Gram at home

Gram DeBoer has a cozy, comfortable home at Whispering Heights in Rock Valley.  Helene came for a day and the four of us moved furniture and decorated her new residence with treasured items of her own.  Good to know she is comfortable and well cared for.  She is always up for company!

week in Rock Valley

Look who stopped in!  Alice is enjoying having both daughters--Amy and DeAnn--around for a couple of weeks this summer.  They took a day out without the grandchildren and shopped, lunch, and stopped to see us as they worked their way to Sioux Center to pick up Holly (Dee's oldest) from "camp" at Dordt College.  DeAnn and family are making a whirlwind midwest visit before heading back to Lynden, WA

Brought Mom to church in Rock Valley this morning.  She can actually watch the services from her home church on her local cable channel but its not the same as being there!  And then out to Sunday lunch with Helene and Les.

Rock Valley

Cruised on to Rock Valley, Will’s home town in Iowa and surprised to find the local RV park was full, and the other one across town also full! So we parked in Mom’s driveway hoping we can find a spot tomorrow—or soon, anyway. The house is empty as Mom has made Whispering Heights her permanent home and her house is now on the market. One of the tasks for the visit is to get it ready to sell and find new homes for some of Mom’s treasures.

Mom's house isn't completely "empty".  These baby house finches have found a secure home under a window awning.  Clear view of them through the dining room window.  They are at that awkward adolescent stage, not quite ready to fledge--so homely they are cute!

family photos

Thats (Grandma and Mom) Kellie with sons Cody and Treavor and Cody's little one, Tristin.

And great-grandma Jean with Treavor!

Loess Hills

Who knew!!  As a kid I was aware of "that hilly country" in western Iowa that had winding roads and was difficult land to farm.  Now its known as a unique geological environment and a nationally significant resource (the only other like it is the Yellow River basin on China.)  Its called the Loess Hills.  We decided to check it out today and found a map that led us through miles and miles of Scenic Byway.  The ancient, wind deposited hills and eroded valleys are covered with prairie savanna, oak forests, picturesque farms and evidence of pioneers who first settled the area.  What a surprise for the locals to learn they are living in a national treasure.

There were several gravestones dating to the 1880's and 90's in this old Danish Lutheran Church cemetery.  Church is still being used for worship but pretty spartan inside.

class of 1965

    The Senior high school class of 1965 had a class reunion on Saturday night.  Astonishment that 45 years had passed since we graced the halls of Ar-We-Va was the shared sentiment of the evening!  Those added years made all of us reflective and so appreciative to see each other and genuinely interested in discovering each other's life story.  Memories,  laughter, grandchildren counts, pictures, embarrassing anecdotes, sad stories, and more memories and more laughter. . .and on it went.

     We decided that 4 of our original 50 are no longer with us.  A few we've lost track of completely.    Life scattered us to places and into circumstances we couldn't have imagined back then, some settled far away, others not so far.  What we couldn't count as Blessing, we learned from, and all came out on top.  It was a good thing to grow up in a small town in Iowa. What a pleasure to reconnect.

Don't we look good!Richard, Rick, Dean, Phillip, Jay and surprise guest, Tommy Malloy (in white shirt)  who was with us until he went to Kuemper HS after 8th grade!Joel and Kim

crossing Iowa to Yellow Smoke

        Welcome dry morning for a 25 mile bike ride for Will.  Peaceful pedaling down country lanes and lake roads until he was attached by a zealous red winged blackbird.  Must have been a nest close.

         I found a very birdy grove of trees in the campground.  Watched a Baltimore Oriole frantically feeding a fledgling, first American Redstart of the trip, Orchard Oriole, singing Eastern Peewee, Tufted Titmouse, Cardinal, surprising Bell's Vireo, Red Bellied Woodpecker, several Chipping Sparrows, Cat Bird. . .and more I have forgotten already--all good finds.

But the dry did not last long.  Once we got on the road we drove straight into another thunderstorm.  The morning light from behind made it look pretty ominous and actually, it sorta moved off to the north before we got to it so we kinda missed it but still drove in rain for a while.  Stopped at Yellow Smoke County Park (don't you love the name?  Was an Omaha Indian chief) near Denison, Iowa where we will stay for 5 or 6 days.  This is the county that I grew up in although this county recreation area was not here 50 plus years ago.

Hoover Presidential Library in Iowa

We reached Iowa this afternoon.  Long day of driving as green farm fields and blue skies slipped by our windshield view.  Stopped late afternoon in West Branch, Iowa to spend a couple of hours at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and birthplace.  Was well worth the stop.  Learned a lot I didn't know about our 33rd president and his place in history.  Spent some time walking the heritage downtown.  Found another Corp of Engineers campground on reservoir near Iowa City for our night stop.

