CO day 2: Fun with Troy & Bugs (aka. Beef Wellington is the bomb!)

adriennesipLeave a comment

Jessie and I took Statler out for a hike! We spent an hour or so wandering uphill, crossing raging rivers and enjoying the sunshine!

When we got up to a river that was too fast to cross we found a rock to sit and have snacks while Statler galloped around us. We were up high enough that there was still some snow! Percy was very pleased.

 

After the hike we got cleaned up (Statler flings mud EVERYWHERE!) then we hopped on the bus up to Beaver Creek to hear some blues and eat some BBQ. We didn't fill up because 2 hours later we had to attend 'Ron's fattening up party' thrown by Bugs & Troy, thrown for the occasion of Ron's wedding ring falling right off his finger… Twice.

Troy really went all out and cooked us BEEF WELLINGTON!!! He hadn't made it for 10 years and it was spectacular! It had pate and truffle butter and was encased in yummy bread! That's Bugs in the top left, showing her appreciation for a perfectly cooked piece of meat! The bottom pix is Maria, giving 2 thumbs up to the Beef Wellington.

Bugs & Jessie check to see if Ron has gotten any fatter. It's a new rule that Ron has to weight more than their dog.

After dinner we played Apples to Apples, giggled as Maria told a story about doing a “Butt Crawl” (aka. PUB crawl) and devoured some Tres Leches cake. Bugs wanted everyone to be so full that they left the party “feeling a little sick.” Mission accomplished. Whew.

 

CO day 1: Expedition to Sweetwater Lake

adriennesip1 Comment

Saturday, Jessie & Ron came down to Gypsum and the 6 of us made a trip up to Sweetwater Lake Resort. It's a quaint little place with cabins to rent, a natural lake and a restaurant. It's owned by the family of a guy on Cory's landscaping crew, Cy (sounds like Kai) so we thought we'd check it out.

The drive was gorgeous- slow going on a dirt road but so much to see! We started in Gypsum, then headed north-west into the wilderness! Jasmine the Yorkie was really enjoying herself.

After a scenic and leisurely 45 min. drive, everyone piled out of the truck to take the dogs for a swim.

Statler is a 155 lb Newfoundland who loves the water. He's still working on his grace & poise. Plop!

 

Floyd wasn't interested in jumping off the dock at all… And Jazzie only got wet up to her knees – but she could swim if she wanted to!

After a solid 1/2 hour of running away squealing every time 'Statler the Sprinkler' got back to shore, we headed up to the main lodge for lunch. Expectations were low since they were out of chicken AND pie, but lunch was great! Cy's mom seated us (wearing a hilarious apron with sexy men on it) and Cy's sister, AuraLee took our order. (Did I mention that Cy is short for Coyote?) The buffalo burgers were amazing- and super fresh; they were raised 3 miles down the road! YUM!

Post lunch entertainment was provided by 12-15 whirring, zooming hummingbirds at the feeders on the back porch! If you could hold very still, they would sit on your finger! After all that excitement, we drove home and hung out on Maria's back porch, hoola-hoop and drinking Moose Drool.

Sipkovsky's sure know how to have fun!

 

Cruising I-80: MI to CO

adriennesipLeave a comment

So far the trip has been (thankfully) uneventful. In summary; Iowa has giant wind turbines and Nebraska has lots of farm equipment- especially irrigation systems. We had to make our own entertainment.

Here I will rank the most interesting 10 items:

10 – Tumbleweeds!

9 – Dad's new catchphrase is, “Sucks to be you!”

8- I saw an albino deer in the woods.

7- A guy in Applebee's was wearing a shirt that said, “Don't taze me, Bro!”

6- A mini van had a sticker-family on the back window; Mom, Dad, toddler, baby…. Goldfish!

5- While he drove, Dad put me to sleep with stories about growing corn. Yaawn.

4- Dad really loves the quiet, grooved highway.

3- We saw a semi spray dirt all over some poor construction guy holding a flag.

2- The speed limit in Nebraska is 75! Whee!

1- My personal ringtone on my dad's cell is called “Charming Introduction”. Awwww.

Since Mom & Dad have driven this way many times before, we keep passing towns that spark stories of trip of yore. Such as Atlantic, Iowa where the Red Van's alternator went out & caused flames to shoot out the tailpipe. Mom&Dad stayed at the El-Fordo Inn that night. By all accounts, it could have been a horror movie set. It was dingy and creepy and managed by an elderly couple on oxygen. Mom and Dad got outta there as soon as the alternator was replaced.

