Thursday, October 9, 2008

Wifi in the Wilderness

We're learning how to take these self-portrait photos that are so popular with the "kids" these days. Our daughter, Lindsey, is a great photographer and a total self-portrait maven and I've tried to emulate her work as best I can. Even down to the pouty expression which seems to be a prerequisite for a publishable self-portrait...

This one was taken at an Iowa rest stop. Rest stops in Iowa are everything you'd expect and even hope for in a rest stop: Clean bathrooms, shaded picnic tables, free wifi internet access, corn, and gale force wind. So we stopped for a quick facebook fix and then lunch. The brief internet affair was just that. All too brief and it left us unsatisfied. Not so much that we felt dirty and cheap afterward, but succumbing to our electronic demons out there in the wilderness just left us wanting more. It was like a piece of gum that interrupts your mouth with this blast of coolness and freshness, but that doesn't last near long enough.

Lunch, however, was delicious and more satisfying than any short lived Internet affair. Handmade PBnJ sandwiches, fresh Kiwi fruit, a crisp apple and some raw cashews...

While preparing the delicacies Shawn underestimated her strength when she tried opening the grape jelly our friend Howie made for us and she broke the jar. Ever heard of that? Maybe just driving past all those Chiropractors earlier in the day amped up her nervous system. Or maybe Iowa is just a magical place along the road of this magical Odyssey. Even our little beater car was doing miracles and getting 42 mpg!
Here is an example of the Iowa scenery from a photo I may have taken in Indiana. Yeah, it all looks the same.

Which brings us to Nebraska. At last ...
Nebraska is the home of Arbor Day and so I'm guessing it is probably a haven for "Tree Huggers" and that it must be famous for it's lush forests. Here is a good example of what must be one of Nebraska's many lush forests.

And here is what the rest of Nebraska looks like: