Review squared: Arrow.

Most people have read reviews for films or restaurants or whatever they don't agree with, usually (I think) because the reviewer comes down too hard, or is too pretentious, or too negative, rather than the alternative of being supportive of the thing they're reviewing.
Last week our favourite coffee spot (which has appeared in many of K'la's posts) was the subject of a critical review, which was only sparingly complementary. Even if not scathing, it still seemed more harsh than fair, and out of touch with both my tastes and those of most people.

The people at the cafe in question really are fantastic, and deserve better. So I took it upon myself to pen a small defence of Arrow, and may have gotten a little carried away, as the final reply ended up being almost as long as the original article:

"Reviews come in a lot of shapes and colours, but this one is hard to place.

It is not the review of a connoisseur or expert in the field, as the author is clearly misinformed about coffee and has barely entry-level tastes. For example, the treatment of the foamed milk has some remarkable influences on the textural, flavour composition and crema of the coffee, regardless of the motif of the pour, the fact that a motif can be done is a good sign. The only other place that compares for coffee in Manhattan is Sparrow - while other cafes (even those that the reviewer has previously described as serving "good coffee") might as well be serving bland, textureless dishwater. Note well: I know Arrow pride themselves on the coffee blends they choose; the addition of a syrup is on the menu of a coffee shop is a simple courtesy, but is not the option for sophisticated tastes.

Nor is it the review of a populist, as Arrow is certainly popularly well-received: Indicated in the article by the tables-packed "complaint", despite the venue having recently doubled in size AND opened a new site. And also indicated by an almost perfect 5-star ranking on their facebook page.

Nor is the review something that a cynic might see as brown-nosing to the Manhattan commercial set, or having a marketing agenda. A negative review like this in a small place like Manhattan can have negative effects not just on the venue, but on people's perception of the town; but I think the worst reflection is on the reviewer.

Not sophisticated, not populist, not marketing. So I can think of two reasons for such a review to exist. Either the criticisms are the author's way of puffing their own alleged superiority, or this is some strange attempt to score hits by softly courting controversy. Well, in the case of the second scenario, you've got one hit.

Speaking of "one", I give this review one star. :)"

I really am quite intrigued about what motivates a thing like this. It seems a strange thing, to be a reviewer; especially so publicly. A negative review is doubly mysterious. Triply in a small town where at most people are separated by 2 degrees of separation, by and large. To do so without any real expertise is just... well... weird.

We live in this society that is so exquisitely tone-policed by the algorithms of culture and society, such that "positivity" is something I find is liberally prescribed to me several times a day, regardless of the facts. And yet when it comes to published reviews by "official" journalists, I get the feeling that there is a tendency to err on the side of nastiness. I don't think this is a unique observation. It is something I'll continue to give thought to.

Over the weekend we...

I'm starting our weekend on Friday afternoon, because it just feels right. It was a relaxing afternoon, full of promise, and no rain. Last week was rather wet and rainy, which was lovely, because everything is green, but it wasn't conducive to spending time outside or even heading to playgroup - turns out it was actually closed most of the week due to minor flooding. But on Friday afternoon I took Jimmy to Cico park.

Jimmy went down the slides, tried out the merry-go-round, tried to catch a robin or two, insisted that I climb into the fake wagon, and join him going through the tunnel. He loves going through tunnels... there's a blog post to write... We had a nice time, even if we had less than an hour there, because we didn't leave in time to catch the earlier bus and because we had a date with Daddy planned (and the bus only comes hourly). So, we had to leave before Jimmy was really done going down the slides, but the promise of Daddy and a snack kept the grumbles away.

We were still enjoying cloud cover, but that does present its own problems, especially when it comes to taking photos. Light balance was my main issue for the weekend. Michaels' was a lense that is not working as it should.

Now, get a cup of tea, get comfy, as the following is photo heavy, because it's spring!

Over the weekend we...

Went out for coffee and a light breakfast at Sparrow Specialty Coffee. It was raining a little, nothing heavy, but rain coats were required. We caught the bus to the other side of town and chatted to the bus driver (it was her birthday and Jimmy, one of her favourite passengers, was suitably charming), discussing the rain and baseball - apparently baseball is one of the very few sports, in the USA, that will stop for the rain, something to do with slipping and sliding and breaking ankles.

