Quick Trip Home

I managed to keep the fact that I was coming home a secret until the day before I was to arrive home. It was great to surprise everyone.  However, jet lag really wiped me out this time. I was just about recovering when Mom got pneumonia and was out for over a week. My first couple of weeks home were spent sleeping, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, taking care of animals, and taking care of Mom.

After Mom had recovered, I headed up to Lewiston to visit Katy and Oliver and meet their new baby. It was fun spending the entire afternoon with them. It was especially entertaining playing hide and seek with their two year old son who is still learning not to shout, “Carmen, I’m hiding in the closet!”

After visiting them, I headed up to Moscow. It was a fairly calm week in Moscow. Everyone was very busy packing and working, so we were all too lazy to party and hang out at the bars. But this gave me time to do some shopping and get paperwork done.

I did a lot of driving around, testing out my new Nikon CoolPix P310 (a reward for surviving Russian winter). I took many of the back roads around Moscow and Pullman and realized, not for the first time, that the Palouse is my favorite place to be during the late spring and into summer. The sky is so blue in the morning with giant fluffy white clouds that cast shadows on the rolling hills covered in green knee-high wheat and alfalfa fields. In May, the green is usually broken by yellow canola fields. In late summer, the wheat and alfalfa turns a golden brown, and the winter wheat has grown into a green sea. There is always a wind blowing on the Palouse which makes waves in the fields. With the many rolling hills, the Palouse looks like an ocean on land. Of course, even the Nikon can only capture half of the Palouse’s beauty.

I took a trip to the University of Idaho Arboretum, sadly a little late in the season, but the trees were still beautiful. Also, unfortunately, I discovered that the battery indicator on my camera is a bit sneaky and doesn’t give enough warning that the battery is going. Luckily a friend had a back-up SLR to finish off the photo shoot.

One evening I headed on what would have been quite a romantic evening, if it had been on a date. A friend and I drove to Paradise Valley to the reservoir to watch the sunset. It is quite beautiful there this time of year, before the pond plants and scum overtake the place. The older goslings love to frequent the docks. No matter how cute they are, it is best to keep away from them, their mothers are still a bit protective and cranky. Just sit down at the end of one of the docks and enjoy the sun set over the mountain, but don’t go directly after the sunset, because you may find two bald eagles out to catch their dinner.

I came back from Moscow to find our old dog, Ebby, very sick. The poor Rotty mix was 15 years old, really old for a Rotty. Unfortunately, we had to put her down. She is missed.

Friday the household got up bright and early for a drive up to Joseph Plains. You access Joseph Plains by going down the Salmon River and drive up the side of the mountain. The switchbacks all the way to the top where the mountain flattens out and you are greeted with lush prairie. Most of it has been protected from agriculture because of the harsh winter, so it is one of the few places on the Camas Prairie where camas still grows. If you aren’t amazed by the prairie and grand vacation homes, perhaps you will be awed with the view across the Salmon River to the Seven Devils, or the view across Idaho to Eagle Cap Mountain in Oregon. 

 

Saturday morning, I got up early one more time to go to Missoula, Montana with Jess. The drive down the Clearwater River to the Lochsa River was quiet and peaceful dotted with several deer. The rivers were still quite high, turning the waters muddy instead of their usual clearness.  We avoided the music festival that crowded Lolo Hot Springs and headed straight to the mall in Missoula.

The mall was pretty much a major bust. Missoula was pretty much a bust. But Jess and I got our much needed girl time and a nice night swim in the hotel pool. On Sunday we gave up shopping early in the afternoon and headed back to Grangeville. Surprisingly, we saw a black bear right alongside of the road and even a coyote up on the prairie. Strange to see them in the heat of the day. What also might be deemed strange to some is the gathering of Mennonites we passed in Kamiah. Mennonites are a religious group who separate themselves, women dress in long dresses (much like pioneer dresses), and cover their heads—one might picture them as relaxed, modernized, Amish.

The last week passed quickly, with Mom hemming clothes for my trip and me hurriedly packing. We finished up my shopping in Boise, and I got on the plane to start my year-long journey through Taiwan.

