Omaha - Day 4, Part One

Today was our last day in Omaha.

Our flight didn't leave until 5:45 p.m., so we got up early, and already had plans to drive about 2.5 hours and visit Kansas and Missouri. I have a goal to find a geocache in every state, and this trip afforded us an opportunity to add 4 new states to the list.

The drive down was pretty monotonous. The roads are straight, and flat. Nothing but farmland around.

We made it to Elwood, Kansas, and then drove over to St. Joseph, Missouri. There was a beautiful riverwalk trail in St, Joseph, and I'm just sorry that we didn't get to spend more time there.

But while we were there, the Navy's Blue Angels were practicing over head. Apparently, St. Joseph was hosting an air show that weekend, and we were in the direct path of practice. It was a great (although a bit unnerving) experience. I swear they were flying so low that our hair was getting messed up from the breeze they were producing, and they were leaving wake in the Missouri River!

We grabbed a bite for lunch, then headed back up the monotonous highway, so we would be on time for our flight.

We arrived back in Omaha a bit early, so can you guess where we went?

You got! Harrah's!

Now, let me just take a minute to share a funny story with you.......

Each prior visit to Harrah's was done at night, in the dark. We had parked in the front of the hotel, and walked down a long corridor to the casino. We knew there were Riverboat Casino's as well, and had seen signs for parking toward the Riverboat. We also knew, that while we were in the casino, there were signs over several doors that said "BOATS" with an arrow. We assumed that meant that was the way to the Riverboat. Naturally.

So this day, it was daylight, and we thought we'd drive around to the Riverboats to check it out.

We drove around back, and there it was. We parked in the that parking lot, and went in to the attached building to pass through security. (Yep, security at all entrances...)

Got through security just fine (with yet another guard gawking at my new VA license), and opened the door to check out the Riverboat.

And we walked into the casino we'd been playing in for the last 3 days.

Yes, we'd been on the Riverboat the entire time, and not known it.

Boy, did we feel silly!!!!!!!!!

We spent about an hour there, before heading back to the airport.

We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, got checked in at our gate, and grabbed a bite to eat at about 4:30p.m.

That was the end of the good.

The UGLY will come in another post. Probably tomorrow...

AMW

Omaha - Day 3 Cont.

When we last left off, I did an entire post about the zoo. It was fun!! But now on to the rest of day 3.

D finished the day early from the conference, so we had time to do some sight-seeing together. We went back to the Pedestrian Bridge, took our time, and walked all the way to Iowa!

We wandered around the riverfront area for a bit longer, taking in some of the other sites.

Then, we decided to go out for STEAK!

We had tons of good suggestions, but had to narrow it down to one place. We ended up back at Upstream Brewing Company, where I had eaten the night before, because someone said the steaks there were good. And they were right! Delicious! Probably one of the most tender steaks I've had.

After dinner, we headed out to a small event that we had heard about at a local diner, and there we met some great folks, and had pie a-la-mode for dessert.

And to top off the night, I should come as no surprise that we swung by our now regular hangout - Harrah's Casino.

And just in case you were wondering, no, we didn't win big. Again. But we did have a ton of fun. We took D's co-worker this time, and battled the raging weather to make it out there and back.

Just a warning... Day 4 is coming in two parts. The good, and the bad/ugly.

Stay tuned...

AMW

Omaha - Day 3

Yep, even more good!

This morning was my morning for the zoo! And boy was I excited! I could hardly wait until they opened to get there. I get to see PENGUINS!

Oh, you didn't know I have this fascination with the flightless bird? I didn't mention that I have an extensive collection of penguins, or that I have one tattoo'd on my body??? Ooops.

Anyhow.... Moving on.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one excited about getting to the zoo early! It was FIELD TRIP DAY! I'm not sure for how many schools, but there were a LOT of children there. And on a Thursday, to boot.

No problem....

I made it to the penguin exhibit first thing, and hung out there for a while. I took mostly video there, but did get a couple of pictures. It totally made my morning!

