Tag Archives: WV

Charleston at night

December 8, 2008WVWVwarren

We were driving around Charleston one night this weekend and we drove up on a hill that overlooks the city. Cities in general are not exactly pretty to me, but cities at night are pretty cool. So, we drove up on the hill and I tried to get some decent shots of Charleston with my old point and shoot camera. I was sort of surprised at how cool they turned out (if I do say so myself! Oh yeah, and check out the color of the bridge in the first two pictures. Charleston has installed a system that changes the color). Emily is so funny – she didn’t want the kids to get out of the car for fear of the neighborhood dogs getting them. Captain America did stop his truck nearby to make sure we weren’t evil-doers. He drove off once he saw me fumbling with my camera and tripod in the dark. I guess he figured I was too clutzy to be much of a danger to the neighborhood.

Anyhow, to get from our house to the city, we have to take some pretty crazy, curvy, steep roads. My Dad absolutely does not like to ride with us. From atop the hills in WV, you can see a long ways but if you look down, you may find yourself grabbing on to something. Did you ever notice that freaky feeling that you can’t walk straight and that you might fall down at any moment when you are near the edge of something steep? I am mixed on whether that makes any sense, evolutionarily speaking. I mean, if it makes you take a step back, then it makes sense. However, if you instinctively wobble like a drunken sailor when you are near the edge of some deadly trench, I don’t think it works. Anyhow, living in WV is a surely a test of survival of the fittest. Emily is a native and claims that she is part mountain goat. I also think she is part mountain lion with a little dingo thrown in for good measure!

As I have mentioned before, I like to star gaze a little but most places are not too great for the hobby due to all of the light pollution. These pictures are so full of light that it would seem impossible to see anything. WV is helped a little by the mountains though. Light seems to stay in the valleys (I know it doesn’t really) so star gazing is pretty good, even close to the city.

So, in spite of Charleston being a city, it’s a pretty decent place to live! Of course, the mountains limit your housing options – you can live down on a flat spot in the valley in the flood plain or you can live on the mountain top where you house has this crazy tendency to want to slip down the hill and then you have to call in numerous structural engineers who talk to you about getting a second job to pay for all of the work needed to halt the march of your house down to the flood plain…but more about that later after I get another “cold” that needs “my secret treatment”

Something for your truffles

November 20, 2008Food, WVFood, WVwarren

Chocolate truffles are God’s gift to humankind I think. I am sort of picky about the chocolate I like. For instance, I do not like any chocolate ice cream (really, I don’t like any ice cream), chocolate milk, or hot chocolate. When I see truffles, though, I am willing to pass through fire (except that it would melt the chocolate) to get to them.

We have a local chocolatier family in Charleston, the Holls. They own Holl’s Chocolates and make some really great truffles and chocolate goodness. As much as I love their confections, I can’t really afford to eat their stuff as much as I would like.

Of course, that means it is time to improvise. I have found a few recipes for homemade truffles that are really pretty amazing and simple to make. I doubt I will be putting Holl’s out of business, but it surely satisfies my need to be cheap and well-chocolated. Here is a recipe that we discovered in a flier sent out by Kroger.

Peanut Butter Truffles

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

24 oz. melted chocolate chips (we used semi-sweet though milk chocolate would be good too)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional – for rolling)

1/4 cup cocoa (optional – for rolling)

1/2 cup ground peanuts (optional – for rolling)

Heat Cream with peanut butter in a saucepan. Whisk together as peanut butter melts. Meanwhile, melt chocolate in a double boiler (or microwave as I did). Combine peanut butter mixture with melted chocolate. Add vanilla and place in refrigerator to set (recipe says 10 minutes, I say 3 hours). Once set, scoop truffles with a melon baller (or use a spoon and ball them in your hand) and roll in powdered sugar, cocoa, peanuts (or nothing as we did). Return to refrigerator and let them set again. Keep chilled until you serve them.

I don’t really know how many truffles this recipe makes because I ate a ton of the mixture as it was setting. I also made Shrek-sized truffles, much larger than a typical candy. One is basically a meal in itself!

I only make truffles in November and December for some reason but we’ll make a bunch of them and add to our hibernation weight! There are lots of other recipes out there and all are similar and simple. This is the time of year for experimenting!

Adventure at the Clay Center

November 19, 2008Adventure, Family, Fun, WVAdventure, Family, Fun, WVwarren

We used to live in Nashville, TN before moving to WV. On a visit back to TN last year, we took a tour of the Adventure Science Center. We decided to buy a family membership which is good at many museums and centers across the country…including the Clay Center in WV. This weekend, we decided to head for the Clay Center to see what we could get into. We arrived at 11:45 or so on Sunday morning and basically had the place to ourselves. We took in a planetarium show which included the movie, “Space Oddities” as well as the typical tour of the constellations (which was excellent).

We exited out of the planetarium directly into the art gallery which had a special display of WV artists in addition to the gallery-owned pieces. We each picked our favorite pieces.