We had upsidedown snickerdoodle muffins and really, really lovely lattes. Part of me wishes we lived closer to Sparrow Specialty Coffee, simply because their coffees are so good, but perhaps we wouldn't enjoy them as much. It's hard to say, but it is great that there are two coffee shops in Manhattan that we can go to and always, always, always get a lovely cup of coffee. It's even better when both places smell like Melbourne (Sparrow smells of raw wood and coffee, while Arrow smells of coffee and food). And just to clarify, for anyone who was wondering what a 'snickerdoodle' was, it's usually a cinnamon and raw sugar biscuit.

After coffee we headed to the Flint Hills Discovery Center. Jimmy started up the stairs to the children's area before Michael and I had finished at the front desk. Clearly, Jimmy missed the stairs. And then Jimmy found the train set...

Well, there was someone else playing with the trains, but she was happy to share - because it is a public space, everyone is very good about sharing and taking turns. Jimmy was engrossed by the trains and I think he was there for nearly an hour.

Meanwhile, Michael and I took it in turns to check out the Wild Weather exhibit, which explains spring weather - storms and tornadoes. It was a bit of fun. The thought of tornadoes still scares me...

After over an hour or so at the Discovery Center, we went home to pick up some sausages and snacks before heading to the 'baseball grill'. Between the bus stop and home we noticed a funny growth on the cedars that we walk past regularly. We'd never seen these growths before, so we investigated, and Michael found out what they are... Keep your eyes peeled for them in a future post.

The sun was out and we had a nice walk past the baseball stadium on our way to the barbeque. In fact, it was lovely weather for a grill/barbeque: not too hot and not too cold or windy. We had lots of fun exploring our friends' backyard - it was a novel concept for Jimmy; a home with grass right outside the door, no stairs in sight.

And after lunch, we went to the game! We arrived some time after the start of the 5th innings, and stayed until the end of the 9th, when the game was over. As we were arriving, K-State fans were already leaving, suggesting that the result was a forgone conclusion... We still went in, found seats, Jimmy seemed engrossed by the activity and was happy to sit on Daddy's lap for a bit, and then Jimmy was off, because little boys don't sit still for very long.

Between taking turns running around with Jimmy, Michael and I both saw some of the game, learned the rules and ins-and-outs of what was going on, and narrowly missed being hit by a foul ball (the young boys behind us scrambled to get it, once it landed). Thanks A and B for the 'baseball grill'!

Our Sunday was very quiet, as it was cold, wet, and windy. We stayed in, relaxed, and did laundry, which felt funny, but we have a dryer, so loads of washing can be done, even on the wettest of days.

Manhattan, KS, in the snow...

Or at least the parts we see regularly... 

Last Monday we woke up to snow. That Tuesday we woke up to even more snow and then in the afternoon there was the most amazing snow drifting and swirling and dancing around. You can tell I'm from a part of the world where it doesn't snow, right?

Well, after a few failed attempts to get out and take photos of the snow covered landscape, Jimmy and I did it! On Wednesday we had a lunch date to keep, a DVD from the library to return, so with the promise of going on a noisy bus I convinced Jimmy that all the fuss was going to be worth it.

This post is fairly photo heavy, so you'll need to press the "read more" link after another photo or two...

With Jimmy all rugged up and in the Manduca ("du-a" as Jimmy says), we were off and taking photos of the snow covered landscape!

Funtimes in KC!

As previously mentioned, we went to Kansas City (KC) last weekend. We had a really good time, ate too much, drank plenty of coffee, and enjoyed being in a big city*. But I know you want details, and photos too... Well, more than one photo...

We picked up our hire car on Friday afternoon, so that we could do some shopping that evening and get away when we wanted to on Saturday. Jimmy may have lost it when he realised that we had a car, a red car no less! It was a little small, but we managed to squeeze 3 adults, Jimmy, and our gear into the red Toyota Yaris. That is, after a sleep in, waffles, and general hanging around - our only deadline that day was making it to our hotel sometime after 3pm, so we left late, stopped to take photos of the Konza Prairie (see first photo), and had coffee in Topeka, after some lunch in the car.

On checking into our hotel, we were given the option of having the top floor and we took it. We had a pretty nice view, and started to feel like we were actually in a city. Not that we were under any illusions about the size of KC as we navigated our way to the hotel using a tourist road map of Kansas state, which misses a fair few streets etc, simply because of the scale of the map. Ah well...

For dinner we made our way to the Plaza. We had thought to take the hotels' shuttle bus, but it was booked up until far too late for Jimmy, so Asha drove us there. Finding a park was surprisingly easy, a nice lady went out of her way to tell us that we'd left a light on inside the car, and it it wasn't too cold to be walking around the streets looking for a place to eat that was vegetarian friendly, but cold enough that once we found somewhere suitable, we weren't in a hurry to leave. Actually, the first place we came to seemed suitable, and the smells coming from Brio Tuscan Grille were just a little irresistible.

Now, being parents, Michael and I forget that people like to go out on Saturday nights, Asha seemed to forget this too, because when we asked about a table for 3 (plus toddler), we were told there was a 1.5 hour wait (!!!!)... our hearts sank... but we were welcome to sit at the bar and order from the menu. We were all in shock that we had to ask for clarification about what we could order!

We took up a really good spot in the bar area, which was actually not very noisey, and our couch and lounge chairs created a safe place for Jimmy to move around in. The large, low, round table was perfect for keeping most things out of Jimmy's (ever expanding) reach, and we were able to enjoy a lovely dinner without the wait. Added bonuses were not getting funny looks for breastfeeding Jimmy, not getting funny looks for sitting on the floor while eating dinner, and little desserts that really were just the right size.

We were still pretty full once we were done, so we went for a little walk and took in the Christmas lights around the Plaza. We also found a dedicated vegetarian restaurant and promised to try it out the next night.

We all thought Jimmy was going to go to sleep... but no. Before convincing him to have a bath, he decided to play with the phones in our room...

And pull funny faces at Daddy...

And roll around on a bed with Aunty Asha, complaining about how much farts stink... He did have a bath, and he did go to bed at a suitable hour. Us, the adults, on the other hand, we may have stayed up a little on the late side, but not too late, although we still set an alarm so that we wouldn't be late for our breakfast booking...

At the Farmhouse! Michael and I were pretty excited to be going back there, and I think Granny was a little jealous. Asha was excited because she knew what she was ordering, even before we left Manhattan! (I had checked the menu and shown Asha before making the booking, because I wanted her to have something she could eat, as vegetarian options are sometimes rather lacking... She was pretty happy with what was on offer.)

Jimmy was pretty happy to be there too, but I think it was more that he had a fork he could pretend to vacuum the table with. Yes. You read that right. We sat down, set Jimmy up, ordered some coffee, and Jimmy says "C'uum!" while moving his fork back and forth... Obsessed? Hmmm...

We were all a little busy enjoying our breakfast to take photos. A bit like dinner really, and every other meal we had while in KC. But not too busy to take photos of Jimmy enjoying himself...

We did a spot of Geocache-ing after breakfast, although Asha and I were (initially) more interested in taking in the sites. I'm not sure why, but this part of KC reminds me of Melbourne... Michael and I quite like both places.

It wasn't exactly warm...

But this bridge is pretty cool...

And there were trains on another bridge, and ice floating down the Missouri River...

That's right, ice. It is winter after all.

The bridge is the site of a few Geocaches, that we didn't find, even with Jimmy helping, so we gave into the cold, and went to Quay Coffee, after a quick look at the Markets - they were open, indoors, and heated.

Jimmy went to sleep after we had our coffees, so Asha and Michael went off to get those Geocaches, while I enjoyed a second cup of coffee. Sitting down. In peace and quiet.

It was pretty amazing, and relaxing too. Michael and Asha didn't have a phone, so I had to stay where I was, so that they could find Jimmy and me when they were done. And when they did come back, after finding 4 Geocaches, Jimmy was still asleep. He woke up not long after they had returned and we headed off to the next thing. Which turned out to be a visit to the Aquarium!

Initially we had thought to go to the zoo, but all 3 adults thought the aquarium might be more fun for Jimmy. And I think we were right.

I'm certain we were right. The Aquarium was indoors, so we didn't have to worry about the cold, and we could all get a lot closer to the animals too. I'm not sure that Jimmy understands what fish are, but he was pretty fascinated, and loved the touch pool, although I think that had more to do with splashing water everywhere than anything else...

