Where Did My Summer Go?

As days have noticeably shortened and the evenings have become increasingly cooler, I have to ask where summer went. I am a summer lover. Love the sun, love the warm weather, the insects calling (most insects), the clouds and can appreciate the beauty of a good thunderstorm… it can’t be over already, can it? Did the season skip me? I am not ready for fall. My Summer of 2013 was filled with plenty of activity to keep me busy. Without work travel, my plan initial plan was to enjoy the summer locally… that did not last. My travel bug reared its head and the weather was truly not warm enough to warrant weekend by my condo’s amazing pool. So, I kept busy in plenty of other ways.

[Before I start, I have to thank Mother Nature for trying to drown my spirits this summer. Every trip I went on (every one) had a rain event. Some serious, like my Buffalo trip where the trip was almost cancelled due to winds, rain and general enough insanity the plan could not take off or due to impermeable fog after thunderstorms in Bayfield where the boat could on leave. I had rain while walking around the battlefield in Gettysburg, rain on every NYC trip, rain getting to Indy, rain in Iowa and Michigan… it was a wet summer. ]

My state quest was front and center this summer. I only visited 1 new state in 2012. This summer I made up some ground and knocked out 3 to 4, depending on how you view my stopover in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I jumped into 3 new states at the very beginning of the summer. And while a trip to Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan may not be everyone’s way to spend a week around a birthday, it was exactly what I needed - Some time outdoors, fresh air, new landscapes and new adventures. Seared into my mind are the black fly clouds of Northern Wisconsin, lovely hikes insects be damned, the rolling farms of greens, the cold waters of Lake Superior, the expanse of the Mississippi River between Wisconsin and Iowa (so far north of my typical view point in NOLA), and the incredibly sweet family from Minnesota who celebrate my birthday with me. I learned about Summerfest (and went to opening day), I tried curds – both fresh and fried, and still remain confused as to why Dubuque Iowa has so many Statues of Liberty replicas (and yes, I did try to find out why – no one knew).

In August I was able to cross Indiana off my list with some incentive by my favorite group – hello, major Blockhead here! Near the end of the New Kids on the Block tour, I was given a gift by the group, the fan club, their company, whatever – point is I (and a few others) was offered free tickets to the closing show of the tour…and it was in Indianapolis. A quick search on United pulled up a weekend special rate… so off I went to see my band one more time. A concert, a new state, a new capital city and time to site-see – perfect weekend. There I took in more rolling farm land (the apparent theme of the summer), visited the Indianapolis Zoo, the Art Museum and some city sites. I marveled at the amazing dog jump show; I remain convinced that this is the same group that preformed at the Alaska State Fair last summer. Ever want to see a dog high jump over 6 feet in the air, or catch 10 Frisbees in a row, you gotta see this show! At the zoo I was treated to childhood memories of my parakeets Tweety and Turbo when I visited their aviaries willed with their twins, cousins and extended family. I took in a dolphin show at the aquarium section of the zoo and smiled at the dolphins dancing to Katy Perry. And I was astounded with the educational outreach that the zoo did – lots of very informed patrons roamed around limiting my typical cringe factor. The Art museum was a site to behold even if some staff were a bit rude. As I expected, they had more Renaissance art than I could stomach, but their contemporary section was a site to behold. I am still enraptured by a sculpture by Tara Donovan – (sorry, no pic since we were not allowed to take photos in this section).

Random Sites and Interesting Places in WI and IA

There is lots more to write about regarding my trip in the Lands of Corn and Cheese.  Surprisingly, I have been a bit busy since I returned.  Now I am headed off on my next great adventure... and guess what??? It is supposed to rain on me again.  Sad, I know.

Before I head off the airport, I wanted to jot down a few thoughts on my June trip:

• Aquariums - I went to 3 places that were to have aquarium-like features.  Sadly, only one was truly awesome. 
• I give 5 stars to the Mississippi River Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa.    It might have stolen my heart with a special turtle exhibit, but its true majesty was how it embraced the whole river:  it walked visitors through the entire river journey from headwaters to delta.  Sure you met sturgeon, but you also see otters, turtles, alligators and a whole tank on the Gulf of Mexico.  They have videos that fly you over the whole river.  AND it touches on the communities and cultures influenced by the Great Mississippi.  I loved it. 
• Sadly, I did not love my time at the Discovery Center in Milwaukee.  The Science Center/Aquarium was in a great place and filled with kids - at the science exhibits.  The aquarium was in the basement.  And there it had a few tanks of fish with no names.  They had a walk through laboratory that focused on tropical fish (not there are any in Lake Michigan).  I got the feeling it was  there to say they had one.  But, if you need an aquarium fix in the area, head to Chicago and visit the Shedd.  However, I must say that the facilities diorama of the Great Lakes System was fascinating; you could play with the weather and the lock system in the model and see how it impacts the lakes.  You can clearly see how they interconnect.  This was the must see!
• Lastly, (or firstly if you are going by the order I visited them in) - there was the Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland.  At the southern point of Lake Superior, this facility was all about the displays, no live fish here.  BUT it had a wonderful boardwalk  trail to explain the local ecology... and this is what I really wanted.

