A Trip to Central Illinois.

Fossils we found on the Mackinaw River.

If I wrote every detail down from my amazing trip we'd be here all night.  I'll just write down some highlights:  

Took Friday off work and drove to Illinois, landed in East Peoria at two and picked up Matt, ate Thai food, find two abandoned kittens and save their lives, go to Rhodell's to drink micro-brews with my amazing professor (Oscar Gillespie) and a smattering of others (we play darts, I hate darts).  Hug Juice Wallis. Go to the Mackinaw  River with friends (Steve, Jessie, Chris, Dave, Christine, Matt, and a few new friends) where we float in tepid water, look for fossils, and drink beer.  Go to Steve's house to see Rishika!  Get some nostalgic photos while we listen to music and do "other" things.  Sleep.  Wake up at 9 and have some food with Miss Elizabeth Carol.  Leave for Bloomington, IL to see my brother, Barton.  Get some food and beers while we wait for my mom to show up.  Go to the National Guard gym and see my little brother, Paul, receive three awards (he's at the top of his class, woot!).  Mom arrives and feeds the three of us at another micro-brewery.  Boys leave and mom and I get a hotel.  We buy swimming suits and beer.  We sit by the poolside and catch up, drinking beer and smoking cigs (ahhh!)...coz, we cool like that.  We watch dumb teenager poolside antics and meet a young man that was about to audition for The Voice (he wouldn't perform for us...he's gonna suck).  Mom and I get hungry and go to Stake and Shake....mmmm.  Go back to the hotel, sleep, wake up, hug mom "bye", love her so much!  Hit the road for Iowa.  The sadness from losing my Ryder-dog is heavy in my heart on the ride home.  I think about him a lot.  Think about my Ryder-Dog and what a good life we had and how it's ok to be sad for awhile.  Come home to a happy boyfriend and a happy dog.  Life is good.  I had an amazing weekend. 

No. Sleep. Till Brooklyn...or Peoria, Illinois (in my case).

Wow.  So it's been awhile.  Ten days to be exact.  It was a pretty gnarly weekend...gnarly in a good way so here it goes. 

1. Wake up at 7am.  I have to be in Peoria, Illinois by 1:30pm to meet my friend, Bruce.  Bruce and I are going to perfect the new website we've been working on over the past few months.

2. Hop into the car at 8:30am and drive 3 hours to Galesburg, Illinois where I spend 300 freaking dollars on art supplies.  I leave the store feeling very, very, poor.  I hit the gas, I'm still forty minutes from P-Town and I've got a schedule to keep.

3. I pull up to Bruce's house at exactly 1:30 (and I am completely astonished, I predicted this well), wipe the gunk outta my eyes and get down to the nitty-gritty.  I plug in words, numbers, organize images, and learn how to run my own website.  Bruce is a God.  I feel confidant that the new website will be beautiful...the best part?  I can update everything on my own.  I feel so empowered.

4. Its now almost 4pm and I have a date with Elizabeth.  I haven't seen her in years.  I grab some coffee for our coffee date, go to her house, meet her new cats, we wax nostalgic, and then we hug goodbye (the cool coin is a gift from Elizabeth!).  It was a short visit but a positive one.

5. Wow, it's already 5!  I hustle to the casino in East Peoria where I meet Rik. We (he) gamble for a minute before our STEAK dinner.  The casino rewarded Rik's patronage with free steak!  I ate a Filet Mignon.  That damn piece of meat cost 38 dollars.  Thanks, Rik!  Next time I see you the steak is on me!

6. Oh god!  It's already 7!  I have to drive across town to meet up with my ol' college buddies.  Juice, Steve, Shannon, Rishika, Jessi, Beth, Tony, Steven,  and I sit on the floor of his kitchen and laugh for two hours!  It was so lovely to see everyone.  I miss everyone so much.  It's all about quality time, not quantity time.

7. If it wasn't for the predicted ice storm I would have spent the night.  I left Peoria at 10pm and made it to Iowa by 1:45 where I was greeted by my fella', our dog, and a big ass pot of beef stew.