We, the adults, had fun too, even though it was challenging to take good photos of the animals - the fish move faster than Jimmy and the turtle was plain shy... When we did emerge from the Aquarium, we noticed puddles of water (and ice) on the pavement, and were very glad to have been inside and not out at the zoo, where we might have had trouble missing the rain.

We had a quick bite to eat and then headed back to the hotel (after another attempt at finding a nearby Geocache). As we were feeling a little more comfortable with the area, and because we wanted to go to a specific restaurant for dinner, we did some preparations. Namely, we found out what was open, and what was on the menu. We didn't book anything, just went. And we ended up at Coal Vines for pizza and wine.

It was lovely and we had the best table. Right next to the pizza chef and pizza oven: they have glass from just above the bench to the ceiling, allowing the pizza making to be a real show. The staff were lovely, and the chef even gave Jimmy a piece of pizza dough to play with. It was a bit messy, but Jimmy had a great time. As did we, and we ended up eating far too much... which resulted in another walk around a different part of the Plaza.

The next morning we slept in, had the hotel buffet breakfast, checked out, and make our way to Oddly Correct Coffee Bar (after another side trip to the rather troublesome cache... which was not found).  

Coffee... and a plain donut. Actually, it's not just a coffee, it's a flat white. In a glass. It was rather like an Australian latte.

Michaels' latte resembled a flat white, something we've come to accept, just like: the winter sun being in the south, not the north; Christmas being in winter, not summer; and cars travel on the righthand side of the road, not the lefthand side. We still order latte's, but they come in ceramic cups, and not glasses.

Our coffees were very good. Actually, the Oddly Correct crew are so confident that their coffee is good, that they don't offer sugar or creamer for their pour overs. That said, their milky coffees are made on whole milk (yay!), which I think is also true for Quay Coffee, and Arrow Coffee Co. We'll be heading there again, if we make it back to KC.

After our lovely coffees, and a little birthday present for Michael, we headed home, via the scenic route when we realised that we didn't have enough change for the toll. Plus Asha, who was driving, wanted to see more of the countryside. Once back in Manhattan, we managed to unload the car, do the week's' grocery shopping, and return the car in little over an hour.

We had a really lovely time. It was great to get away, break up the routine, see a few new places, and hang out together without the distractions of home (housework, computers, the vacuum). I hope that Michael, Jimmy and I get another chance to go back to KC before we leave the USA, but it won't quite be the same without Asha.


*We have it from one local that KC is a small big city, making it a very livable city - we think it's bigger than Brisbane... possibly bigger than Melbourne...

47/52

"a portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2014"

Jimmy: Don't mind me, I'm just riding Dadee's bike.

Sorta kinda.

We've had a much milder week - no beanies or gloves required! During the daylight, at any rate. This weekend just gone was pretty dreary, but pleasant, until about 1 minute after I took this photo when the wind came rushing in, threatening to blow everything and everyone over.

So we took Jimmy off the bike, rugged up, and walked on. To coffee and lunch, then on to the shops. What had started out as a gray old day turned into an icy, windy, rainy afternoon, and we returned home from our adventure a little wet, but still warm enough (ok, so Jimmy was warm in his jumper and boots under my raincoat and my hands were icy because I didn't have anything to cover them with). Here comes winter...

Oh and one last photo. Just for good measure.

Five happy things for five days...

Jimmy smelling the roses, while they were still there to be enjoyed.

A month ago a friend invited me to take part in a "5 happy things for 5 days" challenge that was doing the rounds on Facebook. I gladly took part, especially as I was enjoying reading what my friends were putting up for their 5 happy things each day. How hard could it be, right?

Well, it wasn't always easy to find 5 things every day to be happy about. It might have just been that week, but for some reason I felt rather down, kinda flat really. Whether it was highlighting the good when we're so far from family and friends, hormonal shifts as Jimmy breastfeeds less and less, or that I'd abused my sourdough starter so much that it basically wasn't going anywhere, I don't know. It could have been all of those things.

During the following week my sourdough starter picked up again, thanks to some tender care and double feeding (more later?), and my mood improved too. A friend who was also doing her 5 happy things pointed out that now, this day and age, is actually a really good time to be a woman: we have so much more control over our lives, so much more say in what happens, so many more rights, so much more freedom, than any of our female ancestors (collectively, and yes, there are still improvements to be made in the general standing of women, but we have come along way and being reminded of that made me happy). And the weather improved.

