At the Geographical Center of the US

The geographical center of the 50 US states is just north of Belle
Fourche, SD. They have a small monument set up there for people to
take silly photos. That is just what we did. There is an irony to
being off center at the center.

We have now been to the southern-most point (continental) and eastern-
most point of the US. I think we should aim to go to the other
various extreme points of the US. Maybe.

Shane at the Center of the US

He is actually a bit off center also.

My First Trip to Montana and Wyoming

Yes, we are two of those crazy people that stops and takes photos in
front if signs like this.

That Is One Scary Sliding Board

Finally Finished Our Mashed Potato Sculpture

We have LOTS of photos of Devil's Tower. LOTS. A nice couple from
California took this one of us.

Close Encounters Film Set Visit

We Went to see Devil's Tower, the rock formation that was in Close
Encounters of the Third Kind.

Driving to Wyoming for a Bit

Since the weather was not so nice in South Dakota, we decided to check
out Wyoming. We drove through a little but of a snow squall to get
there, but we did find warmer temperatures and some blue skies.

Our South Dakota Digs

This is the cabin we are staying in for a few days just outside of
Hill City, SD. It is just a few miles from Mt. Rushmore and other
attractions in the Black Hills. Thankfully, since the Government is
staying opened, we will get to see them after all. We just need some
dryer weather. Yes... That is the remains of a snow pile outside our
cabin. We saw som deer on our drive here and hope to see more outside
our cabin window.

Visiting Wall Drug in South Dakota

We made a quick stop at this tourist town on our 350 mile drive from
Sioux Falls, SD, to Rapid City, SD. We are staying in a cabin near
Mt. Rushmore. The weather sucks--misty rain and chilly. We're having
fun though.

Making Friends at Wall Drug

Could Things Be Worse?

I am having a crappy day.  The government, my employer, is on the verge of shutting down as we're about to leave for South Dakota to visit various possibly closed National Parks and to top it all off, I'm getting a cold.

I was supposed to run the second Crystal City Fridays 5K today, but it was cold and rainy here and I was not feeling it.  I'm tired, achey, and snotty.  Fun times.

Of course, things could always be worse, but I am in the mood to whine.

UPDATE: A deal was struck and the Government is open! My cold is bearable, so things are looking up. Here we come SD!

My Home County Makes News Headlines

My niece, Kelly, Tweeted the following story along with a comment about how, when our home county, Cecil County, MD, makes the national news, it is for this classy event.

Maryland man glued to Wal-Mart toilet seat

(CNN) -- Police in Maryland are on the hunt for the perpetrator of what appears to be an April Fools' Day prank that left a man glued to a toilet at a Wal-Mart store.

If caught, the jokester who doused the seat with glue at the Elkton Wal-Mart on March 31 could face second-degree assault charges, said Lt. Matthew Donnelly of the Elkton Police Department. Police, along with the Singerly Fire Co. and the Cecil County paramedics, were called to the scene at about 7 p.m.

There, they found the 48-year-old victim, who called for help after realizing the sticky situation he was in when he tried -- and failed -- to stand up and leave the superstore's restroom, Donnelly said. It took responders 15 minutes to remove the victim from the stall, but they were unable to disconnect the toilet seat from his body, Donnelly said.

Instead, the victim was taken to Union Hospital of Cecil County, where the seat was detached. He left with only minor injuries to his buttocks, Donnelly said. Police do not suspect that the victim was specifically targeted, but that the incident was a random prank, Donnelly said. They have not received reports of glue-laden toilet seats since.
--------------------------------------

Who sits on a bare toilet seat in a Wal-Mart with a wet, sticky substance on it long enough to get stuck to it?

Bad Timing for Possible Government Shutdown

As a Federal employee, a Government shutdown may be good news if we get a week off and still get paid, like the last time there was a shutdown.  I didn't mind that at all.  However, this weekend we have plans to travel to South Dakota.  Shane has a business trip there and we decided it would be a good time to sightsee Mount Rushmore and other National Parks in that neck of the woods.  But, with a shutdown looming, the National Parks may not be open.  Our access to all the stuff we're going out to see may be limited.  Bad timing for us.

In addition, there is no guarantee that a shutdown will only last week or that we will get paid after it is over.  So much drama!  It seems crazy that the Republicans are letting the Tea Party goofs put them in a situation where they are going to shoot themselves in the foot.  I put total blame on the GOP.  The cuts they are insisting on are tiny in the scheme of things.  I'm not saying there isn't a fiscal crisis, but this obviously isn't the answer.

5 for the Fifth: My 5K Struggle

This is an idea from State of the Nation UK -- taking five photos and share them with the world on the fifth of the month.  This month is really a double cheat since I am not following this month's theme: blur; but also, I did not even take any of these photos.  They are from last Friday, April 1, at the first of five Crystal City (VA) 5K Fridays in April.  There was a blog posting about it here on April 1.  The first photo is the start, which I am technically in (but not visible), and the second is of me somewhere during the race.  The last three photos are of me at the finish.  I ran this race harder than I intended and I think these photos show I was struggling.  I did finish in under 24 minutes, which is astounding for me. 

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #282

I don't care that you "really, really have to go." 

or

This is why you don't buy airline tickets at Walmart!

or

Where's the stewardess call button?

or

Flying just isn't glamorous anymore. 

or

I always have a hard time sleeping on a plane. 

These are some ideas for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #282.  Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption too.  The third one and last one are by Shane. 

Back In Florida; Sunday at the Beach

Today is Day 2 of our 4-day weekend in Florida, and we had a great day.  We slept in a bit and I went for a run.  Eventually, we went to the beach.  It was crazy crowded, probably because it was such a beautiful day.  Anyway, we had a great afternoon at the beach.  I am reading Andre Agassi's autobiography, Open, on my Kindle.  It is actually really interesting.  Here's the Reader's Digest version:  He hates tennis and his dad was an ass.

After the beach, we came back to the house, showered, changed, and went out to dinner to the River City Grill in Punta Gorda.  I had blackened salmon and Shane had NY strip steak.  We love eating there.  We've always enjoyed it.  We especially love it when, during the off season, they have two for one entrees.  That was not the case tonight, but it was still well worth it. 

Back In Florida: House Update

We flew back to Florida today for a long weekend in the warm weather.  The weather is awesome--not a cloud in the sky and high temperatures in the mid-80s.  

The above photo is what our Florida house looked like when we bought it last year.  Since then, we have been working on fixing it up.  Today is the first time we saw the results of our new entry.  We had the walkway redone and a railing put on the porch.  We also had to have the roof painted, and of course, we previously had the house painted.  In addition, we had the yard redone with new trees and all the old plantings removed.  This trip, we are hiring a landscaper to put in new plants in all the beds.  It is a work in progress, but we are loving how it is turning out. 

We had the broken and loose tile walkway removed.

We're working on getting plants for the flowerbeds.  

Crystal City 5K Fridays Race #1

I signed up to run all of the five Crystal City 5K Fridays, which is near where I work.  Tonight was race #1.  My plan was to take it easy on the first one so that I could do a steady improvement throughout the month.  However, everyone around me was running like crazy, so I ran pretty fast too.  My result was pretty good.  I actually ran it in under 24 minutes.  I came in 181st overall out of 938 runners and 145th out of 418 males.  My chip time was 23 minutes, 58 seconds, which is a pace of 7:46 per mile.  Now I have to improve on that time.  Yikes.

I need neck liposuction!

What We're Watching: Downton Abbey on Netflix

The other night we started watching Downton Abbey on the Netflix channel of our Roku.  The Roku is the device that allows us to watch instant downloads on the television.  Downton Abbey is a modern version of Upstairs, Downstairs.  It stars Maggie Smith and Elizabeth McGovern.  We are loving it.  I believe it was on PBS last year (Masterpiece Theatre), but we somehow missed it.  See a scene from the show below.

Watch the full episode. See more Masterpiece.

Watch the full episode. See more Masterpiece.

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cake

I took a sick day today.  I actually was not feeling well this morning.  I didn't get much sleep as a result and couldn't face a day in the office.  This afternoon, after taking it very easy all morning, I was getting bored and hungry and was looking around in the kitchen and realized I had all the ingredients to make one of my favorite cakes:  The Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cake.  

It is a simple recipe that is in Anne Byrn's The Cake Mix Doctor cookbook.  All you do is mix a devil's food cake mix with a can of cherry pie filling (21 oz.), two eggs, and a teaspoon of almond extract.  Bake it at 350 for 30-35 minutes in a 13- by 9-inch pan (sprayed with vegetable oil spray).  The icing is a bit more tricky.  You bring a cup of sugar, 1/3 cup of milk and 1/3 cup of butter to a boil for a minute (stirring constantly).  Then you remove it from the burner and mix in 6 oz. (or a little more) of semi-sweet chocolate chips until they melt and the icing is smooth.  Poor it over the warm cake and let it cool.  It is very sweet, but so good. 

You can see from the photo that it did not take long before I had to try a piece.