Lindsey's Adventures

New and Improved!

2014-02-06T13:29:00.002-08:00

In order to create a more professional website Tom and I have pooled our creative resources to create lindsey-and-tom.com. For the past few weeks I have been posting stories to both websites while we worked the kinks out of our new page. Now it is ready to unveil! There will be more updates as both of us work to our particular strengths to showcase whatever location we find ourselves in.

It has been wonderful to blog here the last few years while I was in university. I enjoyed sharing stories as I worked to understand more of myself. I hope you will check up on me still and I can hear from you over at my new virtual home!

Thank you!

Lindsey

My Thoughts on the Czech Republic

2014-01-31T14:23:00.000-08:00

Full of grey walls with nothing to do but wait, airports and airplanes can provide ample time for reflection. The most recent stint of flights lead towards my home outside Seattle, Washington. Heading towards the home of my childhood I decided to reflect upon the place that had been my home for the past six weeks - the Czech Republic. A few thoughts...

The bar set for a foreigner's ability to speak Czech is incredibly low.

Despite the fact it took miracle or memorization for me to manage an entire sentence I was told by several people I spoke Czech "well" (once I even got a "beautifully"). Here is the argument I got on my first visit to the Czech Republic on why few Czech people expect foreigners to know anything: There are about 12 million native Czech speakers. Nearly all of these 12 million are found within the Czech Republic. Throwing in those who speak Slovak, which is a closely related language, the number of people who can be communicated with rises to 19-20 million. Meanwhile, there are 375 million native English speakers plus another 500 million (or more depending on the source) second language English speakers. Nearly 1 billion people who can speak English around the world! With such a small percentage of the world population speaking Czech why bother? Most Czech people below the age of 35 or so speak at least some English anyway.

If I, or anyone else, would like to become fluent in Czech we are going to have to insist upon using the language. Not forcing myself to get out and talk more in Czech is something I regret.

Local food is not a niche market; it is just what you do.

In the United States we have something called the 100 Mile Diet. The goal of this diet is to get all food from within 100 miles of wherever you are living. The Czech Republic is 270 miles across. The 100 Mile Diet encompasses nearly the whole country. As long as food is produced within the Czech Republic, it is local.

More even than this is the ease of access from producers to consumers. Thick, freshly baked bread (called chleba) is a key piece of many Czech meals. Bakeries can be found all over Czech towns which supply bread directly to shoppers or to the local shops. Sliced, packaged bread like we tend to eat most in the US is only for making toasted sandwiches on occasion. Milk vending machines can be found in many of the larger towns and cities. Farmers supply the milk to the machines, consumers can insert a few coins and their bottles to get fresh milk. According to Radio Prague "milkomats" have actually increased dairy usage in the Czech Republic since they were installed in 2010. Hunting is also greatly supported across the Czech Republic. Fields and forests across the country have small huts on stilts that hunters can hide in to shoot deer, pheasant, and boar.

If vegetarian, you will be missing out on the vast majority of Czech food. If vegan or gluten free, you may starve.

The United States is really good at catering to a wide variety of diets. Specialty grocery stores exist for cuisines, diets, and lifestyles. Even large supermarkets have specialty sections. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic seems to have only recently come to terms with vegetarianism. The entire diet of the Czech Republic is based upon bread and meat. While there is a lot of day to day variation the overall trend for meals is as follows. Breakfast most days was fresh chleba with butter and either jam, ham, or cheese. Lunch was often leftovers from previous dinners or more of the same from breakfast (minus jam) with mustard and horseradish. Dinner in the Czech Republic is generally two courses. The first a light soup, the second some form roast meat with potatoes or dumplings.

If you don't know them, don't smile.

I had some trouble with this. In the United States we tend to smile and say hello to just about everyone we pass in the street. Particularly if eye contact is made. In the Czech Republic unless you know the person, or are doing business with the person, rarely is anything said. The lack of smiling sometimes made me feel even more closed off than the language barrier.
I brought this cultural difference up with a friend I met towards the end of my stay. She actually agreed with me. Though it is not the generally accepted thing to do she said she tends to smile at those she makes eye contact with. And you know what? They often smile back at her.

I would return to the Czech Republic in a heart beat. Everyone I met was incredibly kind and eager to share with me a piece of the place they call home. My six weeks were filled with a variety of new foods, words, and experiences. I burned my throat on the local alcoholic specialty slivovice. I was the first American woman to visit an old ranch in the Czech countryside. I went to my first hockey game, skinned my first pheasant, and shot my first shotgun. I can't wait to see what surprises the Czech Republic has saved when next I visit.

Last Day in the Czech Republic

2014-01-29T12:20:00.003-08:00

January 27th, 2014 was a wonderful day. It was my last full day in the place that had been my home for six weeks as well as mine and Tom's sixteen month anniversary. Sixteen months is a bit odd to celebrate but we weren't together for our one year, thirteenth and fourteenth month, and forgot about month 15. So, this one was going to be special!

First, we made bread.