 

We stayed in Council Bluffs last night & this morning we watched the Blues Brothers as we got ready. Can you believe Dad hasn't see it!?? Next, I couldn't find my keys and when we thought about where I had them last, it was down @ the ice machine! oh no! luckily, they were under my pillow.

All that panicking made me hungry and we headed for our 'usual' McDonald's. We'd just been there in January. That time, a water main broke and we couldn't order anything requiring water! This time there was a huge construction project and there was an area walled off with plastic. They had taken out all the tables & replaced them with the folding kind, like we were at a church potluck.

As you can see, it's been a whirlwind tour!

 

Perceval Cobblepot the Third (aka. Percy the Penguin)

adriennesip1 Comment

Percy is an adventurous penguin who was adopted from a road-side market in January 2013. As you can see, he loves road trips and my new water cup that Mom got me for my birthday! “HYDRATE!!”, insists Percy.

Percy also is very helpful when we stop for gas. He looks upset in this photo because gas cost $4.19

Percy's friends came up with some clever nicknames for him.

Here are the top 6!

6- Skamanica

5- Mr. Sparkles

4- Meathead

3- Oberon

2- Oswald Cobblepot

1- Percy

Thanks for your votes! More adventures tomorrow !

 

Meeting Nate Nothman: Holocost survivor

adriennesipLeave a comment

Nate Nothman was speaking to a school group and they were late. I had just arrived at the Holocost museum & while I was getting my bearings, he introduced himself. We were standing near a wall that was inscribed with the number of dead in each country: Poland=3 million, USSR=1.5 million… 6 million in total. Nate turns to me & says, “How can anyone deny that the Holocost happened? Send them to me & I will tell them my story & then they will believe!” Then he insisted that I sit in with the class and hear his story.

Nate grew up in Krakow, Poland & lived there with his family. He was 14 in 1937 when the Nazis surrounded his town with electrified fencing and it became a ghetto. Able bodied people were used for labor and every few days, trains would come by to take the less able to the camps.

He was eventually separated from his parents & brother and sent to a work camp. When Berlin was bombed, he was part of a work crew that dug through the rubble to locate Germans who had survived. On the train back to the work camp, he made his escape.

Nate had concealed a small hammer that he used to break the lock on the door of the cattle car. Then, he stuck his arm out and lifted up the lever to open the door. He & 4 other young men leapt from the train- 1 man dashed his head on a rock & died. The rest spent the entire winter in the forests of Czechoslovakia, hiding.

Nearly 6 months later, Nate happened upon a group of American soldiers who offered him a job as a translator. Nate speaks 5 languages. After the war, he was able to come to the United States. There was 1 last hurdle to overcome; the plane had an engine catch fire and forced an emergency landing in Iceland! There was nothing to be done- so they continued to NYC, where they were greeted on the runway be the fire department, who extinguished the flames with a soapy spray. Nate was relieved that God didn't bring him safely through the Holocost just to have him die in a fiery plane crash!

Nate was cracking jokes and teasing the students throughout his talk. He cherishes his family & told everyone to make sure to hug their parents every chance you get! I sure will! He was a delight! This July, Nate turns 90 years young! He was quite pleased that we guessed he was 82! Thanks for a BIG dose of inspiration, Nate!

 

Road Trippin’

adriennesipLeave a comment

Dad and I leave on our road trip May 23rd! (Yup, that's me, feeding him peanut butter!). Dad is the sort of guy you want with you when you drive 2,500 miles across the country. Here's a few reasons why…

#1-He's got a great sense of direction. (Somedays I'm not sure which way is UP…)

#2- He's good at fixing things.

#3-He likes Classic Rock! Perfect road trip music!

#4- He'll drive most of the way and like it!

#5- He is a very experienced packer. (I'm very experienced at bringing too much stuff.)

#6- He will make random stops just to take pictures of rocks or birds or trees or sunsets, etc…

I know for a fact that there are a bunch more things to list… but it's not Father's Day yet so let's save some for his card!

The 23rd & 24th we'll be heading out I-80 West, stopping at Applebee's and Panera's along the way (#7- He's predictable; in a comfortable sort of way.) Then we'll roll past Denver on Saturday morning and arrive in Avon for a long weekend of family time with the Siblings. (Lots of eating, bird watching, dog walking and board games.) Memorial Day Weekend with Jessie + Ron and Cory + Maria! Hooray!