In particular, Abigail liked a modern piece and wanted a picture. Of course, we couldn’t take a picture so she is determined to write the artist a letter asking for a print of the piece. I suspect she will succeed. Anyhow, it was great to see them excited to pick their favorites (though they were ready to move on as soon as they had found their pieces). We ventured into two displays they had including Milton Gardener’s Earth City and Health Royale.

Earth City was a cool model of an old-timey road-side attraction where the kids could play with water to discover how it flows as well as see all sorts of gizmos to move water and soak unsuspecting bystanders. They had boots attached to a conveyor belt that the kids manually operated to fill a bin that occasionally dumped. We watched as water trickled down through all sorts of things and saw how steam (fog) travels through a valley.

In Health Royale, there were a number of games, but in particular the kids enjoyed a Hollywood-squares-esque game where various body parts helped the kids answer questions about oral hygeine. Isaac loved the talking brain especially.

Finally, we went to an exhibit called the Gizmo Factory that was all about fun with physics. The kids got to reflect lasers through fog via mirrors, pull themselves up in a chair with pulleys, see how a computer translated their dance into sounds, play a laser harp, and watch water and a ball defy gravity.

All told, we spent 3 full hours exploring the fun at the museum. The best part was that it was all free (aside from our membership which has already paid for itself).

The kids had a blast and would have stayed longer if we would have let them.

We’ll definitely go back and soon. Next week they decorate for Christmas which includes a display of model trains and trees decorated in various styles from around the world. I can’t wait to go back!

A-maze-ing

November 6, 2008Adventure, Family, WVAdventure, Family, WVwarren

Last weekend, the kids went with their Mommaw and Aunt to the corn maze a few towns over. I don’t think they had ever been to such an event but everyone was gung-ho. I have little doubt that Isaac, in particular, was full-throttle the entire time.

The good thing is, the maze is huge and basically walled in with corn. They nicknamed Isaac the streak at the maze, and not because he was garment-challenged. Anyhow, I don’t know what sort of corn they planted but it was super tall and the kids were curious what would happen if they got lost. I told them to shoot sparks from their wands just like Harry Potter. I guess they didn’t buy it though. Isaac had a plan how he would just run right through the corn if necessary.

In a very serious tone, he informed me he was “ready to do what he needed to to get out.” The maze is closed now for this year, but we will probably get back out to it next year (and we’ll remember our wands next time!)

Who picked this location?

October 16, 2008Thoughts, WVThoughts, WVwarren

As I was cruising down through the city the other day, I noticed the placement of these two signs. Now, I don’t know about you, but to me, this was just too funny to pass up. I had to say something about it, but what? I don’t want to make crude jokes on this blog, but I can’t let such a piece of art-in-advertising go unnoticed!

Well, here it goes – I have become aware of the role of the WV Department of Agriculture and incumbent Commissioner Gus Douglass through my involvement with the WV Beekeepers Assoc. I think he is generally well regarded and has done a good job at increasing the visibility of agriculture in the state. I am not sure that I see significant policy differences between Mike Teets and Gus Douglass and both care about the state. I think both seem to be running a clean campaign and are both practicing farmers.

So, how does one choose the better candidate? Does sense of humor matter? I doubt Mike Teets drove by Hooters and thought, “I gotta get me a billboard up there…people are gonna love that!” Still, I won’t forget the candidate’s name come election day. Regardless of which candidate gets my vote, one has instant, though, perhaps unfortunate name recognition. It may be vindication for the years of junior-high torture he had to endure. I don’t know who I will vote for and surely won’t put such an opinion on here, but it really hit me how important advertising and simple name recognition are in politics. It also really makes me appreciate the last name I have!

Fall Soccer

October 6, 2008Family, WVFamily, WVwarren

The kids have participated in soccer for the last few years and here we are, better than half way done with another season. I am the coach for Isaac’s team and an assistant for Abigail’s team so they are stuck with me.

Anyhow, both kids are pretty good and seem to really enjoy playing. I sort of dig being involved with the team as well.

Abigail has strep throat (it started this weekend…we went to the doc this morning) so did not play on Saturday.

These pics are from last week’s game. I played in high school, but I don’t think I ever had as much fun as the kids are having this year! Isaac’s age group is the first to have goalies and to use refs. I really enjoy having the refs run the game. Mostly the refs are 9th(?) graders but they are very professional and really great.

Coaches still run Abigail’s age group which its own sort of fun…just like herding cats! Either way, the most important part of the game is snack time at the end! I remember playing baseball as a kid. I mostly did not enjoy baseball but I absolutely loved riding in the back of someone’s pickup truck, hair (when I still had some) blowing in the breeze on the way to the tastee-freeze. I still love a good twist ice cream cone!

We don’t ride in the back of trucks anymore but snack time is just as big a deal!

