A Woman Corned ...

I really, really want to make some, uh, corny jokes about today's discovery, but I'll try to restrain myself: The Corn Palace. How cool is that?

Unfortunately, the building is actually constructed of concrete (the outside is completely covered/decorated in maize). When I saw the pictures of it in my brochures, my heart leapt at the possibility that it might be a whole building made entirely of corn. Sure, go ahead and tell me that such a thing would be structurally impossible (never mind unhygenic), but that reality would fall on deaf ears. I mean, the physics of Tinker Toys is beyond me.

This thing of beauty is in Mitchell, South Dakota. Which is, according to my shaky calculations, is about 70 miles from De Smet. I'd really like to check it out.

A friend of mine helped me to concoct a crazy scheme. It all began when I decided that I wanted to add a picture of myself to this blog. Since I really don't photograph well, I asked her to help me get a picture that wouldn't scare puppies and small children. We joked about it, drank a little wine, and then decided that any photo really ought to show me wearing a sunbonnet, all bad-ass prairie-style. Then we took it a step farther: maybe we ought to begin a small collection of pictures in which I sport one. I mean, pictures are pictures, but who could resist pics of some random gal in a bonnet? Of course, the notion evolved into the idea that there ought to be a sort of introductory travelogue that shows me in my natural environment wearing it: in the supermarket, near various Scranton landmarks, at my jobs ... you get the picture (heh). After all, Ma in the Little House books was always on Laura's case to wear hers, why shoud I be any different? The evening culminated with the online order of a red sunbonnet. So we'll see where that goes.

So, kids, what have we learned today? Well, that there's a Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. Oh - and that Jen has no shame. To the chagrin of ZZ Top:

Red Sunbonnet
(Cheap Sunglasses)

When you want to journey westward and have a little fun,
The first thing to consider is protection from the sun
Ma'd call you "dark as an injun" if you didn't get right on it
And order yourself a red sunbonnet
Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh yeah!

You can bust that bonnet out and make random photo ops
Wear it to the vet when the dog goes for his shots
On forays to the bank, as you make some deposits -
You'll knock the tellers out with a red sunbonnet
Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh yeah!

Wear that prairie sucker as you check into hotels
Wear it on the plane, and in the rental car as well
What subtlety you have? Methinks now's the time to pawn it:
Every photo's better with a red sunbonnet
Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh yeah!

Days until trip: 322
Money saved: $197.00