We've gone south for the winter!

Above: My brother, Travis, holding his 3-yr-old daughter, Marquel, then Michael, my 10-yr-old niece, Jaicee, then Travis' wife, Shay, and their son Justen -- standing on the top of hoover dam with the Colorado River canyon and the new Hoover Dam Bypass bridge behind them.

I know Michael and I told you all that we were going to "freeze our you-know-whats off in Idaho" for the holidays, but we decided to go south for the winter instead. South as in Wickenburg, Arizona -- just outside of Pheonix. It was 60 degrees today, and we actually lounged around the pool while my niece swam!

On the way here we visited the always astounding Hoover Dam. It is really a remarkable feat of construction. You should definitely visit if you have the time. It's only about 30 miles outside of Las Vegas.

For some reason, the really macabre trivia facts always seem to stick with me. So, here's one about the Hoover Dam. 112 men died during the construction. The man generally considered to be the first to die was a surveyor who drowned in 1922 while looking for the ideal spot to build a dam. The last man to die was his son, who died during construction exactly 13 years to the day later. Creepy, huh?

The new Hoover Dam visitor's center juts out over the gorge and is over 500 feet above the bottom.

Me with my wonderful mother, Edna.

Michael leaning nonchalantly out over the edge!

Michael and my mother, Edna.

More pics of Hoover Dam

Above is the new Hoover Dam Bypass, which was completed in October of this year and includes the longest concrete arch in the western hemisphere. The bridge is the second highest in the US (behind the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado) at 840 feet above the Colorado River. You can actually park at the edge and walk all the way out to the middle (if you're brave enough!). Prior to this bypass being built, all traffic had to cross over the Hoover Dam itself, with only one lane in each direction -- a major pain in the bum!


The sign above says, "Hoover Dam, 1931-1935." It actually took 5 years to complete, from 1931-1936, but was dedicated in 1935 to coincide with Franklin Roosevelts tour of the West. Amazing to think that this enormous construction only took 5 years to complete...in the middle of the Great Depression.

It is nearly 600 feet down from where I was standing at the top taking this picture, to the bottom where the water spins the turbines and generates all that power to light up Las Vegas!

Some groovy Art Deco sculptures adorn the walkway above.


Michael nervously laughing as I ask him to back up just a little closer to the edge for a good picture!

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Pocatello, Idaho

This past week we spent in Idaho visiting Mom and the rest of my family. My mom actually found us work (see our other website: Queensofcleandesign.blogspot.com ), and because of that, we were able to afford the gas to drive home.

As luck would have it...Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was filming in Pocatello, just 50 miles from my home town. So, of course, we had to go see!! Here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nrn4UEEi3hA

Queens of Clean Website

I am trying out a new website: Queensofcleandesign.blogspot.com

Remodeling my mom's spare bedroom

My mom, not being one to let anyone sit around and twiddle their thumbs, had us working on projects. The main one being remodeling her spare bedroom. With dad gone along with the hospital bed, dialysis machine, and mountains of supplies...this room was ripe for a new perspective. And we were excited to do it. Boy, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

The project took us 8 days -- mostly because of the ceiling and the layers upon layers upon layers of wallpaper and paint. We hoped we could just paint over the old wallpaper. Not! But I will tell you that 2 coats of primer is great for removing it. The room had a dropped ceiling consisting of 3-inch fiberglass insulation and walls covered with paneling as old as me. Mom wanted a "Country Cottage" room, and I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

And the ceiling:

We're back to Leavenworth

The beginning of the Palmer Family Cemetery. 3C is our cattle brand.

Hello everyone. Hope you haven't forgotten about us. We've been in Idaho this last month for my dad's funeral and to stay with my mom -- I just love her so much -- and after 46 years of marriage I didn't want her to be suddenly alone. Theirs was a transcendental love, and I am blessed to have seen it.

