The largest rocking chair I've ever seen

Doesn't this just say "Waymark" to you? I intend to make it so when I return in late April 2012 for the Social Technology Conference.

This is the largest walnut rocker, on display in Amana, IA. It is 11 feet tall and weighs 670 lbs. In case you're wondering, I'm 5'5" and the back of the chair is taller than I am. 

Review: Staying in a condo

Our trip to Colorado included a few mid-weeknights in a condo. My husband took a risk in booking a condo -- arrangements were made privately with one family, there wasn't national level corporate support for complaints should something not work out, we didn't know anyone who had stayed there before....

For our family of 6, this worked out beautifully. It was like staying at an aunt or uncle's house, but the aunt or uncle was out of town. We had a boy bedroom, a girl bedroom, and a master bedroom. We also got a fully furnished kitchen, fireplace, deck, safe and nearby parking spot, two full bathrooms, and -- SCORE! -- a washer and dryer. Because we were not staying there only to sleep, but to eat two meals a day and have down time at night and do laundry, the condo worked out fantastically. My oldest remarked, "It's a dining room table that we can all fit at!"

The furniture was very nice and clean and there was enough for all of us to have a seat. The owners and previous renters left a great movie library, jigsaw puzzle, grocery store savings club membership card, etc. for us. We used them all.

One benefit that we were unable to use was the clubhouse. The resort had a clubhouse where construction was occuring. We were fine without it, but knowing that we paid for an amenity that wasn't available was a little hard for me.

I woke up to see this every morning.

The cost was the same as a hotel, but without the pull-out couch, understocked kitchenware, a dinky eating table, and one tiny bathroom. I give condos two thumbs up.

(If you are staying in Breckenridge, look up Ski and Racquet Club on Hwy 9.)

Big Trees: What it is and a book review

Today was the first time I stopped to listen to the wind under a white pine tree. It was much quieter than the wind under a white oak.

Big Trees. "I" of GAIN and I spent the morning with Chris from the Dallas County Conservation Board to learn about Big Trees.

She also climbed a few trees, which came in handy a couple times. The wind from the last few days made leaves scarce and hard to reach, so "I" went after a few for us as we learned terminology and how to use the key in our books.

The Big Tree Program is a way to recognize our big trees, their owners and finders. It is also a way for people and communities to get a little competitive with each other, just like geocaching. I think it is a great program that gets you to appreciate trees in a family friendly way. And I'm thinking WAYMARKS!!! Iowa has a couple of the nation's biggest trees (National Champions). Imagine that!

All trees must be nominated (see the link for the nomination form and someone will verify it). Dallas County is handling their year-long, county-wide program a little differently -- the hope is to not only identify the county's big trees, but also to record stories of the trees. One story came from a gal at today's program. Family lore says that two trees on her grandfather's farm were planted -- one for her aunt and one for her uncle. They would be around 100 years old today. How neat is that?

Book review. We used a new release (July 2011) of Forest and Shade Trees of Iowa. This book is SUPERIOR to any tree field guide I've ever used. (I own six.) It is similar to the Winter Tree Finder, but Iowa specific. Where the Winter Tree Finder would tell me that I've got a pine, Forest and Shade Trees of Iowa would tell what kind of pine. The dichotomous key inside is deep yet easy to use, and our naturalist explained terms like compound leaves in a way that made a lot of sense to me. I've also attended an Iowa Tree ICN class with the kids, presented by the IDNR Dept. of Forestry, but I learned much more in today's class. I believe the hands-on experience of using a book (which you can't do easily over the ICN) helped.

Aside from including Iowa trees (native and introduced), the book includes a large picture of the leafy branch, buds, flowers, fruits, and winter twigs. This is a very big positive for laypeople like me.

I will be buying my own copy this year. To purchase your own copy, visit these associate links from my home education company:

• Winter Tree Finder: A Manual for Identifying Deciduous Trees in Winter (Eastern US) (Nature Study Guides) 
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• Forest and Shade Trees of Iowa (Bur Oak Guide)

For an introduction to trees, my county has a tree-themed Park Pack that is suitable for the very young as well as more mature children to enjoy.

When was the first or last time you listened to a tree? Leave a comment.