Road Trip: Arkansas Trip (August 2012) was filled with clouds, bugs, and elephant ears

I went back to Arkansas in August, well actually August 23rd-September 1st, with Skylar.  We ended up having a great time with John, and my family, and ended up celebrating my 35th birthday while we were there too.  Skylar found all sorts of bugs and insects out at John's house, I got stung by a scorpion, and John's elephant ears were amazing.  Here's a quick recap, in pictures.

The journey there:  All the clouds and mountain tops.

I always love flying during the day out of Portland, Oregon because the sky is so pretty and all the tall mountains can be seen.  When it's not raining, of course.

The endless bugs of the south:  Scorpions, walking sticks, Luna moth, and even a very big cicada.

This little scorpion gave me quite an attention-getting sting.  There were a few scorpions hanging around John's house from time-to-time, but this one was perched right on his door mat and I stepped right on him, BAREFOOTED!  The area where he lives is very sandy, so they hang around due to the soil and sand content.  The sting was very painful, but only lasted about 10 minutes.  My chest hurt a bit and I felt dizzy, but I think that was due to being nervous about the sting more than the sting itself.  My foot was a bit tender for about a week, but nothing major.  It was a very interesting experience, to say the least.

After the whole excitement of the scorpion we discovered that Skylar had been bite by something too.  We finally determined that it had to be a mosquito.  The mosquitoes in the south look something like small birds at times, haha!

The Walking Sticks:  Brown Walking Stick.

Green Walking Stick:

The Cicada:

The Luna Moth:

John's Elephant Ears:

  

These elephant ears were just amazing.  I have always loved large amounts of elephant ears clustered together like this and John had really taken great care of them.  Wish they could grow in Oregon the way they grow in Arkansas. 

Besides all the bug bites, stings, and excitement, this trip was a blast.  Skylar had a fun time finding all these crazy insects and bugs too.  It was a great learning experience, that's for sure.  And I got to play the Arkansas lottery for the first time!

Eco-Tip:  Use public transportation when you can.  A city bus is running around the clock in many cities and towns, and a taxi is just a phone call away.  When you are going out on the town with your buddies and pals, why not share a cab or take advantage of what's running anyway in your town and leave your own cars at home.  And while you are out and about, smile at one stranger today.  Who knows, your smile may turn his entire day into gold!  For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

We had quite a weekend: Sunday

After recovering from all the green beans we snapped, and other "events" that took place on Saturday, we celebrated Jeff's 40th birthday on Sunday.  We had a fun time and I think I got too involved on rubbing in the fact that Jeff is 5 years older than me, especially this year.  Because I have five more years before I hit the hill going 40!  Ha!

Skylar, Scottie, Jeff, and Shane.

Cucumbers from our own garden!

My '40' glasses.  I was a bit disappointed to find very little ideas for a 40-year birthday party online.  So I had to come up with clever ways to bring some life to ordinary pieces.  I think these jars were a great addition.  These are just simple Ball® jars with Elmers poster paint on them. 

Poster board with the same paint pen used.

Same here with the black poster board and the white paint pen.  These tombstones are made of drywall, cut with a jig-saw into the shape of a headstone.  They are from my Halloween stash.

I decided there was enough black and white for the party, so I brought some color to the cake.  Jeff loved it!

He was only given what all "old men" need after 40.  Ha!

Skylar and I got Jeff a metal-detector for his birthday.  We feel that every old man should have one.  Ha!

A bag full of everything of 40 count.  40 straws, 40 Jelly Beans, 40 Swedish Fish, 40 Goldfish Crackers, 40 Life Savers Mints, 40 Andes Mints, 40 Lemon Heads, 40 Stickers, and 40 Smiley Faces.  

40 Sucks!  

(Pinterest Credit:  Vicki Bramer via spottedcanary.com) 

We had a great time and Jeff brought in his 40 years with a laugh and a smile.  Happy Birthday Boodie Tuesday!  Thanks for letting us be a part of your special day!  :-)

Eco-Tip:  Make the switch to energy savings by changing out at least one light bulb in your home.  An energy saving light bulb with the Energy Star label can save you about $20-$60 over the course of its burning life.  For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

We had quite a weekend: Saturday

We had quite a weekend this past two days.  We spent Saturday gathering green beans together and picking about 2,000 beans (no joke), and then celebrated Jeff's birthday on Sunday (he turned 40).  Let me tell ya, today is a day of rest for me for sure.  Skylar decided he wanted to stay home from school and you know what, I let him.  I didn't feel like getting up and around, packing a lunch, or even moving from my warm bed when the alarm went off at 6:30 this morning.  One day off isn't all that bad, so here's a recap, in pictures, of what we did.

We started off Saturday by replanting a few plants for the fall, and then picking all the green beans we could possibly pick. 

(The above pictures were taken right before I took a major tumble down the back steps.  I hit my head and slipped my shoulder out of place. :-(  It was/is a bummer).

Our crop of green beans has taken off so fast.  I was actually shocked at how quickly the vines took over the east end of the raised beds.

It almost ended up being a jumbled mess at times, but we trimmed and cut back as we could.  Honestly, I feel like we just couldn't stay ahead of the climb.

TONS OF GREEN BEANS!

PITA wanted to try one after we brought the buckets in.  As you can see below, he quickly changed his mind.

After picking, stringing, snapping, and bagging, we realized we have enough green beans to tide us over for several months.  This is a good thing though!

Green Beans anyone?

Eco-Tip:  Decline the use of a plastic bag whenever possible.  Every year 100 billion plastic bags go into landfills and it takes up to 500 years for one bag to decay while laying there on the earth.  Use a reusable shopping bag for every trip, every time, every purchase.  For this and other green tips visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.