You're About to be Redirected to the New Home of Ground Control to Major Mom: 8/22/10

Saturday, August 28, 2010

The Vollmer "Weather Curse", Take 6

Most of this text is stolen from a 21 November 2008 blog post about the crazy weather experiences we've had everywhere we've lived since we've been married. At the end of that blog post, I posed the question: "What will Bellevue, Nebraska bring?"

Now that we're wrapping up our Nebraska tour and headed toward our 7th home in 15 years, I'm confident that Winter of 2009-2010 in eastern Nebraska was a result of the Vollmers living here. Really. So here's the summary of the Vollmer "Weather Curse" (1-5 are from the previous blog post), and I've added #6 at the end. Enjoy:

1.) Ft. Polk, Leesville, and DeRidder, LA. Ice storm, January 1997.

Not sure if this picture is from that exact ice storm, but this is a good example of what Southwestern LA looked like after this storm.

This was pretty daunting. Louisiana flora and fauna didn't take to this very well, neither did the 101st Airborne soldiers who were in the field doing training during this ice storm. I remember sliding sideways in my car down the hill towards the base weather station.

2.) Seoul, S. Korea. Monsoon flooding, August 1998. (<-- See 5th paragraph of this link) We had a Korean citizen working in our weather unit. Mr. Ko. He told us that folklore said that every 11 years, the annual Korea Monsoon is worse than usual. And every 11th of those 11 years, it's even worse. And 1998 was predicted to be that 121st year. All of us Americans who'd heard this were like, "Yeah, right, whatever..." Well, the folklore was right. It was the worst flooding in everyone's memory, bridges that bisected Seoul were flooded out, the military was on the verge of deploying thousands of people into the fields for a major exercise and those plans were disrupted. The building Dave and I lived in flooded on the ground floor, and our Saturn flooded a little, too. But we didn't have it nearly as badly as some of those stationed closer to the DMZ, whose quonset huts filled to the brim!

3.) Beavercreek (Dayton), OH. Xenia Tornado Redux, September 20, 2000.

Most weather weenies know the story of the April 3, 1974 F5 tornado that plowed through Xenia, Ohio. They still debate to this day whether that was the strongest tornado ever measured.

The September 2000 tornado originated very close to our house, and moved AWAY from our house, following a very similar path to the 1974 one. I had asked for a bicycle for my birthday (which was the day after the tornado). We lived near a nice bike trail network, and Xenia was closed to non-resident motor vehicle traffic for about a week. But Dave and I were able to ride our new bikes all over the town and see the damages up close and personal. It was very eerie to see where the tornado had crossed our local bike trail...

4.) Melbourne, FL. Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne, August-October 2004.

By this point in our lives, Dave and I knew that strange weather happens when we live somewhere and I feel it contributed to our decision to NOT to buy a house on the barrier islands. Yes, it's very superstitious, but I'm grateful every day of the wise choice we made when we bought our first house in Florida 5 miles INLAND.

We moved to Florida in spring 2002. As the hurricane seasons of 2002 and 2003 wound down, we started looking at just how long it had been since a hurricane hit the Florida east coast south of Jacksonville and north of where Hurricane Andrew had hit in 1992. Nearly 100 years, if I remember correctly! As every year since Andrew had passed, Florida was holding its breath for the next "biggie".

Those storms absolutely decimated houses all over East Central Florida, but our home was spared, except for damaged screens and a blown air conditioner fuse.

5.) Apex (Raleigh), NC. The Apex Chlorine Fire (not really weather), October 2006 and NC's Worst Drought in over 100 Years, Summer 2007.

We heard the initial explosions from the chlorine storage containers at about 10:30pm, and we saw the glow in the sky from our front porch. It was a pleasant evening, I remember, so we had opened up all the windows in our house, which made it easier to hear the explosions and the emergency vehicles...one after another.

The EQ Industries Chlorine Storage Facility Fire occurred about 1/2 mile from our house. We could see the glow of the flames from our front porch.

We wasted no time packing the boys, the dog and some provisions and then made haste to Dave's NC State office near downtown Raleigh. After that, we took a breath, and made follow on arrangements in a hotel in North Raleigh. It was warm the night we evacuated, so the boys were in short pajamas, and I remember having to buy warmer PJs at Walmart for the following night...one of the season's first cold fronts had passed.

I forfeited part of our reimbursement from the evacuation expenses because I refuse to sign a gag order. I had a 4-year-old and an 18-month old! Who knows if something will come along later that might be related to this?

As for the drought, I'm glad it's now over. All it took was Dave and me moving out of the area...I'm glad we could help.

6.) Bellevue (Omaha), NE. The winter of 2009-2010 certainly packed a punch!

Dave shoveling a path for the dog in the backyard Christmas morning.

From 2009 12 25 Christmas Eve Travel & Christmas Blizzard

Starting with a Columbus Day-weekend snow event! On October 9-10, 2009, the Omaha Metro area received 3-5" of snow! The family was planning to go test-driving new vehicles that weekend, and we were pleased that the snow had mostly melted by the evening of the 10th. But still!

