Family, Karaoke, Fire and Giant Marshmallows

The Oster Family Reunion started with karaoke and ended with a bonfire. We all stayed at the Yellowstone Valley Inn in Wapiti, Wyoming, just outside of Cody. It was fairly secluded, so we spent most of our time on the grounds.

We missed Friday night's dinner, but made it in time for the karaoke. There were two guys--one emcee and one Karaoke Jockey (KJ)--in the karaoke bar, who desperately tried to get some of the Osters on stage. Everyone was acting shy, so Warren, who was completely sober, decided to get on stage and show everyone how it's done. (He is a Yosemite Sam's graduate.) Sadly, he did not do a solo Billy Idol. Instead he, the emcee and KJ all sang "Elvira." It was pretty hilarious. Awesome enough that the kids put down their DSes and ran over to the stage to marvel at their dad!

Saturday was the horseback riding I already told you about, followed by swimming and a hike in the nearby trails. The last official activity was the traditional auction and BBQ dinner. Just when we thought all of the fun was over, everyone gathered outside for a bonfire. Aunt Jackie had graham crackers and chocolate and Aunt Nellie just happened to have a bag of the most gigantic marshamallows ever, making it a smashing success.

Daddy Daddy, Buy Me a Pony!

While we were in Wapiti, Wyoming for the family reunion, we got to go horseback riding with Warren's brother, Neal, and his two daughters, Ali and Sydney. The monkeys and I had never been before so we were extra excited. Well, Jiro was a little apprehensive, but excited too. I thought for sure he'd end up sharing a horse with me, but it turns out it was actually safer for him to ride solo (on a very mellow horse being led by our cowboy-for-hire). Satchel opted to have his horse pulled too, but the rest of us took the reigns. I wasn't really nervous until I nearly flew over my horse, Flint, when attempting to get in the saddle. (So embarrassing!) Turns out all of the horses were very cooperative and we had a nice, easy two hour ride through the gorgeous Shoshoni National Forest. (Flint did take advantage of my kind nature, and we often got behind due to his grass munching.) It was so much fun! Even though I was in pain by the end, it was totally worth it.

Sight-Seeing

Our second day of driving took us through Kansas, Iowa, and South Dakota. Our main entertainment consisted of listening to newly acquired music on our ipods and updating our Facebook pages via our iphones. (And eating! But that's a different blog.)

Once in South Dakota, the sight-seeing began. Until we got to South Dakota. Behold the infamous Corn Palace!


Personally, I would have been more impressed had it actually been MADE of corn rather than just decorated with it.

There were a million signs for a place called Wall Drug and a dinosaur park and other kitschy locales, but by the time we passed by it was getting late and Jiro was conked out in the backseat. We got a hotel room in Rapid City, South Dakota, then set sail for Wyoming the next morning.

Wyoming had some really cool things to check out as well. First, the Vore Buffalo Jump. Native Americans chased buffalo off of cliffs to kill them back before horses and guns. The Vore Buffalo Jump is a sinkhole where archaeologists have found over 20,000 bison remains! Our resident archaeologist was thrilled.


The junior archaeologists were pretty excited too. It was interesting to learn how the Native Americans used every.single.bit of the buffalo. (Well, except the bones, I guess!)


Our next destination was Devil's Tower, best known for its appearance in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."


We didn't have time to climb all the way to the top (ha!), but the monkeys loved bouncing around on the rocks that surrounded the base. There were actually rock climbers on the Tower and we watched them in amazement through our binoculars.

The Tower is held sacred by many people, and you could see little prayer bundles everywhere.



Adjacent to the Tower was a town of prairie dogs. The monkeys loved them. Jiro said they looked like little bears, not dogs. We spent a good deal of time just watching them roam around and pop their little heads up.


I captured this dog on my "real" camera. Warren took pics on his iphone and the kids took pictures with their DSes. (What is the plural of DSi?) It was hilarious and obnoxious, but the dogs didn't seem to mind mugging for us.

The final fun of this leg was our drive through Bighorn National Forest. We actually drove over a mountain. It was gorgeous and we must have pulled over 20 times just to explore.



Read more about this part of our adventure in my column, Road trip a 'vacation' for a new generation.

KOA

On Wednesday we hit the road for the tri-annual (if that's actually a word) Oster Family Reunion set to take place outside Yellowstone National Park in Wapiti, Wyoming. We got a bit of a late start, but still made it to our Day 1 goal destination: Kansas City, Missouri. Warren's mom had been telling us how much they enjoy the KOA campgrounds, so along the way, I visited their website (on my iphone) and made a reservation for a kabin.

How is a kabin different from a cabin, you ask? Well the KOA campsites--er, kampsites--are very family-friendly. That means there's usually a pool and a playground. Sometimes there's even mini golf, a trampoline, or something even more exciting. We were sold.