So, wow.  I can't believe I did all that in less than 24 hours, I managed to do everything on my list and do it exactly on time.  I was so pooped on Sunday that I could barely move.  But I managed to mix business with pleasure and I feel happier because of it...Also, I failed to mention all the cool things I saw while I was driving.

1. four coyotes.  two of them were perhaps courting.  They ran in front of my car and I almost hit them going 60.  Damn were they fluffy and beautiful.
2. A huge bald eagle flew above my car for 1 minute.  It was HUGE.
3. I almost hit a hawk.  The hawk was so close to my windshield I could see it's cloaca.  TMI?  Who gives a fuck?
4. A herd of 40 + whitetail deer.

I love this. I love this so much.

CONGRADUATIONS TO MY BROTHER GEOFF!  Geoff just graduated from North Eastern Illinois University with a degree in communications (on December 16th, 2012).  It was an honor for our family to watch him walk in his graduation ceremony.  Seriously, he rocks.  He rolls. 

Spiderman.

As if we need another reason to be scared of Spiders, right?  I shot this photo on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building...apparently spiders are excellent at scaling tall buildings.  I'm sure there's a more logical reason this spider is so freakishly high.  Perhaps the sweetest moths and bugs are attracted to the lights on the tallest buildings.

Peoria, Illinois. I love you.

We hung out with good friends till 2am at the Owl's Nest.

A trip to Peoria isn't complete until you consume a cone at Emo's.

The chandelier looks nice on a glittered ceiling.

Even though the silverware looked water stained our dinner at Sky Harbor was wonderful and brought back all sorts of Peoria memories. 

Our view.

On Nebraska....

Rachel and I woke up in Laramie, Wyoming with the intention of making it to Peoria, Illinois by 1am.  It was supposed to be an "easy" 14 hour drive but ubiquitous road construction made it impossible to move quickly.  Man, it's tough to drive through Nebraska.  It felt like we were stuck in an endless loop of boredom.  We knew that making it to Illinois by 1am wasn't going to happen and decided to stop in Omaha, Nebraska to get a hotel and some grub. 

However, we did see a few cool things on the drive.

1.  a pronghorn antelope.
2.  another pronghorn antelope
3.  two more pronghorn antelope.

I love pronghorn, they're a unique species.  Pronghorn have been clocked running 53 mph,  they're the second fasted land mammal in the world.  It's always a pleasure spotting them on roadsides.  Pronghorn have inspired me to make art and have showed up in many of my paintings and prints (like the woodcut featured above). 

It took awhile but we finally made it to Omaha and checked into a nice/cheap/clean hotel. Google told us that Goldbergs, Burgers, Beer, and Bloody Mary's was the place to be with their consistently good reviews. That place was DELICIOUS!  The Ruben was to die for, the burger was cooked medium rare and was juicy and delicious.  When we finished eating it was time for bed...tomorrow was going to be a big, beautiful day.

Little America, Wyoming.

Road trips take you to interesting places.  Rachel and I were feeling pretty shitty after a 10 hour drive and needed a break.  We happened upon an oasis called "Little America."  I don't know the details about Little America but there were three of them located throughout Wyoming and Nebraska.  My theory?  If you build it, they will come.  Seriously though, how could they not get business?  It was literally the only place that offered anything for 100 miles in either direction.  So, we went and got a decent cup of coffee and some decent hamburgers.  It exceeded my expectations by a full 20%.  There were other funny parts about Little America.  They boasted 50 cent ice cream cones, a little souvenir shop complete with rock kiosk, a hotel.  But my favorite part?  See the photo below

For some strange reason Little America prominently displayed a large, dead emperor penguin.  This stuck me as odd so I did a little investigation.  Turns out that the penguin was a gift to Little America.  A gift that was supposed to arrive to the tourist trap alive.  But the big guy didn't make it, he arrived dead and the tourist trap stuffed him and put him on display.  The locals call him "The Emperor."  The emperor creeped me out.

