Another Happy Day In Colorado

Well, not much has changed since I last posted, but I figured it couldn't hurt to write yet another post.  I spent most of the day studying French and math for the ACT, and so far, I have been quite productive in both areas.  I think I am going crazy, but I actually miss being in school and having something to study for.  My French class starts tomorrow, and I am so excited!
I have started a food experiment where I am seeing how long I can survive on only one trip to the store.  I am at eight meals and counting and feeling successful already.  Unfortunately, I bought oatmeal.  Yeah, this could turn out quite interesting.  I currently am trying to finish the massive amounts of stir fry that I made last night so you can guess what I had for lunch and dinner. 

Not the most interesting of photos, but this was lunch. 

The haze is pouring rain and if you listen closely you can hear the thunder.

I know I said that today I was going to try out the public transit, but it rained most of the afternoon and I didn't want to get stuck at a bus stop on the other side of town soaking wet.  I did, however, get a month long bus pass, pick up a library card for up at the college, and watch the rain from the warmth of a small coffee shop while reading The Life and Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky.
Just before dinner this evening I took another barefoot stroll down the sidewalks and saw the cutest little woodpecker.  It was just a tad smaller than size of a face plate on a light switch (sorry, the only thing I can think of :) and was covered in different sized splotches of white.  I think it might have been a juvenile because it was fluffy looking, but it blended in perfectly with the wet bark of the aspen.  Not thirty seconds later I heard what sounded like an owl, so that was cool. 
Speaking of cool, it is freezing this evening!  Well, maybe around 55 which is freezing in my book, so I am going to go curl under my covers and listen to my new favorite Vivaldi piece: Cello Concerto in D minor, 406.  Love yall much

-Kate

Short note from the eldest offspring

Icecream. Dad, I am still working on that 1/2 gallon of White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle and thoroughly enjoying it. The weekend flew by and Monday was Monday. Saturday Momma visited me, and I was excited to have her company and her help in putting together my new desk. The desk is already worn in and is my semi-permanent place of being. Saturday evening Kevin came over for dinner which turned in to a "second-night-in-a-row" cooking fiasco. The product was some delicious steelhead trout fried in olive oil and seasoned with rosemary and dill, accompanied by left-over cauliflower rosemary mashed potatoes, and a lovely little salad. Sunday was spent studying, primarily math/calculus topics, and last night I made the virgin voyage to the Coin Laundry at San Gabriel and 24th. The experience was non-traumatic, and it was interesting to notice the social-equalizing effect a laundromat has. The Lexus drivers and the poor college students all have to wash their clothes at the same place.

Classes today were all enjoyable. I had all of my courses today except chemistry, and my favorite continues to be Contemporary Moral Problems. We spoke today on strong vs. weak moral judgements and the difference between saying something is immoral and that something should be illegal. This is an interesting point when speaking about gay marriage, for instance. Do conservative Christians believe we should ban (or make illegal) gay marriage just because they think it is immoral? Our topic will be abortion until late September. My TA in this class seems very competent and he came with a wealth of facts on abortion to our discussion section today. Calculus got out at five, and at six, I was showered, dinnered, and in a meeting for a pre-med honors group. I was less than impressed and plan on visiting a different pre-med group tomorrow evening.

I wish I could say I had been trying new recipes and walking the streets of Durango barefoot, but I am afraid that I have been happily throwing myself into my new world of studying like crazy, walking a lot, and eating icecream for dinner (and some turkey/cheese/mayonnaise, mom in case you were wondering). I love and miss each of you.

Evening Dining Colorado Style

Now, I don't have any flashy pictures to show you my yummy dinner, but it was still pretty good.  I cut up broccoli, carrots, water chestnuts, onion, bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, and ginger and mixed it all together with some soy sauce and red chili paste and spooned it over rice for a delicious dinner on the deck.  Veggie Boy from down the hall joined me and we ate and talked while watching the rain on the mountains.  I can't quite figure him out but he is nice nonetheless.  I then went for an evening stroll with Marci and we looked at the stars while discussing Linda's (lady at end of hall) odd affinity for aliens and conspiracy theories.  You would not think that this old lady would be into that kind of stuff, but apparently she has had a few encounters herself. 
I basically spent the day reading, writing out French phrases, drawing, and studying math for the ACT.  I also went for quite a long walk around the neighborhood which blessedly has very nice sidewalks on both sides of every road.  This basically means that you can meander barefoot for miles and never have to worry about cactus or cars (or the heat for that matter).  I think I will test out the public transportation tomorrow and see how possible it is to get around without a car.  Classes start on Tuesday so that is always exciting.  Well, off to bed.
Much love,
Kate

p.s. Mo, I don't know of any RC Satellite Systems.  Is that Selina's internet in Austin?

p.p.s Mo and D, your dinner still looks better than mine.  Wish I was there :)

An Evening's Dine

The easy and beautiful little meal . . .

