Week 6: Grandma Meow, This one is for you

October 14th, 2021

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Uncle Danny, mom, me and Grandma Meow during my visit in February.

Every summer, my family would drive up to Wisconsin from New Mexico to visit my Grandma Meow. As a kid, I loved these car rides. My mom would pack the best snacks, stock the best movies, and even rent the craziest hotels. Once, I remember we stopped in Des Moines at a hotel that had its own water park. I mean, how much better can it get?

Occasionally, we would make the trip with my cousins and their family. Then, once we got to my Grandma Meow’s house, we’d meet up with my uncles and other cousins that lived in Wisconsin. Every summer was like a mini-family reunion, filled with all the excitement and drama one could think of. Sure, as a kid, I loved it when we ventured to the Wisconsin Dells, waterpark capital of the world, or when we got to eat our body weight in delicious cheese. But, when I think back on it, my favorite part of all those trips over the years were our nightly fires.

My Grandma Meow had this cute little fire pit in her backyard, just off the path through her garden. While the sun was still out, we kids would chase each other as the adults would set up the chairs around the pit. For some reason, my Uncle Danny is always the one in my memory who sets up the fire. Thinking back on it, I think that I learned how to make fires by watching him.

With dusk came s’mores, and we always had a blast making them. Well, let me rephrase that. I’m sure everyone loves making a good s’more, but I always had the most fun trying to figure out how to make them better. The many summers spent around Grandma Meow’s fire pit eventually gave way to my favorite way of making s’mores: take the marshmallow, make a pocket in the fluffy center, shove a piece of chocolate in, fire it up, and forget the graham cracker. Guaranteed deliciousness every time.

Joining us around the pit would also be my great aunt Theresa and my great uncle Tom. I don’t remember any specific memories with them around the fire, but I always thought it was cool that I could hang out with these people. Until I met them, I had no idea people could even have great aunts and uncles! For some reason, that was a wild thought for me.

My family was always loud and rambunctious around that fire (and everywhere else), and I loved it. If I’m honest, it’s hard for me to remember a specific memory with everyone. What I do remember, though, is a lot of laughter. I never had too many stories of my own to tell, but I loved listening to the adults because they never held back. When the cackling laughter mixed with the cracking fire, you knew it was a good night.

The night was illuminated by starlight and firelight. Our warm faces often looked up and talked about the stars. Something you need to know about my Grandma Meow is that she loved space. I remember watching the night sky and hearing how excited she was when we saw the International Space Station zooming above us. To me, it just looked like a star that moved too fast to actually be a star. I wish I knew what was going through her head when she saw it.

Space was a really important idea for her. If her plushie earth and mars balls, her globes of the moon, and her countless NASA-related decorations couldn’t convince you, then maybe the gigantic rocket in her yard would.

My mom bought this from a shop in Los Alamos and drove it all the way to Wisconsin as a gift for my Grandma Meow. A lot of people stopped and asked to take a picture with it when we stopped for gas.

For a while, my Grandma Meow collected salt and pepper shakers from every state and displayed them on a bookshelf in her house. I was always so captivated by those things. I’m sure I spent a lot of time staring at them, trying to guess where they came from. She also collected sand from the various places she and her kids had gone. Some donations from my mom were Hawaiian green sand and Australian sand, collected while scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef.

All these memories, all the moments we had together as a family -- that’s something I have to thank my Grandma Meow for. She was the reason we all came out there to be together.

I flew out this past February to see her for the first time after finding out she had cancer. I could tell she was in pain, but my mom was doing a tremendous job taking care of her and just being there with her. I felt so awkward, I didn’t know what to do or how to help or even what to say. But I was there, and I knew she appreciated it. Near the end of my visit, I took out a notebook she had given me almost a decade ago.

She gave me and my cousins identical, spiral bound books. Each page was textured like watercolor paper, and the cover was made of thick black cardboard. She told us that she would eventually want them back, after we drew in them all we wanted. I’m not sure the others used them all that much, but many of my formative pencil drawings are in that book.