I then just wandered around the entire zoo.

For some reason, I really like this picture. It was of the gorilla above it, and he was sleeping with his foot against the glass. A very big foot!

This sea lion was full, and started sunning himself on a full belly!

The zoo was educational, too. I learned how butterflies reproduce!

And learned that wild turkeys sometimes roam around zoo grounds.

I got back to the hotel early afternoon, and soon learned that D would have the rest of the afternoon off too.

Today's post was taken up entirely by zoo pictures, so I'll leave the afternoon adventures for tomorrow.

So more on Day 3 tomorrow!

AMW

Omaha - Day 2

More good....

Today, I had plans to drive to Lincoln, NE and visit the International Quilt Study Center and Museum.

I must admit, that it was a smaller building than I was expecting. But that surprise only lasted momentarily. As I entered, I was greeted warmly and told of the tour that started in less than an hour. The tour was THE main reason I went on Wednesday morning, and was soooooo worth it. If you visit this museum, make sure you visit during one of the times when a tour is going on.

Before the tour started, I wandered up to the third floor to see a one-woman exhibit. Beautiful! This woman had taken up quilting in her 60's, and enjoyed applique so much, that she decided to reproduce some of the most important/historical applique quilts. They were stunning. I was greeted by a volunteer while I was up there, who also gave some additional insight into the museum and exhibit.

The actual guided tour consisted of two exhibits. Perspectives: Art, Craft, Design, & the Studio Quilt and Quilts Under the Microscope. While they were both at opposite ends of the spectrum, they were both absolutely fascinating! I'm so glad I waited and attended during a tour. To wander and see these exhibits alone, I would have missed great information!

Unfortunately, there were no pictures allowed anywhere in the museum, so I have none to share, but it was definitely worth the drive out there.

On the drive back, I saw a sign for a "Wildlife Safari". I knew this was something I needed to check out as well, so I did!

It was a leisurely 5 mile drive through the 440-acre sanctuary, and there were animals all around you. A nice break of the interstate drive between Lincoln and Omaha.

Arriving back at Omaha, I decided to check out the Pedestrian Bridge that I had heard so much about. Just a quick visit, as more time was planned there on Thursday.

The bridge was beautiful, just as I suspected. On the way back to the car, however, was quite an unexpected site. Keep in mind, it was VERY windy, with sustained winds between 20-30 mph, with gusts higher.

This poor guy was trying to hula-hoop across the bridge in the wind. It wasn't working out so well for him, but I was thoroughly entertained!

I was on my own for dinner today, so I wandered down to the Old Market area (another VERY cool spot in the city) and ended up at Upstream Brewing Company. I love visiting breweries, and trying something made there. This time I had the American Wheat, as I love a good wheat beer. Dinner was pot roast, because I was waiting for D to go out for steaks in Omaha!

Later that night, another quick trip over to Harrah's Casino! Nope, didn't win big again, but still had fun!!

Tomorrow - The Zoo!!

AMW

Omaha - Day 1

This is part of the good! We flew out, had a layover in Atlanta, and got into Omaha and got our luggage about 1:00pm.

From there, we headed straight to a Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives location. There are 5 in Omaha, but we only managed to get to one on our trip.

We went to BrewBurgers. Of the 3 items featured on Triple-D, they were out of one. The Old Fashioned Sandwich. But we did try the Alligator Bites, and the Cheesy Sacramento. The Cheesy Sacramento is a burger that was featured on yet another Triple-D location, but it was still worth it!

Also, they had fries done many different ways. I tried the "Garlic Parmesan" fries. They are fries "tossed with freshly chopped garlic, freshly grated parmesan cheese, fresh chopped parsley, salt and pepper". They were yummy, but VERY garlic-y.

D tried the "Las Vegas" fries. Those are "tossed in buffalo sauce, and topped with crumbled gorgonzola cheese".

After lunch, we found our hotel, checked in, and got settled. After a registration dinner, we headed over to Council Bluffs, IA (about 5 minutes away) to Harrah's Casino! A fun, 3 story, mostly slot, casino. Didn't win big, but had fun.....

