Tuesday, January 20, 2009

whrrrr

I didn't take this photo, as you no doubt guessed, but it's the only one I've found that even begins to give an idea of the size of the wind farms I saw on my trip. They are HUGE "farms," jaw-droppingly huge, covering many, many acres. One set of them on I-70 in western Kansas just goes on and on over the next hill and then the next one, and then when you think you've come to the end of them, there are more. I think they're beautiful in their own way. Today they were all completely still. I wish I'd seen them on the day last week when I was in 50 mph gusts. It might have been a little unnerving!

24 comments:

Nancy P said...

Maria, your news yesterday was really thrilling. Interesting, too, given how many publishing houses are downsizing, where this is an, uh, upsize. Lovely lovely lovely!

Just watched the Obamas dance. He's quite the Fred Astaire. :)

katiebird said...

I took a photo of my step-daughter at a Windfarm in Iowa a few years ago. This copy is tiny though and I can't find the original (huge) copy.

I've got a lot of windfarm photos but it seems like I'm usually there on cloudy days so they aren't very good.

I LOVE windfarms. They're putting a windmill in at the high school up the street from me and I'm very excited about it (it's the kind that's made for residential neighborhoods)

katiebird said...

I forgot to wave and say Hi....

(waving) Hi Nancy! I've loved your travelogue tales.

AndiF said...

Great news Maria!

Hiya kb. Don't let those turbines blow you away -- it would be awfully to see you around here more. :)

Hey I have some news of my own -- I can't believe I'm about to do what I'm about to do -- everybody should watch today's Martha Stewart show; my niece, the cupcakemaker, is going to be on it. The show is on CBS; check your local listing for the time.

Here's a description of the show:
Tune in today for a special show dedicated to one of America's most popular desserts, cupcakes! [EDIT OUT ALL THE UNINTERESTING STUFF ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE] Plus, Marlo Scott of the "Sweet Revenge" cupcake bar prepares one of her signature treats, a new twist on the classic vanilla cupcake.

Morning all.

Anonymous said...

Windmills have always fascinated me. My grandparents had one behind their house that fed a water tank.
In the Panhandle there is WIND and I always was comforted by the sound of the blades spinning and the well pumping.

We have some of those giant windfarms in West Texas.

Fantabulous news Maria. In these blue times of the economy, positive is GREAT.

Waves to KB and all to come.

Andi, I'm off to set the DVR. Man, I'm gonna be craving cupcakes.
Shout it from the mountaintops when good things happen to those we love. If you can't brag here, then where? Besides, sharing good news is FUN for us.

Wonderful Weds. to All.

Jen said...

Adding my congrats for Maria, that's the sort of news that makes all the days spent in the mimes seem more bearable. ;)

Congrats too to Andi's niece, what a major score of a marketing opportunity, wow.

Maria Lima said...

Morning, all and thanks for all the congrats! I've been sitting on this news for WEEKS and it's been tough to not say anything. We were all just waiting for the official press release to come out - which it did, yesterday. ::g::

Nancy, I love the wind farm - so cool!!

Off to a day at the mimes, my "Monday".

Cheers and a wonderful Wednesday to all!

Larry Kollar said...

Look, the windmills are turning and KB blew in! I'm working on a vertical axis windmill project in my spare time, and y'all know how much of THAT I have. :-P

And I shortly have to blow out to get to the mimes. And remember my camera. Maybe pick up a cupcake on the way.

Nancy P said...

A windmill at SM West? That's so cute! I love windmills, too. At first I thought you meant they were putting in a wind farm kind of thing and I was, like, woah. But a windmill? Cool. And it's actually going to provide water for the school? Or am I completely misunderstanding?

I remember that photo, kb. I thought that was you in the picture.

Nancy P said...

Andi, that's so exciting!! ::Runs to check when Martha's on today::

Hi, Lisa. Yeah, Maria's news reminds us that even when publishing is "bad," there's still always going to be some good news, too.


Jen and FAR! Buenas dias!