We pulled in right at dusk and the kids were very excited. Our little kabin was very cute and came equipped with a mini fridge, TV, and grill. We also had a double bed with bunkbeds right next to it. Satchel immediately announced that he was sleeping on the top bunk. This was noteworthy because he has bunkbeds at home and he has only slept in the top bunk once. (Apparently the proximity of the bunkbeds to our bed made it not scary. He asked if I could move our bed into his room when we got home.)

There was only one flaw in our KOA plan. The linens. And the towels. (That's two problems unless towels are actually linens.) I packed sleeping bags but no sheets or pillows. That made for a very uncomfortable night's sleep. The lack of towels made swimming, and more importantly, showering (in the communal bathrooms) impossible. (Or unadvisable at the very least.)

Warren really wanted to get his grill on too, but we had no suitable grill food, grilling utensils, or seasoning.

So yeah. Good idea in theory. We discussed buying some gear at a Target along the way for the rest of our trip, but our aching necks convinced us to splurge on a hotel room for Day 2 of our three day drive.

Quiltsurround

A few weeks ago, Greely Myatt unveiled his Quiltsurround sculpture (?) downtown. It's covering up city hall's unsightly air conditioning unit. Myatt made it out of old traffic signs. I just think it is fabulous. I noticed it from the street immediately, but had to see it up close. (You can only see about half of it from Front Street.) I walked down on my lunch break one day and just, well, communed with it.

Today I got a chance to take the monkeys to see it. I don't think they appreciated it as much as me, but they had fun checking it out.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

And lookie here--I found a video from Arts Memphis TV on the artist:

Do Duds

Last week I started a four day work week. (Four ten hour days.) It was a killer,but when my four day weekend rolled around, I was thrilled. (I'm alternating Monday and Friday off so every other week I get a four day weekend!)

Friday I ran a bunch of errands in anticipation of the Rock-n-Romp, got a haircut, a new headshot for the CA, and even squeezed in a movie (Away We Go--so good!). Monday I planned to clean house and do a few long neglected projects (i.e. paint Kilz over the mold patch in the bathroom). Our washing machine broke for good on Friday night, and the part Warren needs to fix it won't be here til Thursday, so I ended up spending the bulk of my morning at the laundry-mat.

I haven't been to Do Duds in, oh, eleven years? It was just as I remembered it.


Thanks to the rain storm, I had it pretty much to myself. (A five-year-old Spider-Man joined me a little later.) I really wanted to blow all of my quarters on Mrs. Pac-Man, but I opted to play with my camera and fancy new phone instead.

I actually liked how fast I got a week's worth of laundry done. I didn't like folding in front of an audience though. That was a little weird.

When I got home, Warren asked if I dried the clothes at the laundry mat too. He actually thought I was going to wash them and then bring them home to dry in our functioning dryer. That never crossed my mind. Must be a Mars/Venus thing.

Anyways, he was home early due to the rain, so we decided to skip cleaning and go see a movie. (This time it was Moon--also very good.) The funny thing is that we decided to see a 1:30 movie at 1:30 at a theater across town. Despite the twenty minute drive and Diet Coke purchase at the snack bar, we didn't miss a single minute.

When the movie was over, we ran a few errands and then picked up the kids for a dinner on the town. We ended the evening with a bike ride through Overton Park.

Not a bad way to spend a Monday.

French Fort

Monday morning, I took the monkeys downtown to see their dad hard at work excavating Fort Pickering, a Civil War fort, in the oldest part of Memphis. He's been braving the heat for over two weeks now, but it looks like it's worth it--the digging is way more interesting than sitting at a desk.

The monkeys love playing in the dirt, so they fit right in. Satchel actually requested to stay all day. In the short time we were there they found some artifacts of their own, got a mini-history lesson, and saw all the aspects of a Phase II dig. Not a bad way to start the day.

Feastival

On Sunday afternoon we went to the first annual Feastival at Whitton Farms. We were absolutely blown away.

We barely manage to keep up with our yard, so I am officially in awe of Jill & Keith Forrester. They grow all kinds of stuff (flowers, vegetables, shitakes), raise chickens, keep bees, and who knows what else. It was a real treat to get to hang out in their "yard" eating delicious food and listening to great music.

They let everyone explore the grounds on foot, and by tractor! They set up a slip-n-slide for the kids and even let them take a dip in their pool. The monkeys were in heaven! We all were. I seriously wanted to move in. (Although I'm sure the hard work needed to keep the farm going would eventually get me booted.)


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

My only regret is that I missed the pie eating contest!! And Jiro was disappointed that the well we told him about was not a whale.

What a great way to spend the day. Mark your calendars for next year!

We Rocked. We Romped.

Read all about it over on the Rock-n-Romp blog.

Media Blitz

In anticipation of Saturday's Rock-n-Romp at the Shell, we've been doing a media blitz. It's our first ever public show and our first ever partnership with the Memphis Music Foundation. We're really excited! We have a great line up (Robby Grant, Scandalouz Vandalistz, and the Kenny Brown Band) and lots of fun activities planned for the kids (sprinklers, a badass Balloon Man, and the Hooper Troopers). Oh and lots of beer!