My dad was anything but traditional, so a traditional funeral was out the window. He wasn't a religious man, but he was committed to AA for 32 years and that became his church. The service was a traditional AA meeting, which included stories of my dad and all twelve steps of AA. My uncle, who is a beautiful singer, sang an old and stirring hymn. Jill, a friend of Dad's, sang a moving country and western son. And I stumbled through "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen, which I used to play and sing for dad at night as he fell asleep. And then we had an old west burial at the ranch. He always said that he didn't want to be buried in that "pile of rocks over town" (city cemetery), so we got permission from the county and started a Palmer Family Cemetery on the ranch. It's a beautiful spot, next to a hundred-year-old cabin where he can see the meadow and the mountains where we run the cattle each summer.

I've never seen a longer line of cars following a hearse. It stretched half-way across the valley. Before we reached the ranch, we transferred the coffin from the hearse to a wagon pulled by a team of horses. Mom rode in the wagon and all the family and friends who brought horses rode along behind the wagon for dad's "last ride".


We also saddled Dad's horse - a beautiful palomino - and led him along sans rider...as a symbol of Dad's "last ride."

Michael did the flowers for the coffin. I thought it was very special that he could do that. I know everyone loved them. He incorporated old-style barbed wire, Dad's spurs, and Dad's felt hat into an arrangement filled with wild flowers.





So, now we are back in Leavenworth. Thank you for all your concern. I hope we can see you sometime this summer.

-Ernest

Cheyenne and Niecy Nash

I had to write Cheyenne, because I just found out he is hosting the LOGO awards with Niecy Nash........who I ADORE! I told him, "I'm not usually jealous of you, but.....IT'S NIECY NASH! I LOVE HER! COME ON!"

He said he is still writing the show and hopes to get her to do a Dancing with the Stars type opening. Whatever happens it will be funny! So the "New Now Next" awards are on LOGO on Thursday, June 17th. Set your TIVOs. Click record on your DVRs. Or if you're like us, write it down on a piece of paper so you can watch it live.

Cheers,
E

Day 23 - Wyoming to Idaho

We woke up to snow in Wyoming. This isn't too surprising, since the average elevation is over 6,000 feet. But the roads were clear all the way to my home town of Malad, Idaho. Well, almost! We hit a wild snow storm on the outskirts of Malad. It is May, isn't it? Anyway today the sun is shining and everything is green.

So, I haven't been home for Mother's Day in ages. We had fun picking out cards and flowers for my mom. She, of course, didn't want any gifts. But who doesn't want flowers?!? Instead, she wanted all of us to pitch in and clean up the yard. You should have seen Michael zooming around on the riding lawn mower! He's never ridden one before. He finished mowing everything. LOL

Well, we will be here in Malad for a few more days. I want to take Michael on a scenic drive around the valley and up into the mountains a little ways. We might even go for a horse ride...

Thanks for reading. Our trip is almost to a close. Next stop: Leavenworth aka home.

A note for new readers

Hello! I just wanted to make a quick note: if you click on "older posts" at the bottom of this page, it will take you to the next page in the blog and the next page after that and so on. There are many more pages and lots more pictures beyond this initial page, and I would love for you to see all of them. And don't be afraid to post a comment (just click on "comments" after any individual entry). One of the first things Michael and I do each morning is look to see if someone has commented on anything.

Cheers,
Ernest

Day 22 - Mount Rushmore

Another gorgeous day. Another gorgeous sight. This has been such a wonderful journey. You forget just how much there is to see in our own country. This is my second trip to Mount Rushmore and Michael's first. Michael's response was the same as mine and probably most of the people who visit Mount Rushmore...What? They didn't remove the rubble?! The pile of shavings from the sculpture are all piled at the bottom. It's a beautiful sight and well worth the $10 to see it.



Lots of wildlife in this part of the country. We saw these mountain goats above as well as herds of deer and antelope.