While the bread dough was rising we built a kick ass blanket fort! (Sorry about the weird gaps. Panorama program really didn't like these pictures and I was too lazy to fix it). To enter it we stepped from the chair over the blankets onto the step ladder. Then we descended like we were entering a submarine. After properly admiring our work we watched Star Wars Episode IV in the fort. Twenty minutes into the movie the bread was ready so we had a tasty snack break. Home made bread is so good!

Once the movie was over there was an interlude of putting the blankets away and walking the dog.

Then it was dumpling making, playing games on the Wii Fit, eating gulash with dumplings, and playing board games with the family.

All in all, a very fun day.

Slovakia - Small Town Sites

2014-01-23T02:45:00.002-08:00

With just one weekend in Slovakia, Saturday was our big day to drive around and see a few sites. Our two biggest stops, Kl'acký waterfall and Strečno Castle, took up much of the morning and early afternoon but we still had a few stops in mind for the rest of the day.

First, Slovenský Betlehem. A large wooden monument created for a visit by Pope John Paul II in 1995. Religion is another difference between Slovakia and the Czech Republic. In the 2011 census 45% of Czechs did not declare a religion with another 34% stating non-religious. Roman Catholicism was third at 10%. The steady decline of religion over the last century has made the Czech Republic one of the least religious countries in the world. Meanwhile, in Slovakia, 62% of the population listed themselves as Roman Catholic for the 2011 census.

The center of the piece houses a nativity scene being watched over by an angel. All around it are representations of Slovakian life - a church, forestry, making of wine and beer, baking. Carvings of many Slovakian castles line the top. My favorite scene though was a boy being pulled out of a tree by a dog.

Our last stop being heading back to the hotel was the small town of Čičmany. Čičmany has made its mark by the unique way of painting the houses. The practice of using lime to not only preserve but also decorate a house is approximately 200 years old.

The local museum, pictured above, works hard to preserve the whole cultural history of Čičmany. In it one can find the details of traditional daily living, clothing, and holidays.

As with many small towns who have found themselves on the tourist circuit Čičmany uses its quirk to the best advantage. Many of the painted houses along the main street are now small hotels or houses for rent. It would be a unique place to stay for a day or two. Or perhaps over a holiday to see some of the traditional festivities in action.

Slovakia - Castle Walls and Waterfalls

2014-01-20T02:49:00.001-08:00

The Czech Republic and Slovakia have shared much of their history in the last century but they remain distinct identities. The more mountainous terrain of Slovakia led to an historically pastoral lifestyle while Czech Republic was, and still is agricultural. This distinction is small but it still shows. When driving through Slovakia I noticed many small shops and stands selling "ovci syr" (sheep cheese). Sheep cheese is not uncommon in the Czech republic but I have only seen it in the store. Meanwhile in the alcoholic beverage department the Czechs have the edge in beer while Slovaks favor wine. However, both of them create a throat-burning fruit based alcohol called slivovice (sleeve-o-veets-eh).

This past weekend Tom and I took some time to explore these cultural differences. First, the hills! Tom had knee surgery mid-December so he has been itching to get out. Slovakia gave us the chance to stretch our legs a bit as we hiked the four kilometers to Kl'acký Vodopád (Kl'acký Waterfall).

Testing his knee on a wet mossy log over a creek. We looked for a potentially less hazardous way but couldn't find a place where we could guarantee dry feet. I had my waterproof boots but Tom was in normal shoes.

Yay hiking!

One of the coolest parts of the whole weekend was finding bear prints in the snow! Tom and I saw plenty of scat this summer in the North Cascades but prints were a first!

There were fox prints too!

Kl'acký Vodopád. Pretty small right now in the middle of winter. Though this has been a mild winter so perhaps it is bigger than normal.

Slovakia is quite a pretty country.

We got back to the car refreshed and ready for a day of further adventuring! Next stop was Strečno Castle. Slovakia is covered in castles. Some are little more than artistic piles of rubble while others look like something fresh out of a fairytale. Strečno is somewhere in between though it favors the rubble classification by a few notches. Most of its walls are still visible and the main building/tower is whole but its last major renovation was in 1689.

Turns out the castle only officially takes visitors from April through October but a little fence doesn't deter us. It isn't trespassing if you stay outside the fence right?

Or if you enter the property because there is a break in the fence between some buildings?

Well, we got in but this is a touristy peasant village thing with the castle still looming above us. So, we went back around the fence and off in to the woods.

Many thanks to the local Slovaks and intrepid tourists before us for creating paths up to the castle.

It was great to explore the castle grounds but I have to say the view was the best part. We spent quite a bit of time on the castle bluff taking pictures of the medieval building behind us and the beautiful town below us.

I have many more thoughts to share on Slovakia and pictures of the sights we saw but I think this is a good start.

My first hockey game!

2014-01-17T02:14:00.000-08:00

Last week Tom and I went out with some of his old friends. One friend and I got to talking about sports. He couldn't believe I had never been to a hockey game. I ran down the four most popular sports in the US: American football, baseball, soccer, basketball. Him: "Where is hockey?" Me: "I have no idea I only know those first four." Ice hockey is far and away the most popular sport in the Czech Republic. It was then decided we were going to the next home game. (My apologies in advance for the low quality of the images. Turns out I don§t know how to take pictures when things move.)