The day she gave me that book, she showed me a few of her drawings. I didn’t know it at the time, but wow she was an amazing artist. She used to go to art shows and sell her art, too, if I’m not mistaken.

She painted these rocks for my brother Keaton and me. Mine features a Kestrel and Keaton’s features the Orion constellation, which is also his middle name.

One summer in Wisconsin, we were at a restaurant and I was doodling on the back of the children’s menu, as I often did. It was just a stupid face I drew, nothing too interesting to me, but I’ll never forget how excited it made her. She hung it on her fridge that same day, and it never left.

To this day, she was one of the most supportive people in my life when it comes to my art. Back when I used to take photos and post them on Facebook, she always made a point to look at every picture. Let me tell you, that woman was a saint, because some of those albums held up to 400 unedited photos. As I transitioned posting my photography to my website and Instagram, I made a point to keep posting on Facebook too, just so she could see my photos.

As I sat with her on that couch, flipping through the pages, I talked her through my artistic journey. I learned a lot about myself as an artist with that book. Most notably, I was a very moody teenager who loved adding depressing quotes to each drawing. But, more importantly, I first started suspecting I had ADHD because of these drawings. That could be an entire post by itself, but I mention that because she could relate.

Sitting together on that couch, she told me how she always thought she had ADHD, too, but no one would take her seriously. My heart broke, knowing how hard her struggle with mental health was, even before she got sick. She battled depression, anxiety, insomnia, you name it. As we closed that book, she, my mom, and I had a beautiful discussion about our own mental health.

I will never forget when my Grandma Meow, tears in her eyes, told me how surprised she was that her kids showed up to take care of her. As if she expected to be alone during her last days. I’m just so happy that she finally felt just how loved she was.

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A few years ago, I emailed Grandma Meow and asked for recommendations about where we should travel in Wisconsin. This is what she suggested

When I was growing up, my Dad taught me about Wisconsin by taking me to places around the state. We never got out of the state but I learned much about geology and nature right here in my own place. Wisconsin is all about the last ice age. Devil’s Lake is a must-see in Wisconsin. It is a terminus terrain where the last glacier stopped and then retreated, leaving behind a fascinating array of deposits when it started melting. I went there a couple times a year for most of my life. [Uncle] Danny has now taken up the cause. *cat smile emoji*

As we made our way to my Grandma Meow’s house to meet up with some of my family, I knew we couldn’t leave until we made that stop at Devil’s Lake. That Sunday, with the Packer game recording to the DVR so we didn’t miss it, we left for the lake. The fall colors were reaching their peak, forming the most colorful ceiling of leaves above us. The trail we followed went over one of the bluffs beside the lake, giving us amazing views of the water and trees below. We scaled down rocks to reach the bottom, eventually walking along the railroad tracks on the lakefront.

Group photos first! The rock we're posing next to has been balanced like this for thousands of years.

A sneaky little cave rose up as we climbed the bluffs beside the lake.

It's hard to imagine that a big chunk of ice could move all these rocks.

I really love this shot for literally no reason.

Peekaboo.

Uncle Danny and Sam were speedy boys, always right in the front.

A lone fisherman enjoying the early morning.

You can see the bubbles rise from people scuba diving in the lake. From a photo perspective, I really love this shot - I just love the contrast.

We plan on visiting Wisconsin again in the spring, but I’m so glad we got to stop by when we did. As my family went through Grandma Meow’s things, I got to snag a lot of her watercolor paintings she tossed aside. I also took some of the paint she used to make them, and I hope to learn from these paintings. I know it isn’t the same as if she were teaching me herself, but this is the next best thing.

My Aunt Jane kindly shared these photos that my grandma painted so I could show you some of her work.

Even though my Grandma Meow didn’t get the chance to follow Sam and I as we travel from state to state, I like to think that she would be ecstatic to see all the photos I’ve taken and read about where we’ve been. I wonder which pictures would be her favorite, or which side of the Teardrop she liked best.

