This is a collection of some things I’ve written. Some posts are based on personal experiences and others are opinion articles. Look around, read, comment, and share.
Enjoy!
Yesterday I had to turn down a free trip to build a greenhouse in Montreal, Quebec because I can’t get a passport in time. It’s a big, giant bummer.
This spring uncle Doug said, “I have a feeling you’ll be needing a passport soon.”
Damn it, he was right.
It’s not the end of the world though. I’m fairly certain that French Canada will be there for a while and I’ll have another opportunity to visit.
This is all I know of Montreal for now:
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The Bike Omaha project was recently kicked off with an official ribbon cutting ceremony.
The Bike Omaha project is a $600,000 paid for by the Keiwit Foundation and an anonymous donor.
The route is a 20-mile loop that will connect several parts of the heartland staple, including Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, Creighton University, Benson, and Aksarben to name a few. Most connections are connected to a central Downtown Omaha hub.
There is also a plan in place to install several bicycle racks and parking stations along the trail system.
From [Bike Omaha]
I’ve spent two nights at my house in Denver since July 13th. That’s two nights in as many weeks. Here’s where I’ve been laying my head:
15 consecutive nights in 11 different towns.
July 13th, Monday. Slept at home in Denver.
July 14th, Tuesday. Slept in a bed in Santa Fe while my boss slept on the floor next to me.
July 15th, Wednesday. Same.
July 16th, Thursday. Slept in 1970s travel camper in an alley behind a different house in Santa Fe.
July 17th, Friday. Slept in Denver!
July 18th, Saturday. Slept on my sister’s basement floor in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Jill slept on the couch next to me.
July 19th, Sunday [RAGBRAI]. Slept in a tent–on a flattish air mattress–in an empty field in Red Oak, Iowa.
July 20th, Monday [RAGBRAI]. Slept in a tent, under a tree, in someone’s yard in Greenfield, Iowa. Everyone was soaking wet cuz-o tha rayne.
July 21st, Tuesday [RAGBRAI]. Slept on an air mattress in the basement of Tank’s sister Katie’s home in Indianola, Iowa. Everyone got to shower. It was really, really awesome.
July 22nd, Wednesday [RAGBRAI]. Slept in a tent in a city park in Chariton, Iowa. It rained a lot. Everything got wetter. Some asshole stole our team’s cooler.
July 23rd, Thursday [RAGBRAI]. Slept in a tent in a yard in Ottumwa, Iowa. Nice folks. They let us shower.
July 24th, Friday [RAGBRAI]. Slept on a child’s bedroom floor at a stranger’s house in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. It was raining outside, supposedly.
July 25th, Saturday. Slept in my own childhood bedroom in Harlan, Iowa.
July 26th, Sunday. Slept in Denver. For just over four hours.
July 27th, Monday. Slept in Steamboat Springs, Colorado in a house with an amazing mountain view.
Dome Builder
Published July 12, 2009 Adventures , Environmental , Ethical , Good , Me Leave a CommentI’ve found a way in Colorado.
I lucked out like a lemon and got a chance to build a geodesic greenhouse in Steamboat Springs, Colorado a couple of weeks ago. Since then I’ve built another one in Evergreen, Colorado and in a couple of days I’m on my way to Santa Fe, New Mexico to build another two.
I’ve developed a great association with Allan, a supervisor building growing domes at Growing Spaces, and continue to develop a working relationship through our paired travels, work projects, and shared interests.
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In the haste of finding employment in a shaky economy (even though Colorado’s unemployment rate is lower than the national average), I temporarily stopped writing. Lately, I’ve been contributing to All Voices, a news website open to public opinion. The idea is that you develop yourself as a credible, captivating source. I comply, not because I agree with the method, but because it appears to be the future of writing. If nothing else, it keeps me writing. That’s good.
I’m happy with where I’m at. I have an ethically solid job, a lovely live-in (-sin) girlfriend, and a friendly city in Denver. Now, all I need is a dog of my own. Perhaps one that looks to have come out of a dumpster.
I MADE IT, but I’m not (yet) making it.
The search for employment is long and fruitless, but not for a lack of trying. My resume is being treated like foreign currency. Nobody wants it, but if they knew better they’d realize it was worth more than what they possess currently. Or so I think.
Denver is a pretty happy place with lots to do. I feel like I can safely ride my bike almost anywhere I care to, which is big considering my automophobia. And, Jill’s here. The other day we biked downtown along a convenient bicycle trail that follows Speer Blvd. We rode it until it ended, and from there we sought out for Coors Field. From there, we found Denver’s Sports Column. It’s a lot like Iowa City’s, only with more legal patrons.
Jill’s my roommate again. So is Daniel, Jill’s friend from Springfield. It’s a nice fit. We all seem to get along well. And in case we don’t, Daniel’s ferocious dog Shrapnel is here to make us.
(photo courtesy of my whopping 1.3 megapixel built-in iSight)
Denver Co-op is trying to get it’s feet off the ground…help out if ya can. Click the flyer to sign up today!
If you live in Denver that is…
I’ve been in contact with a very ethical potential employer. I’m pretty excited about the potential opportunity on the horizon, but I’m sort of hoping against hope. At this point I try to leave emotion out of it, as I’ve been let down in the past.
But if this works out, I’ll be a very proud, happy, and busy guy.
In the meantime, I’ll keep living.
By the way, it’s hot in Iowa today. Really humid.
I cope & hope
Published June 16, 2009 Adventures , Bad , Environmental , Good , Nature Leave a CommentRight now Jill is probably driving through the portion of Colorado that looks like Nebraska or Kansas. But soon, she’ll be seeing what I imagine to be a lovely mountain sunset backdrop.
Jill has weathered the storm and headed West in search for employment. I’m testing a more financially secure and likely less fruitful method of searching for employment from Iowa. Upon earning said job, I’ll be moving. Maybe I’ll be better off buying a lottery ticket.
I’m searching primarily for labor jobs and somehow remain optimistic. My top industry is tree care and landscaping, however I’ve been less than successful. Who would have though and English & Literature degree wouldn’t help get a job working outside within the treetops? I thought maybe my LEED Accreditation and environmental building experience might be helpful. So far this is false.
Meanwhile, I’m looking into what it takes to become a certified arborist. I’d love to be an arborist. I’d wear that title very proudly. I have some experience dangling from 40″ up in tree climbing gear. It’s fun…once you trust the equipment.
The longer I sit in Iowa, the more I’ll be missing Jill. The more I miss Jill, the sooner I’ll pick-up and move to Denver. Maybe once this (inevitably) happens I’ll make a desparate self-promotional Craigslist post. And maybe, with a bucketload of luck, it will be fruitful.
Old Brick Silo, August 1917
The last few days have been fun. On Thursday I explored and learned about a brick silo built in August of 1917 on my uncle’s acreage in rural Shelby County. It was great.
As family farms disappear, old brick silos of Iowa are becoming less and less. In modern “traditional” industrial farming an old brick silo is nothing more than an obstacle in the way. Something to conquer to increase a higher yield, much like farm houses and woodlands. While modern farming is producing yields for the history books, Iowa family farming is left in its wake becoming history.
Old brick silos are endangered. I used to see a silo similar to the one on my uncle’s acreage but sometime over the last six years it has been razed. My uncle’s silo, however nearly a century old, remains in decent condition due to some minor attempts to maintain it over previous decades. Fortunately, it still stands on a very solid foundation and remains very salvageable.
Mud River: The Nishnabotna
Yesterday I went on a hike with Jill. We went to Nishna Bend, a county-operated park in Shelby County. It was a gorgeous day and proved to be exciting as far as witnessing some fantastic nature.
Nishna Bend undoubtedly gets its name from its location, nestled into a series of bends in the windy Nishnabotna River. Over the past decade Nishna Bend has become a very nice park with several full hook-up camping spots and a very nice cabin, complete with loft, that is available for rental most of the year.
A very interesting part of Nishna Bend is their housing of two injured Bald Eagles. Both Eagles, who I understand were acquired from a raptor center in Carroll, Iowa, will sadly spend the rest of their days in captivity.
Both giant birds are unable to fly and have one complete and one severed wing. It’s a sad sight to see such beautiful birds kept grounded, relying on scaled fish donations for food. But still, this remains the top attraction at Nishna Bend and is remarkable to see up close.
While hiking around the spotty ponds of Nishna Bend, Jill and I came across a Spiny Soft Shell Turtle catching some sun. He was roughly the side of a serving platter with a head surprisingly similar to a frog’s.
We also encountered a common bird in Iowa that Jill identified as a Red-winged Blackbird, though I still believe was an Oriole. I’m certainly wrong though, as Jill is much more educated than me in identifying anything in nature. The Red-winged Blackbird has a very nice and versatile song and according to our sighting an appetite for dragonflies.
See…