Prostějov Hawks skating onto the rink. It was Prostějov versus "Brno's crap team" (Brno has two teams).

It was great fun to watch! Unfortunately Prostějov did not do very well. Tom's friend said it was like watching pond hockey. You know, the neighborhood kids playing outside. Prostějov lost 3-1 with Brno scoring their third point when Prostejov had six players on the ice versus Brno's three. That was embarrassing. But I got to practice my Czech swear words!

My lovely escorts and cultural interpreters

Tom and I. I had the hardest time taking this picture. The beer was starting to get to me...

End of the game. The fireworks are from Prostějov's super fans. The whole game they were chanting and singing on behalf of the home team. When finished shaking hands the Prostějov players went over to wave and clap for them as a thank you for the support.

Day Trips and Camera Clicks

2014-01-15T00:00:00.001-08:00

Running errands has taken Tom and I to some of the bigger cities in the Czech Republic including Prague and Olomouc. Then on the sunny days in Prostějov we have been visiting some of the local sites. Here is a spattering of images and anecdotes from where we have been.

Tom had to go to Prague to get a Chilean student visa. The embassy sent him an email the day before stating "We await your arrival at 10am tomorrow." No scheduling. That was it. He had to get his visa the next day. That meant we had to leave the house by 6am. After three hours of driving to get to Prague then trying to find our way through morning commute and construction we were buzzed in to the embassy with a little time to spare at 9:45. And then we sat for nearly three hours, with no other people, waiting for the Consul to give us the time of day.

The embassy was a bit of a frustrating start to our time in Prague but it was a nice day to go out and see a few sites. I saw most of the big sites when I visited for a few days last year but Tom showed me a few smaller ones I had missed including this padlock covered bridge. All around the world there are places where couples affix locks to represent their love. This particular one can be found in the Malá Strana District of Prague.

Not terribly exciting but I ground some meat for the first time...

The Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc, Czech Republic. A UNESCO World Heritage Site for its representation of "Central European baroque artistic expression." After various plagues columns were sometimes erected in cities to thank God for their survival and help protect them against plague in the future. Protection came from depicting some of the saints that thwart sickness. This particular column isn't dedicated to the plague but it was probably influenced by it.

Reservoir and local castle in Prostejov. The castle is so tall and skinny!

Silliness at a local park/garden...

More silliness...

Leafy clumps in the tree, kind of difficult to see here, are mistletoe! It grows wild all over the Czech Republic. Sometimes when mistletoe is particularly prevalent it looks a bit like the trees are still green.

Peek-A-Boo!

A milk machine! Local farmers deliver milk into the machine. Consumers can bring a bottle or buy one there. A liter of fresh milk costs less than $1! Fresh milk for us and more money goes back to the farmers.

Milk milk milk

Skinning a Pheasant - A photo essay

2014-01-05T09:44:00.001-08:00

Some family friends stopped by yesterday and in a nice gesture brought a pheasant!

A lady pheasant!

So today Tom and I learned the fine art of skinning a pheasant.

With particular thanks to a lovely Brit's YouTube video

Chop off the wings and pull out the tail...

Remove the legs...

If done right, the legs come off with the tendons attached.

Like this!

That was the leg Tom did. Beautifully done. The leg I was responsible for gave me some troubles. I cut it in the wrong spot so instead of coming off and pulling tendons with it I cut the skin while leaving muscles attached. My attempt to pull dislocated the thigh and nearly pulled the leg off the bird. When re-cut the leg come off with tendons as it was supposed to. Sorry pheasant...

Next, chop off the head...

Some of the poor girl's last meal fell out...

Cut a slice in the skin above the breast and "peel it off like an overcoat"

-British Man From YouTube

Cut of the last few pesky tail feathers...

Small slice below the rib cage then dig fingers in to get the gooey bits

Rinse and cook...

Dobrou chuť!

Good taste!

Český Krumlov

2014-01-04T10:20:00.003-08:00

From the evening of December 27th to the afternoon of January 1st Tom and I had our base of operations in the Jihočeský (southern czech) town of Český Krumlov. Tom's aunt was kind enough to give us the use of her apartment while she stayed with her parents, where we celebrated Christmas, for a few more days.

Český Krumlov is situated around a bend in the Vltava river. The town first began in the 1200s due to efficient trade routes created by the river and easy access to raw materials in the surrounding forests. The past century caused many political changes in Český Krumlov and the rest of the Czech Republic. Before WWI Czechoslovakia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Český Krumlov was briefly a part of the Czechoslovakian Republic before being annexed by Nazi Germany as a part of Sudetenland in 1938. After WWII Czechoslovakia was a puppet republic of the Soviet Union. In 1968 Czechoslovakia was invaded by the Soviet Union, the borders were closed, and the country was forced to become communist. The Velvet Revolution in 1989 kicked the Soviets out to once again allow Czechoslovakia to be a republic. And finally, in 1993, the peaceful split of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. (*Please note this is a simplified history of a long and complex issue*)

Through all the political upheaval Český Krumlov remained. The castle complex and old town are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

View of the castle's tower from an inner courtyard

The castle complex is the largest in the Czech Republic outside of Hradčany Castle in Prague. At the towers base and to the left (from this orientation) lies a moat. A standard addition to any self respecting castle, yes? No. This is no ordinary moat, it is a bear moat. Beginning in the 1500s brown bears were kept at the castle to act as guards and symbols of the Rosenberg family lineage. Today the bears act less as guards and more as tourist attractions. When the bears eventually perish they will join their ancestors in the castle as part of the decor. Three days Tom and I tried to see them but no luck.

