by jphilo | Jun 16, 2014 | Family, Out and About
Camp Dorothy’s namesake, the camp’s activity director, and the man of steel are home safe and sound after a camp weekend that was on the wild side. Just how wild was it? So wild that someone didn’t notice the absence of Wheel of Fortune. So wild that in 48 short hours, the camp’s namesake managed to:
- Eat wilted lettuce and fresh strawberries.
- Beat the camp director and the man of steel playing SkipBo.
- Tour the newly remodeled church she attended during the years she lived in Le Mars.
- Enjoy supper with her sister, brother-in-law, and niece.
- Sleep through two separate storm warnings.
- Count windmills from Le Mars to Spit Rock State Park until the flooded fields caught her attention instead.
- Observe firsthand the damage at Luverne, Minnesota caused when the dam at Blue Mound State Park burst after a night of heavy rain.
- Spend three hours receiving hugs from nieces and nephews, eating delicious picnic food, and having her photo taken in a pink top hat and purple feather boa. (The activity director apologizes for forgetting to grab her own camera to record the moment and for not asking the photo booth operator to email the image in time for this post!)
- Watch a 1950 home movie of a trip to the Black Hills by the camp’s namesake (at about the age of the above photo), her parents, and her younger sister that contained an abundance of footage of people emerging from outhouses.
- Confess she took the footage of her father snoring in the back seat of their car during the trip.
- See the love in her nephews’ and nieces’ eyes when they hugged her good-bye.
- Work on crossword puzzles during the 5 hour trip home.
- Say she’d had a wonderful day.
- Head straight to bed upon return to the activity director and man of steel’s home.
Camp Dorothy on the wild side wraps up later this morning, when the activity director takes the camp namesake to Hickory Park for lunch (yum!), a doctor’s appointment (yuck!), and then home to her very own bed. (Ahh!)
by jphilo | May 23, 2014 | Out and About
Camp Dorothy went on the road Tuesday with a rockin’ and rollin’ multi-destination trip. The camp’s namesake was packed and waiting at the door when the activity director arrived. Moments later, Iowa’s Thelma and Louise were on their way to the first destination:
The doctor’s office.
Six month check up time for Dorothy, and she passed the doctor’s examination with flying colors. The only thing that flustered her was the fasting blood draw. She came out of there saying, “They took a lot of blood. They nearly sucked me dry. I need coffee.”
She also needed breakfast.
So our second stop was Perkin’s, where Dorothy had her favorite of all time meal: pancakes. With coffee to wash it down. So much coffee that she agreed a bathroom break was in order before we hit the road again. Even though the bathroom was a far piece from the booth where we were sitting. A few minutes later, we were out the door and on the interstate, headed non-stop for Albert Lea, Minnesota.
Or so we thought.
Just south of Story City, Mom requested a bathroom break. The activity director snagged the handicapped parking spot outside the McDonald’s, and the camp’s namesake trooped off to the bathroom. A few minutes later she emerged feeling, as she put it “pounds lighter.” The activity director knew better than to inquire further, as the answer would include details she didn’t want to know.
A TMI situation to be avoided at all cost.
The remainder of the trip was a race. We were supposed to meet the son-in-law of the camp’s namesake’s at 1:30 in Albert Lea. Due to the unexpected potty break, we were running late. Even so, we arrived before he did, so Dorothy ordered lunch…just before she realized another potty break was in order.
Guess where the bathroom was?
Clear on the other side of the building…beyond the McDonalds, Cold Stone Creamery, Pizza Hut, Verizon kiosk, clothing display, snack food, aisles, and the coffee bar. The Camp Dorothy version of a cross-country hike designed to work up a camper’s appetite. By the time she got to the bathroom, our camp namesake was pooped.
No pun intended.
The return trip nearly did her in, but Dorothy rallied enough to eat her sandwich (though not the fries, which the ravenous camp director consumed), greet her son-in-law, and decide she needed ice cream for dessert. Which she instructed the activity director (who’s allergic to ice cream) to order for her.