I also made an effort to get out a little more with Jimmy, whether it was just the two of us or with friends, and that helped too. So did contacting friends back in Australia, some of whom I hadn't really spoken to in a few months. 

So, here are my 5 happy things for 5 days:

Day 1:

1. Having a little boy who was happy to play with boxes, laundry baskets, and a doona all day;
2. Michael. This guy rocks;
3. Not having to worry about how I'm going to get the nappies dry on a cold, wet day (yay for tumble driers!);
4. A special group of mummies for oversharing, venting, and support, even if we're separated by the Pacific Ocean;
5. Having friends in Manhattan who found today just as cold and dreary.

Day 2:

1. Seeing Jimmy interact with other small children at playgroup;
2. Turning lovely wool, from my lovely sister, into a (hopefully) lovely beanie;
3. Homemade sourdough bread, with blue vein cheese;
4. Watching Michael and Jimmy together. The joy is immense;
5. Ice cream at the end of what turned out to be a long day.

Day 3:

1. Baby hair;
2. Baby smell;
3. Knowing that baby smell and baby hair make Michael happy too;
4. Nursing my baby to sleep;
5. Being physically exhausted from babywearing, because my baby is growing big and strong.

Day 4:

1. A healthy child;
2. Having a doctor agree that Michael and I have a healthy child;
3. Vaccinations to help keep my child healthy;
4. Coffee and monkey bread to make up for an early start;
5. Living in a complex that hosts dinners for its (warm and friendly) residents (read: not having to cook dinner after a long day, and chatting with locals). 

Day 5:

1. My family and friends, here and around the globe;
2. Knowing how to knit and sew, because I learnt these skills from family members - thanks Mum (aka Granny)!
3. Eating waffles while playing Worms - thanks Michael!
4. Having friends around the world who care about our planet enough to spend their lives looking out for it, working to improve our environment through conservation or sustainable agriculture or education;
5. Reading what friends have said in their 5 for 5, especially when they remind me that now is a really good time to be alive, especially as a woman - thanks G!

Reading these happy things I can pick the days that weren't so great (Day 3 in particular), but I think Day 5 was pretty good. It was an interesting exercise, and enjoyable too. It also marks our halfway point - 6 months down, 6 months to go... We're over that hump, but our future is not clear and I may yet to another 5 happy things for 5 days, when I need to remember to enjoy the now and distract myself from uncertainty in the future.

Road trip: Part 6 - Goose Island to Manhattan, KS

Duck weed on the backwaters of the Mississippi. (Photo: Michael)

The day before we left Goose Island there was a lot of talk about our last night on the road. To get to my prefered location, 30 minutes outside of Kansas City, we would have to be on the road for 8 hours. That was going to make for a very long day, as we were finding 6 hours on the road long enough, even when the drivers switched every hour. Granny found a location that was only 6 hours away, somewhere where we could camp, just off the highway, and then only have 2 or so hours to drive to Watkins Mill before we headed into Kansas City. We were going to play it by ear, but I think I've already given the game away...

Day 13: Goose Island to Watkins Mill State Park
We had no trouble getting up early, for no other reason than it was just so nice to be up as the mist rolled across the river. Somehow we managed to be all packed up, washed, breakfasted and on the road by about 9 am. We had our route planned, but weren't sure how far we would end up travelling - as I mentioned above, we were not keen on travelling for 8 hours, but if Jimmy was doing ok, and the drivers were doing ok, and we didn't like the 6 or so hour spot, then we would continue to Watkins Mill State Park. The early start meant that we would have time on our side and could relax and enjoy the journey.

About to cross the Mississippi.

Well, that was until we realised that we were down to the last few baby wipes, and the way Jimmy was going, we were going to need to find a shop and buy some more before we reached Manhattan, KS. Of course we made this discovery after passing the Walmart and crossing the Mississippi, and we weren't going to turn around and get some, we would just buy some on the way. That day. Whenever an opportunity presented itself.

Driving along the Mississippi.

