Oh how I love their expressions as they watched to see if she was successful.
Author Archives: Kim Halloran-Fry
America the Beautiful – Tiffin, Iowa’s literary rest stop
Iowa officially wins the award for THE best rest stop we have ever visited. When we spilled out of the Suburban, sticky and sea-legged, the midday heat hit us with full force. Yuck, yuck, yuck. We had parked at the edge of the lot so we started trudging across the length of the grounds towards the building for our obligatory 2-3 hour interval stop.
The closer we got the more evident it was that this was no ordinary, utilitarian rest area. Each little pavilion housed a picnic table and was framed with a cut-out quote. All of them? I quickly scanned the park area. Yes! Once I figured that out you know we would have to check out every.single.one. And we did, because I am a quote freak.
The restroom building was every bit as thoughtfully designed from the graphic signage to the Pulitzer plaques to the quotes on continuous feed trailing around the top of the atrium area. It was a feast of words and letters, history and ideas.
Well done, Iowa, well done.
America the Beautiful – Wisconsin State Fair
I can still hear the sounds of the fairgrounds in my memory today and it isn't only because of our wonderful recent trip. For a few years when I was very small we lived across the street in a craftsman-style bungalow that had been divided into three apartments. We had no air conditioning back in the day and on summer nights the windows would be thrown open at night to catch any snatch of air that might blow in for relief. For that week of summer when the state fair was being held there would be the muffled voices of announcers wafting in with the breeze, bands playing, and later fireworks. And cars. Always the cars.
It was with my head and heart full of emotion and memories that we arrived at the fair with our three youngest and our son's incredible in-laws who have become such wonderful friends. Understandably, it is a totally different experience for our children today. One of the best parts of parenthood is looking at familiar places through new eyes. That we did. We spent the better part of a whole day exploring, listening to bands, watching shows, and wandering in and out of exhibit halls and barns. There was a list of "Wisconsin food" to be sampled: fried cheese curds, cream puffs, and everything-on-a-stick.
So. Much. Fun!
A tale of three campgrounds
We've spent a great deal of time on the road this summer. After a few false starts we are getting into the RV groove. What follows is from the notes I was keeping during our first trip pulling the trailer.
Our first night in the RV was picture perfect. We found space at an RV park nestled on the prairie with rolling mountain ranges in the distance. The grounds were manicured and our neighbors were mainly easy-going retirees on the move with their full-time rigs.
I got to work making a well-balanced campsite dinner. I took pictures of my clever campsite dinner. I was rocking this camping cooking thing after all.
The boys finished setting up with their dad and they sat down with the girls to play a board game. Tip #1 for idyllic camping? No phones. The boys were heading to an unplugged camp and didn't have their phones with them. While they did grab mine when they could, it cut down usage considerably and they looked to each other for entertainment. And hey, we are nothing if not entertaining. #wedowhatwecan
My husband and I snuck out before dark and walked the perimeter of the grounds. We were treated to a stunning Montana sunset. If there is an ideal summer vacation night, this was it.
Once the sun went down the temps followed suit. We slept with the windows open and cool air blowing in. Perfect. We moved on with a bit of false confidence. We had done our research, made good reservations, had this ALL figured out. You know, after one whole night.
Our second stop was less idyllic. It actually goes down in the books as "that breaking bad" night. Not even kidding. We picked an RV park from an RV club guidebook. It immediately looked…urban… as we pulled in but you couldn't really see much from the office. Perhaps it was just a rough first impression? As soon as we drove in however all my sketchy radar was on tilt.
After passing trailer after trailer looking much like the above, we pulled into our spot and I began surfing for RV park crime and this park specifically. We found reviews which euphemistically mentioned that there "were a high percentage of permanent residents." Translation? It was a trailer park full of "residences" that hadn't been road-worthy in more than a decade and never would be. As the sun was beginning to set more people were arriving home in various states of undress and intoxication.
Husband started hitching us back up and trying to find other options, late as it was. Being the scrupulous, self-punishing sort I was scolding myself that people live here every night and I can't manage to stay for one? Shouldn't I feel some sort of solidarity with my fellow man. Because I have to make a camping decision an assessment of my missed opportunity to reform an entire community in a single night. Or something. Sigh. Be glad you aren't my husband and don't have to listen to my internal battles for miles on end. We were soon on the road again, my scruples notwithstanding, and found a great place for the weekend near our friends and began a weekend of visiting and sightseeing.
The return trip brings us to "that time we were gonna dry camp at a state park." Because I love Instagram and fancy myself to be uber adventurous. Because we are NOT white bread, air-conditioned suburbanites, right? Because we are CRUNCHY after all, people. We like nature and stuff. We like parks. We like $5 per night. Hello? So off we went full of high expectations, visions of plaid shirts and rocky streams and hiking boots populating my imagination. Instagram, here I come! Even Tess was all about it. Water. She wanted to sleep right by the water.