The only one we'll be missing- is MOM!

Then the morning of the 28th, we'll head west through Utah, skirt past Salt Lake City and up into Idaho. After we clear Boise, we'll be in Oregon! I sure am glad that my dad decided to come on this road trip with me! Here's to good mileage, good health, good music and no repairs!

 

 

And some shall be revealed!

adriennesip7 Comments

10 days from now will be my last day working at the Deli. Initially, I was nervous about turning in my notice and spent too long worrying that people would be upset. Realistically, pre-summer is the #1 time people leave the Deli and no one is surprised that I'd rather be outside. So would they! Now, here's the plan!

May 15th: Last Day at the Deli

May 16th: Birthday!

May 17th: Move out of Pontiac Trail House

May 18-22:TBD

May 23rd: CROSS COUNTRY ROADTRIP WITH MY DAD!!!

Here's the HAPS~ When I found out that my landlord was selling my house I (half-heartedly) looked for another room to rent nearby. What I found is that the housing market has really picked up and so has the rent. $$$ I am currently not making enough money to move into a more expensive room so I started to widen my search. And by widen… I mean that I decided I should find a way to get outside for the summer!

Lucky for me~ my dear college friend, Erica had a spare room… IN PORTLAND (not the one near Lansing, Mi and not the one in Maine) OREGON! Wahooo! Erica's finishing up her nursing degree with a residency at a pediatric ER and studying for her board exam. She's also got chickens (how Portland of her!) and a garden and a dog; all at a little cottage in SE Portland.

Once I had my sights set on Portland, people came out of the woodwork! My Camp Jewell friends, Mindy, DeAnna, Melissa (who works at a Jewish Deli!) and Becca (in Seattle)! My Gordonwood friends, Julia Tillinghast and Sarah Walters, who just moved to SE Portland. Also, my sister's best couple friends, 'Shellson' AND my brother's ex-housemate, Matt and his lady! They are all super fun! The list just keeps getting longer! Can't wait to catch up with everyone and take hikes and explore this awesome city!

And YES- I WILL COME BACK TO MICHIGAN! I PROMISE!

I have already purchased a plane ticket to Amsterdam from Detroit, the 1st week of September… so I gotta come back. But more on all that later…

 

Frida is a friend of mine.

adriennesip5 Comments

Heart Like A Four Poster Bed

Leaving is not enough; you must stay gone. Train your heart like a dog. Change the locks even on the house he’s never visited. You lucky, lucky girl. You have an apartment just your size. A bathtub full of tea. A heart the size of Arizona, but not nearly so arid. Don’t wish away your cracked past, your crooked toes, your problems are papier mache puppets you made or bought because the vendor at the market was so compelling you just had to have them. You had to have him. And you did.

And now you pull down the bridge between your houses, you make him call before he visits, you take a lover for granted, you take a lover who looks at you like maybe you are magic. Make the first bottle you consume in this place a relic.

Place it on whatever altar you fashion with a knife and five cranberries. Don’t lose too much weight. Stupid girls are always trying to disappear as revenge. And you are not stupid. You loved a man with more hands than a parade of beggars, and here you stand. Heart like a four-poster bed. Heart like a canvas. Heart leaking something so strong they can smell it in the street.

 

Frida Kahlo to Marty McConnell

A poet-friend posted this on her FB page a bit ago and while I have distinct memories of Frida’s unsettling paintings from high school, this poem made me think I could have been friends with her. It speaks of heartbreak, but not who was at fault…Because that doesn’t matter. They were together and it was beautiful. Then it didn’t work out and now it’s time to move forward.

I love the imagery of a bathtub full of tea. I love thinking of my heart as a sturdy, cozy refuge from the world. I am not a stupid girl. I am a girl who likes to have adventures. So off I go! Wish me luck!

And so it begins!!!

adriennesip2 Comments

My landlord/housemate Cliff is getting married to an awesome girl, Amanda! Hooray! Buuut, that means he is selling the lovely house with the wrap-around porch where we live! So, last week I took Sula to her foster home and this week I turned in my notice @ Zingerman’s! I’ll be there until mid-May, so swing by and say hi any Thurs-Sunday for the next 2 weeks.

Photo: Vito Palmisano