We really should have gotten a hotel at Little America because en route to Laramie, Wyoming...we ran out of gas right in front of a Sinclair Gas station in the middle of nowhere (run on sentence).  Lucky for us, someone else with AAA insurance did the exact same thing in the exact same spot (at 1am!) and there was a service man servicing them at the location.  Bob was his name, he warned me about gas station rattlesnakes and gave us two gallons of fuel.  Enough to get us to Laramie.  When we got a hotel I made this picture frame art and dedicated it to the patron Saint of Wyoming...our friend, Bob.  Thanks, Bob.  Without you I would have ended up dead on the side of the road in rural Wyoming.

Views from the Passenger Seat of a Ford Echo.

beautiful Utah.

Beautiful tag.

beautiful Wyoming.

beautiful mountain.

Vacation: Boise.

After a horribly boring 6.5 hour layover in Denver, Colorado, I was finally on my connecting flight to Boise, Idaho where Rachel and I were to meet.  I read up on Boise before leaving Iowa and learned that the city is home to a large population of Basques (read up on the Basques of Boise here http://www.boisebasques.com/). (photo above is the Basque mural located next to the Bank of America)

Rachel and I drove to the hotel, unpacked a our luggage, ate some cookies, and were on our way to enjoying the cultural delights of Boise, Idaho.  We were drinking at a place called "Bar Gernika" when I noticed a spirited light saber war taking place outside.  A bunch of gangly college students were yucking it up in the middle of the road, smacking each other about the face and neck with a well lit party prop.  Soon there were many more gangly, drunk, college students running about.  "What's going on?"  I asked the bartender,

"Why, it's Basque fest! Haven't you heard the news?"

Apparently not.  Apparently not.  Rachel and I had stumbled upon a Basque street party.  Not too shabby.  We walked around the Basque block (featured in the photo above) and watched drunk Boise-ites jump up and down to the tune of an accordion.  It was pretty entertaining to say the least.  I was too tired and horrified to join the rowdy street fair so we walked around the town, took in the sights, and hit another bar.  Soon it was time for bed.

And what better way to nurse a sour beer stomach than with greasy breakfast food?  Thank goodness for Google or else how would I know where to go?  Ask a real person?  Doubt it.  Google told Rachel and I to go to Goldies, it's the place to be for breakfast in Boise.  The restaurant had a great ambiance and an upper and lower dining area.  We sat on the 2nd floor and looked down to see what the patrons were eating.  It looked red.  It appeared to be hash brownish in nature.  It was called "red flannel hash" (beets, potatoes, and bacon cooked like hash browns).  So I tried it, why not?  While enjoying our meal the waiter warned us about beets.  "One time my girlfriend went to the hospital because she forgot that she ate a plate of red flannel hash."  Decoded: Beets make you shit red so don't go to the hospital.  Ugh.  I kind of lost my appetite after that one.  I prefer my waiters to not talk about feces while I'm eating their signature dish but, whatever, the food was great.

Of course there were other wonderful things about Boise, like this sign for instance.  But I can't write about Boise all day or you, the reader, will lose interest.  So, I'll spare you the minute details.  I would recommend a visit to Boise to any Tom, Dick, or Harry.  Wait, wait!  One more place to visit if you go, visit the Record Exchange.  They have excellent tunes and the best espresso I've had in years.

Green River Fish Fossil. Knightia Eocaena

Entrance to the Rock Shop.  So Scary!

Beautiful stuff.

The fossil I purchased at the rock shop.

(Vacation was amazing.  Rachel and I had a wonderful adventure traveling across the United States.  The trip began in Boise, Idaho and ended in Davenport, Iowa at the worst hotel I've ever seen in my entire life.  So, yeah, a wonderful time was had by all and this week will be dedicated to vacation adventures.)