The website indicated the park campground was accessible by a "gravel road suitable for privately owned vehicles." So….yeah. "Accessible" and "suitable" and "vehicle" may be up for interpretation.We drove for six miles on said road.
The drive – and us on it – was increasingly resembling a scene from the Long Long Trailer. Got a visual of my face now? I am channeling my inner Lucy.
At various junctures we navigated around cattle and deer and chipmunks and rabbits hoping to find either the campsites or a place to turn this beast of a tin box around.
We finally spotted the campground. I guess we were expecting campgrounds we have seen while hiking- bustling places full of families, campfires crackling, the smell of s'mores in the air. Not so. Like, this looked like the Armageddon of campgrounds – desolate. We drove around seeing no one. Zip. Zero people. No humanity to be found in the half hour we had been driving through the park. Just when we were sure we were completely alone out there, we passed a guy who peered out under his hat from a campfire while his clothes dried on a tree. Further down the road two young men waved near a pup tent.
But still it was just our three parties total. We were many miles off-road in the wilderness with no cell phone service and no options for protection, should it be called for.
As it turns out I AM a white bread, suburbanite camper - at least when I have two little camper girls with me. The second set of men were shaggy, bearded biking guys who very likely were filling up their own IG feeds with excellent adventures. Go them! Guy #1 could have gone a lot of ways. Google experts suggested remote camping was, as a rule, really safe. You should just "keep your Spidey eyes open" people said. (Say what?) Except for that serial killer that targeted lone campers, your odds of meeting certain death were slim, they pointed out. In case you did meet up with such a dude, it was suggested you had a cell phone and perhaps were packing. We couldn't and weren't.
In the end I couldn't do it. We found another wonderful, quiet, rural park full of nice retirees where Tess beat us at Sorry and I made her Pillsbury rolls from a can to make up for the extra 40 minutes in the car and the no water's edge site.
You find out a lot about yourself while traveling. I felt like a bit of an IG adventure fail. Still this isn't Holiday Inn with room service and video games. We are out in the fresh air all night. We have breakfast under the sun and watch the birds wake up. There are lots of grandmas and grandpas nearby and the occasional very young family with toddlers running laps around the park and we like them. A lot. While we haven't hung our clothes on a tree or pitched the pup tent or taken up impromptu street counseling, we have had many evenings that look at a lot like this….
We are finding our place on the road. There are lots of options. So many ways to do this depending on your calling and charisms. The important thing is to keep exploring together and finding that sweet spot between cushy and terrifying, which is going to be different for all of us. Whatever your sweet spot is – be it room service or roughing it or s'mores in your own backyard – I hope you've had some excellent adventures with the people you love this summer. I look forward to sharing more of ours.
Past Blessings Farm
I was reading an article in Prairie Style magazine last month and noticed that one of the features was a farm east of Spokane, coincidentally where we were heading shortly. As luck would have it their monthly barn sale fell during our visit. My husband very indulgently drove us out to Past Blessings Farm one morning and sifted through vintage treasures with me.
See, he will not volunteer to go to these things but he has strong opinions about what we buy once we get here. Good collector's taste, that man has. That's between you and I though ok?
Every corner of the farm had some kind of vintage country fun tucked into it. The whole place was feel good cozy and I wish we had been able to hit one of the larger Pickin' on the Prairie events. We managed to make a good little haul regardless. Abbie picked up a ceramic piggy bank and a new bedspread for a song. Ok, for $29 which is pretty much a song. This was awesome since her giant dog jumped into bed with her a while back and they had a good-sized bedspread tear in the resulting settling down.
Every time I think we are going to do something more "sophisticated" at home I find more homespun that somehow just feels like us. This trip was no exception. My only regret was leaving this t-shirt behind. It's available by mail order however. I wonder if my family knows this…..
I truly fell in love with the eastern Washington-northern Idaho area. Beautiful grain fields, rolling hills, and pine forests. And barn sales to boot? Too good to be true.
America the Beautiful – Deception Pass, Washington (and some state study freebies)
One of the beautiful places my friend Michelle took us when we visited the Pacific Northwest this year was Deception Pass. Joseph Whitby found the pass in 1792. George Vancouver dubbed it aptly since the sailors were duped initially, thinking the islands they were mapping were actually a long peninsula. Not so. The water was just shallow and the twists and turns of inlets tricky. On this beautiful morning they showed off a range of spectacular blues as our crew explored the tide pools.
We do a lot of mountains but not as much water, much less ocean. The new ecosystem captivated them.
Wherever we go I am drawn to the people. I've realized that while I love being out in nature, I am most likely to pull the camera out where people and planet intersect. While we were exploring the water's edge we found a group of men from a local hobby boat club. Good clean fun.
After climbing all over the shoreline Michelle took us to Deception Pass Bridge.