After Mount Rushmore it was on to historic Deadwood, South Dakota, a mining town born in the 1800s when outlaws, gunslingers and gamblers ruled the streets. This is the place where famous gunslinger and lawman Wild Bill Hickok was killed playing a game of poker. When he was shot in the back, he was holding a pair of aces and a pair of eights, all black. This has since become known as the "Dead Man's Hand." Today the entire town of Deadwood is a National Historic Landmark. We decided this would be our annual casino visit. We didn't win much, but it was fun nonetheless.

Day 21 - The Badlands

"Think of all the beauty still left
around you and be happy."
-Anne Frank

Today we drove the scenic byway through the Badlands National Park. It's a very beautiful place....except for the 15 miles of gravel road we didn't know about. Poor Bessie really needs a good wash. (Bessie is our van.)

Day 21 - Corn Palace, Wall Drug

And today we drove past the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota....

The Corn Palace murals are all made out of corn (husks and all)

And we spent some time wandering around quirky Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota. It's the biggest drug store in the world made famous in the 1930's by offering free ice water and posting signs the world around. The first billboard we saw said, "Wall Drug only 355 miles ahead!" They still offer "free ice water" and "5 cent coffee." I had a yummy burger made from buffalo. And we took lots of silly pictures....

Day 20 - Frank Lloyd Wright Country

We have been experiencing an unexpected side benefit of our "little jaunt" across the country. We keep driving thru Frank Lloyd Wright country! In western Pennsylvania we drove past the "Falling Water" house - a house actually built atop a waterfall. Visit their website: http://www.fallingwater.org/

And yesterday we were driving along a Wisconsin highway admiring the lovely green countryside when we came upon several enormous houses and fascinating buildings also created by Frank Lloyd Wright-the Taliesen. I don't have any pictures of this, because we came upon it so suddenly. Actually, we nearly drove off the road rubbernecking. But here is that website: http://www.taliesinpreservation.org/

Then we passed thru Amish country. Not that that has anything to do with Frank Lloyd Wright, but it's still cool. This I have pictures of:

Can you imagine plowing a field with a team of 8 horses?!?

Here we bought yummy soaps and yummy chocolates.

And then! And then...we were driving out of another small town when the car in front of us lost a tire. Literally. The car swerved suddenly and came to a very abrupt stop on the side of the road and the front right tire just kept on going down the road, off the side, and out into a field. We stopped and made sure she was okay. Turns out all four lug nuts sheared completely off. I've never seen that before.

Finally, after driving the entire width of Minnesota, we made it across the Mississippi river and spent the night in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Day 19 - The House On The Rock

"My house will stand on a rock on a hill.

Overlooking a valley deep and still."
-Alex Jordan

Yesterday we visited The House On The Rock Attraction in Spring Green, Wisconsin. It was the coolest thing I have seen in years! I would have driven 100 miles out of my way just to see this. It is ingenious and insane, super swanky and a little bit creepy in spots. It is the Hearst Castle of the Midwest-especially when you consider that when Alex Jordan started building his house on a rock, it was so remote he had to carry all the stone and mortar in on his back.

The "Infinity Room" is 200 feet long with 3,000 windows that juts out over the rocky valley - 168 feet to the bottom. And it's cantilevered. When you walk out to the end it tips and bounces.

Inside the "Infinity Room"

Alex Jordan started building the House On The Rock in 1946. He wanted to be far away from people to explore his imagination. However his visionary architecture sparked the interest of his neighbors. In an effort to discourage gawkers he started charging admission, but this had the opposite effect-it attracted more attention! Now with this ever-increasing income he was able to indulge his eccentric - bordering on obsessive compulsive - collecting. My favorite rooms were the whale room, the breathtaking organ room, and the carousel room.

The whale room at the House On The Rock. This is a replica of a whale locked into battle with a giant octopus. The whale is 200 feet tall and as long as the Statue of Liberty is tall. If you look down near the LEFT corner, you can see Michael! (Click on the picture to see larger.) What's more amazing is that this isn't even the largest room.