After a reprise through about Thanksgiving, December proved to be almost-recording setting, with over 20" during the month of December alone. The kids had their first snow days on December 9th and 10th, and then when the family was returning from Walt Disney World on December 24th, a major winter storm was taking shape that shut down Dallas-Fort Worth airport just after our flight took off (phew) and we were so proud of the crews at Omaha Eppley Airfield for working so hard on keeping the runways cleared. It was rather scary driving home from the airport in the high winds and blowing snow! This photo album shows some of the weather we had dealt with during that blizzard.

We had several other snow events, with the kids having some 6 snow days this year and several records being broken, mostly related to how long the area had a snowpack (approximately December 19, 2009 to approximately March 23, 2010). But not the absolute snowiest winter in Omaha.

Some pretty crazy side effects of all this snow emerged, too. Enjoy stories of school districts getting in trouble for not schooling their kids enough, and snowmelt revealing mold on lawns.

Labels: cold weather, ranting, weather

Thursday, August 26, 2010

You'll Wear It Well, Dave!!

I think Dave is going to look outstanding in these!!!!

Yesterday afternoon Dave received the news from his commanders that he has been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Yippee!

The family is so proud of Dave. Yesterday we went out to one of our local favorite restaurants, Quaker Steak and Lube in Council Bluffs for some wings and beer to celebrate. Nothing huge, since it was a school night.

I had bought a greeting card in late July, and even had the boys sign it along with Dave's birthday cards about 4 weeks ago. The card had been sitting, sitting, sitting, while we waited, waited, waited for this list to come out. I got nervous that I had jinxed things by having everyone preemptively sign the card.

Dave has a line number of 833. Every month Congress and the Air Force designates how many of those selected for promotion will get to put on their new rank. It's a budget thing. Currently about 130 selectees get to put on their new rank each month. At this rate, I don't expect Dave to wear his new rank (or see his new paycheck) until at least next summer sometime. And that monthly increment can change according to budget needs...so folks don't really know for sure what month until 1-2 months prior.

And the goober I am, since I wrote that title up there, this song has been stuck in my brain, so I figured I'd share it with the rest of you. Even though the song itself is totally unrelated to military promotions.

Labels: air force, dear husband

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

The Corn Debate -- Starch or Veggie?

Considering I'm in Nebraska, it makes sense that we should take some time to discuss corn here, right?

The nickname "Cornhusker" was first adopted by the University of Nebraska football team in 1900.

The little farm stands popped up all over the Omaha Metro, as they do every year in mid-July. I'm partial to this nice stand at about 15th St. and Cornhusker Ave. The two polite young men who operate the stand are both in college and happily accept tips to help their tuition :-) I'll pick up corn that's was picked less than 24 hours ago at 50 cents an ear. I've probably done this 5 times so far this summer and I think everyone's had their fill.

I know I can get corn for 10 cents an ear at Walmart, but I learned that their corn came to us from Florida!

Now why would I buy Florida corn in Nebraska of all places????

Anyway, it had gotten me thinking about how folks serve up corn in their households. I'm not talking about recipes with corn, but rather how corn is regarded for dinner service: starch or veggie?

I remember it being treated like a veggie in my house growing up, but knowing what I know about corn's chemical composition, and how easily it can become corn chips or corn tortillas, we have migrated it over to the starch group since we've had kids.

So instead of rice or potatoes, we'll serve up some corn.

I noticed, based on my oh-so-scientific poll from August 2nd, that 2/3 of my sample set continue to treat corn as a veggie, while 1/3 of us treat it as a starch. I guess that makes sense. I was definitely on the fence for this one, too.

Labels: cooking, nebraska, ranting

Monday, August 23, 2010

The Iowa State Fair...or..."What Did They Try to Fry THIS Year?"

This past weekend we paid a visit to the Iowa State Fair. In 2008 and 2009 we drove right down the road to Lincoln for the Nebraska State Fair, which was fun when it was nice and close. This year, the state fair will open up on August 27th at their new home at Fonner Park in Grand Island, NE, which is about 2 1/2 hours away from here.

The former State Fairgrounds in Lincoln will become the Nebraska Innovation Campus, a university-private industry research center. Similar to N.C. State's Centennial Campus, and Penn State's Innovation Park.

Since Nebraska's State Fair moved relatively far away, we decided to check out Iowa's State Fair, near downtown Des Moines, about 130 miles east of us.

I think this might be the biggest state fair I've ever attended. I've only been to 4 of them: Ohio, North Carolina, Nebraska and now Iowa's. The old buildings reminded me of the historic buildings at the NC State Fairgrounds. There were numerous midways, and we had trouble finding the little-kid-friendly rides. Unfortunately, it was incredibly hot, and I think were all that much crankier from it.

Enjoy some pictures from our day at the fair!

Timmy did a leaf rubbing and taped it to a display area:

From 2010 08 21 Iowa State Fair

In the "Varied Industries" building, where various native-to-Iowa companies can show off their goods, Timmy enjoyed a tattoo scavenger hunt. I can't believe I let him wear Iowa Hawkeyes and Iowa State Cyclone tattoos! When all was done, Timmy was wearing 12 tattoos on his face and arms!

