Monday, June 08, 2009

Tiny Road Trip Weekend (And the Kitchen)

I had Friday off work, sort of. My sister Lauren and I had planned a quick trip up to IKEA and the Renegade Handmade store in Chicago.

Friday morning I get a call that I need to stop by a farm in St. Charles, Missouri (on my way to Ikea) and take some photos of a farm and its farmer. I was pretty excited about this prospect because I'm always moaning about the quality of photos I'm given to put in a layout--so this time I could take them myself.



I was a little worried, however, about being a hypocrite. I always tell our writers to stop taking photos in the middle of the day when the light is horrible. On Friday I didn't have much of a choice if I wanted to continue on to Chicago before 2am.

I had a great time shooting out in farm country (only a mile from an engineered community with little boxes all the same). There were beans and corn and planters going over bridges galore. Goldmine! Unfortunately, I was a little pressed for time. And now I can appreciate what our writers go through when taking photos. It's a little distracting to try to talk to the farmer while thinking about if you should have brought a ladder, and how this photo is going to look in layout.



These grain bins show a watermark from the flood of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers last Spring and Summer. Farming is a hard life. I said that to the farmer, and he said, "No. It's a good life. It's treated me really well." He was a really sweet man. Been married for 60 years.


I picked up Larny and we headed up I-55 to stay with my college roommate for the night before all of our adventures the next day. I got a happy meal, and Albert Einstein was in the bottom of the bag! I always forget that you get a toy in those things.



See? It really IS the happiest place on Earth! I think I broke Lauren at Ikea. Then the next day I was exhausted and sickly feeling. I had an Ikea hangover.



Here's the kitchen and a portion of our haul. I'm sick to death of stud finders and allen wrenches, let me tell you. But I was even more weary of the grape-vine buffet thing (heaviest thing in the world, no wonder the previous owner didn't want to move it.). Now it's on the covered deck where it will serve as a drink/food serving station when we have people over. Like next year sometime. Jason says we can't have people over till all the boxes are unpacked, and frankly I just don't see that happening anytime soon. We're getting closer, though!



Hey Jenny--I got that stainless steel table thing in the AS-IS room!! Everything was an additional 20% off in there. I thought of you!

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Posted by Beth Howard @ 8:17 AM

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There's an AS IS room at IKEA????!!!! I soooo want to do that next time!

And, I LOVED Night at the Museum 2---- Einstein's great. :-)

Beth, I think your farm pictures are beautiful. Speaking with farmers is usually a pleasant experience. I used to be part of a milk co-op where we got farm fresh milk and I really enjoyed chatting with the farmers and their wives. Happy folk!

Posted by Blogger Tisra @ 12:22 PM #
 

Farmers, Ikea...and a good deal.
Man! You must be living right!!

Posted by Blogger Jenny Ann @ 3:57 PM #
 

Actually, I was going to buy a piece of furniture @ Ikea, found one in the AS-IS room + thought, what a piece of crap! Good for some things, way too revealing for others.

Holy Cow! the water line is scary!

Not as scary as the thought of you eating a Happy Meal. FOR SHAME! F-O-R S-H-A-M-E!!!!!

Stud Finder (hehehehe)

So I have to wait until NEXT YEAR to see you? It will have been 2 years + I'll either have forgotten you or I'll have to go through some sort of rehab program (maybe Jen + Aaron + I can go in an a 3-fer deal).

Posted by Blogger Shona~ LALA dex press @ 7:13 PM #
 

Lovely shots even in midday. From West Texas I learned that beauty IS where you find it even if you have to find it after hours of searching.

However, it doesn't take long to find it in IKEA.

Posted by Blogger Kristi @ 12:38 AM #
 
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