No bears but beautiful views!

Photo Contest

2014-01-02T03:52:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!
I went to a new years celebration in Protivín on January 1st. It was fifteen minutes of some of the best fireworks I have ever seen! One of the photos I took turned out pretty well (in my opinion) and I have entered it in a photo contest. By adding the link below I get a few extra points and you get an easy way to vote for my photo!

Vote Here!

Vote for my submission on FYAS, the best way to search 320+ video game design colleges. See more.

Veselé Vánoce!

2013-12-25T09:02:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!

The Czech Republic is not without its share of Christmas traditions. Dinner time in particular has more than a few. The meal itself is fish based. Carp. The first dish is a light fish soup with the main dish of breaded and fried fillets and potato salad on the side.

You don't just buy this fish at the store...

You pick it out of a bucket. If dinner is in the next day or two - kill it then. If you are way ahead of the game, feel free to take your fish home in a bucket and keep it in the bath tub for a few days. It can be a pet AND dinner. A scale from this fish is placed under each plate before Christmas dinner begins. After the meal the scale is supposed to be placed in your wallet to protect you from money woes.

There is no particular Christmas dessert. Plates of assorted cukroví (pronounced tsukrovy) are constantly available this time of year. It is a sugary minefield in any household communal space. Sugar or meringue cookies with chocolate, coconut, walnuts, jam, some sort of creamy fluff or combination there of. They are so enticing. Constantly. So much yummy sugar...

Cukroví at Tom's mother's house

Cukroví at his grandparent's house

Between dinner and presents (presents are after dinner) those who have withheld from eating meat prior to dinner go on a hunt for the golden piglet. When children are little this gets them out of the house long enough for adults to set up a Christmas tree, put on the decorations, and put the presents under it. A bell is rung to call the children back in to say baby Jesus (no Santa in the Czech Republic) has come with all of their gifts.

As a bunch of old folks in this celebration the decorations had already been put up. The extent of our hunting the golden piglet was everyone taking turns firing a shotgun after dinner. It was my first shotgun usage!

Major Christmas celebrations in the Czech Republic take place on the 24th of December leaving the 25th as a time to relax with the family.

To my family- I miss you all and hope you have a wonderful Christmas day!

Great Sand Dunes National Park - Who Knew?

2013-11-06T18:58:00.000-08:00

Maps of Colorado and Utah are splattered with the green shades representing National Parks, Forests, and Recreation Areas. Reviewing the paths one could take between Kalamazoo, Michigan and Seattle, Washington all that green is a big draw. A particular spot of National-Park-green in southern Colorado caught my eye. The tiny script read "Great Sand Dunes National Park". I had never heard of it. A good enough reason to go in my opinion.

These dunes in Alamosa, Colorado are the largest in North America. 750 feet tall! Found at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains the dunes maintain their large size through recycling. Every year winds blow sand off into the mountains. Each spring as snow and ice melt the sand is given an express trip back to the base of the dunes. Two creeks run along either side of the enormous sand piles thus a constant supply of material is available for the wind to throw back in.

Woo! Look at all this recycling!

I was really hoping to be able to go dune sledding or dune boarding during our visit. Unfortunately because my mom and I were visiting on a Sunday during the off season there was no place to get gear. I didn't even have a cardboard box I could use! It was a shame.

Regardless! The dunes were incredible! We walked out onto them and hiked a while on the tallest. There is a bit of a knack to dune walking. The windward side of the dune about a foot or two from the edge seems to have the hardest packed sand.

A beautiful day at the park

Packed sand would sometimes form designs

A hiker at the top for scale

We spent about an hour exploring the alien landscape. We could feel the altitude of the Rockies in our heavy breathing but it was the wind picking up that drove us off. Strong winds on a dune is like a sand blaster to the face. Back at the car all of my head mucuses were working overtime to clear the sand from where it didn't belong (attractive right?). I could still shake some sand out of my hair that evening.

Until next time!

What lies between Michigan and Colorado?

2013-11-03T19:11:00.000-08:00

The Saint Louis Arch (and the rest of Saint Louis)

Kansas

A Russell Stover Factory!

More Kansas...

Some tumbleweeds

And now you know!

Cranes, Cranes, Cranes

2013-11-01T18:48:00.001-07:00

The machinery? No, the bird of course!

On October 11 my housemates and I journeyed to Baker Sanctuary, an hour or so from Kalamazoo. There we sat and watched the sky for over an hour as the sun drew closer to the horizon. Why? To see the sandhill cranes fly in to roost.

Bernard W. Baker Sanctuary is an 898 acre piece of property owned by the Michigan Audubon Society dedicated to the protection of sandhill cranes. It was the first sanctuary in the country created for a crane species. The sanctuary every year hosts several breeding pairs in the spring and thousands in the fall as they journey southward.