We did enjoy travelling up the Mississippi for a bit, before turning west. Cue more rolling hills, closely followed by open plains. And lots of wind turbines! Oh they are magnificent! Did I mention that we passed trucks pulling the big blades while we were travelling north? Well, we did, and once we were on a straight freeway again, we saw more. Plus all the ones on the turbines in the fields around us.

Wind turbines... We just kept driving past them and marveled at them. They are almost majestic. I really, really don't understand why people don't like them. I've even seen the ones in Ravenshoe, up in the Atherton Tablelands, Australia, and heard the gentle hum. The ones here in the USA are probably much bigger, but they just look beautiful. They stretched on and on, as far as our eyes could see in some places. At one point there was a lovely juxtaposition of wind turbines next to a few smoke stacks, and we talked about how certain comments made by a certain Australian politician made no sense. Give me wind turbines any day!

We traveled west to Albert Lea, Minnesota, and turned south, making for Des Moines, Iowa, and then a little... It was a grey old day. Windy too. And cold. None of this helped when we had an emergency nappy change to perform, without the help of a gas station restroom with change table. And only 2 wipes. At least it was a slight over-reaction on part, but still, it wasn't a fun stop. Plus we used the last of the baby wipes. This sort of thing is not in the parenting 101 books - actually, it might be, I just never really read past the first few pages... 

After that nappy related detour, we kept going, and kept our eyes out for somewhere sheltered for lunch. And anywhere that might sell baby wipes. And somewhere sheltered we found! It was one of those "just off the freeway" kinda places with clean toilets, change tables, sheltered picnic tables, and free maps of Iowa. Actually, the building was pretty amazing, but we were in a bit of a rush and didn't stop to take pictures.

On the outskirts of Des Moines there is a Target, just off the freeway. With much excitement on my part, we took the turn off and went in. Ahhhhh baby wipes... And beef jerky for a teething boy, who didn't really like it.

A little further south we stopped at another visitors center, checked phone numbers and locations of things and drove off with a eye on the time. If we needed to stop, our roadside campsite was 45 minutes away, otherwise we would keep going to Watkins Mill State Park. To say we were a little tense is probably not quite right, but I was keen to keep going if Jimmy was ok (or asleep).

Jimmy slept. We reached the 45 minute mark and couldn't see our turn off. Jimmy was still asleep. We kept going. Granny called to see if we'd be ok turning up after 6 pm, and it turned out that we would be fine - they'd take our money in the morning. We made for Watkins Mill State Park.

And we arrived there with a happy-ish Jimmy, and before sunset! The campsite host (a volunteer, who stays long term on the site) came and took our money for a site and wood, and answered whatever questions we had. We may have chosen the wrong type of site for the mats we had, but the RV site was close the showers and toilet block, didn't have too many other campers or RVs around, and our ears were inundated with the humming of cicadas, just like the ones in Manhattan, KS. Plus it was warm and dry, just like Manhattan. Just like home.

Packing up our forest campsite.

We had actually been on the road long enough for me to have forgotten what our home life was like. Perhaps that's what happens when you're a mum and you have little choice but to live in the moment, or perhaps I was enjoying myself so much that everything else sort of slipped away.

We slept well, with bellies full of warm food. The ground was hard, but it was only one night. The cicadas were noisy, but familiar. And it was warm and in the morning the tents were dry, so packing them up was fairly quick and easy.

Mum! Mum! Muuuum! Pick me up... I want a cuddle.

Day 14: Watkins Mill State Park to Manhattan, KS
Jimmy enjoyed playing in the gravel after breakfast while we were packing up or showering. The showers are lovely and the whole toilet/shower/laundry facility is probably fairly new. I highly recommend the Park as a nice place to stay, and it's just outside of Kansas City too.

Practicing the all important skills of taking things out and putting them back.

Although we were heading to Kansas City for cooofffeeeee, we (and when I say 'we' I mean 'I') wanted to look at the Mill. (Ok, so I had actually convinced Michael, Granny, and Pop that the Mill was worth visiting.) And as the Mill museum didn't open until 9:30 am, we had time to enjoy our last camp breakfast and some camp-kettle coffee.

Our last camp-kettle coffee.

It was really nice to relax and not feel rushed. None of us were keen on getting into the car, but the Mill wasn't far, Kansas City was another 30-45 minutes, and then home was all of 2 hours. We were almost home. We were able to relax.

How milky do you take your coffee?