Thursday, May 25, 2006
Home Sweet Home
Michelle and I departed Mississippi on Tuesday, May 9th, one day after I had completed my final exams and submitted grades for my Adolescent Psychology students. On this particular trip, we opted for an alternative route through eastern Louisiana, Arkansas and the Ozark Mountains, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota. We took highway 65 much of the way, which brought us through Little Rock, Arkansas where we visited the Central High School museum (ground zero for the integration crisis of 1957-1958) and the Clinton Library. Both sites were interesting and informative.
Our stop at Central High School included an unintentional tour of the high school, which we had mistakenly assumed to be the museum. Michelle and I parked our car out front, snapped a few pictures & marched inside. In the entry way, there were plaques dedicated to the Little Rock Nine and we scanned these before heading off in search of restrooms. Shortly thereafter, the bell rang and thousands of students poured out of their classrooms and into the hallways. Awkward...amusing too, but mostly awkward.
Central High School was absolutely magnificent, and at one time was hailed as the most expensive (built in 1927 at a cost of $1.5 million), most beautiful, and largest school in the nation.
The Clinton Library proved equally titillating with over 2 million photographs, several interactive exhibits, a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, and 80,000 artifacts from the Clinton presidency. Truthfully, my first impression was that of relief as I realized that the building was less of a library & more of a museum paying homage to the life & pursuits of the Clinton family. The presidential library is located on the banks of the Arkansas river and I was told that it ranks as the second largest library in history (second to Ronald Reagan of course!)
From Little Rock, Michelle & I made good time through northern Arkansas and Missouri, stopping only for dinner and gas, before pulling into a road-side reststop in Southern Iowa around midnight. Michelle & I pitched our tent, unrolled the sleeping bags, and crawled in for six hours of restless sleep. Come sunrise, we packed up the tent, brushed our teeth, and once again pointed our car northbound. Six hours later, we hit Rochester, Minnesota, where we spent the day visiting with Michelle's sister (Amy), her husband (Shazhad), and one-year-old daughter (Maira). The visit was especially pleasant as we were treated to steaks for dinner and I had the enviable task of looking after Maira while Michelle and Amy planted vegetables in the garden for 3 hours.
Thursday morning, we slept in, played with Maira, and were back on the road again by 11AM. After a brief stop in the Twin Cities at the Goodwill Outlet and for lunch in Little Falls at the new Quizno's, we arrived safely in Bemidji, Minnesota. It was good to be home.
Our stop at Central High School included an unintentional tour of the high school, which we had mistakenly assumed to be the museum. Michelle and I parked our car out front, snapped a few pictures & marched inside. In the entry way, there were plaques dedicated to the Little Rock Nine and we scanned these before heading off in search of restrooms. Shortly thereafter, the bell rang and thousands of students poured out of their classrooms and into the hallways. Awkward...amusing too, but mostly awkward.
Central High School was absolutely magnificent, and at one time was hailed as the most expensive (built in 1927 at a cost of $1.5 million), most beautiful, and largest school in the nation.
The Clinton Library proved equally titillating with over 2 million photographs, several interactive exhibits, a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, and 80,000 artifacts from the Clinton presidency. Truthfully, my first impression was that of relief as I realized that the building was less of a library & more of a museum paying homage to the life & pursuits of the Clinton family. The presidential library is located on the banks of the Arkansas river and I was told that it ranks as the second largest library in history (second to Ronald Reagan of course!)
From Little Rock, Michelle & I made good time through northern Arkansas and Missouri, stopping only for dinner and gas, before pulling into a road-side reststop in Southern Iowa around midnight. Michelle & I pitched our tent, unrolled the sleeping bags, and crawled in for six hours of restless sleep. Come sunrise, we packed up the tent, brushed our teeth, and once again pointed our car northbound. Six hours later, we hit Rochester, Minnesota, where we spent the day visiting with Michelle's sister (Amy), her husband (Shazhad), and one-year-old daughter (Maira). The visit was especially pleasant as we were treated to steaks for dinner and I had the enviable task of looking after Maira while Michelle and Amy planted vegetables in the garden for 3 hours.
Thursday morning, we slept in, played with Maira, and were back on the road again by 11AM. After a brief stop in the Twin Cities at the Goodwill Outlet and for lunch in Little Falls at the new Quizno's, we arrived safely in Bemidji, Minnesota. It was good to be home.
Monday, May 08, 2006
A five-tool player.
Here are a few photos from Tim's visit just over a month ago. Enjoy! Oh, and according to wikipedia, a five-tool player is a term used to define a complete player.Sky-high
The two-step...
Michelle's a multi-tool player...she possesses defensive capabilities, a strong throwing arm, and I've seen her hit for power.Five-hole!
Suffice to say, with moves like that our good friend Tim is limited to just a tool or two.
..running speed perhaps!
..running speed perhaps!Ouch!
I rescind my earlier evaluation...we're talking about a 1/2 tool player.