This is me standing 180 feet above the water after following the kids allllll the way across the bridge. Ok you can't actually see me because I am holding the camera. But still. Bravery points right there. We weren't planning to get all the way out there but it is a single lane path and no one told the first person so he just kept walking.
And thought the whole thing was pretty funny.
With any luck I am going to catch up on travel stories this month. Or at least make a dent in them! It's been so fascinating to study the states as we visit amathem.
Some resources for US States Studies we are playing around with:
state songs Did you know Connecticut has Yankee Doodle?
Because each state has unique landforms this set of manipulatives is a great tie-in
Since I ADORE vintage state plates you know I am all over this project
Learning on the Road – Cedar City, UT
We had an afternoon to fill while we were in Cedar City, UT for a working trip for my husband. While he was in meetings the girls and I decided to check out the Frontier Homestead State Park. You can't always know ahead of time whether these places will be bust or boom but this one was definitely a hit.
First stop was a station explaining the route west and the specifics about what could be taken along. There were weight limits on the stage coaches. The girls had to fill a model wagon with what they felt were the best items.
This little experiment should illustrate to all who it is you want packing your wagon. Tess, ever practical, read all the explanatory signs and tallied up the crate weights. She stuffed her wagon with flour, shotgun powder, vinegar/antiseptics, and tent supplies. Abbie Rose assessed her options and loaded books, sugar, heirloom linens, and china which of course I could not fault her on. Priorities, people! : )
Next they tried their hands at washing clothes with plunger and washboard. Tess LOVED this. She insisted this was not work. She went so far as to suggest we try this at home. thanksnothanks
They tried on stripes and sat in lock up.
We visited an old schoolroom and tried to decode the Deseret alphabet which was a bit of history news for me. There's a reason that didn't catch on but hey, here's your fun fact of the day. If you want to give it a virtual whirl you can use this translator.
Picture me, trying to explain why people thought this was a good idea. See her totally not buying it, but also humoring me with an appropriate face for my theme picture? Bless her heart. When we got home I looked up the history of dunce caps, being the rabbit trailer homeschooler I am. This is actually a really fascinating story.
Then we ventured into a native American dwelling and they tried grinding grain into flour. While they were game for laundering outdoors the whole corn-grinding-with-a-rock thing did not go over well. Like, Tess was pretty sure that certain death by starvation would soon follow if this was the only option, especially when she figured out how long it would take to grind enough for our family.
There is a lovely old farmhouse on the grounds complete with period furnishings. I have loved touring Victorians like these since I was the girls' age. Always, always I want to unpack and settle in.
Settling in wasn't an option but a very nice lady tourist offered to take a picture of us on the velvet sofa. That helped. : )
We wrapped up with a game of horseshoes. Before we knew it the afternoon had slipped by and we headed out to get Dad. The park was so well done and I am so glad we found it.
Classic
I am Queen of the Out-of-the-Ordinary Afternoon Out. We missed a classic car show earlier in summer so it was fun to find another one. If hot. Really hot. Still we had a blast wandering around imagining roads full of these. Being rather "classic" ourselves, we didn't need a lot of imagination for some of the eras.
Daughter in her very snappy new hat from my new fave store – Charming Charlie
8 tracks. Now THAT took me back. My Gram had an 8 track player in the kitchen in the late 70s/early 80s. Thanks to her I know all the lyrics to 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover and most of Charlie Rich's top hits. (just slip out the back Jack, no need to be coy Roy…)
When I was dating my husband he had a beat up blue Opal that no longer had an operational gas meter. We would fill it up and then do the math to figure out how long before we ran out. The Cars tape made that whole decrepit vehicle shake when he blasted it from the tape deck.
Old, I know.
Extra points if you got the Beach Boys reference.
Spent ten bucks to buy cold drinks. The crazy memories were free. Fun day!
So that just happened
Life in our big family means blessing and resources are multiplied. We have full measure of both to be sure. It also means more of just everything, to include freakish illness, full days, and generally unexpected challenges. Sometimes they come in bunches, just to see if you're on your toes.
The week opened with a sunny Sunday afternoon. Our little band of girl neighbors had just decided to relocate their game from our yard to another house and had left full of giggles and big plans. Older boys were watching a movie and one daughter had just left for work when my phone rang. It was the next door neighbor saying there were reports of a suicidal man in the neighborhood and he was believed to be armed and in a vehicle taken from a relative. In fact, there was a strange car stopped in front of our homes right then and the sheriff was on his way to investigate.
My heart plunged into my throat at that moment, gesturing to my husband whose phone had also rung. Yes, he was talking to the other neighbor and yes, the children were safely at their house and yes, we were supposed to sit tight inside. The Sheriff's deputies arrived and tried to contact the driver by megaphone. We sat transfixed, probably stupid of us, as they eventually circled the car at gunpoint when there was no response, totally not believing our eyes. As it turns out another neighbor called to say a man had approached them just before the sheriff arrived asking for directions to the nearest mountain pass trail. It seems the driver fled on foot.
Later that day the owner of the car came to retrieve it and spoke to my husband about her son and mental illness and waiting for news she would have to bury her child. (thus far we have not heard any follow up btw and may never hear) It left us all with so much to think and pray about.
The next morning one of the boys was scheduled for dental work. Between scheduling glitches and his dental anxiety, we had put this off longer than I wanted. When he said his stomach was upset it seemed most likely to be nerves. I suggested some tea and toast and, since he wasn't actually nauseous, off we went. He had his work done and I realized I had left my wallet in the glove box of other car when we had gone to the park to bike the night before. We had to scratch the planned follow-on grocery trip and run home to call in the card number for our copay.
His stomach wasn't better after the appointment. This was red flag #2. We had a very full day pencilled in though. While we were assessing his symptoms and calling in my card, a younger child asked me if we were still going to piano lessons, seeing how they were starting in three minutes. In fact they were. A quick look at the calendar showed that this was not the only lesson day that was going to be a conflict in the next month. I called the teacher to apologize and we decided, between her scheduled days off and our travel schedule, we would take the rest of the summer off and start fresh in September. (margin, y'all. Know when you need more and make some, preferably before you miss a thing…)
My daughters and I put our heads together to figure out the rest of the day. One ran to the store. Another was heading home to keep an eye on the stomach issue. I was meeting my husband for another episode of how-to-handle-the-travel or should-we-invest-in-a-camper. This has been a heated debate for a couple months. Our family is spread across the country. After decades (seriously) of being separated by work travel we have been taking steps to create a life that allowed us to do the work travel together. Hence, we don't have typical 'family vacation' but rather working vacations, lots of them.
Long story shorter – too late right? He found a trailer he liked. I also found a trailer I liked. Mine was very cute. Cute, apparently, is not a word men often like mentioned in the same breath as their trailer. Then there were other considerations, like the concern about parts of it breaking off while driving down the highway. Whatever. ; ) We got the practical trailer.
(So we are clear: This is not my camper. I just had to sit in it a minute to breathe in vintage awesomeness before boldly moving forward into 21st century family practicality. Practicality is overrated I still say….)
While at the camper place son texts that his stomach was still not better. Thus far his pain had been ambiguous and we were beginning to think he may have pulled something while weight training. No fever. No vomiting. We turned and headed for home anyway and gave some motrin. That seemed to help but when I took his temp he was beginning a very low grade fever. We've been down that road before so I dialed our insurance' nurse advice line to get authorization to go off base to an ER.
Long story shorter – I know, I know. Appendix. Slam dunk. Within three hours of arrival he was operated on and recovering on the ward. Also very wide awake at midnight. We were not so wide awake by then. My husband asked if I wanted to stay or go. I crashed in place for a few hours. He came back in the morning to relieve me. Midmorning found me at home again, double checking the calendar to see how many days had actually passed since we started that peaceful Sunday began.
He is now home recovering nicely. I am busy pinning a plethora of camping/traveling organization tips for the next leg of summer. Alannah is finishing her CNA summer course as part of her nursing degree and is practicing taking our vitals. (Verdict? We are good!) And, our girls' sweet friends arrived from Washington state late last night for one last hurrah before Moira moves. We are working on packing her and setting up her new apartment and our new wheels. (hello Goodwill my old friend!)
We are doing all those things beginning later in the day as a rule. Early mornings are finding me with coffee and journal and if all goes well, youtube workouts. #fillyourtank
Weeks like this remind me there is never only good or bad fortune in our lives. It all mingles together there. It's a both/and life, very likely just like yours, with blessing and trial unfolding exactly as it has been ordained for us with one or the other in the forefront at times. The happy or sad part comes, I am coming to see, in whether or not we really, truly believe is it coming together for our good, exactly as it was supposed to. This week began with stacks of challenges but in between were little pockets of respite. Sometimes I tucked them in myself. (that margin I mentioned) I would be remiss not to also mention those, for they were every bit as real as the challenges.
There was a cup of coffee a nurse made for us in an empty waiting room in the middle of the night.
There was my favorite breakfast bar slipped into my hand as my husband and I swapped shifts at the hospital.
There was coming home to a clean, empty kitchen sink.
There was walking into the thrift shop to find matching sets of dishes and linens in just the colors we hoped to find.
There was a cherry tree in the woods we didn't know we had.
There was a lot of following a little pink bicycle down the street as the sun set.
All of that comes together to bind us up and enable us to do the hard things. We have more of those coming up this summer. As time permits I hope to check in here and there to share some of them.
peekaboo-ing
You will find more happiness growing down than up.
~Author Unknown
Starry Sky Journal 