Cow herders, Netherlands

Travel Stories: Insights from Two Wandering Dutchmen

In 2011, when I was volunteering at the Everglades International Hostel in Florida City, I met two guys from the Netherlands. Thijs and Job (pronounced “Tiess” and “Yohb”) had bought a cheap van and were launching a road trip across the US. They spoke with graceful Dutch accents (their English was excellent), talking about sleeping in their van and creating their game plan if a cop ever confronted them: “We will just use stronger accents,” Thijs said, “and pretend to be dumb foreigners.”

As we played a dice game, they talked about their target cities. I was surprised to hear that St. Louis was one of them. “Not many people want to go to the Midwest,” I told them. “Most people just skip it. They call it ‘flyover country.’”

“I hear there is good music—” Thijs began, but he didn’t finish his sentence, because at that moment Job blurted out, “NASCAR!” in the best backwoods-Kentucky accent I’ve ever heard.

We had to pause the game, I was laughing so hard.

~~~

100-Word Memoir: War in Europe

WAR IN EUROPE!

Trembling, I stared at the newspaper. War? Now? In Europe? I thought of Great Uncle Norman, who died in WWII. Poppi served in the navy during Korea. If Vietnam had continued one more month, Dad would have been drafted.

Almost in tears, I ran to find Mom. “Mom, there’s a war going on!”

She looked at me with sad but resigned eyes. “Lisa, there’s a war going on somewhere in the world every day.”

Stunned, I silently turned away. I crept into my bedroom and played with blocks— conscious for the first time of losing childish innocence.

~~~

Advice for Aspiring Birdwatchers

Whenever I talk about hiking or camping, I often find myself describing the birds— from sighting a summer tanager for the first time, listening to whip-poor-wills, figuring out what kind of owl was hooting “Who cooks for you?”, or simply discovering a swift trapped in my laundry room. Birds are second only to insects as the most common animals you’ll see out in nature. They are captivating, delicate, and fleeting. I love to watch them fly and forage, seeing how each bird, from the Canada goose to the black-and-white warbler, behaves in a unique but distinctly bird-like way. 

People have asked me more than once how I know so much about birds. The first answer to that question is that I’ve always loved them, and I always wanted to know what kind of birds were alighting on my parents’ feeders. A field guide soon answered my questions: black-capped chickadee, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, Carolina wren, grackle, starling, northern cardinal. The more I studied, and the more I familiarized myself with the different groups of birds, the more excited I was when I’d see a bird I hadn’t seen before.

As a kid, I used a photo guide that sorted the birds by basic shape, and then by color. This helped me learn about the different groups. As a grown-up, I love the more precise guide that my grandma-in-law got me for Christmas: The Sibley Field Guide to Birds. These entries are sorted by family, so it’s helpful to know if what you saw was in the crow, finch, or swallow family. Its illustrations are superb, and the text points out “field marks” (distinctive features that help you identify the bird) and describes each bird’s song.

So, if you’re interested in learning more about birds, try these three things:

1. Buy a field guide (or check one out from the library), making sure it’s specific to your region. Spend some time looking through it and identifying the most common birds you’ve seen.

2. Find a good place to watch birds. (If you live in the St. Louis area, I highly suggest Powder Valley Nature Center, which has a huge indoor bird-watching area. For a more natural setting, Buford Mountain Conservation Area is full of birds.) Most state park websites have a note of good places to bird-watch.

3. Take notes, draw pictures, look through binoculars, and enjoy these marvelous works of creation!

~~~

10 Photos of German Walls

Today as I was skimming my Europe photos in search of something blog-worthy, I realized I was cherry-picking a lot of photos of German walls. Granted, I’ve already posted 10 photos of German doors— but the walls are almost as interesting. So, without apology, I give you this blog, as well as some advice: if you have to choose any place on earth to sit and stare at walls all day, choose Germany. 

Nuremberg. Note the reliefs that portray the different occupations present in the city. 

House in Amberg.

Outside a shoe shop.

Doesn't this gargoyle look like a muppet?

Note the jester's mask in the window.

Weapons in Nuremberg's castle.

Reflection of St. Elizabeth's Church, Nuremberg.

I love the street signs, even though they're sometimes difficult to find.

The Amberg city wall, the longest surviving wall of its age in Germany.

Note the stone foundation, which gives way to cheaper wood in the upper stories.

My Birthday

When I mentioned to my church Bible study group that my birthday was coming up, I also told them I was turning 24. The leader half-smiled and said, “Usually I ask women if they’re turning 25… but I guess that’s not really a compliment at your age.”

Still, here I am, solidly in my mid-twenties, watching teenager-dom drift further and further away (thank goodness). It’s been seven years since I graduated, four years since I first started traveling, and eight months since I got married. It’s been a year of great change for me as I struggle to adjust to a new way of life, find the balance between housewife and adventurer, and learn what it means to be a wife of noble character.

My special day was fairly quiet: I spent the morning with some friends who were visiting from Oklahoma, then ate pizza with Zachary, my dad, and my two brothers. Zachary took me to the mall, where we walked in laps around the loop of stores, savoring the air conditioning. He led me into the store Ross and patiently waited while I rooted through their dresses, filling his arms with maybes. He ended up buying me two dresses and some frozen yogurt. Back at home we took a nap, watched The Incredibles, and topped off the night by reading a chapter of Art and the Bible by Francis Schaeffer together.

The years are slipping by more quietly than they have in the past. Years ago, I felt the need to announce my birthday with crazy water-balloon parties and copious amounts of cake. Now, I feel like a year is very little time. A birthday is worth noting, and worth celebrating, but it’s not the grand event it once was. And, most of the time, that’s okay with me.

