The Bridges of Madison County (Pt. 2)
I’d scheduled my Saturday appointment in Des Moines early enough to spend the afternoon visiting the three covered bridges I’d missed a couple of weeks ago. However, when I had finished the appointment, I stepped outside and discovered that it had just rained. I learned the day’s weather forecast indicated heavy storms were likely to occur occasionally throughout the day. But the weather map showed that the storm patterns were mostly already east of the area, so I took the chance and headed southwest. By the time I reached Winterset, it was approaching 3:30 and, realizing that museums tend to close at 5 p.m., I headed to the John Wayne Birthplace Museum, which included the house where the famous actor was born in 1907. I didn’t tour the house since one of my nieces and I had visited it in 2008 nor the museum since my main intent was to…
The Bridges of Madison County (Pt. 1)
I woke up early Saturday morning with an appointment in Des Moines scheduled in the afternoon, so I decided impulsively to drive an extra 20 miles to Winterset to see the famous covered bridges of Madison County. This would give me a chance to “test drive” my new walking shoes and dash cam–both not yet picked up from the post office–plus the cowboy hat I’d recently received. One of my nieces and I had visited Winterset back in 2008 to see actor John Wayne’s birthplace. I’d been living in Iowa less than three years and was only then beginning to explore the state. I simply didn’t know that the bridges were in the area. So, I’m glad I had another chance to visit them. By the time I got the cam, figured out how to set it up and looked up information about the bridges online, it was already 11…
On the Road to Chicag… Moline
Woke up early Saturday morning but didn’t get on the road until almost 11 a.m. because,… well between procrastination (hadn’t done laundry) and having decided to forgo the library time I’d planned, I took my time leaving. After grabbing drive-through lunch and deciding not to get my nails done in Coralville, I finally made it to the Herbert Hoover Library and Museum in West Bend. Hoover is the only Iowan who has been elected president (as of this date anyway), and I thought the stop would be interesting. Actually, it was interesting–and surprising. Even considering the expectation that the president life and career are going to shown in the best light possible, I found Hoover’s accomplishments to be quite different than I anticipated. Some of the pictures I took are below, but I suggest you take a look at a bio on him. Someone on Facebook asked me why I…
EWF-Chicago Concert or Bust
This weekend’s forecast is for nice weather (for Iowa in April, anyway–sorry, I let my Southern roots show), and I’m feeling a serious need to get out of Grinnell for a couple of days. Plus, I just got a new hat to wear when a-wandering that I need to break in, AND I’m still feeling jealous of two of my brothers who just went to the Earth, Wind and Fire/Chicago concert last night. So,… When I learned that the tour was coming to Moline, Illinois–which is just on the other side of the Mississippi from Iowa (only a two-hour drive away)–this weekend, I couldn’t resist. So, the game plan is to stop by the University of Iowa music library for a couple of hours to do some Spirituals research–can’t be all-play, can I?–finally visit the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library (maybe), and get into Moline in time for dinner and the…
Up, Up, and Away!!
Two of my brothers visited me from back East, so I wanted to find something for us to do together. Trouble was, I had literally just had surgery on my leg that morning, so we were limited in what I could do. Fortunately, co-workers had told me about the National Balloon Classic being held in Indianola. Unfortunately, that Monday afternoon turned into a nasty, stormy day with occasional flashes of lightning. A dangerous evening for ballooning, but a nice one for dinner at one of the Jethro’s BBQ restaurants in Des Moines. (Note: all of us stayed away from their Carolina pulled pork since there’s only one place where one can get REAL Carolina BBQ.) My brothers had left by Thursday. I wanted to try again, anyway. I was up early enough to go to the sunrise event, but I decided to wait for the sunset program that evening. This…