No matter what, I know she would be proud of me. And that means the world to know.

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Indiana Dunes

National Park

The dunes here are way different than those we visited in Colorado.

If you look at the Indiana Dunes National Park on a map, you’ll see a small stretch of green along Lake Michigan. This was our first National Park across the Mississippi, and I was worried about how small it was. Of course I should have known that my expectations would be blown out of the water. Again.

This is my favorite photo from this week, shot right there in the beach parking lot.

We pulled in during the late afternoon and walked along the shores of Lake Michigan. The sand was actually . . . sandy? Sam and I looked quizzically at each other, shocked at how pleasant the beach looked. Across the water, Chicago shone dull against the horizon. A group of kids were playing in the cool water and building sand castles as their mother ate Goldfish and watched them. Seagulls lazily drifted above the water, perhaps hoping to score some of the snack that smiles back.

Chicago floats on the horizon of this Great Lake.

Factories whirr just outside of the park border.

Sam and I walked along the water, shoes in hand. We were mostly silent and taking in how calm and pleasant this little area was. We only planned on visiting the area for the afternoon, since the park was so small. But at that moment, with the sun warming our backs, we knew we had to stay another day.

Boardwalks helped us walk above the fragile plant life.

Diana of the Dunes was a woman who sought to escape the city life of Chicago and turned to the hills of the Indiana Dunes.

It's hard to believe all those trees can survive on all that sand.

This is also one of my favorites. It's just so weird to see the border between sandy beach and grassy hills.

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Our plan of attack for the next day was this: total relaxation. Sam really took this task in stride. He’s been missing the summer ever since the first day of fall hit, so he made sure to take advantage of the warm weather. I, on the other hand, took this opportunity to catch up on writing. It was Monday, and I hadn’t even started yet. I made sure to shake the bees in my brain hard enough to get them buzzing, then got to work.

I love watching this, because you can see how focused I am while Sam does whatever he fancies.

I did end up taking a break when Sam wanted to get into the water. After a few minutes of wading, he turned to me with a glint in his eye and asked me to get in with him. If you remember our dip in the lake in Colorado from Week 2, then you’ll know how much I hate cold water. Anything above my ankles is considered torture. But that kid really knows how to be persistent. Begrudgingly, I dipped a toe in, then another. Soon, we were almost too deep to touch the sandy bottom. I almost had a panic attack as the water sucked any semblance of warmth from my body.

The warmth was replaced by numbness. I won’t go so far as to say it was pleasant, like Sam would, but I will admit that I enjoyed wading in the water together. If I closed my eyes, I could convince myself that I was in the ocean. The only real difference was the lack of fishiness in the air.

The day flew by. Eventually, the sun’s rays weren't enough to keep the cold wind from prickling our skin. We left rejuvenated and slowly made our way back to the car, reluctant to leave.

As we were putting things away and getting ready to leave, a kind lady pulled over in the parking lot beside the Teardrop to take a photo. Her name was Beverly and was really interested in everything about the build. Sam and I had a lot of fun talking to her and telling her about our travels and experiences on the trip so far.

Beverly hadn’t even left the parking lot when another woman came to ask us about the Teardrop. We learned her name was Mary Lou, and we had another wonderful conversation about the build, features of the Teardrop, and our shared experiences. She was kind enough to ask us about Robi, as well. I can’t stress enough how heartwarming it is to meet people on the road who are genuinely interested in what we’re doing and aren’t afraid to ask.

A huge thank you to those two beautiful ladies for stopping by. We really, really appreciate it.

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Mammoth Cave National Park

Oh boy. Mammoth Cave. Where do I even begin? Maybe I’ll start with a quick geology lesson.