Tomorrow - The International Quilt Museum.

AMW

The Bad...

Rest In Peace, Nannie! My grandmother passed away last week while I was away. She had been suffering, and is finally at peace. I'm glad I made it home in time for the funeral, which is today.

AMW

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Lots and lots happened last week, both on our trip, our trip home, and here at home. I'll be updating in a series of posts. In no particular order. Of course....

Stay tuned.

AMW

I'm off the hunt...

I decided to postpone my hunt for an embroidery machine for now. I still REALLY want one, but the more I look, the more expensive the ones I look at get. I see one that I like, so I look at others with similar features, and then another, and another. Each time I look at another one, it has one more feature that the previous one didn't that I think I must have. It's getting overwhelming trying to figure it all out.

No problem.

I'll use the money Uncle Sam gave me for a little medical procedure to improve my quality of life. And then whenever I sell my Volkswagen Thing, I'll buy my embroidery machine.

Don't know what a VW Thing is? Check out this link for google images.

The "Thing" has been around long enough, and it's time for it to go. It's been past time, actually, for a while, and this will be the perfect motivation to get it ready to go.

Off to camping this weekend, and OMAHA next week!

Should have some good pics to post then.

AMW

I'm on the hunt....

For a combo sewing/embroidery machine. I found one on craigslist that I was interested in, but it's just a bit out of my price range. Although, I am expecting a small refund from the irs, it's not due for a another week. In the meantime, the lady put it on eBay. So, I've got my eye on it.

But then I started looking around, trying to see what else may be out there. And there are a lot! Most of which are REALLY out of my price range. Another reason to look used.

I first tried my hand at machine embroidery and blogged about it here. I also was able to go back and make a quilt label with it, a few months later.

But I enjoyed it so much, that I've often thought about getting one. And now, the machines are made so they are good for both quilting and embroidery.

Any readers out there have a combo machine? Any suggestions? Any first-hand experience on features to look for, or brands to stay away from? I'd certainly welcome ANY advice on this!!!

Thanks!!

AMW

The "yellow" is killing me!

OK, not the color yellow, but the pollen. The whole area has turned yellow. From the cars, to the sidewalks, to street lights, and even the roads. I actually saw tire tracks through the pollen yesterday.

I'll admit that in some settings, it looks cool. Like when it's mixed in the water, and there are awesome yellow swirly designs. But just the fact that it can be seen in the water should let you know that it's too high....

Our local weather guys let us know each day what the Pollen Index is. Moderate days are around 70. Anything over 100 is considered high. Earlier this week, it was over 1300! Don't believe me? Here's proof:

This graphic was taken right from their website and was not altered in any way.

I had to mow the yard yesterday, and pollen was flying everywhere. I was covered in yellow.

I hosed down the front porch, since I couldn't even sit in a chair without getting covered, but didn't bother with the cars or anything else, since it was supposed to storm overnight.

I don't think I've ever looked forward to the storms they were predicting as much as I was last night. They said it would be torrential rains, possibly hail, loud thunder (which the dog hates), and would be done by morning.

Ah, to be able to breath again!

But do you know that when I woke up this morning, I had to ask if it had rained???? I hadn't heard any storms (and a window was open all night), and there was still a good amount of yellow around!

Oh it rained a little, but nothing like what was forecasted. UGH!

So, here I sit with an awful sinus headache, wishing and hoping for RAIN, RAIN, RAIN!

Here is what I saw today when I went to check the Pollen index on the same site:

Folks, I am not making this up. This is truly and genuinely what they put on their site. Again, not altered in any way. GAS MASK HIGH!

And I'm thinking that maybe I should be wearing a gas mask! Perhaps I can get a plain white hospital one, and draw a smiley face on it, that way I can have a perpetual smile when someone asks me for something today.

Cause with this sinus headache, it's gonna be tough to keep a smile attached!

Did I mention I'm out of Claritin?????

AMW