• Slice thin some fresh eggplant and rub a bit of olive oil onto it with your hands.  Then some salt, pepper, sweet marjoram, and hot curry powder sprinkled on top of the eggplant.  Place all these on a sheet pan (sprayed first) and into a four hundred degree oven for about twenty minutes.  Finally, sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top and continue to cook an additional several minutes.
• The ciabatta bread from the frozen section at the grocery.  Follow its directions and heat it up in the oven along with the eggplant.
• The dipping sauce.  Stir around some chopped garlic, salt, garlic powder, and basil into a pretty bowl of olive oil.
• The asparagus.  Place it into a small pot of boiling water, turn off the burner, and let the tender little things cook for just about three minutes.
• The fruit.  Mango and strawberry with a dollop of non-fat cottage cheese.
• Wine.  A Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cool Technology

I was surfing my favorite website (Craftzine) and came across this uber cool photo editing site http://tiltshiftmaker.com/.  Here are a few of my pics that came out interesting.

Downtown London

Parliament

The Acropolis

Lila in the Koi Fish Garden

Not terribly important or influential in politics, but it sure is fun to play around with!  Love yall

-Kate

A Fun First Night

Hello All,
I am sorry that I didn't post yesterday, but it was just so busy!  I got to the house at around 2:00 and Hope was waiting for me there.  She took a nap while I finished moving in and then headed out around 4:30 to meet with the girl who she is going to be the host parent to up at the college. 

My desk

My bed

A portion of my awsome bookshelves

Monkey C enjoying the morning sun

The view out my huge window

Marci (my landlord) had invited four people over for dinner and had asked me if I wanted to join them, so after Hope left, I went and helped Marci with dinner.  There is not a cooking bone in her body, but it actually turned out pretty good.  We had fajitas with grilled corn, guacamole, and homemade salsa that one couple brought.  It was so funny to watch Marci prepare the toppings for the fajitas because she had absolutely no idea what to put on them.  So, she cut up two kinds of onions, purple cabbage, two kinds of tomatoes, cucumber, apples, and garlic.  Her friends ended up being the most interesting people I think I have ever met.  We sat around the table till after midnight swapping stories and discussing weird churches, painful medical experiences, the history of miniature goats, types of social segregation and prejudice, food from the south, Oslo, conspiracy theories, imported vs. locally grown tomatoes, the size of road shoulders in various countries and states, the unusually high number of murders in Albuquerque, hitting deer/cows/elk/birds/rabbits with your car or bicycle, the oil spill, the origin and various methods of preparing ground meats, the surprising number of ways to cook beets, winters in seaside vs. landlocked areas, the price of footwear, TV and movie ratings, soap making, how to remove horns from sheep, infection rates in hospitals, gallbladder surgery, the shape of cowboy hats, the size of a rock large enough to puncture a road-bike tire, the effectiveness of prisons/criminal justice system, and the various types of kayaks just to name a few.  Truly interesting!  Yall would have loved it.  
I especially hit it off with one couple's daughter Maggie (about 25) who is just back from spending two years in Norway doing research on taste perception of tomatoes.  We mostly sat in disbelief at the other people's crazy stories, but we also spent a significant amount of time discussing various stars and constellations.  I was so weird because just about every one I knew she did not and everyone she knew I didn't, so we both learned a lot which was fascinating.  It was also weird because both of us had just listened to the exact same TED Talk just a couple of days before.  Unfortunately, she is leaving for Minnesota in a week. 
This morning I got up early and read so as not to wake up the other roommates, but now I am sitting in the Steaming Bean writing to yall and observing the local culture.  It really is so much different than little Marble Falls.  Well, I must bet back to my coffee before it gets too cold.  Love yall buckets

-Kate

Typical Scenes on the Homefront

Papa's Love-Hate relationship caught in an evening shadow . . . .

Somebody's missin' somebody . . . .

I know that nobody else could see into this cat's eyes the enormous sense of pride the animal has for Kate upon her inclusion into the San Juan group, but we can.  Yes we can.

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

Sweet Success

A big sigh of relief was heard echoing in the mountains around Durango at 1:52 as Kate left her audition this afternoon.  The lady is so nice and was serious but encouraging in her seriousness.  Thankfully she was about thirty minutes late because her meeting ran over, so by the time she got back to her office where I was waiting, I had stopped nervously convulsing.  I played a Handel sonata and as it turns out, it is one of her favorite pieces.  I brought out the book and she explained how much she loved Handel and how there was this one sonata that she gives each of her students to learn and who would have guessed I flipped to the one I was going to play and it was that exact same sonata.  Crazy!  Anywho, we start rehearsals on the 6th, so that is exciting.  Another crazy coincidence, we will be playing Corelli's Christmas Concerto which is the piece that I would have learned this fall anyways for the Marble Falls Orchestra Christmas performance.  It just feels like happy fate. 
Also exciting today, I moved most of my stuff into my new room in town and am officially in love with the bookshelves.  I will definitely take pictures tomorrow when I get everything in place.  It is nice to have a desk and it is big enough for three people to comfortably spread out their stuff which basically means that I have three times the amount of surface area to place my junk.  With my colorful stuff and bright bedspread it feels like my old room just lifted up and set itself back down in Colorado.  I will have to get used to the twin bed, but it gives me more room which is nice.  Well, my eyes are telling me it is time to go to bed.  Love always
-Kate

Sweat and Tears

Sweat because I had another great run. Tears because Vaughn thinks his computer may have crashed; bad virus. ~ Kate, Vaughn told me you made the orchestra! How incredibly fun! Being a part of a group/community of musicians is usually quite entertaining and stimulating. I can imagine you having so much fun Love. ~ Selina's already heavy into studying. I must say her little stories of all the pieces her new desk and chair are in is quite comical. ~ Tomorrow night I'm going to a little swimming party with some of my girlfriends from work. Patti (Admissions Coor.) has an above ground pool and deck. ~ Sat. I'm going to Austin for a time to visit Selina and do some clothes shopping. ~Sunday Susan and I plan to go to church. ~ Labor Day weekend Vaughn and I plan to drive to Houston. ~ Yes I miss you two but I also live vicariously through your experiences. Inside I'm just clapping my hands when I think of you. ~ Smile...you are loved.

Roses, Coffee, and William Bradford

Hi from my 18' x 18' Haven,

I am drinking coffee with yummy creamer while staring at a vase of roses while reading Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation" and missing you guys in a good sort of sad while being happy for the current state of being and realizing the only way I can achieve my dreams (and you all yours) is for us to be apart in body, but always together in spirit.

Momma, I hope your day at work was only mildly chaotic and only partially full of interruptions.

Kate, I hope your audition/performance was as phenomenal as you.

Dad, it was good to talk to you this afternoon. I wrote Dr. Madrigal a brief note of support. You may want to give Bradford some helpful hints as to how to speak the English language (or maybe it is I who need the help).

Hugs!

Selina

Last Night's Peach Cobbler

It turned out quite yummy and gooey and I heard Papa Tony in the kitchen late last night getting extra helpings.  Wish yall were here to eat some with us. 

Wish me luck on my big day!  It's been practice, practice, practice since I got up this morning so hopefully it will sound good.  Much love

-Kate

Near Syncopal Episode

So, as yall know, I have been interested in continuing playing violin up here and hoped to join some group.  Well, this evening the head of the string department at Fort Lewis called and asked if I could come in tomorrow and play for her as a sort of audition for the orchestra.  AAAAHHHH @#$%?^*&^%?@#$!!!!  I somehow managed to stammer out something about how appreciative I was for the opportunity and other mumbojumbo while miraculously not have a simultaneous nervous breakdown and syncopal episode.  Are yall getting the picture here?  MAJOR KATE FREAK OUT!!!  However, I immediately called Mrs. Fletcher and she was very helpful, supportive, and encouraging.  She helped me pick out three pieces to play and we had a good conversation.  I thus spent the evening practicing until my arms felt like they were going to fall off.  All this to say, lets hope I can eek out Twinkle Strings and Happy Dance tomorrow (just kidding, I'll be playing Bach and Handel).  Much love to all

-Nervous Performer
-Almost Puking Player
-Maestro of Jitters
-Syncopal Soloist
-Kate

Her First Day in the Big School

Hi Sweet Ones,

The day finally came and exceeded expectations. It began early, about 0000 hours while I attempted to configure my printer and Internet. Everything was printed, packed, and ready by 0100 (I know this makes you proud daddy).

