The Grange Fair

Ever since we moved to State College, all the locals we have talked to have mentioned this Grange Fair thing in the top things to do in the area. It only comes once a year. So Jeff and I decided we wouldn't miss it this year. Apparently it is the next big thing after attending PSU football games and the summer Arts Festival. So we were thinking that it could be interesting. One thing that I had always heard about this fair is the fact that most locals "camp" at this fair for a week. In fact, most of the tent plots are passed down to generation after generation. I even heard of a story from one of my new clients that her neighbor had to write in the divorce papers who was going to get the Grange Fair plot. So we knew it was serious. Anywa, we enjoyed the day with a few friends from J's program. There were animals, carni-rides, VERY good Monkey bread, philly cheesesteaks, and even a tractor pull. Ladies and Gentlemen, we attended our first tractor pull. All in all, it was a good time. I even surpassed my yearly allotment of mullet/mustache combos and rat-tails. It was glorious. But both J and I loved the bunnies most of all.

New York again with Stan and Tanya

We were able to squeeze a trip into August before J started school again. We brought our friends, Stan and Tanya, from State College, and had a great time! We stayed with our friends Liz and Tim and had a great time visiting them and a few NY sites. We went to the Union Station area on Saturday, played a few games of Settlers of Catan with everyone Saturday night, and a toured Brighton Beach on Sunday, the Russian neighborhood near Coney Island with our Russian/Ukrainian friends Stan and Tanya. We got some good pics.

New York Three of Three

Staten Island Ferry with Statue of Liberty in the background

Crazy game of Settlers of Catan (why the hats, they were apparently good luck. Notice I didn't need luck) :-)

Remember this? It was the cross at the World Trade Center site. It is now across the street from T&L's apartment at the neighborhood Catholic church. Inwood had the most firemen that died in trajedy.

New York Two of Three

Actually something to check off the list, Grand Central. I've always wanted to come here. In fact, I have a photo in my mind that I want to take when we have kids. Us in the middle holding the hand of a small one, the little one looking around, with the brush of people walking by. So I've got to come back sometime....with a little one. But I love the feel of the place.

This left J smiling for days. We got into The Colbert Report on standby tickets. It was glorious. J's cousin, Amy, who lives in the city, got to come too. J even won a hat for getting a trivia question right before the taping. If you are ever in NY, this is a secret must.

Cousin Amy (Don't they kind of look alike?)

We packed a picnic dinner, and enjoyed the best pitas ever from Wegmans in Columbus Circle (next to the Time Warner building and Central Park) with Tim, Liz, & Amy

New York One of Three

J needed a break from writing a paper, I had the time. So we decided to go to NY to visit our friends Tim and Liz. It was such a great time! They are like family to us. We went during the week. So it wasn't anything fancy. A little touristy things in the morning and afternoon while Liz was at work, and then a home-cooked meal and Settlers at night. Every day. For four days. It was glorious.


Tim & Liz live in Inwood, at the very tip of Manhattan. We really like the area. There is a park nearby here the Harlem canal comes in from the Hudson. Is that right, Liz?

Personally, not only do I love these people, I love the cool light from dusk mixing with the warm light from the pedestrian lights on their face. Did I mention they were my one and only successful match-making endeavor? Liz is my best friend from HS (Texas), and Tim was J's best friend from HS (Colorado). They met in our wedding, and now live 4 hours away. It is nice.

Not something you do everyday, WiiFit in Rockefellar Center

I love this. You have to insert the LOUD sirens going by and imagine the people trying to cross the street in front of the ambulance not shown in the picture. Totally NY.

Larry Dodds

I hope to write more soon about the funeral we attended for Larry Dodds. Honestly, J and I felt so blessed to be able to attend. Lois and Larry Dodds are long-time friends of J's parents. They met while J was very young living in California through Wycliff. Lois and Larry raised their kids in the remote jungle of Peru while they were medical missionaries to the indigenous peoples of the area back in the 80's and early 90's. In the mid-90's they started a restoration ministry for missionaries in Liverpool, PA after experiencing their own time of burn-out from serving in the jungle. About 10 years ago, Larry was diagnosed with ALS and continued to bless those around him as he was always known for his positive attitude even through his disease. He passed away because of an unexpected heart attack. His funeral was last weekend here in PA, and it was nice to attend to represent the family. His funeral was also a blessing and so inspiring. Hope to write more about that soon. For now, here are some pictures from the cemetery in Liverpool, where he is buried.

