Upside Ann

1 can drianed and rinsed black beans 2 T strong brewed coffee 1/2 c canola oil or grapeseed oil 2 eggs 2 t pure vanilla extract 3/4 c cocoa powder (I like dark chocolate) 3/4 c brown sugar 1/2 t baking soda 1/4 t kosher salt 3 oz chocolate chiops (I, again, like dark chocolate) Blend the beans, coffee, oil, eggs and vanilla Add to the dry ingredients including 1/2 of the chips.   Pour into an 8x8inch greased pan, top with the second half of the chocolate chips and bake for 25 minutes at 325F. The brownie should bounce back from the touch of your finger.  It should not scream or poke back.

  Wisconsin Dells originally made my list thanks to the Duck Tours of the dells - WW2 amphibious vehicles that would drive a while then drive into the water and boat a while.  I thought Zupe would REALLY like that.  Unfortunately, the Canadian smoke was really bad and we thought it prudent to spend less time breathing it.  The good news - there was still the Museum of Root Beer! As you might expect, displays about the history of root beer - it is VERY old - as they say - "Older than Coke".  Root Beers were made by the founders of our country.  Mr. Hires and Mr. Barq.  OK.  Not them. The other ones. Lots of root beer cans. Recipes for root beer. Root beer ads.  Root beer as it appears in popular culture.  Remember, it was a favorite of the flying ace fighting the Red Baron.  At the end you get a (one, 1!!, only 1!!!!) small 5oz sample of one of the flavors they have on tap.  Kevin tried something a bit exotic - I think it was mi...

Lincoln Home National Historic Sight - but that was obvious, wasn't it? August 2026  

I guess I didn't really take to heart that mathematical truth that the shortest distance between to points is a straight line.  I think our final distance was something like 5,300 miles.  I understand that is greater than a round trip between here and Los Angeles (2,178 miles).  See that?  I fact checked myself.  (Now, I'm wondering if fact check should be hyphonated and, while I'm at it, is round trip a compound word?  Sigh.  The work of Google is never ending.)  The trip is composed of three parts: To camp, While camp is camping, From camp. As She-Who-Plans-The -Road-Trips, it was on me to plan the road trip.  Ready? TO CAMP Indiana Dunes National Park Chicago - Field Museum Chicago - Great Wolf Lodge Wisconsin Dells - Duck Tour and Museum of Root Beer (but the tour got canned due to Canadian smoke) Austin, MN - Spam Museum Blue Earth, MN - Jolly Green Giant Pipestone National Monument, MN Sioux Falls, SD Marshall, SD:  Corn Palace Cha...

  Chicago Field Museum, 2026

Elements of our touring group are big, big Pokémon players.  As a consequence, and because it was also Mr. Level-40's birthday, we included the Field Museum of Chicago where a Pokémon "fossil" exhibit was taking place.  While there are (probably) tons of cool stuff at the Field Museum, given Zupe's attention challenges, we focused on three areas. 1. Pokémon exhibit  2. Egyptian exhibit - I was hoping that June's series of Rick Riordan graphic novels of the Kane Chronicles and rewatching the Marvel Moon Knight series would instill a fascination for pyramids, mummies, ushabti.  Well, I thought it was fascinating though I had to view it all on fast forward. 3. Fossils -dinosaurs and other extinct creatures (which were never residents of a pokeball).  The absolute best element of this area was the poet in residence- who, if you tell him something you know about dinosaurs, will write you a poem.  Right then and there.  Despite Zupe's impatience, I got...

 I figure when your framing/cropping is off to begin with and there IS no way to make it perfect, make the skew extreme.   So, here you have it! Me, Paul Bunyun with his hotdog, and a bag from the gift shop with a miniature version of said giant inside.  Trust me.  He's there. Athens, Illinois  2026

Yep, Here is my kid breaking the rules to pick a flower in a national park.  He wanted to carry it for 2 days to give to his "sister" in Colorado.  The boy has a loving heart...with a rebellious streak.

  Indiana Sand Dunes National Park.  This.  This was my favorite element.  Though, additionally, the gift shop had some pictures I appreciated.  But being in the wilds of Indiana - not for me.  Three words.  Hot.  Humid.  Mosquitoes.  And all the latter preferred me far and above my companions.  I had been to the Sand Dunes once before in 1990.  A long, long time ago.  On the day before my crappy new (used) car broke down for the third time in as many weeks needing repair in St. Louis and then have its muffler crap out before we got back to Ohio.  Even with all that garbage, I remember that the dunes were dismal.  Kevin, however, has set a goal to visit all the national parks. Indiana Dunes:  1.  One dune that seems to be creeping across a parking lot and devouring trees.  It does have a taste for people having sampled an 8-year-old boy- so guests must stay behind the rope on the opposite side of t...

 Here, I worship the jackalope of the variety chainsawious.   Wall, SD  2026

 

 These are a month old.  I took them prior to embarking on our westward journey but did not get them posted.  The tiger lilies have invaded the fence row.  They are spreading recklessly throughout the side flower bed but last year they jumped the fence - and a bit of lawn - to run free.  I suspect I "seeded" this area by discarding the chopped off stems over the fence during autumn garden clean-up.  I am amused.  (Note: This spring there were about a dozen plants over there but my cousin and I dug up a selection for him to take home to SC... where they are, no doubt, planning to take over the southern United States.)  I like them OK - but not as much as the field lilies- which, ironically, have much better manners.  And, for the record, I am TIRED of my Stella del Oro daylilies.  Yawn.  I'm sure I read they are supposed to be repeat bloomers.  My girls have not read the same manual.

 Yes, that's right.  You recognized him.  This is the start of geranium I showed you a couple months ago.  It has grown to a number of leaves beyond counting AND is prepared to start blooming.  Well done! Not much of a photo- but I'm running behind.

  Chicago, 2026 Zupe with Canadian smoke What do I like about this photograph? The way his long legs mirror the skyscrapers around him.

 as was the smoke from the Canadian wildfires.

 un-Anned. Much to do but now we are back with hundreds of new photos and stories to tell.  Looking forward to the last month of summer - but not so much to going to the grocery this afternoon or folding the laundry.  A vacation will only do so much for a person.