Yesterday Robby Grant and his son, Five, kicked off the media blitz by giving the Live at 9 viewers a little preview of their set for Saturday. The board members and some friends brought their kids along and we had a nice little romp right there in Peabody Place. Marvin Stockwell and Pat Worley Mitchell also did an interview.

Later that afternoon, Marvin, Kate Crowder, and I went to WKNO to do a "Checking on the Arts" spot with Kacky Walton. It was really fun to meet her in person (and hear her cuss like a sailor when not on air) and get to promote one of my pet projects on my favorite radio station.


This week's Flyer also features a RnR piece, The Swing Set, by Mary Cashiola. She popped into our Debbie Lee mixer last week and got the deets on Rock-n-Romp's humble beginnings in Debbie's DC backyard.

Saturday morning, Marvin will hit the airwaves again on Action News Weekend.

Hopefully all of our hard work (and fun) will pay off. We'd really love to see a big crowd on Saturday. (Hint, hint. I'm talking to you! Tell your friends!)

We'll start at 4pm, so plan your kids' naps accordingly!

For Those about to Soft Rock

A few weeks ago, Shannon gave us a head's up about the Gustafer Yellowgold show at the Barnes and Noble in Germantown. I had never heard of it, so I checked out the website. Described as cross between "Yellow Submarine" and Dr. Suess, I was intrigued.

I thought it might be a little "young" for the monkeys, but decided to check it out anyway. I ordered the first CD/DVD combo and set up a test screening at home. We played the CD in the car first, and it was met with lukewarm enthusiasm. THEN we played the DVD, which is full of homemade drawings and minimal animation for each song. The monkeys loved it! When we played the CD in the car the second time, it totally came alive and we were all singing along.

I mentioned that the guy who created Gustafer Yellowgold was coming to town and asked if the monkeys wanted to go check it out. "YES!" they replied, hardly believing their luck.

As we drove out to the burbs, I patted myself on the back for being 1) a super mom and 2) Gustafer Yellowgold's dream fan. However, once we walked in and saw the very small crowd assembled, I realized that I should have 3) gotten the word out to all of my friends.

Anyway, while waiting to get started Morgan Taylor, the voice of Gustafer and the artist behind the videos, was sitting off to the side of his projector enjoying a sandwich with his young son. Meanwhile his wife was busy unloading merch and attractively displaying it across mini benches. It was precious.

A nice B&N employee did a little introduction and then the show started. Morgan started off by saying, "Who's ready to soft rock?" which was hilarious.

The monkeys had a short list of songs they wanted to hear and Morgan played them all, including "Your Eel."


(Warren does his own rendition of this song called "Your Unagi.")

Between songs, Morgan did some storytelling and cracked a few jokes. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I would love to get him at a Rock-n-Romp, or sit out on the Shell on a Saturday afternoon listening to him play. I talked to his wife a bit, and it turns out they've been touring since January, so who knows, they just might come back some day!

Until then, check out the CDs/DVDs!

Silly Faces

Jiro commandeered my camera at breakfast and instructed each of us to make a silly face.

Fireworks on the Bluff

After a lovely day spent in the Alleys' backyard, we rushed downtown to catch the fireworks. Sadly, we ended up seeing most of them while stuck in traffic, but we did make it to the bluff for the finale and some cardboard surfing. The boys were having so much fun, I decided to give it a go. Jiro and I piled on a piece of cardboard and took off down the hill. We were going really fast and near the bottom, we totally wiped out and flipped over each other. I mooned hundreds of people, which was bad, but I didn't completely squash Jiro, so that was good. I bruised the hell out of my shoulder, but I feel that I narrowly avoided a much more serious injury. Satchel informed me that "everyone who sits up wipes out." I would have appreciated that nugget of advice a little sooner! (Somebody remind me next year!) All I could say was, "Wow, good thing I had a few beers or this would really hurt."

Summer Drive-In

I'm 37 years-old and I have never been to a drive-in movie--until tonight. Man, I have been missing out! What fun! (And what a bargain! $7 per adult, kids under 10 free--for a double feature! Concessions were also cheaper than a normal Malco. One caveat--you need to be able to stay awake past 8:45pm!)

Satchel was so intrigued by the drive-in concept. It was hilarious. He just couldn't fathom how a movie could be played on a big screen in the middle of a parking lot.

The weather was actually quite nice and it was fun to be doing something different. Warren and I sat in the front seats of the car, and the monkeys alternated between the backseat, the hood, the ground, and my lap. (Jiro was a 50 lbs. heating blanket!)


We were just getting our feet wet tonight. Next time we'll have a grill, exotic seafood, fancy beverages, and a large pick-up truck with a giant bean bag in the back. Oh, and someone who can take really good pictures!

Bicycle

This week's column has the best title ever! (Not.) Bike rides in park take path to smiles details our latest adventures. Take a peek if you have a minute.