This morning at 0600 I rose, coffee-faced myself, and re-reviewed my campus map. At 0715 I began the maiden voyage of walking to the RLM (no idea what that stands for) building, which is located off Dean Keeton about 4-5 blocks from Gualalupe. The first class was Calculus, guided today by the TA. He worked a few of the problems we are expected to turn in on Monday. Next was Contemporary Moral Problems, a class of 200 people. Wowser! We will discuss abortion, the death penalty, sex and marriage, pornography, and hate speech. The following class was American Literature, taught by a seemingly professional and serious professor. We will be reading several works that Kate and I read a few years back, including Cathedral, excerpts of Thoreau's work, and some of Emerson's and Dickinson's pieces. We meet three days a week plus one discussion session a week. Lastly, I had a Biology course, focusing on cellular and molecular biology. This course will be difficult and is being taught by a woman who has her PhD in something relating to native grasses. She talked for a bit today about malaria and sickle cell disease, saying that she will use these two illnesses as examples for biological concepts throughout our course. We do not have a biology discussion group today, so I am done with classwork.

My plan is to go over all notes and syllabi acquired today, as well as read the selection for Friday's literature class. I also need to go to the grocery store desperately. A complete inventory of edible items in my apartment follows: 2 Jello cups, 1/3 container of cranberry juice, 1/2 container of orange juice, filtered water, 1/2 piece raisin toast from a few days ago, approximately 15 wheat crackers, too many Saltines, 5 breakfast bars, one can of tuna, 2 Swedish cookies, coffee, and creamer.

Hugs to all, and Kate, I am so happy for you in finding a place of residence!

Peace,

Selina

Mama in the Kitchen

Seemed like a pretty typical late-night scene from the dining hall area of the now quiet Granite Rock Institute of Beautiful Ideas.  Looks like the head-mistress is going for the caffeine after a run around the neighborhood?  Maybe a cup of java and a slice of melon?  Or now that the students are gone from the Institute, maybe a jigger of rum for the little lady.

Getting Lost, Watching Hail, and Eating Fried Foods

Well, that basically sums up what I've done today.  I went up to the college today to finish registering for classes and officially am impressed by all of the nice people that I met there.  After that, I headed over to my future abode and closed the deal with my new landlady Marci.  We had a nice chat and ate chocolate covered strawberries while watching her neurotic dog Dottie excitedly rip a rag to pieces.  I then officially got lost driving back and forth across Durango looking for the grocery store.  Yeah, familiarization with my surroundings will be a priority. 
When I finally got home, it started raining nudibranchs and nautili and pea sized hail.  It was quite loud on the metal roof and with the thunder and lightening was all very exciting.  However, in the middle of it all I had to run outside and move my car under the carport because the hail got to the size of marbles.  Luckily, dents were avoided and Eleanor was spared. 
While watching the storm, I made Hope and Tony eggrolls and officially threw vegetables all over the kitchen in an attempt to chop stuff into tiny pieces on a small cutting board with a dull knife.  I also cut up a fruit salad, and we were all quite pleased with the turn out.  After we ate our fill, there was still half of the mixture left, so we will more than likely be having the exact same thing tomorrow.
Here are a few photos of the beautiful post-storm sky.

I didn't even see the bird until after I uploaded the photo!

Green.

By the time I got my camera out again, the clouds had already lost some of their shape, but as you can see these are partially formed Mammatus clouds that are a testament to the strength of the passing storm. 

Love yall,

-Kate

Kate Discusses Her Impending Relocation

Hey wonderful people,
Well, I am 99% sure that I found the place where I will be residing for the semester.  It has all been quite stressful but I am elated that we found a place.  I truly don't think we could have found a better location or accommodation for the price.  I won't have to worry about furniture or storage space which is a god send and the lady, Marci, who rents out the rooms is very nice.  As it turns out, Hope's neighbor Gay has a niece who rented from Marci for six months a little while back and had a great experience.  She highly recommended it and said that she was very pleased with the room, people, and service which makes me feel better.  I will be going by tomorrow to meet with her again and iron out the details so I will be sure to let yall know how that goes.  I will also try and send pictures once I get settled in. 
Hope and I also toured the Fort Lewis campus and met with several of Hope's friends who work there and I will turn in the paperwork to sign up for classes.  As of now I will probably only be taking French I but available classes have been increasing in numbers and some look quite interesting.  The class time is 10:10-12:10, but I can't seem to figure out the days.  Do yall know what TR stands for?  Apparently Trouxsday is a popular day to hold language classes.  Well, must get back to the football game.  Vince Young is playing his main rival so the game is of course quite exciting.  Love yall much

-Kate

Campus Familiarization Journey

Greetings...

