This is what the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California looks like...in February, no less. Notice anything peculiar? No? Well, you must be from a warmer climate than I am because February in the Midwest means we're still blanketed with plenty of the white stuff and it's not going anywhere anytime soon.
This combine was pretty cool. I took a photo in case Dad wants to get one.
Now, is it just me, or is everyone in CA really super nice, because most of the booths we passed had friendly coffee stations just like this one.
Probably the most sobering display was this one which shows the world population in 1400 AD on the left, 1900AD in the middle, and projected world population in only 40 years on the right. Pretty amazing to think how much responsibility agriculture has to ensure all of these people will have enough food on decreasing farm land.
While all of this was pretty cool, I'll tell you all about my most favorite discovery of the entire World Ag Expo tomorrow.
Today was a pie bird first for this house. Jamie's mom and I made pies and since we've never baked a pie with a pie bird inside before, we decided today was a great day to do just that. Jamie's mom showed me how she makes her tender, flaky crust.
My job was to add the cherries and a touch of butter and nestle the pie bird in the center.
The we added the top crust, trimmed the extra dough from the sides, and crimped the edges.
Into the oven it went.
And 45 minutes later out came the pie complete with pie birdie in the center, singing about all the piping hot and lightly browned glory of its nest.
The verdict is in - the pie birdie held up the top crust just right, and the pie was very delicious.
For consistency's sake, we may need to make pie again next weekend, however...just to be sure these results aren't a fluke - and I think I just heard cheers of joy in the background from happy taste testers who really like pie. Did someone suggest blueberry next? Hmmm....
Yum! This morning for breakfast we went to the Grove Cafe. It's at the end of Main Street and once you step inside it's like walking back in time to the old cafes of yesteryear. Homey. Cosy. And the coffee greets you the moment you walk in the door.
The Grove's big claim to fame, at least in our circle of friends, is their pancakes. They're the best in town! The first time we ate there, we entered through the back door.
Inside, we sat down at the counter and browsed the menu board. We'd heard about the pancakes, and decided we should try them first. I was about to order a short stack when Jamie cautioned me and said I might want to start with one and order another if I was still hungry later. That was brilliant advice. I couldn't finish the first one! Instead, I took half of it home for later. The pancakes are golden in color, thick, light and fluffy and super delicious. One cake fills the whole plate. I would have taken a photo, but didn't want to set down my fork so you'll just have to go yourself to see what they're like.
Usually they have regular and a special one too. Last week's special pancake was raspberry rhubarb. The first time we went it was pumpkin. This morning it was peach.
Just in case you want to give the Grove Cafe a try, here are their hours.
You might want to get there early. The food's so good, you'll likely have to wait for a seat. Rest assured, you'll be glad you went and won't mind the wait.
We saw a lot of wildlife yesterday. Wanna know where we went? Not sure? I'll give you a clue: there were lots of critters everywhere. See?
We went to Minneapolis for meetings and stopped in Owatonna at Cabela's on the way home. The store is being remodeled, however the mountain in the middle was still there so we walked around and enjoyed all the animals on display.
The view from high above the stairs was really neat too.
After a few minutes of exploring, we went back outside and waved goodbye.
And I hunkered down to enjoy a nice fresh bag of Cabela's best Circus Peanuts. They sure made the rest of the drive go by more quickly.
Oh yeah. It was a very good trip.
Two weeks ago I hopped on a plane in Des Moines, caught another in Denver, and landed in Las Vegas where I had a tight 30-minute connection between flights before heading out on the last flight of the day. You'll be happy to know that I took this all in stride and even managed to snap photos so you could join me on my half-hour tour of Sin City. So buckle your lap belts, put your seats and trays in their upright and locked positions, and get ready for a glimpse of Las Vegas at night.
Welcome to Las Vegas! Home of lots of lights...
...and the most slot machines I've ever seen!
Now, turn around because we're about to board. In the mere minutes we have to spare, soak in all the atmosphere you can from this mural of Las Vegas past.
We're heading outside now. No fancy enclosed boarding bridge for us. Nope. We get to walk outside and breathe in the fresh jet-fuel-laced air and haul our bags up the steep stairs into the smallest prop plane I've flown on in over a decade. Better buckle up inside because the cross winds are nasty and we're in for a "fun" ride [sarcasm fully intended].
Taxiing out to the runway, this is the only glimpse of the Strip we'll get. Soak it all in!
No - you're not sick. Those lights are supposed to dance. We're just taking off. Close your eyes and it'll be better. Just because the large jet you landed in less than a half hour ago had troubles because of the wind, this little bitty plane is sure to handle them much better. I'm not exactly sure how, but the pilot promised, so of course it must be true. (Yeah, right! This is merely a reminder that late night flights on tiny planes into superbad crosswinds are never a good idea.)
There it is! That's your reward. The Strip is glistening in all its megawattage and glorious brilliance. Maybe next time you'll have a chance to walk past the dancing water at the Bellagio and enjoy the musical fountain before heading inside for the buffet and all-you-care-to-eat Alaska king crab legs and creme brule.
It's probably a good idea to close your eyes now and fall asleep so you won't feel the plane drop, twist and roll in the turbulance. I've heard it makes the flight go by more quickly. Might want to try it sometime. That is, as long as the guy sitting next to you decides to stop chatting and let you rest. Yeah. Good luck with that. Happy trails!
Wanna know what I got to do Saturday while Jamie sat through meetings? I escaped on the spouse tour to the St. Louis Science Center.
The first thing I saw inside the door was this giant mechanized ball-drop contraption.
It was so large, it spanned the entire ceiling space from side-to-side and front-to-back. So. Cool.
The whole thing was so entrancing and fun to watch, we climbed up the stairs to get a better view. It was even more fun to watch from above.
I didn't discover the sign explaining what the whole thing was about until we were nearly ready to leave. Physics in Motion - all about Murphy's Law - errrr - I meant Newton's Laws of Motion.
Further into the Science Center we spied the dinosaurs. These were pretty cool. The t-rex moved and roared. I felt sorry for the poor triceratops sprawled on the ground.
On the far side of the center was the Eco Dome, a really large pressurized air-supported inflatable-type bubble structure where we went through the Eco display...
...and I spied the largest solid piece of coal I've ever seen!
Also inside the dome was the Segway corral, where for only $5 you could don a bicycle helmet and try your skill at balancing your way across the floor on a Segway. While watching several other people do this, I couldn't help but think of the inventor of the Segway falling off a cliff on one to meet his early demise. Needless to say, I didn't ride one this time. I think I'll live a little longer first.
My favorite part of the whole place was this cool floor. If you walked across it the image changed so it looked like the breeze and pressure from your footsteps brushed one image off another beneath like leaves blowing off a sidewalk.
In case you get to St. Louis and have some time for fun, check out the Science Center. It's well worth the stop.