Around 350 million years ago, a shallow sea covered this area of Kentucky. The various sea creatures that lived in this sea died, depositing layers and layers of calcium carbonate. With enough pressure and time, these layers became limestone. As the sea receded, a layer of sandstone was deposited above this limestone. Groundwater absorbs the carbon dioxide found in the soil and becomes slightly acidic, dissolving the limestone but leaving the sandstone unchanged. Over millions of years, channels are made beneath the ground, allowing streams and rivers to form and further carve out these cave systems. The direction and rate of flow of these waterways would change quite often, creating a vastly diverse underground landscape that continues to grow today.

The descent.

Above our heads was the sandstone ceiling that protects these caves. This is at least 200ft below surface level.

Another fun result from these geologic features are sinkholes, formed when the sandstone layer breaks. Just outside the park are the Sinkhole Plains, where the land is pockmarked by all these sinkholes. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to see them myself, but the visitor’s center at Mammoth Cave has an exhibit about this area.

Now that the basic geology is out of the way, on with the tour!

People have been exploring and touring these caves since the 1800s, so there are a lot of areas that are covered with markings like these.

Sam and I chose to take the longest cave tour we could. The Grand Avenue tour was four miles and lasted four hours. Three rangers and 47 others joined us as we found ourselves hundreds of feet below the surface. Ranger Jeff taught us all about the history and geology of these passages. I only wish I could remember each morsel of knowledge, because I loved hearing every second of it.

As you walk alongside us and see these pictures, I’d like to highlight some of my favorite parts of this tour.

Here's Ranger Jeff talking to us about the geology of this area of the cave.

Smile! You can also see some of the bathrooms (yes, I said bathrooms) behind Sam.

The first section of cave we walked through was covered top to bottom with these beautiful, sparkling formations of gypsum. In these areas, there was no moving water, which allowed the calcium carbonate from the limestone to slowly ooze on the cave walls. The result: gypsum, in every shape and size you can think of. Snowballs, frost, hair-like tendrils, and many more have been found in these caves. But my favorite, above all else, were the Gypsum Flowers.

Some grew to be larger than the size of my fist, which is a lot considering they grow the thickness of your fingernail every hundred years or so.

I heard that Wind Cave also has these formations, but we didn’t see any then. I have wanted so badly to see these crystal flowers ever since. I never expected to see so many in Kentucky!

Descending further into a canyon carved by an ancient arm of the underground river.

This is what I saw when I looked straight up while walking through the underground slot canyon.

We often walked in silence, our footsteps quietly echoing off the cavern walls.

Back in the day, there was even a lunch hall that served food. All these amenities were weird to see 200ft underground.

Despite the cool cavern air, the 1,100 steps made sure we were warm and sweaty.

I couldn't resist adding this spooky photo of us climbing ladders meant for a submarine.

Near the last mile of the tour we saw the Frozen Niagara Falls, a rare formation created by running water over a very long time.

We left the tour with our minds buzzing. I never really expected to tour so many caves on this trip. Heck, I didn’t think I’d see this many caves in my life, but here I am.

Before we left the park, we took advantage of the laundromat near the entrance. While waiting for our clothes to dry, Sam and I stumbled upon some of the earlier history of the era, before it became a national park. Before I end this post, I’d like to leave you with a little bit of the history we learned in that parking lot.

A lot of the caves used to be privately owned in the early 1800s. Those owners understood the potential wealth that cave tourism held, and they all competed viciously with each other. This “era of competition” was called The Kentucky Cave Wars. The story that Sam and I got sucked into was that of Floyd Collins -- he and his family owned sections of cave that were sparsely visited, so he took it upon himself to find a new cave closer to the main road. As he was crawling through a narrow passage, there was a cave in. The rescue efforts took two weeks and thousands of people visited the site while he was stuck.

Seriously, just go read about it.

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NEXT WEEK

We spend a whole week in the Great Smoky Mountains during peak fall colors AND Halloween.

Oh, I already know the next one is going to be one of my favorites

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Author’s Note

Hi friend,

If you’re new to my page, welcome!

If not, then it’s really nice to see you again :)

As always, I’d love to hear which photos are your favorites.

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Without further ado, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.

Best,

Kes the Photobean