Last night Keving and I embarked for the campus at approximately 1830 and returned at approximately 2130. First, the walk will not be bad at all. We walked the path I will walk Mondays and Wednesdays, and then walked the path I will take Tuesdays and Thursdays. The campus is beautiful, and after a bit of exploring it does not seem as big as it did prior to our walk. We also went by the Turtle Pond, which contains more little turtles than all of the turtles residing in Lake Marble Falls. The PCL (a.k.a. the library) is huge, air-conditioned, and has a quiet study hall on the fourth floor. I plan on making this place my second home. Kevin recommended an outdoor study lawn in front of the Tower. It seems that with my new and improved schedule, I will have classes from (all approximate)8 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, 11 a.m. until 1 p.m on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 9 a.m. until 1 p.m on Fridays. Ideal...

Tomorrow there is a "Gone to Texas" orientation beginning at 8:30 pm, with a "Gone to Natural Sciences" event at 6:00 p.m.

I hope you are all doing super! (the exclamation point is for you daddy)

Peace,

Selina

I Think I Moved To Burkenstock-Earthmuffin Land

His morning Hope and I went to the Bayfield and Durango farmers' market to pick up some fresh veggies and cheese and we had a wonderful time perusing the goods and coveting all of the fresh herbs.  I guess I forgot just how many middle aged hippies live in Durango.  I have never seen more tie-dye, floppy hats, raggedy tshirts, or leather sandals in one place before!  It is truly amazing.  Hope and I both got some ginger lemonade which was so so good.  I will have to try and figure out how to make it so next time I see yall you can try it.  The folks at the stand made it fresh right there and so that was a fun treat.  We then headed over to Olde Timers for a light lunch of veggie sandwiches and soup.  I swear Hope knows everyone in town!  After lunch, we went to visit Hope's agoraphobic friend Francis who is truly a unique and friendly person.  She enjoys buying perfume from QVC and her table must have had about thirty different bottles in various states of use.  Needless to say her house smelled good.  She has the fattest tortoise shell cat named Lila Loise who somehow managed to jump her rather large self onto the top of the tallest record player I have ever seen.  Francis loves to talk and talk and talk and would make a wonderful subject of some psychological study.  I hope to be able to go back and visit her again sometime. 
I took another walk down (and up and down and up) to the lake this afternoon but it was a little too warm for much enjoyment; early mornings really are the best time to go I guess.  Hope and I ate popcorn that I made for dinner and we just got finished watching the Cowboys/Chargers game.  Well, I really must get to bed.
Much love to all.
-Kate

Greetings from the Shoals

Hello fellow Peregrinators,

Zack (a.k.a. "homeslice") and I are posting in Granite whilst listening to our comrades work. For those of you who do not know, I spent my VERY FIRST night in my new apartment last night. After unpacking most of my clothes and bathroom items, I made collapsed on to a little bed covered in a down comforter and more pillows than I knew could fit on such a small bed. This morning I woke up with the energy that comes with novelty and made a delightful cup of coffee before my 62 minute drive to work. Commuting was a lovely experience, giving my 21 year old brain ample time to psyche itself into working on an amblance (misspelled intentionally).

The plans for the morrow include attending church with Momma in Spicewood and taking a Kevin-guided campus tour.

I love you all more than Jello on a hot afternoon.

Selina

Babe's Headin' Out

      Some Last Bits of Absolutely Indispensable Advice . . . .

I'll Take A Chipmunk On The Rocks

This little fellow and two of his buddies enjoyed basking in the sun almost as much as I did this morning. I was concentrating on sketching a piece of grass and I looked up and all three were starring at me. This guy was the brave one and stuck around even after I stood up to walk around (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5IcEzZaPmU).  Hope, Amber, and I went to the Pine Creek Trailhead and had a picnic and put our feet in the water. It is so sunny and beautiful here I think I might just stay up here for the rest of the year!

-Kate

Kate Leaves Home and Miraculously Arrives in Colorado

Well, here I am in Colorado enjoying the cool weather.  My drive up was relatively uneventful.  The first day was pretty easy; however, my car started smoking from under the hood and I had to catch a ride with a motorcycle gang that I flagged down.  Spike the Savage was so kind to let me ride with him.  Just kidding, his name was Dr. Road Rash :)  I managed to pass the time listening to music and playing my harmonica which is quite enjoyable especially on those stretches of road where there are no curves for ten miles and only one other car on the road.

Rodi enjoyed the view from the dash and was a very good little traveler.

The second day on the road I managed to add two hours to my drive by checking out the scenery in Taos.  Apparently, in Colorado 84 and 68 are different numbers assigned to different roads that go different directions.  Who knew? 

On my little detour I came across the curviest, most pothole filled, most deserted, and most beautiful road in New Mexico.  I think I want to be a sheep farmer here.

-Kate