Grandma's Kitchen

I re-posted this on Facebook and got a few good replies, so I thought I'd share them on my blog.

• My HS classmate Becky Nelson Case said she'd have Pepsi and Pinwheel cookies. She even included a photo of the cookie package. I am shocked to announce that I do not remember Pinwheels. I thought we'd had them all! 
• Another HS friend says she'd have a homemade donut - doesn't that sound delish? 
• A pal who is the top boss at the Iowa City Landfill says sugar on tomatoes - sounding good this time of year!
• Classmate Toni Robinson Mason says homemade noodles and chicken along with divinity. I should not be reading this whilst hungry. Our "pretend" grandma, babysitter Lulubelle Herbert used to make homemade noodles - to used after she served used fried chicken the night before. We were eating good when the folks went out of town!
• The very best hairstylist says half & half on bran flakes with a touch of sugar. That sounds so very grandma-like, doesn't it? 
• Cathy Hjortshoj Hansen, another Atown friend, says sugar cookies were it. Nothing like fresh sugar cookies! Lulubelle made those too. 
• Longtime friend and HS classmate Ted Simpson stumped me with Pfeffernusse, Spaghetti-O's, and Sugar Pops. Talk about opposites! He says they are peppernuts. The other two were staples in the Bullock household. 
• When I saw this Meme, I thought of the times I stopped at my grandparents' home after walking downtown for library books and candy. Momo (my grandmother) would whip me up some ice milk (lower calorie ice cream?) and Hersey's Syrup out of a can. My sis Betsy says she'd have honey on her ice milk. Momo did also whip up some other good food - our Thanksgiving meals. I like reading her journals when she describes the meals she whipped up. 

Me with my grandparents and dog Charlie - I was a little weepie as my parents just gave me a horse for my bday! 

I'm sorry I didn't know my mom's parents well enough to even remember my grandma cooking. When we went to their house in Cedar Rapids it was always special and went to restaurants. Maybe my older sisters have some memories. 

Isn't it wonderful that we have these memories of our grandparents and food? If you read the list, most of it wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but somehow our grandparents made it magical! If you have memories from your grandma's kitchen share them on this Facebook post. 

After a morning of buttery buttery toast

When we stayed at my parents' in Atlantic, I'd hear her enticing them with the breakfast menu - "buttery buttery toast". Mom did turn into a very good cook after we all left home. Too bad she died so young - only 68. 

So far Paul and I are grandparents to dogs - who are easy to please! They all like squeaky toys and Franklin is the quickest at ripping them to shreds. 

Summer Fun

I listened to a book this week that had flashbacks of the main character's childhood and his "gang". It was summer and they played with squirt guns. It made me smile. Good memories from my childhood!

It was such fun filling up the reservoir - the anticipation of firing it at some unsuspecting soul.

Minis - from birthday parties?

My walking down squirt gun memory lane took me to running through the sprinkler. That was another fun summer activity! It often took longer to actually set up the thing you were going to do than to do the thing.

• get hose
• attach to spigot
• realize you need another length
• attach that
• find the sprinkler in the garage
• put on swimsuit
• get towel
• prance through the freezing water with neighbor Laurie Reinertson, try to keep our little sisters out
• realize Dick Westbrook just mowed - wet grass is now stuck on your feet
• stomp through the basement dripping, and dragging in wet grass

You're welcome, Mommy!

Alaska Spendor

We took a long talked about a trip to Alaska in June. Ten fabulous days with four of our best friends. And we're all still friends after the trip (I think). I've known Vicki since one of my first days as a college co-ed and she walked in my room and asked me if I wanted to walk with her to get our ISU season football tickets. A lifelong friendship was born! Next, sophomore year I met Moose (Steve) who was lined up to be one of the football coaches for the Schilling House flag football team. I met Paul (my beloved) and Kay later - junior and senior years. Kay even knew Paul before I did, as their dorm floors had interacted.

First Alaska meal - on a lake with planes landing

So this group has lots of history. When we graduated, we kept getting together. Is that "failure to launch" when it comes to new friends? We did ski trips, annual 4th of July trips, and raised our children like cousins - at least until we all bought houses and our kids got busy in school. It isn't easy to stay in touch, especially through those busy kid years - but they are the friends who even if you don't see them, you pick up like no time has passed.

Now, every fall, Paul tries to round everyone up to attend an ISU football game. A couple falls ago we started talking about places we wanted to travel to. Alaska! But not a cruise. Vicki had lived in Alaska as a very young child. Her father worked for GE Corporation. Tragically her dad drowned while fishing and Vicki and her mom moved back to Iowa after that. She had cousins in Alaska so she also spent more time there as a kid. The allure was there for her to go back and see the state as an adult. The rest of us were interested in seeing a beautiful new state - for Moose (state #50).