Mmm, cupcakes.

Anonymous said...

I love traveling across the country and seeing windmills appear on a distant ridge. Something regal about them marching across the countryside.

Glad you made it home safely, Nancy. And thanks for taking us with you.

Yay for your niece, andi!

Have a great Wednesday, everyone. My last day in NC (where it's 17 degrees), then back to Florida tomorrow.

Making lots of big decisions this week - I'd appreciate all of the calm, sane vibes you can send...

Nancy P said...

Sending zen waves to Beth.

Decisions about where to live? Eep. Okay, that wasn't calming. I'll try again. Decisions about where to live? What a great chance to start over in a place you will love.

Anonymous said...

Yep, those decisions, Nancy. I can drag my feet forever and hem and haw about where I truly want to be, but know that in the end, a place is just a place. I'll make friends and fit in just fine (well, probably not in North Dakota in the wintertime), wherever I land. It's time to stop wandering and put down some roots, even if they're shallow ones.

Thanks for the zen waves and positive thoughts, though 'eep' quite accurately reflects what I'm REALLY feeling! Just need some perspective...maybe walking on the beach on Friday will help.

{{{Nancy}}}

Kelly McCullough said...

delurks
Congratulations for Maria--hooray!
Zen for Beth--Ommm
relurks

dina said...

Hi, all. Love the wind farm. Something we really need.

So happy for Maria! Great news though it may mean being yet another copy of Matters.

So happy about yesterday!

Nicola Slade said...

Fabulous news, Maria, well done.
As for wind farms, I'm sure they're a good thing in the wide open spaces but in this tiny overcrowded island they're an eyesore as far as I'm concerned! There's usually a hill or a house or a town in the path of the prevailing wind so I don't know how efficient they actually are.

Oops, nearly forgot to say congratulations on your new President; very impressive speech.

AndiF said...

Dorkiest picture post of all time -- I took a picture of the TV. Here's Marlo with some old ex-con. ;P

I don't do calm and sane, Beth. But if you need someone to take over the endless nipping and shredding at the edges of the decision, that's one of my great talents and I'll be here to take that burden over for you. :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks, andi! I could use the excess fluff taken away, and the bare bones of the decision exposed...

I thought you were going to send me the dogs for the nipping part!

AndiF said...

They'd love to come Beth ... except they're not allowed to go near the road. :)

Anonymous said...

I first saw that wind farm last fall when I drove to western Kansas. Words failed me. It was like the first time I saw the mountains in Colorado. There was just no referent for it in my experience or vocabulary.

Anonymous said...

Congrats, Maria!

Ohio is in the process of trying to find financing to put windmills in Lake Erie. Apparently, there are some issues people have with it - noise, disturbing the fishing, cost/benefit ratio, etc. We'll see what happens.

Andif, can you get us the "inside story" on what it's like guesting on Martha's show. Is she as nasty as some have reported? She doesn't look very friendly in that pic.

Good luck with your decision, Beth. Are you going to throw a dart at a map of the country? the world? ;-)

Thanks for a great tour of Kansas, Nancy. I feel like I was there, too.

Farf, how long will Spring last this time down there? I'm not coming until it's permanent!!!! lol

Does anyone here know anything re: the Canon G9 or G10? My sister-in-law received one over the holidays and really likes it. She's not very knowledgeable about cameras though.

Larry Kollar said...

Hi Bono!

No telling how long Spring #1 through #4 last… a few days to nearly a month is a pretty wide spread. #5 is supposedly the "permanent" one, which is also pretty short before segueing into summer. 9-10 months of the year, Planet Georgia is either too hot or too cold.

Windmills in Lake Erie? What about all the gunk on the bottom of the lake, would it eat the concrete pilings or the scaffolding?

boran2 said...

Congratulations again Maria!

I hadn't realized that the wind farms are so extensive, Nancy.

< boran2 waves as drives by >

Nancy P said...

Paul: "There was just no referent for it in my experience or vocabulary."

Exactly.