~~~

Rock in stream bed, Washington

Am I the only person who thinks this rock looks like a cartoon whale?

My Mom, the Drama Queen

My mom is always pulling stunts to try to get attention.

She may look like a sweet, honest, fun-loving mother of four, but really, she is always upset that everything isn’t about her. That’s why she is constantly contracting medical problems, like seizure disorder and random food allergies, so we’ll all pay attention to her. When Eric’s appendix burst, Mom couldn’t stand that he got all the attention, so her appendix burst too. She was determined to contract a worse infection, stay in the hospital longer, and almost die more times than Eric did— and she succeeded.

Sheesh, Mom, can you stop already?

Her latest stunt is developing a severe case of pancreatitis, which has landed her in the hospital for two days already. The normal level for a certain enzyme is the blood is 400— and her count was at 30,000. Overkill much? All of us in-town kids have been to visit her, as she sits propped up in the hospital bed, chatting with people on the phone, reading Calvin and Hobbes, and telling the nurses that she doesn’t need pain medication because she feels fine.

We and a few friends did get to watch the St. Charles fireworks display from the fifth floor of the hospital, which looks right out on the river. So I guess if Mom had to be attention-mongering, Independence Day was a good day to do it.

But seriously, Mom, it’s time to come home. This is just getting ridiculous.

~~~

20 Random Things I've Learned on My Travels

1. You shouldn’t wash vegetables or fruit in hot water, even if you’re working in an outdoor kitchen and it’s freezing outside.

2. Despite all attempts to convince me otherwise, folding fitted sheets is still impossible.

3. No matter where you’re headed, it is never a bad idea to bring a water bottle.

4. In the Pacific Northwest, blackberries grow like weeds. They are very tasty.

Tastiest weeds I've ever eaten.

5. It’s easier to talk about deep subjects with someone you’ll probably never see again.

6. If you keep a couple of ducks on a farm, they will eat the slugs that demolish your gardens. However, the ducks will also eat seedlings, so you have to keep the beds covered with a translucent fabric.

7. Making a family recipe for someone is one of the best ways to have a cultural exchange.

8. You should always ask the bus driver where your stop is, even if he rolls his eyes and gives you the you’re-an-idiot face.

9. Goats are a lot more independent than sheep, so herding them can be difficult.

10. When chopping vegetables, it’s important to keep the knife blade in contact with the cutting board, and tuck your fingertips under.

11. All churches with a website should post an honest dress code on their site (“We welcome everyone, but most of the gentlemen wear three-piece suits and the women wear full-length dresses and Sunday hats”), or else include pictures of the congregation to show what people typically wear.

12. The bus/train going to or from an airport is a good place to strike up a conversation with a stranger.

13. Compost toilets are actually a lot less gross than port-a-potties. 

14. Most people don’t mind if you ask them for favors.

15. It’s unsafe to assume that shelf-stable sausage remains shelf-stable when you open the package.

Bus or supporting this guy? I think the choice is clear.

16. “Mint” is the name of a family of plants, not a specific variety. When people say they want “just plain mint,” they probably mean spearmint.

17. When walking, you should always carry extra layers in case of a sudden change in weather.

18. Washing the grime off your face, arms, and legs can make you feel instantly cleaner.

19. In a country that doesn’t speak English, it’s important to learn both translations of “Excuse me”— as in, “Sorry I bumped into you” and “May I have your attention?”

20. It is always worth it to give the buskers your bus money. 

~~~

Good Advice

Think in the morning, act in the noon, read in the evening, and sleep at night. 

~ William Blake