Towards sunset Abigail, Chelsey, and I began to hear a great ruckus from beyond a hill to our right. Cranes were creating a cacophany of sound but we couldn't see them yet. For several minutes we waited as the sound grew closer. Finally, hundreds of cranes appeared over the hill. The arrivals honked at the cranes already in the marsh while those previously settled honked back saying it was safe. In groups of ten and twenty the prehistoric looking birds circled around for the best place to land. as each group settled the marsh began to quiet again.

Sandhill cranes at Baker Sanctuary - Bellevue, Michigan

On October 28 Abigail, Chelsey, and I had another crane adventure as we volunteered for the annual crane count. All of Michigan was split into territories to be covered by teams or individuals to count the cranes they see roosting. The count had to take place between the 27th and the 29th in order to be relatively sure no one was counting the same birds twice.

Before dusk the three of us drove around our zone seeking foraging and nesting grounds. We found approximately 150 sandhill cranes among the harvested corn fields. Knowing how many are foraging gave us a number to expect when counting the roosts.

We parked near two marshes in the middle of our survey area to sit and wait. As before there were only a few at first but as the sun fell below the horizon over one hundred appeared flying in. With the three of us at various posts counting in the growing dark our numbers became fairly rough. After some debate and last minute estimations while becoming too dark to see we came to the number of 170 sandhill cranes in our survey area.

Art Prize

2013-10-24T07:37:00.002-07:00

What has got to be one of the largest independently organized art events in the world takes place every year in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For nineteen days in September and October artists from around the world showcase their work across three square miles of downtown Grand Rapids.

Through the ArtPrize website individual property owners offer up their space as a venue. Artists then contact venues to showcase their piece. Anyone over the age of 18 can contribute a piece of art. Thus, downtown is covered! Art is showcased in every major building and business from the Grand Rapids Art Museum to City Parks, Founders Brewery to The BOB (Big Old Building).

Every piece of art has a small placard located on or near it. As ArtPrize goes on the public votes on their favorite pieces. By the end of nineteen days the field has been slowly narrowed down until a grand prize winner of $200,000 is announced! Beginning this year they also began a juried vote. A board of art critics picks a winner for a $100,000 prize.

Eight of us from the Nature Center went to Grand Rapids to take a look on October 1.

There were several of theses eight foot tall glass orchids. In the Top 10 public vote

Also in the Top 10. It changed colors! This piece was in a dark room that also housed a few other light based pieces.

One artist created minimalist posters for every state. I liked Washington's.

A mural drawn entirely with pencil and permanent marker

Crazy amount of detail.

All of these pieces were in the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM). We spent the most time there due to the high density of artists and the little time we had to see art. After the GRAM the group split. Half of us went to Founders Brewery to experience another art of Grand Rapids - brewing. Luckily for us Founders was also a venue so we saw several great pieces and even met the artists as they were enjoying a brew too!

My favorite piece at Founders, and probably my favorite piece overall. "Ninkasi" (goddess of beer) contains over 500 pieces of handpainted colored glass.

My First Ever "Whistle Pig"

2013-09-25T18:23:00.001-07:00

When first arriving in Michigan I asked many folks in the area if there was a chance of seeing fireflies so late in the season. The fantastical glowing insect is something I have never seen before. Unfortunately I was too late for fireflies but since then I have come across some other exciting (for me) animals.

Biking along the Kalamazoo River Trail one morning I saw ahead of me a furry creature shuffle off the path. It was a perplexing thing. It didn't move like a rabbit, wasn't the color or shape of a badger, and much too large to be a squirrel. After the perfectly healthy versions of the aforementioned creatures were ruled out I began to imagine deformed badgers or the worlds fattest tree squirrel.

Upon reaching the area where my furry mystery scuttled away I failed to find it in the underbrush. I shrugged off the mystery and continued down the path when all of a sudden an animal like a marmot scuttled down a tree to hide after being startled by my passing. I was just as startled to see a marmot-like creature in a tree. It was the same thing I saw scuttle away earlier. Does Michigan even have marmots? Marmots in Washington all live in rocky or mountainous regions. Kalamazoo is neither.

Hoary marmot, native to the Pacific Northwest. (Source:Wikipedia)

Using the power of the internet I researched marmots in Michigan. It turns out a member of the marmot family does reside in Michigan. My mystery marmot is more commonly known as a groundhog, woodchuck, or colloquially as whistle pig.

Groundhogs are smaller than the marmots we have in the PNW but they have much the same shape. (Source: Wikipedia)

The term "whistle pig" comes from the high pitched sound groundhogs and other marmot species produce when frightened. Fun fact: Whistler, British Columbia, Canada is named after the whistling sound of the local marmots.

I was quite pleased with my groundhog sighting but the new animals didn't stop there. On my return trip I nearly ran over a box tortoise!

Called box tortoise for their ability to completely hide their limbs within their shell.

And they even have such cute little tails!

Kalamazoo Nature Center - A place for work but also groceries!

2013-09-19T11:50:00.002-07:00

It has been a week already! Wake up number seven while working for the Kalamazoo Nature Center was at 5:45 this morning. I have already become accustomed to the necessary early mornings. Today I forgot to even set an alarm!