The actual house is 14 rooms built on a pinnacle of rock. This is every little boys fantasy! It certainly was mine. A groovy house that is part condo part cave...so cool. Following the house is a peculiar, outlandish complex of rooms, streets, buildings and gardens covering 200 acres. There is simply too much for me to talk about, so here is the website: http://www.houseontherock.com/HOTR_AttractionMain.htm

Super swanky is the word I use to describe the endless couches!

The "Winter Room"

The House On The Rock also has the largest carousel. It boasts over 20,000 lights and 269 handcrafted animals - not one of them a horse. Here is video:



I took more pictures - oh, about a gazillion pictures - far too many to post here, so I have uploaded them all to picasa. Please have a look! It's so cool: http://picasaweb.google.com/ErnestWPalmer/HouseOnTheRock#

Eccentric America meets Roadside Attraction at the Don Q Inn

This morning we left the Shuberts and drove 9 hours through Cleveland and Chicago to Dodgeville, Wisconsin, which is just east of Madison, Wisconsin. We are staying the weekend at the Don Q Inn. I saw it online and instantly knew we had to stay here.

Lobby of the Don Q Inn in Dodgeville, Wisconsin

The Don Q Inn was featured in People Magazine! In 1988.... It’s hilarious. For example, the lobby is dominated by a mammoth fire pit surrounded by old-style barber chairs. I mean, what? They have seriously wacky “themed” fantasy suites called “Fantasuites”, but we are staying in a standard room. It's old and has dark wood paneling reminiscent of a medieval dungeon. We’ve stayed in much worse. And out front is a giant Boeing C-97 that Farah Fawcett signed after filming a commercial here many years ago. I mean, what? Oh, and there’s also an underground tunnel that leads to the restaurant next door. I’m thoroughly enjoying this. Tomorrow we visit the House On The Rock.

This Boeing C-97 flew to its present location in front of the Don Q Inn in the sixties.
Farah Fawcett signed the fuselage after filming a commercial here in the seventies.

The Don Q Inn in Dodgeville, WI. The chapel at the end is a three-story "Fantasuite"

Day 15 - Visit with the Schuberts in Cleveland, Ohio

Michael with Bev, Jack, and Chris Schubert

Okay! Listen up, people! The Schuberts RULE! Bev, Chris, and Jack Schubert are former clients of ours from Seattle. About 2 years ago they moved out to Cleveland, Ohio - where Chris is from originally - and since this was on our path more or less, we decided we had to visit them.

On Wednesday we zipped out of Philadelphia and headed west. The roads in western Pennsylvania are gorgeous. And they should be! The tolls cost us $32. We passed through several mountains on our way to Ohio. That’s right, through. Rather than winding around or over, the interstate tunnels right through Alleghany Mountain, Blue Mountain, and several others.

Interstate 276 tunnel through Blue mountain in western Pennsylvania.

After a quick seven hours on the road we arrived at the Schubert’s place outside of Cleveland, Ohio. Holy beautiful house, batman! They are currently living in a stunning 6-bedroom house that sits on 7 manicured acres and includes a 4-car garage and two ponds loaded with frogs, one large turtle and fish. And it’s for sale! Spread the word!!! Bev and Chris and Jack are moving back to Seattle (hooray!) as soon as they can sell their place.

I hate imposing upon people, but they made us feel so comfortable that we stayed 3 days! They took us to local restaurants like Sokolowski’s where you can load yourself with piles of polish cooking. I LOVE local restaurants! And they made sure we visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. I had no idea this was in Cleveland, so I’m thankful they suggested it. Most of the time we just hung out…in their cavernous house. Soooo cool. Thank you Bev and Chris!! (We are still stuffed!)

Here are a few pictures I took of their place:

A beautiful house in the country

The Schubert's house feels like it is way out in the peaceful countryside even though it's only minutes to downtown Cleveland.