My boat got nudged

My friend Jane is lacking in life experience. She doesn't know how to properly identify a "dive" bar. I need to have her hang around with my pal Donnie for a while. That guy knows a dive!

Jane and her husband Ken have been inviting us to their family's vacation home near Guttenberg for the past couple summers. Between their schedule and ours, it just never worked out. This summer, when the invite came - I jumped right on it! We piled the kayaks on the Subaru and took the 4 hour drive to the NE part of the state. Their place is on a little island that most people wouldn't recognize as Iowa. Instead of cars, people drive modified golf carts around the 'hood.

Full moon over the campfire

When we arrived on Friday night, we hopped on the golf cart (Odie too) and drove to Jane and Ken's friends' house for pizza and a fire. A priest even joined us for the campfire. Hey, I need all the help I can get.

What is so therapeutic about fire and water? I got a dose of both this weekend - plus medicinal friendship with two great loving people. Jane and Ken are still relative newlyweds - having married a year and a half ago. They are fun to hang out with - though their level of activity wears me out!

On Saturday morning we drove an actual car to Guttenberg for donuts. First we checked out the barge going through the lock. It is an interesting process to watch.

Viewing platform at the lock

Then we hiked up a huge hill above the city, working every calorie from that donut off! Guttenberg has a nifty Farmer's Market - lovely along the river, featuring honey, syrup, flowers and plants. Later this summer there will veggies. Ken picked up fresh eggs.

No elevator - we walked up there

Next we drove to Frenchtown with the kayaks - where there was no town and no French. But we did take a picnic and paddles. It's backwater there - not the main channel of the Mississippi. It was fabulous getting out on the water again. Have I mentioned how great it is not having a broken shoulder? After a half hour or so, we scoped out a likely spot for a picnic. A snake swam by but he didn't want any of my food.

After lunch I lined up behind Ken as we went through a swampy area - and a fish jumped nearby, making me somewhat nervous. I have a phobia about a fish jumping into my boat. That would be bad! Heart attack, most likely. Then something nudged my boat (I'm picturing a sea monster) and I let out a shriek that scared Ken so badly he mentioned soiled shorts. I paddled quickly to get out of that area. Now that sport gets one's heart pumping! It was challenging going through a low water area and then across the channel to get back to the house, but the weather was great and I enjoyed the kayaking immensely.

Jane played guitar at church in Garnavillo that evening. We got to witness a lovely baptism ceremony during Mass in a church that had an altar that reminded me of SS Peter and Paul in Atlantic. And then we went to Bill's in Clayton - the bar Jane considered a dive. Um, nope. It had umbrellas on a deck. Immediate disqualification. Dinner on the deck with a cold one. It doesn't get any better!

There is a silica mine there. It was interesting to drive around to look at the mining activities, though some might view it as devastation. You can also see piles of sand dredged from the river. Clayton County is very rural - and could easily hang with that southern tier of counties in Iowa.

We spent the rest of the evening cruising the island on the cart. We ran into an old friend, Deb Enzler (don't know her married name) from college. Her parents are friends of Jane's. What a walk down memory lane! We saw a cart that is hacked to look just like a Jeep. How cool! On the island there are shacks, trailers, nice homes and mansions. At the end of the evening we sat in the screened in porch with Odie, while somebody shot fireworks. Odie vibrates when sparks fly.

Ken made us a hardy breakfast Sunday before we took off. We would have loved to play again that day, but we had errands to take care of back home. We swung by Paul's home place on the way back to DSM - boy has it changed! And the cemetery in Earlville. In case you're shopping. Payment plans!

Now that we know the way to Guttenberg, we need to go back. That was fun and I envy that sweet summer lifestyle those two can enjoy through this fall. Thanks for the invite buddies. Come back to DSM soon.

Not there just for the Barbecue...

What a weekend! I didn't think we could top last year...but this year's Big 12 Tournament was just as good. The games were even more exciting....hard on this old gal! Cyclone fans can thank me for those victories - I found the secret.