The Banding Barn. I report to work here most mornings.

Nets are opened each day at 7:15. Every hour until 1:15 we go on net runs to see what has flown in. Between net runs we process the birds, fix old nets, or get some bunny love!

Brownie does not approve of bunny love time each morning. Whitey (who is getting love while I take this picture) puts up with it.

The Nature Center has a few farm animals that it takes care of during the peak summer season for people to see and summer camp kids to learn from. Most have gone back to the people who donated them for the summer but bunnies and chickens have yet to find a home. That is fine with us! Each morning we feed them, get some loving and and occasionally eggs!

Free chicken eggs!

From these chickens!

Elsewhere on nature center property are a few apple trees. By far the most popular among us volunteers and interns is a macintosh tree. Everyday I stop by to pick a few apples to snack on. Day before yesterday I picked a grocery bag full to make applesauce. It turned out so well! The apples are so sweet that all I added was a spoonful of molasses and a few dashes of cinnamon.

Just one low branch of a very large tree. Sometime soon we will bring a car and just go crazy picking all the apples from the high branches.

Applesauce!!

Everyone here has been so incredibly wonderful. I have learned so much about Kalamazoo and bird banding in the last week. I can't wait to see what else I will learn before I have to leave!

Where in the world is Kalamazoo?

2013-09-11T20:09:00.001-07:00

Turns out, Kalamazoo is in southern Michigan. I'm on my way there now to begin an internship with the Kalamazoo Valley Bird Observatory. I will be spending the next seven weeks capturing, taking data from, banding, and releasing songbirds. My compatriots who arrived a few weeks ago banded over 900 birds between August 25 and 31. I have some catching up to do.

While they have been busy working I have been backpacking in the North Cascades and touring the country. Been to two new states thus far on my cross country journey - South Dakota and Minnesota. This evening is the first time I have ever used Central Time.

As a way to mix things up in our long days of driving my mom and I have visited Devils Tower National Monument, Mount Rushmore, and Badlands National Park.

That is one big crystal. Turns out there were once more towers similar to Devils Tower but they are older and have worn down over time.

Saw my first prairie dogs while driving on the Interstate but got a good look at them when in Devils Tower NM. The monument houses one of the last large prairie dog towns.

"Great faces, great places" - South Dakota catch phrase

Badlands National Park

We camped in the park. At night we were serenaded by coyotes while the milky way stretched overhead. In the morning meadowlark song filled the air and a bison (difficult to see in this picture) hung around camp.

"Try it..." -Bison

Bison, black-footed ferrets, and bighorn sheep were all reintroduced in to the park.

The security team.

Our sightseeing is mostly over now as we make the final push to Kalamazoo. Approximately ten hours of driving awaits in the morning. Time to get some shut-eye.

Holidays in Hawaii

2013-01-05T18:34:00.000-08:00

My father loved to visit Hawaii. It was his favorite place.

November of last year he passed away from cancer. For Christmas this year my family decided to go to Kaua'i in his memory. It was great to reconnect with everyone after being gone for the last few months not to mention the weather was quite nice.

Saw lots of fun things while out enjoying the weather!

Nene! I saw my first wild nenes visiting Hawaii this time. Nenes (neigh neighs) are an endangered species of goose endemic to Hawaii.

Crab

Glass sand beach. There is an illegal dump a little ways away from this beach. Glass from that dump gets broken up and rounded by the waves then ends up here coloring the beach.

My mom, brothers, and I visited a Hindu monastery while on Kaua'i. We rang this bell asking for the blessing of Ganesh, the Hindu god of removing obstacles, as we entered.

At the monastery they are building a stone temple completely by hand. Stone carvers from India are mining and carving the temple stone without the help of power tools. Power tools create micro-fractures which over time lead to the cracking and breaking of the stone. The hope is that by creating the temple in this fashion the temple will last for 1000 years.

Spattering of Scottish Shenanigans

2012-11-28T04:21:00.001-08:00

Metal concert in Glasgow. The main act, Sabaton, is a band from Sweden.

21st Alloa Octoberfest. A great event full of many wonderful local brews. Befriended one of the bartenders and got much more beer than I paid for. I was pretty drunk by the time we left.

Went to the Scotland v. New Zealand rugby match in Edinburgh. New Zealand won as expected but Scotland scored more than many other teams have against the All Blacks (NZ) this season.

Hiked up Arthur's Seat, a large hill in the middle of Edinburgh before going to the game.

Went on a hike in Glen Shee. Seven hours up and down two munros. It was incredibly exhausting. I was so tired by the end I was walking like a drunkard.

It was very white. When at higher elevations we couldn't even see the neighboring hills because we were in a cloud. It drove me crazy for a while. SO MUCH WHITE.

Beautiful valley

A look back to where we were. Those snowy hills.

October Break: Prague

2012-11-07T10:32:00.000-08:00

After three full days in Ireland Tom and I got up bright and early on Tuesday morning to get to the airport for our flights. Tom's to go back to Scotland and mine to go to Prague. Our only problem was it was too early for the normal city buses, we had to catch one of the more expensive airport shuttles that start earlier. We had €12.85 between the two of us which at first looked like wasn't going to be enough. All the shuttles cost €7 per person. Perusing a list given to us by the hostel we found one shuttle that was €6 each. When going to pay the driver we gave her a pile of change. She didn't even bother to count it. When we got off the bus about half an hour later our pile was still sitting in the tray.