Sending Off 2012 Part One

I just haven't felt like writing at all! Nothing much to write about until after Thanksgiving, and then it was a whirl wind of events. So here is a summery:

Most of the old gang

Some old university friends arrived in Moscow at Thanksgiving. After spending a quiet Turkey Day at Jessica's Mom's house and sleeping through the midnight madness, I had a nice leisurely drive up to Moscow.

It was great to see the guys again. Each night was a blur of get-togethers and fun, making it difficult to get around in the mornings. By the time I'd resurface, it was either too late to head to Grangeville, or another party was planned, and then winter commencement. So I spent 3 weeks in Moscow.

Some of "the guys"

I came back to Grangeville feeling jet lagged and quite lonely--going from a house of six plus people (and let's face it, little sleep) to Mom and Dad's (though it was good not to have to fight for the shower).  I spent a lot of time at Jess's, scrambling for last minute gift ideas (no Christmas spirit what-so-ever), wrapping presents, and babysitting.

Time seemed to fly by and before I knew it, it was Christmas Eve. I attended a couple of small family parties and then actually went to church, gasp! We woke up early on Christmas morning and unwrapped the presents piled under our tiny table-top tree. Then, we loaded up the car and headed to Boise. We arrived at Uncle Larry's to 30 degrees and snow.

We had planned on heading over to Grandpa's house, but I got a last minute call that altered my Los Angeles plans, and it took all evening to work out. By the time I figured out the Los Angeles to Santa Barbara trip, it was ten at night and I had to be at the airport by four.

The roads were terrible, and the temperature dropped to the teens, but we somehow made it to the airport! Mother Nature was kind to me and kept the rain that threatened Los Angeles away, so I could have a sunny and warm (sixty degree) day.

Back to Idaho

It has been a month since I've been home, I guess it is about time that I do an update.

Last month I was living in one of the largest cities in the world where people are out and about until five in the morning, where I could run downstairs to the Kimbap shop at midnight and be served. I lived on the fifth floor of a small, but nice, studio apartment, and I worked at a frustrating, but never boring, job.

This month, I live in one of the smallest towns in the world (ok, there are smaller), people disappear after six, and restaurants and grocery stores close at eight. I also live with my parents, in my old room, which has been mostly taken over by my mom's hobbies.

Needless to say, I am quite bored and at times, have trouble adjusting to life back at home.

At the same time, I am having a great time at home.  The bed is soft, there is a dryer, I have an oven, I work for Dad, so I can go to work in my pajamas if I wish. I can also easily take off a day or two to visit friends in Moscow. I can enjoy Moscow without having to worry about making it to class the next day!

Seattle

I went to Seattle the first week of September. That was my first sight-seeing trip to the Emerald City. It was great to catch up with my friend and her family. Jess's cousin took us to see night views of the troll, the lights reflecting on the sound, the Space Needle, fire dancers, and the Boeing airfield. We got up early the next morning in time to see the sun rise over Lake Washington, then we combed the local area malls, where Jess and Bec had their first taste of Vietnamese food (it wasn't a hit).

Hammering Man

We stopped in at a local brewery went to see the hammering man (found several cities in the world, including Seoul). We then prepped ourselves for a terrifying night ghost tour of Pike Place. Not really worth the money, but the history of serial killers was interesting and we'll never look too closely at the Pike Place morgue again.

Troll in Seattle

I've been up to Moscow twice to see friends. The trips were filled with hiking, drinking, dancing, and music. It was great to be back at Uni, feeling like a college student. I pretended to be a student long enough to crash the job fair.

The fires have calmed down a bit, but there is still a lot of smoke in the air and a lot of dust. Apparently, Idaho has gone over six months without rain. Temperatures have dropped drastically and I have re-discovered why most of my wardrobe consists of winter clothes. I desperately want to escape the winter weather!

As for now, I am looking for jobs overseas. I have had a couple of interviews and we'll see where that takes me. I've also been toying with going back to school for a Masters. We'll see.