Searching for the Meaning of the Red Barn

I am back from my trip through America's dairy land.  And, while I must sit down, go through my pictures and sort through the souvenirs, I have really been pondering a common site that I passed in Wisconsin and Iowa - the big red barn.  Sure, it is the iconic image of the American farm.  The rolling green land waving in the breeze with a field of animals nearby and that Big Red Barn in the background.  I really thought that was pure imagery.  I have been through plenty of farmland - Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri, Pennsylvania... heck, I grew up in New Jersey and yes, there is plenty there too.  But I really never took that iconic red barn in like I did this trip.  It seemed like every direction I looked, I was staring out at the red barn.  That left me wondering - why red?

Home now, I have time to look into this.  My first instincts was that red was a purposeful color choice.  I would have guessed that red was a color that was good for cows (because there sure were plenty of those in dairy land).  My second guess would have  been that red stands out well in the land of green and when you are out on endless acres of farmland, you just look for the red to head back.  But what do I know?  Well, I don't know squat about red barns... because after a bit of digging, I have found 2 main schools of thought on the choice of color (and one more in depth analysis):

1. The Historic Choice - (a) The area was heavily settled by Scandinavians, Germans and Irish.  Apparently the Scandinavians had preference for red farmhouses and barns (the famous Falu farg red paint, from Sweden's massive copper mine)... (b) The "barn red" is not the bright, fire-engine red that we often see today, but more of a burnt-orange red. As to how the oil mixture became traditionally red, there are two predominant theories:
   • Wealthy farmers added blood from a recent slaughter to the oil mixture. As the paint dried, it turned from a bright red to a darker, burnt red.
   • Farmers added ferrous oxide, otherwise known as rust, to the oil mixture. Rust was plentiful on farms and is a poison to many fungi, including mold and moss, which were known to grown on barns. These fungi would trap moisture in the wood, increasing decay.
   Regardless of how the farmer tinted his paint, having a red barn became a fashionable thing. They were a sharp contrast to the traditional white farmhouse.
2. The Economic Choice - Red Paint is Cheap!!!  According to some, One of the biggest reasons for red pigment being cheaper is because it spreads much thinner and still produces an opaque coating. The pigment in paint, if opaque,  serves to absorb ultraviolet light thereby vastly extending the life of the coating. Red pigment, whatever it is always has the most opacity of any color. Equalling cheap in two different ways. Cheap to buy (just dirt) and cheap to use (goes a long way) bonus; paint lasts longer.
3. The Scientific Choice - Red Paint is Cheap!!   What makes a cheap pigment? Obviously, that it’s plentiful. The red pigment that makes cheap paint is red ochre, which is just iron and oxygen. These are incredibly plentiful: the Earth’s crust is 6% iron and 30% oxygen. Oxygen is plentiful and affects the color of compounds it’s in by shaping them, but the real color is determined by the d-electrons of whatever attaches to it: red comes from iron.  (like blues and greens from copper, a beautiful deep blue from cobalt).

I feel better now... even though I don't think we need blood in our paint mix, and last time I check all paint costs the same now... I am still stuck on why red persists today, except to guess that it is tradition and it looks striking.  Somehow I do not think that a big yellow barn would make the same statement.

(and thank you to howstuffworks.com, the farmers almanac, the Smithsonian and boingboing.net for help in me solving this pretty mystery).

Planning to Bring My List to 6!

My desire to see all the states still remains.  Currently, there is a car commercials with a young woman on the same quest.  I have no doubt that there are many out there with the same itch.  I have met a few on my travels and everyone has their own interpretation of what a "visit" means.  For some, driving through counts, for others it is a layover in an airport.  I know someone that wants to go for a dip in a river or lake in all the states.  For me - my quest is to create a memory in each state.  I want to see something, do something.  I want to be able to tell anyone that asks what I have done in any state on the list.  Now, some states I cover better than others, but so far I have remained true to my rules (otherwise I would have 3 less states on my to-do list). 

It has been almost a year since I knocked Arkansas off my list.  It is time to pick a new target, so I started planning.  Next month, I will be taking myself on a one week journey.  I am visiting the lands of cheese and corn - I am headed to Wisconsin and Iowa.  Yeah me!!!!

Now I know some of you may be laughing but I have a full fledged trip planned.  I am headed in all directions in Wisconsin and will cross the border twice into Iowa for two different experiences.  The plan is to touch as many cornerstones of my travel wishes as possible.  First up will be a visit to 2 national park units - Apostle Islands in Wisconsin and Effigy Mounds in Iowa.  To counterbalance, I will be soaking up city culture in Milwaukee and Madison.  My love of aquatic life will be quenched by visits to three aquarium like facilities - the Great Lakes Center (Ashland, WI), the Mississippi River Aquarium (Dubuque, Iowa) and the state aquarium in Milwaukee, as well as tours of the islands.  I plan for art in Milwaukee and Dubuque Iowa; I plan for history in Mineral Springs and Bayfield. The sports lover in me hopes to get a turn this trip because I hope to grab a seat at the Brewers game (they are playing the Cubs).  I plan to go hiking and maybe kayaking.  I hope to be spooked and informed on a ghost tour in Bayfield.  And then I found some quirky stuff to visit- the National Mustard Museum  in Middleton and a troll lined Main Street in Mount Hoerob. Fun shopping from local artisians and urban neighborhoods should fill some evenings.   And of course, I plan to stop throughout Cheeseland to visit Cheese-making stores and Creameries. 

I know it is a lot of driving and an ambitious goal for a week... but I think I can do it all.  And with these states, I will be left with 6 states on my list.  The Great Lakes is my greatest cluster, so Wisconsin and Iowa will be a great accomplishment.  I hope to comeback with many pictures and stories... and then I will be ready for one of those vacations where you sleep on the beach all day!