05.31.09
Posted in Look at 1:30 pm by Erin
Since arriving here, I think that my identity as “the crazy girl with the camera” has been firmly established. One of the greatest things about moving to a new place is seeing it with fresh eyes; I’ve been marveling over little details that I’m quite sure locals don’t give a second thought to. For instance, houses tend to be painted in vivid colors (though 50-60 years ago, this was not the case, a local man informed me). People decorate with large stone slabs, weathered, gnarled hunks of wood, and/or garden ornaments. Business signs often have a retro flair, often harkening back to the 1940s and 50s. I’ve seen quite a few retro cars here as well. Lilacs dot almost every yard, and I’ve been introduced to trees that look almost as though they have been formed from thin sheets of copper. The trees that make me nostalgic for Pittsburgh are the ones that look as though half of them have been charred–it reminds me of the sooty exteriors of older buildings.
Things like perpetual sunshine, the disarming friendliness of strangers, and the wonders of high-altitude baking are all new experiences. So far, I’ve greeted them with an air of optimism and adventure (we’ll see how I feel this winter).
More on the culture of the place soon!
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05.27.09
Posted in Look at 6:33 pm by Erin
As pleased as I was to learn that Laramie has an art museum, I am even more thrilled to say that my work is going to be presented there! On Monday, June 1st, from 6-8 p.m., I and 19 other area artists will be presenting our work and discussing it a bit. This is an ongoing series hosted by the art museum, and it should be fun. A little reception will be held afterwards at Altitude, if you’re in the area. Some fabulous work is being installed right now.
Someday You'll Change Your Mind
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05.23.09
Posted in Look at 4:27 pm by Erin
*Ahem.* Yes, we’ve finally got a pet! We picked up the two-month-old kitten yesterday; within 20 minutes of arriving at our home she was cuddling with us. She is unbelievably adorable and affable: favorite activities include chasing her tail, pouncing on air vents, playing soccer with crumpled pieces of paper, and scaling the side of our couch like a mini-Spiderman.
Without further adieu, let us introduce Juliet to the world:
20 minutes after arriving at our place
Is she not the most adorable kitten ever? We think so. Stunning blue eyes run in my family, so it’s apt that our little cat-child has them.
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05.18.09
Posted in Look at 7:35 pm by Erin
Photos of our humble abode. A few quick explanations, before Shaun and I go for a walk: the Pirate curtain came with the apartment. The Ernie cookie jar was a gift to my mom from my dad when they were dating. The cowboy fabric adorns the six chairs we scored at a garage sale our first weekend here.
Our apartment is amazing. Tons of natural light in every room, a working fireplace, and no one living above or beside us (we have our own extended area, as you can see in photo 2). There’s plenty of room to store our bikes indoors, too!
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05.14.09
Posted in Look at 10:17 am by Erin
Lincoln, Nebraska holds some hidden gems: it boasts museums for both roller skating and quilts, public gardens, and the nation’s first vernacular state capitol building. It was filled rich mosaics, symbols, and intricate details.
There are stories behind every mosaic, of course. The most compelling one accompanies “The Blizzard of 1888″ (middle photo): a huge blizzard suddenly engulfed the plains; schoolchildren had gone to school one relatively warm day, but by 3 p.m., the temperature had dropped drastically. Their teacher, Minnie Freeman, decided it was safest to keep them at the school–until the roof caved in. She tied a rope around each of the 13 children’s waists, and walked them all to safety. On a day when 235 people died, all of the children in her care lived. The golden line in the mosaic represents the rope.
Other Things I Learned:
* Nebraska has the only unicameral legislature
* Before they can vote on a bill, it must be read in full. The result is a rapid, indiscernible mumbling the likes of which I haven’t witnessed since high school teachers forced the most incorrigible students in our class to read aloud from textbooks.
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05.12.09
Posted in Look at 10:33 pm by Erin
My husband and I, as political science and art/architecture junkies (respectively), have decided to tour every state capitol building. Our first of this trip was in Des Moines, Iowa, where a 23-karat gold dome awaited us.
It was regal and ornate. To further augment Iowa’s newfound image in the U.S. as a progressive state, I learned that it banned segregation in schools a full 85 years before Brown v. Board of Education. They also ruled against racial discrimination in public accomodations 91 years before the Supreme Court, and in 1847, the University of Iowa was the first public university to admit men and women on an equal basis. Iowa: who knew?
The state continued to beckon to us with other roadside delights, but we determined to press on, into Nebraska.
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05.10.09
Posted in Look at 2:53 pm by Erin
Herbert Hoover’s birthplace is located less than a mile off of I-80, in West Branch, Iowa, and made an interesting little stop. First I bought this sweet passport to the national parks; it contains a map of the U.S., with the national parks and historic sites marked. The passport is divided by geographic region, and describes some highlights in greater detail. It has a place for me to stamp the passport with every site I visit. Since I love a good road trip, I figured it would be a good way to plan detours or destinations when traveling.
Things I Learned About Herbert Hoover
* He was born in a two-room cottage
* He was Quaker, and his mother spoke often at Quaker meetings
* His father was a blacksmith
* He may or may not have attended the one-room schoolhouse that you see pictured below
* The statue below is the Statue of Isis, a donation from Belgium
We didn’t go into the Presidential Library (I know, I know!), but I’m pretty interested in how they treat the subject of his presidency. Sarah Vowel has a piece on This American Life about this topic here (episode 167).
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05.09.09
Posted in Look at 10:11 pm by Erin
On Monday, my husband and I (frantically) packed up all of our earthly possessions, and set out on a 1,500 mile road trip to Laramie, Wyoming. Those who had made the trip along I-80 in the past scoffed, “There’s nothing to see along the way.” Liars! We found lots of nerdy diversions.
Indiana and Illinois were fairly uneventful. I can’t read in a moving vehicle, lest I become horribly nauseated, so I’ve always submitted to the zen of the road trip. Most people find driving through flat expanses of farmland to be boring, but I think that it’s beautiful, in its quiet way. We crossed the Mississippi River at night, with lights glittering and small boats gently rocking. It was our first peek at Iowa, a state that pleasantly surprised me.
As we left Davenport, Iowa early the next morning, we were met with the delightfully kitschy signage for The World’s Largest Truck Stop. Obviously, we had to stop there. Having completed two month-long road trips around the country in the past, I could appreciate the grandeur of this truck stop: they had showers, of course, but also a dentist, movie theaters, a trucking museum, lounging area, chapel, and anything you could possibly need to deck out your rig.
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