoming with Brock, Noelle, young Maddox, and somewhere in there is tiny Charlotte. 

This photo was taken in NYC near Bellevue Hospital where Mom did her nurse's training. In this picture the nurses (Mom is smiling in the bottom right) have brought the patients outside to watch the Barnum and Bailey Circus parade.

After 20 years we were reunited with Christian and Maria Guilliod, MBA classmates of Tom's from the U of IL.  They are from Venezuela and Christian is Dan's Godfather.  We had a great time at the farm and Dan checked in from Colorado to Facetime with his "compadre." 

Can you believe the election is almost here?  I am an early voter because there are always some local races that I know nothing about and wonder whether to just leave things blank or just vote for someone for the sake of voting. By voting early I can take my time and try to get some questions answered before I fill out the ballot.

Wrapping up the summer fun!

We kicked off August with our 25th anniversary party. The kids and both Tom's and my family came including my parents! Here we are "tightening the knot!"



The younger set had a blast exploring the barn, discovering baby kittens, and jumping off the rope swing at the pond.

My dad gave a wonderful toast!

Sister Cheryl

We sang Wagon Wheel, If you Don't Love your Neighbor, and the Unicorn

Kurtenbachs, Kerbers, Bluniers, Elwoods, and Schlatters

We went out for dinner on 8/16/2016!

Karen sampling the spicy pickles!

The Schlatter Family Reunion at Cheryl and Dennie's 
1st row: Cheryl Mangers, Kathy Schlatter, Ellen Smith, Rich Schlatter, Barb Schlatter, Debbie Carter
2nd row: Norma Koerner, Jeanne Metzger, Dennis Mangers, Jim Schlatter, David Smith, Tom Schlatter, and John Carter

Melissa Mangers, Jody Massey and her daughter Amy

Gia, born on 6/6/11. How about that, she was born 5 years ago on my 30th birthday! 

The Cordero kids!

 



Summer fun in the Heartland

 Aerial spraying our beans at home.

   I  recently explored several urban bike trails on my super-swell folding bicycle while Tom attended a power conference.  Next thing I knew there was a winery.  I opted for the 3 samples for $3, but the lady gave me 3 additional samples "on the house."  It was a rather wobbly ride back to the hotel. 

 Farm machinery parts stores don't always get Tom's name quite right.  The best is when the parts people hide your order in the bushes outside the store because you can't get there until after hours. It's like farmer-style  PokemonGo!



Moving day in Hancock!  See all those empty shelves where the mini beer mug collection used to be?  The collection is in my office at work now (see the next picture).  Charlie came to watch the big move and to see Mom and Dad end a chapter and start a new one. 

 Mom insisted on a walk through so she could inspect the empty house. Here she is with Charlie in the cellar.

 And there goes the truck!  The movers had quite a corner to maneuver on a very steep hill, but they did it. The whole thing made me teary-eyed but not my parents! They were excited to make the move! 

 This is the kitchen in their new home.  Very spacious and full of all new appliances! We still had some unpacking to do.

 Carolyn and Kylie made a nice wreath for their door. And Rex the Dog came out of a long retirement to guard their doorway (bottom right). 

Mom's cap from Bellevue Nursing School in NYC, a Yankee baseball, and a Rutgers beer mug on a placemat made by Aunt Harriet...and Rex keep watch below.

Mom is checking for mail. They seem pretty happy with their move. No more mowing, shoveling, or driving up and down steep Sutterlein Street.  Acacia Village hosts a happy hour every Friday which is a big hit.  The food is good, there's lots of places to get exercise both indoors and out, and most of all, they like the people they've met! 

Wrapping up my radical sabbatical

I got to be with Elwoods three times in the span of 3 weeks! First, I went back to NYS to help my parents begin the seemingly daunting task of preparing to move to a retirement community. A week later my brothers, their families and I surprised my parents when my dad was honored as Republican of the Year for his many years of service to Delaware County. The third event was for my niece's commencement from college.

My sista-in-law Carol did a fabulous job making all the travel arrangements for my parents and her mom to attend Teri's commencement from the U of AZ!

Sista-in-law Carolyn and daughter Kylie

Tom and I attended Karen's masters degree commencement in environmental science from U of CO!  Joel and Karen

While Dan was off in Mexico with one roommate, his other roommate allowed us to hold Karen's graduation party for 16 people at their house. As you can see Cole didn't mind at all - he got free beer, food, 2 kinds of homemade pie (LC), and a cleaner kitchen by the time we left.

Correias and Schlatters

After dropping farmer Tom at the Denver airport I set off for Tucson, AZ for niece Teri's graduation.  I bagged 5 national parks en route: Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, and the Grand Canyon. The drive was an incredible experience with stretches of 50-60 miles between tiny little towns. One road was so beautiful and scary that I didn't even dare stop and take a picture!

Bryce Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park

Here is Teri with her grandma Judy and boyfriend Ryan at the Material Sciences Engineering commencement dinner. Teri graduated with honors and has already started work at a company with government defense contracts.

Karen and Joel attended the festivities, too!

Elwood girls and their grandparents

Au revoir, France!

The farmer couldn't resist jumping out of the car to snoop around on some Frenchman's farm ground. There were a lot of rocks but maybe that's what you get when you farm in the foothills of the Alps!

 Stopping for some rose along the French Riviera.

 We relied on Abby and Matt's book of detailed maps and google maps which I could access from my iPhone to navigate around the country.  We determined our route largely based on weather forecasts to try and capitalize on the best weather possible.  Our itinerary evolved everyday.

Paris
Dijon, in the Burgundy region
Beaune, Burgundy region
Aix en Provence, Provence
Nice, along the French Riviera
Gap, in the French Alps
Tournus, in Burgundy region
Epernay, in the Champagne region
Paris, Charles de Galle airport

 Tom always seeks out a haircut when in a foreign country. Imagine his delight when this tall French beauty stepped up to cut his hair.

 The Alps

 An Abby dating from the 1100s in Tournus.

 We had dinner at a Michelin 1 star restaurant where they served 6 courses with 6 wine pairings.  They didn't count the fried fish from the river as a course, it was more like an "included appetizer."  Tom didn't want to eat the head and eyes, but I did.

 Here is Tom on course #4, beef and red wine.

The last course was dessert - a very decorative fruit which I didn't like. When I didn't eat it the server asked if something was wrong. Then she went and told on me to the chef who came out to ask if anything was wrong!  I politely explained that I didn't care for the sweetness, but he wasn't buying it. He said the fruit dessert is a very special plate that he prepares, and seemed annoyed that I wasn't eating it.  Of course, I was on wine pairing #6 and found it easy to let his comments slide.

We had this beef Burgundy in the Burgundy region one day and it was crazy tasty!

 I DO like sweets, but I'm particular about which ones.  When we were kids my mom would take us to the Walton bakery where I'd always get chocolate eclairs.  Eclairs are special, especially when you eat them in France!

 This picture was taken at the Copenhagen airport on our return to the US. The tall blonde Scandinavian server convinced Tom (without much fuss, really) to get pork cheek with cabbage.  Pork cheek may not sound appetizing but we ate every single bite.

If you haven't been to France, it is a beautiful country with great food and delicious wine. As with all travels, however, it is always wonderful to come home to the good ole USA!