From 2010 08 21 Iowa State Fair

The boys each did the Turbo Jump, which is like bungee-cord-assisted trampoline jumping. Hopefully these videos work:

Then we made our way to the animals. Horses and cattle. Unlike in NC, we could pet these animals, so long as the owners gave the okay.

From 2010 08 21 Iowa State Fair

While I didn't eat any of the fried foods, it's always interesting to see what foods are out there. How 'bout some fried mac 'n cheese?

From 2010 08 21 Iowa State Fair

I saw this at the NE State Fair last year, it's rather interesting. It's beef topped with a scoop of mashed potatoes, garnished with cheese, dark gravy and topped off with a cherry....tomato.

From 2010 08 21 Iowa State Fair

I opted for a smoked turkey leg :-)

From 2010 08 21 Iowa State Fair

What's a State Fair without a pumpkin contest?

From 2010 08 21 Iowa State Fair

We took a skyride from one end of the fair to the other. A sign of just how big this fair is!

From 2010 08 21 Iowa State Fair

As we always do, we save the rides and games for the very end:

From 2010 08 21 Iowa State Fair

Timmy's in the 2nd to last row with people in it:

From 2010 08 21 Iowa State Fair

Labels: iowa, travel

Rocky Mountain National Park Flowers

I copied the flower pictures into a new slide show. Enjoy!

Labels: colorado, flowers, travel, vacation

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Colorado Discoveries: Part 4 -- Rocky Mountain National Park

The reason we went up to Estes Park was to visit Rocky Mountain National Park. We spent 2 days at the park enjoying hikes and scenic drives.

We took a somewhat advanced trail near the Bear Lake trailhead on the first day, I think some of the rangers were surprised that we were considering taking our young boys, but they did really well. Yep, we were going way up there!

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

The boys chatted with the ranger about trail safety and etiquette:

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

Timmy was being rather slow in the parking lot and a feeling of dread had come over me that it would be a LONG hike. But we designated him "leader" and suddenly he took off like a rocket!

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

There were so many pretty flowers on the trail, I think it's worth another blog post by itself:

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

The trail we were taking consisted of traveling around 3 lakes, each about 0.6 miles from the previous one (the first one was 0.6 miles from the trailhead). So it was a 1.8 mile trail in each direction. Here's the first of the lakes, Nymph Lake:

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

Assorted shots along the trail:

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

Pretty waterfall through some brush.

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

We had to step off the marked trail to see this, we could hear it and wanted to see where it was coming from:

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

Dream Lake, the 2nd of the 3 lakes:

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

Timmy really enjoys waterfalls:

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

At the 3rd lake, Emerald Lake, the trail ended, and there was an area of boulders where folks were hanging out. We staked out a good spot, but it took some fancy maneuvering around some boulders to get there:

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

The ground squirrels and birds here were FEARLESS! They'd come right up for the crumbs!

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

Time to head back down to the trailhead!

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

After lunch we drove over to the Continental Divide. At the scenic overlooks, these birds were so fearless!

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

You can see Jacob photographing the bird behind Dave, with my old iPhone (the phone is disabled).

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

They mark when you go above the treeline (about 11,500') and the plants start getting squat. We were there in August, which was among the 8 weeks per year there it isn't a wintry tundra.

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

Very little can grow up this high, we're near 12,000':

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

For my weather weenie friends, this is a mercury barometer showing that the station pressure is a mere 19.65".

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

And here we are! The Continental Divide! The sign is self-explanatory:

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

Love the sky reflection!

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

A short tundra hike. Didn't really look like what I picture was "tundra", but this was the warmest time of the year, so perhaps I should come back in a couple months? The lichen was particularly intriguing to me, though.

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

The following day, the boys asked "Can we take a flatter hike?" so we went to an area of Rocky Mountain park called "Moraine Park" and found an easy trail that meandered between a moraine area and a treeline. At the Moraine Park visitor's center, the boys made plaster castings of animal pawprints:

From 2010 08 11 Colorado Trip Last 2 days

Then we hiked. This was approximately 3 miles, but we lost the trail towards the end and somehow had to make our way back to a bus stop to make our way back to the truck. Needless to say, at lower elevations and in sunnier spots, the boys got pretty hot and weren't quite as happy on this hike.

From 2010 08 11 Colorado Trip Last 2 days

We decided to spend the afternoon back at the Y and see what activities there were. Dave and Jacob enjoyed the pool while Timmy and I hit the arts and crafts center. Timmy and I tied dyed some clothing and did some mosaic art:

From 2010 08 11 Colorado Trip Last 2 days

Timmy's finished shirt:

From 2010 08 11 Colorado Trip Last 2 days

And my finished skirt:

From 2010 08 11 Colorado Trip Last 2 days

On the drive home we went through Big Thompson Canyon, where the winding roads really got to Jacob. The poor baby got sick while in the truck but was such a champ, NOTHING got on his clothes or the truck upholstery! Just before we drove off the Y property, we saw a pair of elk grazing: