ILA Conference - Oct

IDAHO LIBRARY ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE - OCT 5-10


Image - view from my balcony

Back to Coeur d'Alene... This is my second trip up in two weeks. Eep. At least this time I was more ready for the long drive. Shanna and I went to the public library the night before I left and found the first two Stephanie Plum novels: One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, No. 1) by Janet Evanovich and Two for the Dough (Stephanie Plum) by Janet Evanovich and a couple of Louis L'Amour. I listened to both Evanovich books on the way up. They were AWESOME! I then called Nick and used our Audible account to buy and download the next three for the way home. I also went out and bought a small iPod shuffle at Walmart. My own MP3 player, though enormous in space, does not have compatible software to use Audible books. :( While there I also read The Trouble With Magic by Madelyn Alt, A Charmed Death by Madelyn Alt, and Hex Marks the Spot by Madelyn Alt. In other words, the reading binge continued...






There is quite a contrast between Alt's and Evanovich's writing styles. Evanovitch grabs you and yanks you along for a screaming rollercoaster ride. Alt's are slower, more of a cozy mystery where, while things are not all love and light, they tend to be more descriptive.

The conference was held in the small town of Post Falls ID. I arranged for a room with a view off the hotel main site. The conference rate was more expensive and the rooms were less good. I LOVED the room. I had a mini balcony and a view of the big river and it was awesome to sit there and look out. I brought my binoculars in and was able to watch a bald eagle eating a breakfast of fish one morning.

Image from http://www.skolaiimages.com/stock/displayimage.php?album=51&pos=37, not one of mine. I would have needed a telephoto lens to get a picture of the one outside my balcony.

I got there a day early in order to be ready to do my preconference session. It went well and we had a lot of fun although there were only 4 people in my session. I brought a box of handouts from my Learn Something Quick web 2.0 workshops and allowed them to take what they wanted. Unfortunately, I also brought too many mini candy bars. I think I will stop trying to bring treats to this kind of activity.

Image is not mine, but from Trip Advisor

For dinner I went with Cathy Gray and another colleague to the nearby mideastern restaurant 'The Whitehouse Grill' http://whitehousegrill.com/white-house-grill. The food was fine, though not as good as what Nick & I can do. I think the big problem was that I wasn't in the mood for it and really wanted something simpler. I also ordered poorly, hoping for something that wasn't there. Still, the company was good and it was entertaining. They dropped me back at the hotel and then trundled off to the reception. After a 4 hour stint of teaching, all I really wanted was my book and my bed.

I attended sessions the following day. For more details see my other blog Library Banter

I skipped out of the lunch Thurs, in the past year I discovered that I get canker sores in my mouth from grilled bread products from restaurants. Since this was a big part of what they were serving, I gave the mediocre convention center food a pass. Instead I braved the rain and found a marvelous little Mexican restaurant 'La Cocina' they had some of the best food I ate that week. I also took the time to find the Walmart and buy the iPod.

Friday I once again skipped their lunch. Heading to a diner 'The Corner Cafe' I had spotted earlier. It serves breakfast and lunch only. I used to order a lot of grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. Now I order a lot of fried eggs and hashbrowns... I stopped briefly at the nearby bookstore and then headed back to the conference.

More sessions were attended, see Library Banter http://librarybanter.blogspot.com/ for details.

I went to the for dinner and had a terrific steak. Then back to the hotel for more reading. In the morning we had the ILA business meeting. It was surprisingly short. I had reserved the hotel room for Sat night because I didn't want to be driving back after a long meeting. Oh well.



Since I suddenly had free time I drove into Coeur d'Alene and visited their public library. Or rather, I tried to, it didn't open for an hour or so. I went over to a bagel place and ordered, what I thought was a simple cheese bagel. What I got was a fiery hot jalapeno and cheese bagel. EEP. I didn't eat much of it, but I did enjoy the super hot mint tea. Then back over to tour the library. It's new and very lovely. My favorite part was the sculptural books on the stairs. I stopped for lunch late at the Breakfast Nook just before it closed for the day for another meal of eggs and hashbrowns. Then on back to Post Falls. I toured their library. My favorite thing here was the animal sculptural posts and walls. For more on the libraries see my Library Banter Blog.



For dinner I wanted something light so I stopped at Rosa's Italian Market & Deli. Nothing appealed so I left before being too noticeable. I ended up doing cheese, bread, and grapes for dinner. That evening I downloaded book 'Three to Get Deadly' (Stephanie Plum) by Janet Evanovich off audible. And readied my plan for the next day. I couldn't seem to get more than one book to function on the iPod so I needed to plan out stops every three hours. Hooray, McDonalds has Wifi.

Not my image

I left early so that I'd still be able to breakfast by the time I reached Missoula. I stopped at McD's, had breakfast and switched to the next book, 'Four to Score.' I also stopped at the Book Exchange on Brooks street and bought another pile of used/new books for Shanna and I. Next stop Dillon and another McD's for lunch. I had to sit in the parking lot to finish the last book. I then went in and switched to 'High Five.' When I went back to the car I turned it on and realized that the Low Fuel light was flashing. I had completely forgotten to watch my fuel gage. I drove/coasted across the parking lot and filled the car. I'm really grateful that it gets such great gas mileage, or I would have been stranded somewhere in nowhere Montana. I made it home just as the last book finished, very awesome.

Bowling Green Ohio

BOWLING GREEN 15th - 19th



Kay invited me out to speak to the librarians at her new job. She's the Dean of Bowling Green State University (BGSU). The idea was for me to present on my sabbatical and inspire them to go out and find new ways of doing things. On Weds September 15th I drove down to SLC to stay with Jessica. I had a lovely visit with Jessica, Doug and little Rachel. Rachel is sooo adorable. She's learning sign language and was signing and speaking. In the morning the girls drove me to the airport and I was off. Kay picked me up at the Detroit airport, which is freaking huge. It was quite the walk just to get out of there. We chatted and she drove us South towards Bowling Green. We stopped in another nearby town for some great Italian food. Next was a stop at a nearby Walmart for candy, pens, post-it notes and poster board, all things I needed for the presentations but didn't want to bring on the plane. Then she dropped me at my hotel (Holiday Inn Express) which was immaculately clean and pristine.



In the morning she picked me up and we drove to the library. The first session was packed with people. And it was FUN. I know that librarians are the most fun to be around, but it's always a mild surprise at how interactive, curious and fun they can be. I LOVE my peoples. Lunch was on campus at a great little place that had a flashmob dance thingy nearby. Kay had invited most of her key people and the conversation was great. Then came session two, and surprise, more great people attended. I think I learn as much as they do. Afterwards I crashed. Kay drove me back to the hotel so I could nap. Later she picked me up with her sister Karen and we went to dinner. We had planned on going to a local diner (Easy Street Cafe), but it was packed with football fans visiting for the big home game. Next door was a soup/salad place (Panera Bread Cafe) that served great food, and wasn't over-run by nostalgia fans.



Saturday and Sunday blend together now. I know we went to the Schedel Arboretum & Gardens which were AWESOME!! See photo set on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157625368778079/



And we toured the library extensively, see photo set on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157625368619369/ and blog posts on Library Banter http://librarybanter.blogspot.com/. We shopped for miscellaneous stuff at Home Depot, worked on unpacking clothes, talked, laughed, and generally had a great time.



Saturday night we finally got to have that dinner at the diner. Karen arrived Friday night then took of Saturday morning to take her loom to Michigan for repairs. She got back in time for dinner with us that evening. She and Kay are quite the pair. They remind me of me and any number of sisters.



We had another nice drive back to Detroit then I had the long plane ride to SLC. When I got there, Rebecca and Kristi Red Hair picked me up and drove me to Jessica's to get my car. The plan was for me to spend the night with R. Unfortunately I just wanted to be home. And the SLC valley was filled with smoke from a huge fire. See: http://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/local/Utah-fire-burns-hundreds-of-acres-threatens-homes-103260174.html It burned hundreds of acres and two homes. So I sang and drove and stopped and drove and got home in time to crash into bed.

(Written Dec 2010)

Journal Entry - Fair & TV

EASTERN IDAHO STATE FAIR



Nick came to visit and we took a morning and went to the Eastern Idaho State Fair in Blackfoot. I made us leave super early so that we'd be there when they opened. I wanted to watch the Stock Dog Competitions again. They are so awesome. First the dogs herded sheep around then they herded cattle. The cows were much more frisky and argumentative than the sheep. One cow did a bunch of dog chasing. Behind the bleachers the dock dog people were set up and testing. Nothing like launching a dog out across the water... Those dogs really could move. We looked at travel trailers and horses.



I fell in LOVE with the Norwegian Fjord horse http://www.nfhr.com/catalog/index.php. I want one so badly. We ate bad fair food and looked at lots of stuff. I ended up having to buy a hat because the sun was more fierce than I was. It was fun to hang out and enjoy each other. We headed home in the early afternoon, worn out but happy.

Image from: http://www.zazzle.com/norwegian_fjord_power_house_card-137184665408827815

For more images from the state fair see:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157625368901137/with/5218756622/

CLEANING THE CARPETS


We should have a rule. After the carpets are cleaned, I'm not allowed back into the house till all the furniture is back in place. Last time we cleaned it all out and had the carpets done I wouldn't let the sofas back in. This time, it was the TV. Shanna and I had been cleaning out and cleaning up all summer. We had removed plants and a bookcase and knick knacks and I knew that if I replaced my big square of a tv with a flat screen I could clean it up even more. Well, seeing it all empty I just couldn't take it. AND worse still, I had the money in my checking account. I went around and around with myself but ended up buying one from Walmart, the biggest and best I could afford. It is AWESOME. (Sanyo 46" LCD 1080p) I'm calling it my birthday present. Nick studiously avoided giving an opinion on the whole thing. I finally asked him if he thought it was a good decision or not and he admitted that he wanted one badly and did not want to influence my thinking too much. :) I love him.

(Written Dec 2010)

Yellowstone with Friends

YELLOWSTONE WITH SHANNA, HEATHER, DUO, REGINA, & DAUGHTER KATRINA (SAT AUG 28th)



Weather Forecast from http://wwwweather.com/
You can never tell, but right now it says "high of 56 degrees, low 35 degrees (F) with scattered thunderstorms, 40% chance of rain." We decided to go anyway. The picture above was taken somewhere north of Rigby.



Image of Osprey in Island Park

Shanna and I drove to Enterprise to pick up a minivan in the morning. Unfortunately they didn't have any left. Fortunately, they let me take the suburban for the same price. It was AWESOME to drive. I felt very safe. Everyone met up at our house and we loaded up and headed out. We stopped to take pictures of clouds and did a brief bit of shopping in West Yellowstone. Shanna and Heather were after earrings. Shanna had saved up since the last trip and bought a set of hand carved & painted purple hummingbird feather earrings.



Image of Roaring Mountain (notice the dark gray sky)

Storm clouds and rain followed us into the park, though mostly it was drizzly and spattery kinds of rain. We headed to Mammoth stopping along the way, for Roaring Mountain.

Image - Heather, Duo, and Katrina looking at the Bison, taken by Regina.

for Bison. We spotted this Bison on our way past. It required us to drive a bit further in order to turn the behemoth I was driving around and go back. It's always funny how surprised passengers are at the Semenza willingness to stop, turn around and take another or better look.



for Sheepeater Cliffs



Image of a view at Sheepeater Cliffs (the basalt cliffs behind us on the left)



for Ravens

This bold bird was in the parking lot at Sheepeater cliffs. I have quite a few photos of him online at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157625368422743/



for Waterfalls.



and for the Hoodoos.



Heather found ripe currants and shared with those of us in the car. Regina had just been talking about going berry picking for these very berries, from her aunt's cabin in Siberia.



We got to Mammoth and got out. Heather had said something about there being less water going on in Mammoth but it wasn't until I saw it that I realized that it was about 25% of the water that had been flowing in the pools last time I visited. Quite a letdown. We were talking about where to walk when the rain picked up. We turned to return to the car and the sky opened up and dropped lots of water and then hail. We were all glad that we hadn't gone too far down the trail. We sat for awhile but it didn't seem to let up. Next stop Mammoth General store. Luckily we found a parking space. Shopping and ice cream cone eating took up some time but the rain continued. Back into the car and then we went looking for the missing Elk. Usually there are Elk all over Mammoth, but not one was there this day. We drove down and around the campgrounds but there was no sign.



Giving up we headed back towards West. (Image taken in Monument Geyser Basin)



A couple more stops for the thermal features of Monument Geyser Basin.



Image - Regina & Katrina on boardwalk in Monument Geyser Basin



A rest stop in the park for a break yielded our elk sighting of a mom and a youngling.



There was a division of whether to stop for dinner but it was out voted in favor of continuing. Since we had the time and had been talking about it we swung out to Big Springs in Island Park.



This was probably Katrina's favorite stop. We used up all of our quarters getting food to feed the fish and the 'ducks' or rather, the Blue Winged Teals. Then off we went to home. The only bad part about this day was that Shanna and I didn't think about returning the car that evening, which we could have done. Instead we had to get up early and return it first thing in the morning. Ack. We'll both remember to do it differently next time.



Image of Big Springs, Island Park

While we were in the park (probably during the storm at Mammoth), West Yellowstone was hit by a serious microburst. Interestingly, none of us noticed the damage on our way home... Microburst: http://www.localnews8.com/weather/24815467/detail.html

More images from the trip can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsemenza/sets/72157625368422743/

(Written Dec 2010)

Journal Entry - Huckleberries & Garage Sales

HUCKLEBERRY PICKING (FRI 13th)
Image from Small Goat Garden Blog: http://smallgoatgarden.blogspot.com/2009/08/idaho-huckleberries.html

With Maura, Shanna, Heather, & Duo, I left work early and we drove up to the Huckleberry patch Northeast of Idaho Falls. I didn't find many huckleberries, it was late and the bushes had been picked over quite thoroughly. Still, it was nice to be outside in the forest with friends and squirrels. One chattery fellow was most unhappy with the invasion into his territory.

Heather & Duo had other obligations leaving Maura, Shanna and me to find dinner. We ended up waiting a long time for a table at the Brownstone Restaurant and Brewery http://brownstonebrewpub.com/. The food there is always good and the service is also, even if you do have to wait 30 - 45 minutes to get a table.

GARAGE SALE - FINALE FRI & SAT 20 & 21

Nick came home to continue/finish his repainting of the trim on the house. Heather & Duo along with Jim & Maura hung out and we did a big combined garage sale. The highlight for me, was the picking up and walking off (by two of the three college guys) of the old sofa we had in the basement. Nick and I purchased it for $15 from Salvation Army oh, 13 or so years ago. We sold it for $15. After we had packed it all in we went over to celebrate at the Five Guys Burgers. I don't go for burgers very often, but Jim loves them. I was surprised at how much I liked it. It's a whole different kind of burger.

Applesauce Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I seem to be in the mood for baking. This week's cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour a 13"x9" pan or two 8" or 9" rounds

2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 cups applesauce
1/2 cup water
2 eggs

Mix ingredients into large bowl (I usually cream the sugar, shortening and eggs, and sift fork stir the dry ingredients before adding them all together with the other liquids)

Don't over mix this batter

Bake oblong ~60 minutes, layers ~50 minutes. Toothpick test will come out clean.

Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Sorry I don't measure my frosting
~2 tbsp Butter, a bit of vanilla, cream cheese, milk and powdered sugar

Summer Projects... June & July

PAINTING
Shanna painted the hall downstairs (walls & ceiling) a bright white to bring more light to the library. Our hall is long and five feet wide and we've lined both sides with varying sizes of bookcases. The white really helped lighten it up. She also painted the back stairwell with Nick's help. This was really tricky because of the woodwork and the heights involved. Again, we went with a bright white to bring light into the dark space. Between that and the recently (2 years ago) installed back door with window you can clearly see the stairs. Meanwhile, Nick was painting the trim around the outside of the house. He changed it from the 80's cornflower blue to a classic black. I couldn't believe the difference it made. We'll have to finish repainting the outside pieces next summer. He managed to finished all of the windows on the main floor, the outside door trims, and the garage doors and windows. The big garage door had been painted blue and it showed all of its flaws. He painted it white to match the house and the trim black and it looks like a whole new door.

Nanette and Sydney, while visiting decided to help us move our library. We had to move it into Nick's office so that Shanna could paint the downstairs hall. It was quite an undertaking but moved quite quickly with their assistance. During the painting, Shanna got marked by the white hand. It took a lot more effort to put it back with just the two of us.

ROOF & TREE
I arranged for Randy Stone to come and replace our roof. We went from an asphalt tile to a light gray steel. I chose the light color for its reflective and energy saving properties. I couldn't bear to go with straight white. I wanted a neutral that would not stand out. Our white clapboard style ranch needs to remain lovely but neutral. It doesn't have any architectural finesse and so it needs to blend into the background and let the gardens and greenery steal the show. You really can't get worked up about light gray, for good, or for ill. It was perfect. It was fun to have him here. He had lots of suggestions for improving the place and with any luck we'll be able to hire every year for a project. (Don't forget the tree dude showing up to trim tree back so they could roof - Shanna) That's right. He left small stick debris everywhere, but my tree in the back looks much better and he cleared the limbs from hanging over the house.

MOVIES
A confluence of events triggered buying dvds on an enormous scale. First, the tv/vcr/dvd combo in my office died. Instead of replacing it, I bought a new computer. This computer has a big screen, a dvd player and a cute little adapter that allows me to view my cable tv on my monitor. I completely lost the ability to play vhs movies in my office. This is a problem since most of my collection is in the vhs format. C'est la vie, or so I thought.

Second, Nick took off for Rawlins with his computer, no tv, no vcr, only the built in dvd player. And we had about 15 dvd movies.

Third, I really wanted to simplify my living room. I began by cleaning, and cleaning out. As Shanna and I worked I realized that the big barrister's bookcase holding videos was, if not an eyesore, a clutter station. It needed to go. What would enable its removal? We needed to condense our movie collection. We'd weeded it earlier that year so that wasn't an option. Soooo we decided to replace the vhs' collection with dvds.

I started small ordering our favorite dvds used from Amazon. It was going to be a slow process. Then we found out that the local pawn shop sold used ones for less than the shipping price of Amazon. WOOT that made us buy a few more. Finally the last piece to the marathon buying was the closing of Hollywood video. Every weekend for many weeks Shanna and I would go to the Pawn shops, and Hollywood snapping up dvds for $1-$3. As the weeks wore on the prices at Hollywood got cheaper. Other Hollywood stores were closing and shipping their remainders to the one in Pocatello or Chubbuck. It was a bonanza. We were able to replace a large chunk of our existing collection and pick up quite a few others that we had wanted to acquire.



On the last day of the Hollywood closeout the pickings were slim but only $.25 per dvd. I called Nick and he okayed us spending his money. Shanna and I began by alphabetizing the horror section. It was the largest collection left in the store. Then we picked out one of every title. We piled movies and piled movies and then left the store with 400+ horror dvds. I did call Nick and asked him if he was really serious about buying them, and he was. We brought them home and serpentined them across every surface in his office. He now has enough movies to last a few years. Shanna and I had a great time laughing and buying and so did the rest of the people around us, when we told them we had been tasked with buying every one they had left, excepting the duplicates.

GARAGE SALE
By the end of July we found ourselves in possession of several hundred vhs movies that we didn't need or want. It seemed a shame to give them to the DI. So we started setting up for a garage sale. We sold quite a few to friends and then more at the garage sale. It was awesome. We used these funds to reinvest into the project. This was our first garage sale and Shanna and I realized that it was pretty easy to set up and this triggered a couple more such activities. (We also let our friend join in and bring and sell some of their stuff to)-Shanna

MY BEDROOM
I have wanted a summer white bedroom for a long while and this summer I made it come true. I found the most delicious white comforter set with a lovely little green border at TJMAXX. My room was airy and white and lovely. We set the bed to four posters and hung the white sheers on it. Shanna and I found two green palm leave paintings to hang on the wall where the red Persian rug had been. The decorative pillows were all white and it was awesome.

The green is much less yellow and more leaf green in person...

Upside Down Peach Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Butter cake pan (I used oblong, two rounds would work)

Pour 2/3 cup melted butter into bottom of pan
Spread on top of butter 2 cups of light brown sugar
Peel and slice peaches, layer on top of brown sugar (calls for 3 cups, I'd use more next time so that the layer is thicker, the peaches shrink a little when baked)

Cream together:
2/3 c shortening
3 1/3 c sugar
4 eggs

Add
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 c milk
3 1/3 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp mapeleine (original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp almond flavoring)

Bake (350 degree oven) oblong for 60 minutes, rounds for 45 minutes

Baking time may vary depending on material of pan so keep an eye out, the top should be golden brown and a toothpick will come out clean from the cake part. If you push the toothpick in too far it will pickup the peaches/sugar mixture.