First adventure:  While trying to find a steak house in Evanston, Wyoming, Rachel and I came across a home with ceramic dinosaurs decorating their front lawn.  It was a rock shop called, Antares Fossils and Minerals (antaresfossils.com).  Of course we had to go in, I love me some rock shop.  While paroozing the various sections of the shop I came across this beauty from the Green River Fossil Biota.  The owner of the shop told us that he uncovered the fossil himself at his Green River quarry.  The owner and his crew uncover 30 (each) or more of these Fish fossils every weekend. The quarry is home to possibly the best fossil record of tertiary aquatic communities (of the Eocene, 55 million years ago!) in the world! 

Of course I had to buy one.

Save the drama for your Llama.

handsome llama #1.

handsome llama #2.

I was driving around and happened upon these "handsome" Llamas.I don't have much to say about the encounter...except I laughed quite a bit.  Enjoy.

Jane Battles the Storm.

I don't know what I was thinking...perhaps it was something like, "I'll just drive home Saturday night so I'll have all of Sunday to relax and drink a light beer of some sort." I knew there was a storm headed for South Central Iowa and I knew that the meteorologists were predicting a doozy.  Maybe it's good that I have no sense of impending doom but I'm pretty sure that it's not.  To drive or not to drive?

Ok.  Getting the story started.  I left the party in Darien at about 6:30 which would put me at my house in Iowa around 11:45pm, give or take a bathroom break or two.  I hopped in the Honda, took a glug of coffee, and was on my merry way.  My mother called two hours into the drive to tell me about the big storm.  The point she tried to drive home?

"get a hotel you idiot.  i've heard there's hail."

Of course I didn't listen, she's my mother.  But I was getting close to the World's Largest Truck Stop and decided to pull over to hear what all the truck drivers were talking about.  Once again, I'm an idiot...real truck drivers don't go to tourist traps, they go to the Flying J.  I had to ask the 17 year old in charge of the cigarettes for her thoughts on the storm.  Yeah, bad idea.  I received a vacant stare followed by a "I haven't heard a thing."

That was good enough for me.  I ran to the smashed penny machine and was delighted to find out that the tourist trap had two new designs.  Way to be, Iowa Truck Stop.  Then I left...unafraid of the impending storm.

 

 I should have been afraid as I drove west on I-80 and into the lighting.  I should have been afraid when I heard the thunder clapping after 1-mississippi, 2- Mississippi.  And I should have been especially afraid when I realized there were only a handful of us idiots left driving on the road.  The sky opened up.  I've never seen anything like it in my life...sheets of rain, nothing but rain.  I lost any kind of visual besides wavy red lights in front of me.  Then hazard lights.  Then lights pulling off to the side of the road...and I'm one of those lights.  

I put my car into park and prepared to hunker down.  Before I could figure out what was going on I went blind and deaf.  Lighting struck the middle of the road half a mile in front of me.  Then the thunder clapped above my head and it felt like I was punched in the chest.  I tried to recover but was blinded again, this time closer and to my right.  Lightning was hitting left and right, thunder booming, booming, booming.  I was in shock. 

If I wrote about everything that happened this post would be far too long to keep your interest.  I'm shocked if you're still reading.  I got out safe.  The storm only lasted about 30 minutes but caused devastation throughout Iowa.  75 % of a town was damaged and there were a few tornadoes.  I was so fuzzy from the storm I drove 25 miles in the wrong direction and tacked an hour onto my trip.  I was home by 1:30 am.  Moral of the story:  When your mother tells you to get a hotel room DO IT!  Don't think you're more clever then nature, damnit.  You'll lose every time.

in honor of another roadtrip. oh yeah, and a happy holiday to all of you.

Souvenirs. Wyoming.

photos from the drive home.

