Homeless household items

Kinda funny that a family that watches so little TV has such a large TV...

Since the movers weren't able to bring everything in one shipment due to space constraints, we'll be living with a TV/entertainment unit piled up in the living room and boxes of CDs in the "den" (third bedroom).

CDs awaiting their shelf

My goal of being cardboard-free by the end of the week will sadly not happen. The TV/stereo cabinet, CD shelves and others will be here sometime next week.

Move, day 3

Date - August 30th
Departure time - 9:30 AM
Departure location - North Platte, NE

The Western scenery really starts to kick in once you head into western Nebraska. The plains start rising, and you start to notice the changing elevation.

Celeste got to ride her first Sinclair dinosaur at a Big Springs truck stop. Fun for both her and her Webkinzzzzzzz (those little stuffed animals that she is hopelessly addicted to).

We stopped at the Colorado visitors center just off of I-76. I have to dig out the photo of Allie, Jupie and I stopping there when we made our first trip out west when we moved to Boulder in January 1997.

Finally, we rolled into Arvada to spend the night with our friends. I met Chris when we worked together years ago. Allie, Celeste and I also lived in Arvada a few miles down the road. Chris and Pam's son Jackson played with Celeste many afternoons when they were both toddlers.

It had been four years since we last visited Boulder, so we asked our hosts if they'd be gracious enough to take us up there for the afternoon and evening. Our van was down one seat as I had removed it to make room for the gigantic cooler.

Boulder's Pearl Street Mall didn't have this cool little kiddie fountain when we lived there. Who knows exactly how many dirty Rainbow Family hippies have bathed in it.

Of course Celeste and Jackson looked like little hippies themselves - running around the lawn of the Boulder County courthouse barefoot and Celeste in a tye-dyed swimsuit.

Jackson's little sister Carly had a good time as well.

Dinner was at Boulder's venerable Mountain Sun Brewery. When we first moved to Boulder, our crappy and cramped apartment was a few blocks away.

My friend and neighbor Ron and I used to hit the pub for their happy hour - grab a couple of half-priced pitchers of XXX Pale Ale or Java Porter and an enormous plate of nachos (kids nachos pictured). Much away and stumble back home. I'm happy to report that the nachos and the beer were just as good as I had remembered them.

Celeste trying to get Jackson to try some of her delicious "ocean water" (salted tap water)

Being back on the Pearl Street Mall on a warm summer night brought back a flood of memories. Here's a pic of the location of the "flying burger patty incident". My poor mom was walking with us one evening when, from out of the sky, a lukewarm (but cooked) hamburger patty came flying from a rooftop, smacking her in the head and knocking her glasses off. Thankfully she was a good sport about it. We never figured out how that happened. Aliens maybe?

We think Celeste has a crush on Jackson...

We hit Ben & Jerry's for a nightcap. Celeste decided that gummi bears would make a great topping on her Phish Food ice cream in a dipped cone.

Thank you Chris, Pam, Jackson and Carly for the great accomodations!

Finish off the post with a sweet mulletino.
Arrival time - 2 PM
Arrival location - Arvada, CO
TOTAL MILEAGE - 272

American Dream Bike

I told myself I'd get a new cyclocross frame once I landed a new job. Well, the frame arrived a couple of days before the movers came, so the assembly will have to wait until I get the house a bit more dialed.
What exactly is it? You'll just have to wait and see; the box is still taped up.

Toys, toys, toys... in the attic

Yesterday's trip to Lowes saw us coming home with a 4x8 sheet of plywood (I love owning a van!) so that I could expand on the size of the attic above the garage.

A cut and some screws and I added 32 sq ft of lofted storage. I'm amazed at what I've been able to fit up there - and still allow room to get around.

Yeah, I know - I put the new board in 90 degrees off (the grain is running with the joists in this pic). I realized my error and fixed it prior to filling up the space.

Fun with foliage

or name that tree!



Give up?


We picked it up at Lowes this afternoon (sorry Dad). They also had kiwi and various citrus trees. Since Celeste likes kiwis so much, that might be our next tree.

But this still doesn't top the bag of 20 avocados we bought for $5 from a roadside stand on Friday. Celeste has been having avocado and cheese smeared on toast every morning. Calisconsin sandwich anyone?

nuestra casa

Here's our new home for the next 12 months (maybe more??, moving sucks).

It's a tidy little three bedroom home w/ two baths. 1286 square feet. It's been interesting cramming 1800 sq feet worth of stuff from WI into it. I'm running out to Home Depot to get some more plywood to expand the attic above the garage.
The backyard, while also small, has some decent landscaping around it. Too bad we don't know what any of the plants are.
Beige acres. It's odd hearing seagulls as I type this...

Move, day 2

Date - August 29th
Departure time - 8:40 AM
Departure location - Cedar Rapids, IA

A flat and rather boring day at the wheel, but we were able to get some good miles in. Well, good miles considering we were traveling with an eight year old.

Hwy 151 out of Cedar Rapids

We took 151 to 80 and set the cruise. Klaus is a great highway car, much better than his around-town manners. Even though it revs high (70 MPH is 3500 RPM), the mileage is respectable for it being heavy and as aerodynamic as your average cinder block. Especially with our crap on the roof.

The girls love the "living room on wheels" that Klaus' configuration makes. Celeste sat in a rear-facing jump seat the entire trip, utilizing her table for snacks, games and holding a DVD player while traveling thru the "flyover states". Allie was able to stretch out limo-style in back or move up front when she wanted a change of scenery.

We also hit the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument in Kearney, NE. This museum opened in 2000, spanning I-80 and documenting the westward expansion of the country. We had passed under the museum a number of times when we lived in Colorado, but never had the opportunity to stop and check it out. Overall, we found the museum to be interesting and worth our while, giving us a great chance to stretch our legs at the end of a long day behind the wheel. Surprisingly, there was little mention of the displacement of Native Americans when the white man moved west.

nugget of wisdom

a good place to catch grasshoppers too!

nice boat, we passed it a couple of times in IA and NE

After the museum, we hit the road for another hour or so and headed west on 80 to North Platte to find a place to spend the night. After first checking out a crummy campground at Buffalo Bill Ranch State park on the north side of town, we drove to the shores of the Maloney Reservoir and found a decent (and cheap - $6!) site.

hooray - camping!

Arrival time - 7 PM
Arrival location - North Platte, NE
TOTAL MILEAGE - 544