Something fowl at Cookskin Park

September 25, 2008Adventure, Family, Nature, WVAdventure, Family, Nature, WVwarren

This past Sunday, we decided to clear our house of some extra bread that was going stale. Coonskin Park has a pond that we knew would have ducks and geese so we packed up the van for a ride. We grabbed a quick lunch and took a short turn on the playground near the lake. By the way, the Cookskin playground is pretty awesome. It has little or no wood (translate: little or no chance of splinters) and has tons of tunnels and bridges and things to climb and swing on. Anyhow, I got itchy to feed the ducks.

I felt a little like a target carrying around a bag full of killer geese treats. At first, the birds were pretty well spaced around the pond but the smell of bread brought them to us quickly. They came from all sides. A flight of ducks and geese came in from overhead, all the time dropping bombs (luckily, they missed!) before they landed. We were overrun with fowl at the park but we all had a lot of fun feeding them. One goose in particular kept sticking his tongue out at us. I fed him every time he did it so we trained each other a little I suppose.

Anyhow, it was an absolute blast to watch them interact and swim and fly.

We used to live in Bowling Green, KY and Emily and I would go to a nearby park a lot during the summer to walk and talk. There was a big pond there too and we used to feed the ducks frequently. We were so poor that it was a stretch to throw even stale bread to the birds.

Anyhow, this was before kids and I really enjoyed feeding the ducks. I have to tell you, as fun as that was then, it is so much more fun seeing the kids getting into it. They had favorites, but tried to be fair. Abigail talked to them like they were unruly children. It was an absolute blast! We’ll definitely go again!

Green Power in WV

September 24, 2008Green, WVGreen, WVwarren

Appalachian Power has started a new program where customers can purchase renewable energy credits (RECs) to offset their carbon footprint. Renewable energy credits are created whenever a renewable energy generator makes power from renewable resources. Basically, when a wind generation station sells power to the grid, it generates these credits which are certified and sold to individuals or entities like AEP. Credits are unique so when I purchase RECs, I know that the power we bought was generated at a renewable source.

We took a vacation trip to Canaan Valley 2 years ago and were able to see some wind turbines up close and personal. They are incredible and massive and pretty neat landscape features actually…sort of like flowers springing from the mountain tops.

Of course, I don’t live super near them but I certainly liked seeing them in action. The Eastern mountains of WV are a great location for wind turbines and I am so excited to be able to buy power from them or similar sources. WV is very much a coal state and that is fine (though I think mountain top removal is despicable), but I am particularly excited to be a part of helping to make WV an energy state. We can make clean energy here. So, we are planning to purchase RECs to offset our power consumption and make our stay on the 3rd rock from the sun a little cleaner. We currently average 1447 kwh per month so we will purchase to offset that. Our next goal, then, is to look around our house and find ways to reduce that number. Our hot water and oven are electric and I am not compelled to replace those items. We will likely have to address our normal patterns of usage and look at our other appliances as well. It should be interesting but will pay off!

World’s Strongest Man

September 16, 2008WVWVwarren

The World’s Strongest Man competition was in Charleston the past two weeks and drew quite a few folks to see the event. We watched the keg toss qualifying last weekend and tried to watch the plane pull in the finals this weekend. The guys who compete in these events are absolutely enormous and very intense. They were great with the crowds though so it was a good bit of fun. Charleston was showcased and the fans were fantastic…everyone was cheered regardless of where they came from. It was hard not to cheer for the guys performing these incredible tasks. Anyhow, my only complaint was at the plane pull.

The athletes were to pull a C-130 plane at the national guard air base. We waited for an hour after it was supposed to start on the scorching tarmac and they still hadn’t harnessed anyone to the plane.

There was no water and no excuse for not starting close to on time. Photo ops and warm-ups should have been done ahead of time. Ok, rant over. Still, it was neat to be at the airport to see the huge planes and the large crowd. Our local boy, Phil Pfister placed 4th overall this year after winning in 2006.

Monkeys?

September 15, 2008Family, WVFamily, WVwarren

We had a family reunion last weekend and apparently we are descended from monkeys…My kids and their uncle shimmied up and down the lally columns in the basement of the house in which we met. Isaac has always been a climber so he had no trouble.

Abigail is definitely more hesitant but that’s her nature. I am not sure about uncle though. He looks natural in the picture but I can’t speak to his pole climbing experience. Anyhow, we had a lot of fun at the reunion. I am not sure if families do this much any more.

My grandpa’s people (there were 8 brothers and sisters that survived into adulthood) used to get together once a year. All 200 or so cousins would goof around on the farm, swim in the pool, drink way too much pop from the fountain machine…you know, kids’ stuff. Anyow, as the number of original brothers and sisters dwindled (my grandpa is the last at 94!), the reunion shrank significantly. I am partly to blame as I didn’t make the trip back home. Still, I wonder if it is a fading tradition. Well, this new reunion is going strong and we surely enjoy attending. My kids get to be monkeys just like I used to be. I have learned though…no free soda fountain!

My Home Among The Hills

Life in WV!