View of the Susquehanna River and town below

What's in the garden?

This is my first year gardening. Since we live in campus housing, we get a 10' x 10' plot in the community garden. It has been a fun way to keep myself out of trouble. Unfortunately, I did not know the first thing about gardening, though my Granddaddy was a Horticulture professor. I guess I never really paid attention when we use to visit my grandparent's orchard/farm in East Texas growing up. And my Dad always said he played football and baseball to get out of working the farm! My mom, like us, grew up in Dallas. So I didn't have a clue! But thanks to my helpful Chinese neighbors, Barnes & Noble, and the Internet, I have, at least, learned enough for my spinach to have grown through to harvest. Since I'm an engineer, I enjoyed the planning part the most. How do you fit in the most plants into your space, while starting the seed at the right time to have a continued harvest, placed away from other plants that might stunt its growth, and spaced away from each other correctly? That is why I decided to do a raised-bed format. I could get the most out of the plot. Note the "unorganized" look. Don't worry, there is a method to my madness. Most of the other plots did row planting. So we shall see! So far, so good.



Jeff doing a little weeding. We have the Southwest corner of the quadrant.

At the bottom: Carrots and onions with green leaf lettuce to the left. It is hard to tell but, every two weeks, I started a new row so I would have a continued harvest. Above that, open space, then a squash and zuchinni plant I started mid-May. To the left is a patch of spinach and carrots. The spinach has already been mostly harvested. And the carrots will be ready in the next couple of weeks to make room for the zuchinni. Behind that is another squash and two basil plants. Then in the back, I have a rows of coriander, basil, and parsely to be around for mid to late summer. Then to the left towards the back is my first tomato. I got a "Best of 2007" pack from Burpee, so don't ask me if it is cherry or a slicer. I'm not sure yet! :-) Also back there is a purple bell pepper!

I have a second tomato that will harvest later, two green beans between them. The two on the mound are cucumbers. I started a mound for canteloupe between the spinach and carrot/spinach patch. The tall plant is a sunflower. :-) Underneath the sunflower is coriander. Coriander doesn't like the heat, so it is nice to have the big leaves overhead from the sunflower.
Down towards the bottom is spinach and lettuce again.

Finally, on this side is a patch of Blue Bachelor flowers (about to bloom!). The little guys to the left are Zinnia and TEXAS BLUEBONNET! I will most likely pick them since it is legal. I've always wanted to. So now is my time. Then along the edge is okra, bell pepper, more okra, and dill. (Don't tell my neighbor that dill stunts the growth of corn) Yikes! Hopefully it will be okay. Anyway, I kind of feel this is like those description papers you had to write in 2nd-3rd grade. The tomato is left of the pepper. Underneath the sunflower, though, I just recently planted a lot of sunflowers to harvest in the fall. YAY!

We have enjoyed getting to know our garden neighbors and to see the different vegetables everyone likes to eat.

Small. Local. Woodland. Animals.

Me not having a job and J having down time for the summer has "allowed" us time to enjoy the critters around here. There are plenty to see. Unfortunately, we do not have pictures of the local ground hog that hangs out with his fellow friends back in the golf course behind our apartment. But here are a few: the skinny squirrel, chipmunk, baby bunny, and song bird.

Sunset on campus

We really enjoy sunsets.

I enjoy the golden light from a setting sun too.

I got a job!!!

I will be posting more about the following topics tonight! Come back tomorrow for posts:

NY City visit early June
Surviving the storm
What's growing in the garden

Boy, I do not miss those days

Rec Hall Chronicles:

I've been working out up at the rec on campus since we moved here. It always provides me with a few laughs. Mainly because it reminds me of my own good times in college or how ridiculous the late-teen/early twenties years can be. Oh to go back to the times when you were boy crazy, or girl crazy, working out (possibly) to pick up guys, or guys working out in order to look good for the ladies. Oh man. It is fun to watch. Let me just give you the lay of the land, if you will. There are 4 rows on circuit training machines on the bottom floor, on the north side end of the bottom floor. On the south side of the bottom floor are the free weights and crazy weight contraption machines. The gender profile of the circuit area is pretty mixed. The free weight area/weight contraption thingy area only has a few girls/mostly guys though competin' wit each other. Row #1 in the circuit area is mostly lower leg machines, like inner and outer thighs, hamstrings, calfs. Now, let's be honest, this row is mostly full of ladies. It is the one row where the ladies could possibly bench more than guys on a consistent basis. We like this row. If you see a guy in this row, either, he is an old guy, a wrestler, or a skinny, courageous boy trying to pick up a lady. You can pick them out every time. Row 2. Mostly ab machines, a few leg machines. This is def a mix. Okay, yesterday, working in Row 2 on the legs, Skinny-Premature Beard Boy trying to figure out how to change the weight on a hamstring machine in Row 1. Minding my own business, I notice SPBB glancing around then looking at me. Didn't think much of it. Thank GOD I was wearing my wedding ring. I concentrate on my reps, then look up and realize he is looking at me again. I move over to some ab machines down the row. I'm working along side some early 30's guys in the abs area. I look up in front of me and see a girl sit down on the inner thigh machine. Yes, you know what's going to happen. SPBB sits down in the outer thigh machine, pulls the "not sure how to work this machine" maneuvers to get the attention of the girl next to him. And just when she looks over, "Do you know how to work this? (nervous chuckle)" "Oh, there you go. Do you work out here often." Oh no, the worst line ever. He begins to go into this long conversation with the girl (trying to work out without distractions) about how his major is Psychology TOO. And how he just realized as a going to be SENIOR that he never took "that first psychology class you take, Psychology 101? How lame." He goes on and on. At least she was very polite. They went on for a few minutes while he tried to squeeze the weights as he talked. Oh man, it is so awful to watch. And she ended it, "Well it was nice talkin' to you, have a good one." And as both get up to leave, 30 yr old male in the machine next to me says, "Wow, was he working his magic or what?" I replied, "Boy, I do not miss those days."

Rome and London pics

I just realized that I never posted pics from our trip to London and Rome over Thanksgiving. For those who are still interested, here is an album that includes the highlights. If you see a palm tree, don't worry, there are some non-europe trip pics included too. Also, our friends Ryan and Jess went on the trip with us. Jess is an awesome photographer. Her PICS of the trip are great!!

It's WARM!

Howdy, again! Sorry, it has been a while. But I'm back on the horse again trying to be more consistent at this blog thing. I've been busy being obsessed with my new favorite daily reading, The Pioneer Woman and getting form letter emails from campus about how I didn't get some paper-pusher job. Yep, I am still without a job (since July). I didn't really expect things to happen this way. But so it goes. Hopefully God has big surprises ahead! I do feel I've tried everything: actually being offered a job but never hearing from the employer after being offered work, trying contract work amidst a slowing economy, 21 resumes on campus (11 rejection letters so far), plenty interested people in my experience/ability but on a hiring freeze, receptionist positions, given the "Uh," response from the temp agency in town. It has been a long road. But I know God is good, and He hasn't dropped us yet! Currently, I do have an interview for an actual job position, in lighting, at that. So if you pray, or think good thoughts, think and pray on June 2nd. Meanwhile, I've been trying to keep myself busy!! My sister got married in March. I did the flowers for the wedding and it was a nice time seeing family and friends in Dallas that week! When I got back, I dove straight into trying out this whole gardening thing. More posts to come soon. Luckily my plot neighbors are very experienced and have been giving me tips. I always hope they are out there when I go so they can ID for me all the little seedlings in my plot. I'm not experienced enough to tell what is a weed and what I want to keep! I tell people that I'm more comfortable with gangs than gardens since I grew up in Dallas! But it is fun. J is finishing up the semester as we speak! He is getting more and more comfortable with the whole PhD thing and is really beginning to find his place. I always enjoy hearing about what J is reading about. In April, we got to meet some of our beloved friends in DC to see the cherry blossoms. It was a great time! We played Settlers of Catan till late and then got up each morning to tour the sights. What more could you ask for? Here are some pics. Friends are great! Hopefully, soon, we will get to see more of everyone (not living here).......I need a job first.