We arrived in Anchorage on 6/12, rented a Chevy Suburban. Headed to Denali - just outside the National Park - 3 nights, Fairbanks, a mystery location (Majestic Valley Wilderness Lodge) south of Fairbanks, Whittier, Seward - 3 nights, Anchorage.

Flying into Anchorage seemed a lot like Des Moines - except for the mountains and all those float planes. The weather was fabulous (at least that's what they all kept telling us) while we were there. We had a great first lunch and checked out a free museum and the Ulu Factory Store. After a night there we took off north to the beautiful federal park - and the great mountain loomed largely - formerly known as Mt. McKinley, returned to a native name, Denali. We stopped at a pull off for photos. It is awesome and I was in its spell the whole time I was in its presence!

Rivers from glacier runoff are gray with silt

Awesome first view of Mt. Denali

You know it's not the same traveling with people at age 60+ as it was at age 20. Our accommodations were "interesting". For example, the place we stayed for three night at the Denali Grizzly Bear Resort was likely described as a quaint cabin. It was a creeky old place that reminded me of summer camp as a kid. When we first toured through the joint, Kay sat down and laughed maniacally. She volunteered for the top bunk with the painful ladder steps. The back deck view was the best part of the place. The one potty for six people kept busy!

That back deck at the Grizzly Mountain Lodge

It doesn't look bad from the outside...

The sights and activities at Denali made it all worthwhile! Our Back Country Adventures bus excursion (bus driver Steve was great and we were in the front of the bus) lasted about twelve hours on Day 1 in Denali. It was awesome. We saw glaciers, moose, caribou, fox, and bears. It was a long day but totally worth it.

We watched this moose for several minutes - plunge her head under water! 

The next day we stopped at the visitor's center and took a hike down to Horseshoe Lake. We saw a moose grazing in the lake - very cool! My investment in Merrell hiking shoes was well worth it! That night we ate at the Salmon Bake in a building that was crooked from frost heaved ground. The staff made a point of telling us the place was cleared by the health department. A tamed squirrel trotted through as Paul went to the restroom. We weren't in Iowa anymore!

Vistas were spectacular

Such beauty!

On Sunday, we headed north to visit the area of Vicki's early childhood - Nenana and Fairbanks. We stopped off in Talkeetna along the way for lunch. I think it was the "cutest" Alaskan village we visited. And it had a brewpub with a sunny deck and several stores and vendors.

Vic with bartender - who lived in Nenana when she did

The next stop was Nenana, a tiny village with that came up with a great gig - selling lottery tickets on when the ice goes out on the river each year. It's a huge money-maker. The general store was closed but the tavern was open. Yay. We got to meet several locals, including the bartender - a woman the same age as we are, who would have been living in Nenana when Vicki was living there. She was able to tell us many things about the time Vicki and her folks lived there. We met the pub owner and a brother and sister who enjoyed talking to aging Iowans about their lives in Alaska. When the woman hit for $300 on a scratch ticket, she bought a round for the house! This was one of my favorite stops - hanging with the locals. Or...it's just that I like dive bars - no matter where they are!

Fairbanks was fine (can you tell - not our fave place). Our hotel there was nice and clean and we all had our own rooms! It was on a popular river that people tubed kayaked and boated on. That was exciting. It's a blue-collar town. We drove around, got lunch and toured a small city park and had a nice meal at another brewery. Vicki had spent time with her cousins at age ten here and we tracked down their home. My how things look different fifty years later!

The next morning we headed south - stopping of course at the North Pole! Who can resist Santa's place? I was sad that Buddy the Elf wasn't there...

North Pole

Our next stop was a gem as we ended up getting "upgraded" to the big house. The Majestic Valley Wilderness Lodge is a helicopter ski resort in the winter - and is right next to the landing pad/airport. It was lovely and they treated us right.

Our hike at Majestic

We took a hike and had a lovely salmon meal followed by a dip in the hot tub. It was super. All of the places we stopped for gas and snacks each had their own stories - no Casey's General Stores out there in the wild. People were very friendly.

That night we were in for another interesting lodging night! After a stop by Girdwood, Alaska's ski resort to ride the tram to the top. This was our only somewhat rainy day. Everyone kept telling us how lucky we were. On to Whittier - where a one-way tunnel opens up hourly in an alternating fashion. It was a loooong tunnel! The town could be its own reality TV show as everyone lives in the same building. And guess where we were staying? In that very same building. On the front - it didn't look bad - 15-floor high rise. We drove around to the back to figure out where to check in. Ugh - the paint job hadn't extended to this portion of the building yet!

The town of Whittier lives here! We think the bus could be great for tailgating...

Our apartment was on the 15th floor - with a great view. We were able to do some laundry, people were friendly. Everywhere we went in town - they all lived there. The next day we took a half day Phillips Glacier Tour in Prince William Sound with super seats inside and a lovely seafood chowder lunch. Two forest service rangers narrated the tour and were super.

The blue color of the glaciers is a trick of the light

We left that night for Seward, which involved a trip back through Anchorage south to the Kenai Peninsula and the Gulf of Alaska.

Lodging just outside of Seward was the quaint Abode Well King Cabins - 3 darling tiny cabins, very clean with kingsize beds. The town itself was darling too. There were the marina and downtown. Their first night we hit - you guessed it - the brewery.

On Thursday we did an all-day glacier tour. I must admit I wasn't that excited about more glaciers after the previous day, but it turned out to be even better than the day before! We were in a smaller boat and we were able to see lots of wildlife - sea lions, whales, puffins. I gotta admit, the whale tail was pretty impressive! I don't have the camera to get good wildlife shots. Maybe after retirement...

The most moving thing was the Northwestern Glacier. It was named after the university. We got so close to it, the captain turned off the motor and we and experienced it calving - actually breaking down. The sound was like thunder and a jet flyover. Each glacier has its own personality, I'm sad glaciers are losing ground. This is our world - we need to care for it by reducing our human impacts. 

Our home for three nights - cozy! 

On day 2, Paul and Fred went Halibut fishing for 12 hours and Moose continued to drive the daisies (Kay, Vic and me) around. We had a fab breakfast and then did the tourist shopping thing downtown.  Later we hiked up to the Exit Glacier - you just can't get enough ice, ice baby! We stopped at a local bar and chatted up the bartender and her friend. I like doing that - a trick I learned from my brother-in-law, Bolder. She said she lived in Denali for 3 months and didn't see the mountain like we did. We feel so fortunate.

Exit Glacier

We spent a lot of time awaiting the great outdoorsmen to return from their fishing trip. They arrived an hour after the appointed time - Paul had a 60 lb Halibut in tow. We brought it home - fileted in a foam cooler - nom nom!

Halibut!

This is a big-eyed goldfish. No, not really! Yellow Eye Rockfish. They released it back y lowering it into the depths

On Saturday we trekked back to Anchorage with a stop at Cooper Landing on the way - to see the fly fishers in the river. They were nearly shoulder to shoulder! We had a nice lunch back in Girdwood before we arrived in Anchorage for our last night - celebrating Summer Solstice. Downtown was hopping and we checked out a couple breweries that were packed full. We got a spot on a rooftop for one and then ate at Humpies Great Alaskan Ale House. Our waitress was a young Bosnian native who shared her story with us - fascinating, as were all the nice people we spoke with.

Last night - water was as popular as the drinks!

Sorry if this rambled - it's one of the best trips I've ever been on. Great friends, beautiful scenery, wildlife, and wonderful people. Life is good!

View near our Seward cabin. I miss those mountains! 

Motorhead

My family wasn't/isn't into motors. We just like to go. When I was young, we relied on places like Deter Motors and Harry Hjortshoj Standard to keep our vehicles running. We didn't even have a lawnmower by the time I was old enough to pay attention to such things. Our neighbor Harley Baxter mowed our yard - and later, Dick Westbrook. Dad claimed grass allergies. True enough, but the grass at the Atlantic Golf and Country Club didn't seem to bother him. Our yard was pretty big - maybe he just didn't want to spend his valuable weekend hours on such a chore. When we got a boat, it was a sailboat. No motor.

Coolest thing from the late 60's early 70's

At last week's Solid Waste, Contaminated Sites staff meeting I learned of a new museum in Iowa - the former Clinton Engines Factory in Maquoketa. Two DNR staffers had a meeting at the site - Mel Pins described it: a fascinating collection of small, lawn mower, mini-bike, and outboard motor engines this place made from 1950 until the mid-1980s.  The place was purportedly the tenth largest employer in Iowa at one time.   Unfortunately, they went bankrupt, and of the large factory site, only the art-deco style administration building remains (where the museum is housed), along with a sizable groundwater contaminant plume of solvent.

At the staff meeting, we talked about how the former factory is now re-purposed into this museum and may also be used for community meetings. The staffers did say there is still a whiff of gas/oil in the air throughout the building. Those car smells remind me of my time working for Harry Hjorshoj at his gas station. I got my officer manager start there. Along with skills in driving a car on a hoist and picking up cars for service.

If you look at the pics above, you'll see my favorite thing - a minibike! Of course, the Bullocks never had one. It had a motor. I made do with a ten speed Western Flyer. But I "knew people". When I got to junior high, my "group" started hanging out with boys. I wasn't all that keen on the opposite sex yet, in "that" way. But did like the stuff they liked doing! We played football up behind Sue Tyler's house or up at the school practice field.

Lots of times my gang ended up near Sherry Smith and Greg Parker's houses. That is where kids would ride their mini bikes. I don't really even know whose they were. Robin Kautz? No matter. We took turns riding and it was very thrilling! I was 13 and driving a thing with a motor on the streets.

my grandpa - Bubba

Later, in high school, I had a biker boyfriend. Mike McCauley had a Honda 175 dirt bike. Be still my heart. I got busted when my grandpa saw me on Highway 6, riding on the back of his cycle WITH NO HELMET! I started buying some motorcycle magazine - dreaming of the bike I wanted. His mom let me use her street bike - a Honda 200 to get my cycle license. I killed it when I had to slam on the brakes. Forgot to pull in the clutch. Oops. Yet they still gave me the license. Cuz I was that cool!

Time went by and I went on to college and forgot about cycles. I met Paul and became a mom who has a healthy fear of them - too many news reports about accidents. Still - that minibike was fun! 

Coming Up Tulips

This was "take 2" after I told him he had to smile

If you know me well, you know I can't tell an Anemone from a Freesia (I had to Google to get those flower names). Sure, I do know some of the everyday flowers, daisies, carnations, roses, and lilacs. Plus the other much recognized flower - the tulip. I must say, though they don't last long, tulips are in my "favorite flower" top five. Don't ask me to name the rest - I know them when I see them!

A couple springs before my mom died, she asked me to take a Friday to travel with her to Pella to see the town and the tulips. I'd never visited the town before. It was something Mom had always wanted to do. As a young mom, I had barely heard of the place - let alone flowers! Amy would have been ten and Jud around six years old then.

My trip with Mom at Chandon - bubbly factory

It was a gorgeous spring day - sun shining, with the temp in the low 70's. We went to the Pella Historical Museum - a place I've never visited since. Mom loved history and foreign lands. After Mom and Dad visited Scotland with their longtime friends Harv and Joyce Whisler. She enticed Dad with golf. After that, she took each of her daughters on a trip.

• Betsy (around age 15 at the time) to England - and maybe Ireland. Mom always booked with a travel company. On a trip like that, you get to know your fellow travelers well. After their return, they entertained us with stories of a loopy woman in their group named something like Margie Dinkledine. She was always missing the bus and losing things. In other words - the polar opposite of our mom. 
• Cindy to Europe - Germany, France and more? Cindy still talks fondly of their trip. 
• Susi and Mom to Greece. That was the summer of 1979? I took care of Susi's dog, Mac, while they were gone. 
• Mom and I to Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland in 1983. Our tour group was old - I believe I was the youngest person on the trip. It was fabulous - my favorite parts were Norway fjords and Copenhagen. 

Mom and I were good traveling companions. By then she was good about not smoking inside. I wish she would have had the willpower to quit altogether. We also traveled to NE Iowa and took a trip from SE Washington State down the coast to San Francisco together. Priceless memories. 

Every time I go to Pella, I think of Mom. It had been a while since I'd been in town when the tulips were blooming. Friday I felt them calling to me - and talked Paul into heading there. It's about an hour drive. It was another lovely sunny day in the 60s with light wind. Not all the tulips were in bloom, but many were showing their stuff! 

The central park is where most of the tulip action is. The colors were vibrant and there were many styles. It was a feast for my eyes and my memories. We attempted to visit the delicious Jaarsma bakery there - but the line was nearly out the door. I didn't need goats legs that badly! 

I did bribe Paul into going by telling him we could stop in Bondurant - just east of Des Moines on our way back. They have a nice brewpub we don't usually go to - Reclaimed Rails. I like the place because of the beer - but also because they reuse materials throughout their place. The deck is made from wood from Adventureland, a nearby amusement park. Pretty cool! 

The town of Bondurant also brings back good memories. As we drove in on surface roads from the east, I told Paul about how I rode with my friend Sal's dad Wayne Rodgers to deliver my horse Jack to Les Walker, a horse trainer somewhere over here. We went by a stable as we drove. I loved being Wayne's horse side-kick! One month later we drove back to get my three-year-old sorrel gelding. He he'd mostly been cured of rearing and was cantering more slowing - but would never have that rocking horse gait that Sally's Miss Viscosity did. Jack turned out to be a very good boy! What a lucky girl I was to have Wayne in my life to help make having a horse possible. 

Recovery Time

If you know me well then you know that Marco Island is my happy place. Since the late 1980's Paul and I have been visiting the Gulf Coast southern Florida island. For the past ten or so years, we've rented a place in the Gulfview building that Mom and Dad owned a condo in. It's not the fanciest place, but it brings back many memories and checks all the boxes - pool, beach and functional living space.

It was a long winter in Iowa! Cold and snowy. Work has been busy and yes, a bit stressful. We've been updating our master bathroom - and I missed soaking in my tub since mid-February. I couldn't way to get to Marco on April 4th! Our partners in fun were again Cindy and Colby.

Don't we all look happy! 

First stop - as usual, Crazy Flamingo! Nothing like a pound of Peel and Eat shrimp to start the day. The group also ate what looked to be some of the best Oysters on the Half Shell - if one like slurping snot. We went to Winn Dixie for groceries after that - stocking up for the week of relaxation.

Paul and Colby had a couple fishing dates lined up. Colby does the honors of talking to the captains to set them - he loves fish talk as much as Paul enjoys talking to fellow hunters. For example, just this morning, we were sitting at the counter at the Waveland when I heard a turkey gobbler behind me! Paul's eyes lit up and he turned right around to talk to the guy who was listening to that on his phone. they exchanged turkey hunt stories joyously.

They caught some cool fish both days deep sea fishing and backwater. They had a blast - and the weather cooperated nicely. We took the fish to the Sand Bar for a feast - delish, cooked in a variety of ways: blackened, breaded, and Cajun.

Our fish feast - Colby/Paul

This year, the island was undergoing a beach reshaping project - pumping sand from the Gulf onto a large portion of the beach, adding 3 to 4 foot of height. The project will help reduce ponding with algae and improve sea turtle nesting.

When we arrived the crew was right next to the Gulfview at the Resident's Beach, piling up sand, to later push it out into a smooth surface. It reminded me a little of watching work at Iowa's landfills - with sand instead of trash. Large hauling trucks and Caterpillars pushing. I was amazed at how fast they moved - as they were down the beach in no time.

Cindy, Paul and I remember when Marco's beach first underwent a beach improvement project. The first time we visited, the beach looked nothing like it does today. There was even concrete walkway where the water lapped up near the condo properties. The massive project took place sometime in the late 1980's - adding 30 yards or so onto some stretches of beach out to the Gulf. Quite a change! We love the beach and are glad steps are being taken to manage it.

Walking on a beach is one of my favorite things to do. The Gulfview is situated near the middle of the beach. We alternative going north and south, depending on where we stop when we go north. It's about 9,000 steps each way - around 4 miles, some in loose sand, some uneven near the water. Some people walk barefoot - they are made of tougher stuff than I! I wear my tennies.

When Colby was in town (his vaca only lasted five days) and he and Paul weren't going on a guided fishing trip, he got up to fish off the shore up north by Tiger Tail. He never walks with the old folks. We always walk down the stairs - which isn't too impressive when we stay on the 4th floor. Paul goes with us - but always manages to go faster and Cindy and me. So she and I walk and chat - about everything. I love those talks with my sis. She just turned 65 y'all! I know - she's looking great for an old bat. haha

View from the south walk 

When the walk is done, we go back to the condo and hang out, eat lunch and get ready to go to the pool. It's important to score pool spots that have shade!

We went out for Cindo's bday to our fave restaurant the Little Bar in Goodland. Three orders of Grouper Almondine and Paul got Blackened Shrimp. The salad dressing and rolls are so delish. Plus Key Lime Pie for dessert - and best yet, Colby bought!

We always hate to see Colby leave, but he is a busy restaurant manager in Vail. Delivery day was Tuesday which started out rainy anyway! Once the precious baby boy was delivered (I'm sure Paul died a little - losing his fishing/guy pal) we decided to be tourists. We visited the Edison/Ford museum/winter home. It was very interesting. It was Cindo's actual 65th birthday. The tour guide was unfunny - which made us laugh.

Edison home

Bday girl - in her "the tour guide is a goof" pose

 The rest of the week was pretty uneventful - just how we like it! Usually, after 10 days, I'm ready to go home. Somehow this year, I felt like dragging my feet. Still - those plane tickets required us to show up. Iowa weather has improved - it's nice seeing the sun!

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter! We were able to get out in the kayaks yesterday and are heading to Webster City for a meal with some of the Goldsmith fam!