Cruel, cruel request.
The ice cream finished, the fickle camp’s namesake ditched one activity director for another and headed north with her son-in-law. As the jilted activity director drove home, she thought about Dorothy’s response to the doctor’s question about her memory. Based on observations over the previous six months, the activity director prompted her. “Do you think maybe you’re having a harder time with your short term memory?” To which the camp’s namesake gave the director a blank look and replied, “Who are you?”
Gotta love her!
by jphilo | May 19, 2014 | Out and About
This weekend, I made an unexpected quick trip back to Le Mars, Iowa. A cousin emailed to say the church we attended as kids, which she and her family still attend, had completed the major addition and renovation they’d been working on for the past year. Though she wouldn’t mention that she also chaired the building committee that led the project, I’m happy to give her the credit she’s due.
The picture above shows the new addition designed to be handicapped accessible. The new construction sits right over the old entrance, which could be accessed in two ways. One way had 3 steps, if I remember correctly. The other way had about 10. Either way, Mom could only get Dad into church with the help of several strong men. But once they got into church, much of the building (including the bathroom toilet) was inaccessible to him.
My cousin treated me and her children, who were back for the gala weekend, a tour of the church. The renovation work was thoughtfully done. It merged well with the older, existing building and it’s beautiful sanctuary.
But as part of a family for whom attending church was an exercise in wheelchair logistics for Mom and of bathroom logistics for Dad, the new construction and renovation boiled down to two things. It was all about the elevator and the bathrooms. Both of which this renovation tended to with style.
Well done, United Methodist Church of Le Mars. Thank you for breaking down barriers so every special needs family in town can enter your church building with dignity. Now be ready to welcome them with welcoming arms.
by jphilo | May 9, 2014 | Out and About
In the interest of full disclosure, you should know that my brush with greatness was more like an editorial luck of the draw. I was just one of many workshop presenters at last weekend’s Together We Can Conference hosted by Ask Resources and Disability Iowa.
Senator Tom Harkin, however, gave the morning’s keynote address. And for some strange reason, my bio was listed right below his on the speaker information sheet. Lest your knowledge of my active imagination makes you doubt the claim, consult the photo above.
Now, it’s also true that my proximity to the senator did not extend beyond the realm of print. I was not invited to sit at his table, though some people who later attended my workshops were, and that counts for something.
It’s also true that my skill with the iPad meant that taking the picture below was quite a distraction to the people at the table where we sat two tables away from the Senator’s table.
It’s also true that the distraction I created may have been the reason none of the people at my table came to my workshop. But I don’t want to talk about that.
Instead, I’d like to mention this truth to those who approve of Harkin’s politics and those who don’t. He introduced and managed the bill that created the Americans With Disabilities Act that was signed into law in 1994. Because of his work, public places are now accessible to all citizens.
That may not seem like much to you. But as the daughter of Harlan Stratton, a man who could not enter our public library, post office, or city hall, I know that what Harkin did was life-changing for many people. Because of that bill, parents who have disabilities can attend their children’s parent/teacher conferences. They can take their kids Christmas shopping. They can enjoy parks together and go swimming. All things my father couldn’t do with me and my siblings during the 1960s when we were growing.
Last Saturday, I realized I’ve been twice brushed by disability advocate greatness. First, by my father who didn’t get bitter because he was denied access to public buildings. Instead, he rolled outside in his wheelchair on warm, summer days so the kids in our neighborhood learned to put a face to disability. And second, by having my name listed next to the name of a Senator who wrote laws to make those buildings my dad couldn’t enter accessible to all.
To both men, I say the same thing: What an honor to have been in your presence.
by jphilo | Apr 11, 2014 | Out and About
How can it be Friday already? I’ve been playing catch up since returning from the Accessibility Summit in the DC Metro area–a day late thanks to US Airlines cancelling their Sunday night flight to Des Moines because they couldn’t assemble a crew willing to fly to our state capitol.