1. Its best to treat every day like a road trip. What's the point of driving if you can't pull over ever time something peaks your interest? I was on 34 West when I noticed a large animal eating grass behind barbed wire. It wasn't a cow and it wasn't a horse...it was an ELK! I love elk farms. Elk taste delicious...I pulled off the highway, found the access road, and had a photo shoot with these beautiful cow elk. The owners of the farm saw me, they gave me several dirty looks.
2. I've always wanted a tacky, cement, lawn ornament. Seriously, since I was a kid. I found these beauties in Fairfield, Iowa. I'm going back and buying them this Spring.
3. It was very cold. The stream from this factory billowed like a cumulonimbus cloud on a breezy day. I thought it was so beautiful I put my life in danger and snapped a few shots while driving a cool 70 mph. There were no other cars near me so I'd like to think the only life that was in danger was my own.

my trip to chicago summed up in four photos.

1. The city put up a sculpture of Marilyn Monroe by the river. Its simply atrocious but the people love it. I had to see it for myself. First impression...uhhh, if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all. At least there's some VPL for everyone to enjoy.

To read more visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/15/marilyn-monroe-sculpture-_n_899978.html#undefined
2. We visited Chicago's famous Billy Goat Tavern located in scenic Lower Wacker Drive. I had a Billy Goat lager but enjoyed the Schlitz draft better then the signature brew. Great ambiance. http://www.billygoattavern.com/
3. "Cloud Gate" lovingly renamed "the bean" by Chicago locals and tourists alike. Pretty cool sculpture.
4. HA! Never in all my years have I bumped into the CTA's Santa Express. Every year around the holidays the Chicago Transit Authority decorates an L trains and throws Santa aboard. I was thrilled. Santa doesn't look very thrilled, though.

only to find gideon's bible.

Well, I feel rejuvenated. Nothing like a good trip to get the creative juices flowing.

Spent the other night in Coralville, Iowa. Of course I had to leave my' mark somewhere in the room. Petty vandalism is always good for a cheap thrill.

I also got a lucky wheat penny in my change from CVS. This is always a good omen. Next blog...my brief trip to Chicago.

the iowa whitetail.

The young bucks of Lake Miami.

Don't you just love fall? I certainly do. The best part for me?... rutting season. Rutting season is that magical time of the year when the whitetail deer decide its time to get it on. When the deer decide to make some babies they make their presence known to the general population of Iowa. The deer are, literally, everywhere. They're on the side of the road, in front of my car, littering empty corn fields, in my backyard, they're even by the damn bowling alley...throw a stone, you could hit an Iowa Whitetail. Just try not to hit them with your car.

smashed pennies.

Obsession runs deep in this kid. I can't get enough of these smashed pennies. Its gotten to the point where weekend trips will revolve around whether or not a smashed penny machine exists at the location. Unfortunately for me, both of the penny machines at the Blank Park Zoo were out of order (it didn't stop me from trying, I lost two bucks. Damnit)...I was a little disappointed.

But the the Botanical Center had a machine. Thank goodness. I bought all four and couldn't be happier with the beautiful penny designs. But it gets even better. You may notice the penny on the top right has no design. Trevor made me a smashed penny...he laid some pennies on a train track and went back the next day to collect the cool objects. Old school smashed penny, not too shabby.

Highlight of my trip to the Blank Park Zoo: the carp pond. Holy hell was that pond packed with gigantic goldfish. These things had to be 10 pounds a piece and were hungry as hell. I'm kind of scared of fish so I decided to do something bold....I stuck my finger in a carp mouth! It bit me! But it made me laugh so hard I almost fell into the stinky fish pond.

animal photos from vacation-time!

1. An afternoon jaunt turned into a rare animal sighting. Apparently, albino squirrels are fairly common around the Minneapolis area and every local has several albino squirrel sighting stories. It's lucky Rachel spotted one, now we have a story as well.

2. I found a fuzzy and hilarious caterpillar at the Springdale Cemetary in Peoria. Poor buddy, we harassed him for a full ten minute photo session before releasing him on a nearby tree. (identification: the Banded Tussock Moth, Halysidota tessellaris.)
3. The sheep donned fancy outfits at the Minnesota State Fair. I can't decide if I think the outfits are adorable or clannish.
4. I almost stepped on this gnarly fellow.
5. Suckling pigs! They're cute but those teets are kind of grossing me out. Have a nice Friday, guys