Sunday, August 23, 2015

The Voyage to Grand Island

 I have a two and a half hour (each way) drive tomorrow with a car loaded with entries for the fair. I prefer to think of it as an adventure, even if I'll be driving the Interstate the entire way. Danny's done the research, and found the location of the Goodwill in Grand Island, and we'll be sure to stop at the little Mennonite thrift store in Seward on the way back. Next week will be worse, with the trip to Kansas, and then hitting the last couple days of the fair on the way home to see if he won any ribbons. I wanted Danny to see the Eisenhower presidential library, and take the tour of the boyhood home next door. I did the tour a dozen years ago, and was quite impressed with it. Abeline, Kansas is a lovely little town with several good antique shops. Or it was, I hope to find it has remained more or less the same. I thought this would be a good, educational way to ease into the new school year. As I'm teaching WWII, we can learn a it about Eisenhower in his role as a General.


 For myself, I have my own special way of easing into another school year. I can assure you it wont be a pink bottle of wine called, "Relax" (seen over my shoulder). I prefer gin. And Ibuprofen. Funny story-A couple years back I was buying a gigantic bottle of Advil at Target along with a new grade-book and  lesson planner. The cashier looked at me (already looking exhausted) and then the items on the counter and started howling with laughter. I was only teaching second grade at that point!
99 bottles of cheap wine on the wall, 99 bottles of cheap wine, take one down, pass it around, 98 bottles of cheap wine on the wall. I wonder if I should teach that song to Danny to annoy the hell out of his Dad on long drives?


Outfit Particulars:
Vintage LaRue pleated skirt-Hand-Me-Ups
Vintage Ultrasuede jacket-Goodwill
1970's polyester shell top-Goodwill
1950's/60's handbag-Goodwill
Vintage Naturalizer shoes-Thrift World
1960's brooch-Goodwill
1950's screw-back earrings-Hand-Me-Ups
Enamel clamper bracelet-Gordman's
Fragrance-Vintage Guerlain Vetiver

 The woman who works at the Goodwill near my house dragged me over to the case to see this, and another brooch. She knows my taste! The other was a very old piece of Niello with a barrel fastening on the back.

 I'm looking for some interesting audio books for the road trip next week. Mr. ETB came home from the library with some David Sedaris thing, but that wasn't what I had in mind. If you have a ten year old as a captive audience for hours at a time, shouldn't he be listening to something like The Long Loneliness? I've read parts of it aloud with him over the years, but wouldn't several hours in a car be a great opportunity?! Sure, Sedaris is an entertaining writer, but probably not saint material. As I typed that,  I got a great mental image of a suburban church called, "St. Sedaris" with a statue of him in the elf suit out front. Anyway, I think I should see if it is available as an audio book.  I like to remind Danny that had he been born a girl, he'd have been named Dorothy, after Dorothy Day. That typically gets a groan and an eye roll. He hasn't quite come around to the idea that "the best thing to do with the best things in life is give them away." That's okay, I wouldn't have agreed with that at ten either.
 Well, come to think of it, I have an audio books of Pepys Diary as well. Wouldn't that make for riveting listening on a road trip! Well...actually, it would. And I wouldn't hear a Pepys out of  Danny.

Be getting my hat now...
Hope everyone has a great week. See you, eventually! 



5 comments:

Sue said...

Safe travels to you all, and lots of good wishes for winning ribbons. Listen books sound perfect for a long drive.

Bibi said...

That bright lippie really suits you. I don't think I could live without my daily dose of ibuprofen either.
I'm sure you're not going anywhere near Marion county, Kansas- but if you ever do there's the Mennonite Heritage and Agricultural Museum in Goessel. My maternal grandparent's house is preserved there (the Krause house) & my grandmother Agnetha was born there. It's quite interesting as they've displayed so many of my family's original clothing & items of daily use (straight off the boat from Molotschka, Ukraine.) During 'Goessel Threshing Days' antique farm equipment is displayed, old fashioned wheat threshing techniques are demonstrated, baking in a traditional cow poop burning oven is demonstrated, and traditional Mennonite foods are available. My sons had a blast there about 3 yrs ago & got to meet several of my multitudinous Mennonite cousins.
https://sites.google.com/site/osageplace/home/mennonite-heritage-museum/krause-house

Mim said...

I hope the drive went well, and I wish you luck with the fair entries.

I enjoy David Sedaris' work, but my husband is nuts for it. We went to see him speak when he came to Bath. I don't tend to listen to audiobooks in the car, though I do have a compilation of the best of John Arlott's cricketing commentary... Danny would probably rather chop his ears off than listen to that, and it's not what you'd call educational.

Beth Waltz said...

I consider any drive more than two-hours one way to be an expedition and outfit the vehicle accordingly. I envy Jon and Vix their Gilbert -- and no, a modern mini RV would NOT be the same.

Do hope all goes well en route and that Danny adds fair ribbons to his collection of collections. My own taste in audio books runs to WWII era radio programs, perhaps because I worked with some of those folks at the end of their careers as I began mine. ("You can afford grand staircases in radio, kid. The audiences build the sets in their heads.") Danny might be entertained by Boston Blackie or some of the other mystery programs. It's fun to figure out how 4 actors can perform 8 roles! And then there are the sound FX: One of my mentors told of "auditioning" door hinges for a critical sound cue.



Goody said...

@Sue
We made it there and back-no more driving until next week (that's when I'll really need the books). I made sure to get photos of Danny handing in hos entries, and of the volunteers doing the check-in.

@Mim
I think it would be Mr. ETB that would leap from the car. He works with a number of cricket fanatics, one of whom was (I'm told) a rather promising player a million years ago in India. He opted for work in software development instead. He knows absolutely nothing about cricket, but hears about it all day long.

@Beth Waltz
I have been trying to get Danny interested in radio theatre for ages, as he keeps writing these crazy scripts and making videos with plush animals. It seems like he's be a natural for radio, but he just can't get interested. I did have him listen to The War of the Worlds, which he enjoyed but that was about it.