Heat Wave

We've been running both our AC units on high since Sunday. But with heat like this I begin to wonder, what is the point? Then again, one might ask how high the temps would soar without AC at all.

I will say that all of the lovely people who have said, "oh, I kind of like the heat actually..".. they ALL have central air.













Yes, that says 98, and it is the one in my bedroom. I finally found relief on Tuesday night when I blew up the air mattress and put it 18 inches in front of the unit in the living room.

Let's just say that cooking has been completely out of the question. When I can stand still in my house and still be dripping sweat, the last thing I want to do is stand in the kitchen with ANY heat producing appliance running. But after eating out way too many times this week, I forced myself to boil some water for corn. Hot hot hot.

Any other no heat food ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Valley Forge

After spending 2 1/2 hrs at the prison, we drove the 20 mins to Valley Forge, where Washington and his troops wintered during the American Revolution. It is actually a sad story, some 2000 soldiers died there without a single shot being fired, from starvation, disease and harsh weather. It was HOT when we got there, we were under a heat advisory for the day, so we didn't do as much hiking/walking around as we would've liked. I'm feel more like Elinore these days, where I melt in direct sunlight. I seem to be constantly searching for a tiny patch of shade. It was a beautiful National Park and we hope to go back in the fall when the leaves are changing colors. It is 3500 acres with various monuments and sites on a loop. Mike got pretty into the history of the place and jumped in the bunks of one of the soldiers cabins. A triple bunk that housed 12 men, almost as bad as coffin-racks on naval ships.

We saw Washington's headquarters, which we learned was a rental, nothing was acquired by force. The house smelled like Gram's house, with all the antiques and the old timber. Our last stop in the park was Washington Memorial Chapel. It was a gorgeous church with old hand-carved pews and fancy woodwork. There was a gallery off the sanctuary that housed a replica Liberty Bell dedicated to the Daughters of the Revolution. The grounds were beautiful and I'm sure weddings there would be pretty spectacular. We got some really nice pictures of each other, though I'm realizing now, we need to be better about getting pictures together. Part of this is my fault because I'm paranoid about my camera being stolen.

We spent our drive home discussing our 1st year together, recalling our favorite memories from our wedding. I feel very lucky to be so happy and to have found someone I can share my life with. We've adjusted to life together very well, though we still struggle somewhat with finding the balance between work and home. We're very excited to be starting a family. It is amazing how time seems to have flown by, yet stand still. So much has happened since last July. We're really excited for Rocky Mt and cannot wait to see everyone. This baby is quite a world traveler already!

First Anniversary

Mike and I just celebrated our first anniversary! We had some surprises and we celebrated by going to Philadelphia. Mike had never been to the historic district and I do not remember much of the last time I was there. I suggested it, Mike planned it and we had a wonderful time. Mom and Dad stopped through on their way to Long Island the Thursday before we left, filling our house with baby things and the top tier of our wedding cake. Neither Mike or I realized they had saved it. Another shout out to Bobak's, the cake tasted pretty delicious after a year in a deep freezer, and the four of us really enjoyed eating it. Mike is always full of surprises and while walking in downtown State College, we passed by a photography studio and Mike said, 'what do you think of that one?' I turned and my attention was caught by my own face staring back at me. I knew he had been planning a surprise, but the surprise was better than I had imagined. He coordinated with a photographer, using pictures from our wedding and copies of our vows to make a beautiful piece of art we can hang in our house. It's very fortunate one of us was blessed with the sentimental gene and can give these kinds of gifts, I'm a bit lacking in that area and my gifts tend to be entirely practical. I got him a hiking pack for Longs Peak/other hiking trips.

I had the 11th and 12th off, so Mike booked us a hotel right on the Delaware River within walking distance to historic Philly. We arrived, checked-in, lathered on sunscreen and set off to see Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the many other sites of Philly. It was a pretty hot day, but we made the best of it, ducking into air conditioned buildings frequently and keeping full bottles of water on us. Independence Hall was under construction, but we were still able to tour the inside and see where the Declaration was signed and an old courtroom. We've started collecting Christmas ornaments from the various places we have visited, starting with Hawai'i. On our honeymoon we got a really nice shell angel, then in Jamaica we got a similar style shell star and in Philly we found an ornament with Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell on it. Before we leave State College we'll have to get a Penn State ornament. There were a lot of buildings we would have liked to have gone inside, but because we couldn't get to Philly until near noon, many of them were closed by the time we got around to them. Next time.

We headed back to the hotel about 5 for a rinse and cool-down before dinner. Mike made reservations at a restaurant called Moshulu. The restaurant is a four-masted ship, and is the largest in the world still afloat. Again, within walking distance of the hotel. It was beautiful! When Mike made the reservation, he told them we were celebrating our first anniversary, so after we ate they brought us little mango sorbets (delicious). We were among 2 other couples celebrating anniversaries and the couple next to us got engaged before we left. The food was spectacular! A close second to Chef Amaury's. I had a virgin pina colada, Mike a salty seadog or something along those lines. An appetizer of the lighest gnocchi we've ever had, and the sauce! We both had steaks for dinner with sides of mac-n-cheese, fries, cream corn, and heirloom tomatoes. Now I don't like raw tomatoes, but even I thought these were better than your average tomato. the cream corn was made with fresh cream, fresh corn and bacon. Yum! The mac-n-cheese. Holy cow. Move over Two Brothers and share your podium with Moshulu for best cheese sauce I've ever had. I savored every bite. And even though I was full, I couldn't stop. Mike had to take one for the team and finish the mac-n-cheese or he might have been rolling me back to the hotel. It is safe to say, we've welcomed Mike to the foody ranks.

For day 2 of our anniversary trip, we went to Eastern State Penitentiary. Yes, we went to prison for our anniversary. I'm sure you're thinking 'Oh, how romantic'. I was a bit skeptical, but this place was pretty awesome. Opened in 1829, it was the world's first penitentiary, designed in a hub and spokes design and it was abandoned in 1971. It's right in the heart of Philly and is a pretty ominous structure, looking more like a fortress of a castle than a prison. I got to open the 2 ton gate. The whole of the prison is a self-guided audio tour. We got there at 10, when it opens, and ended up staying till nearly 1. Much longer than we anticipated. It was a bit eerie inside the prison, and the tiny cells made you appreciate your freedom. Some of the most interesting things (to me anyway) in the prison were that Al Capone was held there for about 10 months. Check out his cell. Pretty sweet deal compared to every one else.
There was a plaque in the hub that gave thanks to prisoners that fought in WWI, however they are recognized only by their number. Their names are not mentioned at all. Initially, the prison was designed to be one where punishment was complete solitude. Prisoners were brought in with black bags over their heads, so as not to learn the layout of the building, they were led into their cells from an exterior room. They spent 23hrs of the day within their tiny cell, completely isolated from human contact, with the idea that isolation brought penitence. 1hr a day they were allowed to move into the annex of their room that allowed sunlight and fresh air. Guards patrolling the cell blocks wore wool socks over their boots to muffle the sound of their footsteps. And unlike prisons today with a door that opens to the corridor, there was only a feeding door. Imagine spending a yr in a place without any human contact. A lot of them probably went crazy.

Some of the funnier, interesting things about ESP were the successful escape attempt, in which a prisoner dug a tunnel, that is still present today, and led 10 other prisoners to freedom just outside the prison walls. What's funny is that all were caught and one showed up 8 days after the escape at the prison door asking to be let back in because he was hungry. The white line shows where the tunnel is.

And by far the most interesting bit of history at ESP is Pep: The cat murdering black lab. Rumor was, Pep killed the governor's wife's beloved cat and was sentenced to life in prison. Complete with a number. He looks pretty guilty in the photo. He was actually donated to the prison, following an example from another prison elsewhere, but he did have a number. The prison closed in 1971 following a riot that seemed to make people realize 'oh, there's a prison in my backyard with death row inmates'. Very interesting, I'd recommend visiting if you're in Philly, they do tour on Halloween too!

Fowl Foul

I was late to work this morning because I was observing pigeon courtship from my kitchen window. The pair landed on the windowsill of the building next door. The male did his puffed-up whirly dance while the female paced back and forth, clearly a little interested but not willing to commit right away. Then the male stopped and they both stood there with a size-able gap in between, not facing each other, in what I imagine was kind of an awkward silence.

After a minute or two the female walked right over to the male and took his beak in hers and did the "ok" dance. The male just stood there like a moron. She walked away, confused (in my opinion), but neither flew away from the sill.

They stood there for a few more minutes in awkward silence and then the female marched over determinedly again, took his beak in hers and shook him around. Then she laid down right next to him. (I think you can imagine what she probably intended by that..) And amazingly, the idiot just stood there. She got up and walked to the other end of the sill, probably wondering what she'd done wrong and feeling duped by this dumb*** bird-brain... like, you came over to ME shaking your tailfeathers. I fell for you, and I put myself out there for you, and now you're rejecting me?? I thought you liked me!

I watched the whole painful encounter once more. She approached, did the beak-shaking thing, laid down, and the male stood there for a moment and then actually walked away. Then they flew off and left me to ponder. I won't lie, I was muttering expletives under my breath about that stupid male pigeon all the way to the train. Give a sister a break.