Jane, Barb & me

Ask anyone. I'm very superstitious. I watched the first game on the big screen at the Power and Light with my buddies Jane and Barb. The Cyclones struggled the whole game. Scoring was a struggle. The girls and I sat on a wall and became uncomfortable. We were losing! Finally, down 10 points with 4 minutes left, I needed a change. I hit the public restroom - tipping the cheery attendant on my way out.

That did the trick! We were only down 6 when I came out. So I didn't want to return to my "unlucky" spot and jinx us. So I stood by random Cyclone fan strangers as our team proceeded to make 2 3-pointers and tie the game as time dwindled. Texas had the ball but failed to score and we had it with 5 seconds left. I paced in the back - not looking. I knew we won somehow, someway by the crowd noise. Monte had hit a shot as time ran out. Cyclones win by 2! There were several thousand Cyclone fans in the house - all going crazy. I ran to my former spot to hug Jane! Break out Sweet Caroline - the crowd sang along enthusiastically.

A while later Paul, Jud, Kara and my little buddy all growed up Michael Hyde showed up. Michael's gf Erin was there too. How fun is that?!?

Kara, Jud, Michael, Erin

Steve and Jud

Then we ended up at a brew pub for some grub. Our nephew Steve Fox from San Diego looked us up. He was with his buddy from their hometown of Webster City. Our waiter delivered free cinnamon whiskey shots - just because the bottle was nearly empty! It was fun chatting with Steve and Tom - reliving the game.



The next day Jud, Paul and I went with Kara on a tour she had scoped out online. It was of a coffee biz - the Roasterie, in downtown KC. It was started by a Denison, Iowa native and ISU guy. They did a video about how he got interested in coffee and how the beans are selected. It smelled delish there! The beans are roasted in an air system that is like air popping corn.

Then we were off to Joe's Barbecue. So very yummy. It was only an hour wait. Jud bought - can't beat that! I was glad to get a nap in prior to the pep rally. I stopped by the restroom to tip my friend the attendant for good luck. Anything I can do to help the Cyclones!

We saw Dwight and Marilyn Conover at the Pep Rally - wonder how D got those beads?

The Oklahoma game was quite exciting - sitting in the "cheap seats" with my boys. It was another come from behind win. We bonded with the folks around our seats. We all experienced a group sigh of relief when Ryan Spengler of Oklahoma missed a layup that would have tied up the game as time ran out. Jud and Kara partied late into the night at the Power and Light. Paul and I passed on that mob scene - opting for a quiet drink at the motel.

coloring

Saturday a.m. we met the Goldsmiths at the Urban Table near Overland Park. Paul's brother Ken, wife Mary and their daughter Katie Lee with 3 kids. Katie's husband Albert was participating in a run that morning. It was really nice to see them all - such a cute fam! I enjoy seeing their periodic pics on Facebook.

Paul and I got a little shopping in after that. No KC trip is complete without visiting Cabela's. I scored Merrill sandals there. On to Legends Outlet Mall where we ran into the Groth family - Nancy, Kenton and their daughters Karisa and Karlie - with husband Jason Hyde. Plus all the cherubs! It was Karisa's oldest daughter's 10th birthday. I remember when Amy didn't want to turn 10....already lamenting how fast life was spinning by!

We lunched at a Chipotle with Jud and Kara later outside the Power and Light later. ISU Coach Hoiberg's fam lined up behind us - just regular folk. I must say ISU does it right - best band of the four we saw. And our pep rally kicked Kansas butt!

Pre-Kansas game. Fired up!

 I tipped the restroom lady on my way to the arena. The first half of the game was gut wrenching for Jud and me. We were down 17 just after halftime. Ugh! The guy with the "lucky" hair didn't return to his seat - because we began to do better while he stood and watched the game on TV up above. When the game ended - Cyclones win by 4! We watched the cutting of the nets. It was great fun. Our team hasn't won enough for it to be "old hat".

We stopped by the Marriott where the team was staying and mixed with fans there. We ran into our lucky hair friend. He and his ISU grad wife are from Toledo, Ohio. He gave her this trip for Christmas. He's grown to love Cyclone fans so much - and has adopted ISU as his team too. We need more fans like him!

This was an expensive weekend $10 beer - but spending time like this with my family. Priceless.




To the moon Alice!

Leslie and Jane....

I was enjoying a leisurely Sunday morning at home when I received a Facebook message from my friends Ken and Jane. They were visiting DSM from their home in Dyersville and wanted to know if Paul and I felt like biking by moonlight that night. On a bridge.

I talked to Paul when he got back from checking his deer cameras and got back to them. We were IN! Just after 5 p.m. they arrived to pick us and our bikes (mine's name is Albie) up. They brought a bottle of wine. We drank it and chatted - catching up on each others' lives.

Jane and Ken also brought news. They're getting married October 25th! We're very happy for those two - they have a great time together and make a great couple. We enjoy hanging out with them. Cheers to Jane and Ken!

We drove to Woodward and ate burgers and drank a beer at the Braying Donkey before starting our couple mile ride to the High Trestle Bridge. The full moon helped light our way and it was a good thing as Paul and I hadn't checked our batteries for our bike lights. They were dead. Ugh!

The experience was worth the trip. And the fall (yes, I managed to tip over at one point and have some nice bruises to show for it).

We also got some cool photos. Not great as I didn't take time to set my camera for low light.

Paul and I are happy that Ken and Jane call when they come to town. #fullmoonfun!

Market Regulars, Jud's Visit, Pie

The beer chasers in this photo had bacon in them - and were icky!

Pablo and I are becoming Des Moines Farmer's Market regulars. This week we were happy to meet our friends Jane Ertl and Ken Root downtown at the market. They traveled in from their home in Dyersville for some business in the area and we made plans to meet Saturday Morning at 7:30 a.m. - you know where. Ken was gadabout the whole time we were there - being the ag radio guy that he is. Heck, he wrote the TV commercial for the Busy Bee Garden Center. He knows most of the vendors up and down the street and was gathering plants for the garden he's getting started in Dville.

Paul, Jane and I headed for Farmboy Hearty Food Company - for breakfast burritos. The gal that takes the burrito cash knows me. Yep! I'm important. The family that runs this successful business is from Prescott, just west of Creston and her husband works at the Creston News Advertiser. (I wish I knew her name). She remember back when I wrote a monthly column in that paper. Awww - that warms my heart. Or ego or something. Plus the burritos are darn good!

The flowers at the market always perk me up

Paul is addicted to the Farmer's Market strawberries. This week I talked him into buying a bunch of rhubarb - and you know what that means! No? Let me tell you.

We lived in Osage, Iowa for a couple years - from 1984 until 1986 when Amy turned 1 year old. The neighbor who lived in the house just north of our rental place, Mrs. Clara Wall, was a very nice lady who brought us a homemade pie that first spring after we moved in. It was the best pie ever - rhubarb with French vanilla pudding. (In the small world department - when we moved to Creston, we met Mark and Pam Wall, who were about our age. Mark is Clara Wall's son!)

Laura Goldsmith, bless her heart, taught young Paul Goldsmith how to bake pies. So I've never been charged with that task. I'm the cookie, bar and cake (except Angel Food) maker. Paul does pies. He even makes crusts! We got special Rhubarb Pie from Clara Wall before we moved south - so Pablo could bake that pie. We tried to grow our own rhubarb - transplanting some from the Joe Carroll household down by Rainbow Park in Creston. The Carroll Fam kindly gave us some of the plant after we rode our bikes by their house one year. Joe was out gardening, and we professed our love for the stuff. That's all it took. Nice people.

Paul confessed recently that perhaps he got carried away with weed killer. That was the end of our rhubarb. Regardless, we don't need to worry about growing it these days. We can purchase the fruits of other peoples' labor. I also purchased red potatoes and bread and Paul bought corn. We were set! Then it was Bloody Mary time at CABCO (Court Avenue Brewing Company). Such a gorgeous morning. We were lucky to snag a few chairs outside on their patio. After 1 drink, we headed home with our wares, leaving Jane and Ken to lunch with Ken's CABCO buddies (he still has his own mug there).

Jud got here about 3:00 p.m. Saturday. He had dropped Kara off at the airport that day - she was on her way to Ohio for work. We were out riding our bikes when he arrived and he was sitting on the steps of our place when we rode in. He was ready to go to Jethro's for some wings. That night we went to the Lone Ranger movie - I'd advise waiting for it to come out on DVD. It was entertaining but not great.

Rapt Attention

Sunday "dinner" menu for our baby boy: steak - sirloin, a chopped salad - kind of oriental, a mix I bought at HyVee, the red potatoes sliced with Hidden Valley Ranch and some onions/carrots, corn, garlic bread from the market (with special olive oil from Northfield, MN) and the rhubarb pie. Fabuloso!

After our food comas were over, we headed to Valley Southridge School to watch Capital City League hoops. Iowa State present and future players scrimmage Drake and other players. Jud and Paul are huge fans of sports. They follow recruiting and watch videos of high school players. I enjoyed watching them watch the game more than the game. A Creston lad who will play at Simpson College plays on one of the teams. We talked to his dad at the game. Phoenix Recycling company sponsors one of the teams, and Tony Colosimo - one of the company owners - I guy I've known for years, coaches a team. Small world.

Tony in purple polo

Creston's Trey Thompsen

Jud took off about 6 p.m. for St. Joe not long after the 2nd game started, and we came home. It was nice to have him home. We miss Amy. I received a short email from her today - she and Rachelle are in Uvita Costa Rica - which looks like a beautiful remote beach. They head to San Jose on Tuesday.

My Little Sis Chiya reports she is leaving Wednesday for Mississippi. She's not sure how long she's going to be gone. I'm feeling abandoned by my kids!

My sis Susi got to meet her new grandson James in person today. I can't wait to see pics! It's going to be hard to go back to work tomorrow. Weekends are fun.

What's Wrong/Right with People?

What motivates a person to set a bomb off? Or to start a fire, shoot innocent children, send poison through the mail, rape? Do we all start out okay, and somewhere along the line, certain people go off the rails of normal human behavior? Or, do some people just start with a pre-disposition to hate? I don't have the answer to those questions/ponderings. Unfortunately nobody does.

Thank goodness there are more decent people than bad people. And then there are the heroes. The ones I hear about and think "Whoa! What a thing they've done." or "That person exemplifies all that is right in this world - I want to be more like her/him." CBS news often has stories on their Friday night news about people like that. NBC does it too. People who feed the hungry in their towns, or start music programs from nothing. Those stories inspire me.

Photo from the Vail website

There was a story on NBC about the Adaptive programs in Vail, where my sis lives and works for Vail Resorts. Vail Veterans ProgramsThe program is set up to help injured veterans do the things they loved prior to their injuries. I saw another story about a similar program run by a vet running a biking program.

I have seen stories about amputees visiting the Boston bombing victims who have lost limbs. Their message is one of encouragement. One young man was a double leg amputee - he walked into the hospital room of victims. Another young girl lost a leg in an accident - her friend drove into her, crushing her leg. She too visited victims. A soccer player before her accident - she switched to the goalie position and still plays the game. I love that spirit!

I don't know how I'd react if I was faced with the trauma those people have been. And why? Because evil young men just felt like it - because of hate. And it all took place in a matter of seconds - fate and destiny. I'm sure the victims feel a great deal of anger, sadness and loss. Why them? Others who were nearby may be wondering  - why wasn't it me? Life is so random. And unfair - there's no doubt about it.

Speaking of good peeps, we ran into our longtime friend Jane Ertl's guy, Ken Root at Court Avenue Brewing Thursday night. We were there for a gathering with Paul's work group - mostly retirees from his agency. Ken told us (and he was kinda giddy) he's moving east to Dyersville this week. Yay! He's a radio guy and can ply his trade from any location. Though this means we won't see Jane in DSM anymore, unless her business brings her here - I guess we'll have to head that way to see them. We'll take our kayaks and our bikes!

Jane and Ken