Who doesn’t want to fly to Iowa in April?
Along with unpacking, doing the laundry, debriefing the conference, and mentally composing a letter of complaint to the airline (they paid for our hotel, but did not issue flight vouchers or pay for meals and extra parking fees), I’ve given considerable thought to the cultivation of cilantro.
Why cilantro?
Because at Monday morning’s flight-bumped breakfast in DC, my egg wrap (minus the cheese) at Busboys and Poets included a cilantro-heavy salsa that almost made the extra day of travel worth it. (Please don’t pass that tidbit on to US Airlines.) The deliciousity of the salsa motivated me to return cilantro, which I mentally banished from this year’s herb garden, as a resident in this year’s herb garden.
Why was it banished?
Because for 3 years running it bolted before I could pick it. A quick internet search led to www.Sunset.com and an article about how to grow cilantro. Several problems with my cultivation techniques surfaced:
- Cilantro grows best in cool weather. Like tomorrow would be a good day to start planting.
- Once weather turns hot, it needs a shady spot. Mine’s been on the south side of the house.
- Frequent haircuts keep it producing longer.
Guess what’s happening at our house this weekend? One of us will do the heavy potting soil lifting, and one of us will sow cilantro and brush up on plant barbering. It’s gonna be fun…and quite possibly in the near future, very tasty.
What about you? Have you fine tuned the fine art of raising cilantro? Do you have cultivation or barbering tips? Please leave a comment.
Photo Source: www.sunset.com
by jphilo | Apr 7, 2014 | Out and About
Sorry about the missed post Friday. I was in the DC area for the Accessibility Summit at McLean Bible Church and spent Friday recovering from the non-stop flight from Des Moines to Reagan International airport and the shuttle ride the airport to the hotel the day before.
Because the flight was direct, I expected to see both Iowa Senators, all the Congressmen, their aids and Kevin Spacey on the flight. I admit to being a tad disappointed by their absence, but viewing the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building as the airplane landed made up for it.
I was pleasantly surprised to be the only passenger on the 9:30 AM shuttle other than the driver, too. Kinda like a taxi ride, only cheaper, I congratulated myself as he pulled away from the curb.
My perky Polly outlook took a dive when the driver picked up his cell phone and talked his way through several miles of the trip. “Never listen to our lead driver,” he admonished the person on the other end of the call. “He knows nothing. Don’t follow his directions. Just use your GPS.” Their conversation was cut short when the driver took the exit ramp, immediately slowed, drove onto the shoulder, and then put the shuttle into reverse to back onto the freeway again.
“Wrong ramp,” he explained before making his way to the next ramp and exiting again.
My heart raced until the soothing view of green grass, magnolias, cherry trees and forsythia in bloom calmed my spirit and lowered my pulse quite nicely. It skipped a beat or two at the sight of the rows and rows of grave markers in the Arlington Cemetery. It skipped a few more beats when a huge building came into view and my inner spy kicked into gear.
Is it the CIA? FBI? Not enought sides for the Octogon, and too many 90° angles for the Pentagon, I thought.
But a sign proclaimed it to be a Pentagon despite my skepticism, and for a while I was too excited to notice the seedy neighborhood the shuttle driver was barreling through. The neighborhoods and the scenery looked nothing like previous trips from the airport. I was just beginning to wonder if the driver was really an Octogon tourist and I was his hostage to get to Broccoli Obama when I remembered I’d only flown into Dulles International before.
Moments later, the Metro rail line construction zone near the hotel came into view, and I began to smile. The driver pulled into the hotel drop off, came around and opened my door. A warm breeze ruffled my hair. I exited the van with a smile. What’s better than a spring day in DC? I asked myself.
Right before I began to sneeze.
Photo Source: Creative Commons kmf164