That's what €12.85 looks like. The fiver and the pile on top of it is what we gave the driver.

I was a bit nervous about the Czech Republic. I hadn't done any research beyond a few chats with my friend Daniel, who I was going to visit in Prague, and Tom, who is Czech. Tom put together a small dictionary for me and I had directions to the hostel but that was it.

I needn't have worried, I had a brilliant time!

My first night there I met a fellow American travelling on his own. We got along splendidly and spent the next day going to various sites around the city. He was able to show me the ropes of how the public transportation system worked. Tips like the main lines to look for and the fact that tickets are rarely checked on the trams so they were free (as far as we were concerned).

The Lennon Wall

A wall hidden down a few small streets dedicated to John Lennon.

My new friend left the evening of our day together so I was friendless again but luckily the next day was my day with Daniel! He met me outside the hostel early Thursday morning and we were off to the zoo!

Prague has a brilliant zoo. Animals were having babies all over the place so they are obviously doing something right. My favorite part was in the nocturnal area the bats can fly around! The bat exhibit doesn't have glass beyond the railing so the animals are free to roam the building. When standing still I could feel them pass, it was so cool!

Animals kept looking at me. It was pretty cool.

Daniel was an amazing guide. He knows so much about Prague! All the while walking around the zoo he was giving me tidbits about the zoo and Prague history and such. Then when wandering the city later he could pick out many of the buildings and tell me stories, dates, and meanings to the Czech people. I would never have learned or saw half of what I did without him. He was also incredibly patient as I attempted to sound out Czech words and had him constantly reading and translating. There is a sound in Czech found in no other language that I find incredibly difficult. It is a cross between a rolling 'r' and a 'z'. I was told not to feel too bad about it though, even Czech children sometimes have to go to speech classes to learn how to do it.

Incredibly unflattering picture of me touching the lucky statue on the Charles Bridge.

Daniel and I in front of my hostel. the Czech Inn. I didn't even realize it was a pun until Daniel pointed it out!

Getting back to the hostel around 7 that evening I had a message from Tom that a few of his friends in Prague wanted to meet me! I went straight back out to find them. The two gentlemen and I had excellent discussions on politics of the US and the European Union as well as an abridged Czech history lesson. It was a lot of fun to meet them and I very much enjoyed my evening. A full day of hanging out with Prague natives I learned much more than I ever could have on my own.

My last full day in Prague was just for me. A few of you may know my love of museums and being on my own I spent almost six hours in two buildings of the National Gallery in Prague - the Kinsky and Schwarzenberg Palaces.

Schwarzenberg Palace was covered in designs like this

A the Kinsky Palace I was the first person to arrive in the morning. One of the gallery guards was a cute old man who didn't speak a word of English. We communicated with smiles and points as he showed me the right way to go around the floors. 2.5 hours later as I was leaving the last section of the museum I ran into him again. Smiling once again at each other he held open the door and gave me a toffee! I think he was pleased that a young foreigner was enjoying his museum so much. If we were able to speak to one another we would have gotten along splendidly.

It's amazing what can be communicated without words. That was one of my favorite moments since arriving in Europe two and a half months ago.

October Break: Dublin

2012-10-30T03:19:00.000-07:00

One of the many surprises I had when first coming to Scotland and beginning university here was that there is a mid-semester break! A whole week off just because. Technically it is supposed to be used to prepare yourself for all the work that comes after but who really does that?

I decided to split my week off between Dublin, Ireland and Prague, Czech Republic. I arrived in Dublin early Saturday and left early Tuesday giving me three days.

I went to Dublin with my friend, hall mate and fellow study abroad student (though he is now transferring to Stirling) Tom. Neither of us had prepared any sort of list or itinerary of things we wanted to see in Dublin so upon early arrival in the hostel around 9:45 we went to the notice boards to see what was going on.

He doesn't smile if he knows his picture is being taken. I gotta be sneaky...

Hostels are great about connecting visitors with events going on in the area. Sometimes they are tourist focused events and sometimes community activities. One such listing was a daily free walking tour of Dublin beginning at 11. With no plans and plenty of time we walked downtown to find where the tour started.

I'm so glad we went! We knew absolutely nothing about this tour beyond where and when it began. While waiting around for the tour leaders to split us all up in to Spanish and English speakers and then assign us to our guides we ran into John, another guy from our floor who was in Dublin visiting a friend! The four of us stuck together and went on the same tour group.

The tour ended up being three hours long filled with history, anecdotes, jokes, and fun facts. The leader was a native Dublin-er with fantastic presentation abilities and an all around fun guy.

That is the Irish Parliament building to the right. There is an unspoken agreement between Parliament and media that when sitting or standing on the dais politicians are free to approach but not otherwise in the square

One of the places with the most interesting stories was Trinity College, The Campanile at Trinity had some particularly interesting bits. 1) Students don't walk under it during semester because it means they'll fail exams 2) If someone is under it and the bell rings it means they're a virgin 3) If a student can climb to the top and yell "Trinity! Trinity! Trinity!" without being shot with a crossbow by the Provost then they become King of Trinity College and get all sorts of perks like being able to ride their horse into the testing theatre or something like that

The Campanile at Trinity College.

The tour gave us plenty of ideas about ways to spend our time the next two days while also dropping us off near the tourism office where we could get more ideas.

Day one was finished with a pub crawl run by the same walking tour company. We started the evening with a Guinness (of course) and then had some great Irish beer at many of the places we went after. Tom and I dropped out of the crawl a tad early to stay at a bar we particularly liked with a great traditional band playing and excellent atmosphere. We left when we could hardly keep our eyes open anymore at midnight (we had been up since 5am).

We tried so hard to stay awake for them...

The next day was a bit slower. Tom and I wandered to various places we passed on the tour the day before but wanted to take a closer look at. First was the tourism office to book a tour for the next day. Then to the Irish National Museum to peruse some of Ireland's historical and archeological artifacts. Here tom learned of my passion for museums. The only reason we really moved at all was because he would encourage me to move by leaving me behind. Or sometimes by suggesting we take a look at the next room. Much of the place remains unexplored but that leaves something to see next time!

Wandering further led us to St Patrick's Cathedral. Then dinner and a long conversation break since we ate far too much. Finally was a trek to Phoenix Park.

Phoenix is actually named fionn uisce in Gaelic which means 'clear water'. Nearly every place name in Ireland has an original Gaelic name and an anglicized name created by people from England once King Henry VIII proclaimed himself King of Ireland. Now there is even a statue of a phoenix in the middle just to confuse people into thinking it was the original name.

Glen Coe

2012-10-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

On Saturday the Mountaineering Club went on a trip to Glen Coe. In the Scottish highlands, Glen Coe is probably the most scenic place in Scotland. Most any picture you have seen of the Scottish hills covered in grass, rocks, and heather to are probably from Glen Coe.

Glen Coe is also famed for the 1692 Massacre of Glen Coe when the Campbells massacred the MacDonalds living in the hidden valley. Whenever I told a Scottish person what I was doing this weekend they were so excited for me to see the prettiest place in Scotland. But they also told me that the land remembers what happened and the massacre can still be felt.

There were three groups that went out. An easier hike, a harder hike, and a climbing group. I went on the harder hike along with eight others. We hiked two Munros before leaving through the Hidden Valley (or Lost Valley).

A Munro is any mountain in Scotland greater than 3000 feet. Named after Sir Hugh Munro who put together the list of such peaks in the late 1800s. There are 282 Munros. I have 280 still to go!

A few pictures from our long day:

On our way into the hills...

We spent much of the day being misted on while walking through clouds

In the Hidden Valley

At one end of Hidden Valley looking back the way we came

Happy Birthday Mom!

2012-10-14T05:50:00.001-07:00

Before coming to Stirling I spent about a week and a half with my mom. First was eight days in Amsterdam and then two days in the Orkney Islands.

On our first day in Amsterdam in the Reijksmuseum..

Day trip to Zaanse Schans an outdoor museum to see some of the few still running windmills. The first one visible behind Mom is used to cut lumber.

Another day trip but this one to Delft! We went on a tour of the Royal Delft, the premier delft porcelain maker of the area. this in in their shop where they make the pottery that is later painted on

Pretty plates!

While in Delft we went to see Johannes Vermeer's house which has been turned in to a museum all about his artwork. On one of the floors a studio was set up where if a picture was taken from where they said it could look like you were in a Vermeer! The above photo looks pretty good!

At the flower auction house in the Netherlands. A small city of flowers being sold and shipped around the world.

In Orkney. This is Maes Howe, a 5000 year old tomb built by the stone age people who lived on Orkney. Inside there is 1000 year old viking graffiti on it. Amusingly, it is much the same as we write now: "so and so was here" "so and so is the best rune carver in the whole world"

A hop skip and a jump away from Maes Howe is the Ring of Brodgar the third largest standing stone ring in Britain.

Thank you for travelling with me Mom! I love you! Happy birthday!

Beautiful Ben Ledi

2012-10-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why yet but many of the hills in Scotland are named Ben Something. Last weekend I hiked Ben Cleuch with the University of Stirling Mountaineering Club but this weekend was Ben Ledi.

We got a pretty early start, leaving from the downtown Stirling bus station at 8AM (which involved a 7:20AM bus for those of us on campus). After a forty minute bus ride from Stirling we arrived in Callander which neighbors Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. This may be recognizable to you if you have heard the folk song.

On the hike up

To begin we were all covered in many layers to avoid the chill morning air. As we hiked up and the sun shone brighter layers were stripped off. Once at the top all the layers came on again as we stopped for lunch with no protection from the breezes. The wind wasn't nearly as bad today as it was last week but it was still there. The weather though was great! Not often there are sunny days without rain around here.

That's a decent lunch view

Another view from the peak of Ben Ledi

It's a good day when a mountain is conquered before lunch

A quick look back

(Ben Ledi is off to the left, not really visible)