Presidential Library and Hoover birth home.

thunderstorms and Blue Grass Festival in Bean Blossom

Two evenings in a row we've heard tornado sirens go off and have rushed to put up the awning and head to the shower building for safety until the storm past.  First night we also lost power which made it even more daunting. 

We drove Stephanie to the Indianapolis airport to catch her flight to Hong Kong for her summer of continuing research and also to present a paper at a Culture Studies conference on thursday.  She'll be back in August.  As she was leaving the country, Will answered his cell phone and talked to Doug in New York who had gotten in last night from Shanghai.  He and Tammy are spending about two weeks in the US and attending a wedding in Nova Scotia.  We won't get to see them this time, however.

Went from the airport to Bean Blossom, Indiana to spend the afternoon at a Bluegrass festival.  Sat in the shade in our lawn chairs, eating kettle corn and toe tapping along to bluegrass music from across the South.

 Then back to the campground just in time for this evening's thunderstorm!!  Enough, already!

Karate Kid

What to do on a rainy day. . .How about a movie.  Been waiting for the release of the new remake of "Karate Kid."  Bought a big tub of popcorn and nestled in for a couple of hours of a lot of fun.

If you remember the original Ralph Macchio/Pat Morita, 1984 version you got the story line.  Except this one is actually Kung Fu and set in Beijing instead of Japan. . .and off it goes.  Remember the scene with the chopsticks and the fly?  You'll get a chuckle out of the new take.  The movie is predictable, improbable and totally fun.  We recommend it.

Steph took time out of her furious preparation and packing to go with us to "Upland Brewery" for a brew and dinner.  And then a stop at "Chocolate Moose", THE place to go in Bloomington for an icecream treat.

Saturday

Thought we deserved breakfast out since it was so rainy and drippy and just so happened the Lodge at McCormick’s Creek serves a weekend breakfast buffet. Then off to Franklin, Indiana to visit Gertie Massey (Wayne Massey’s Mom) who lives at Franklin Meadows there. Enjoyed a nice time as it has been quite a few years since we last had a chance to visit. Then on up to Lafayette, Indiana to spend a couple of hours with Jeff and Theresa Ellington and family.

Son Grant was 6 years old when they left Minnesota 9 years ago to take up a rural life in Indiana on Jeff’s family’s acreage. Rachel and Tiffany were just toddlers when we last saw them. Josh is 6 years old now and seems like déjà vu as he reminds us so much of the big brother we remember! All the kids (consequently Mom) are active in 4H and getting ready to show sheep at the fair in July. Plus they are just weeks away from moving into their dream home. Theresa thought of most everything and what she didn’t, their able contractor did. It’s a gem and perfect for their family.

The day ended as it began—wet and raining. Campground lost power during the heaviest evening downpour and did not recover until sometime overnight.

Moved to new campground

We changed RV location to another Indiana state park on the other side of Bloomington.  McCormick Creek State Park was Indiana's first state park back in 1906.  And there really is a creek.

Steph's friends, Sam and Rebecca and daughter Nel came out to the park for dinner and to see our "rather

small house" (Nel's exact words!)

Indiana pics

Stephanie, her house, her yard, out and about, etc

Installing THE window!

The window installation with Stephanie's supervision and help holding in place! 

 Nothing is ever easy.  After many discussions back

and forth about exact measurements they didn't take into account an old house with a door that sags just ever so slightly.  But cleaver as Will can be, he figured out a fix and it looks very nice!  It is all uncolored glass so takes on colors of all outdoors.  Steph says if she ever leaves Bloomington, the window goes too!

Steph

Here she is!  Spent the day just being together and hanging out in Bloomington.  Picked up a light lunch at a local deli and then headed out to find T.C. Steele State Historic Site just out of town.  He was an early 20th century impressionist painter who first moved to Brown County in 1907 and was the first of the "Hoosier" artists to settle in the area.  He had a close relationship with Indiana U so he and his work is well known around this area.  Interesting studio home and grounds to tour.  The weather changed today--humidity dropped by at least a hundred points so was a grand day to walk around and explore the gardens and woods.  Housemate, Joanne, joined us for dinner at the "Farm." Nothing hoosier about this restaurant--it was gourmet and very good.  Got back to the RV in time to call Shanghai and wish Tammy a Happy Birthday.  Its tomorrow there already so its her day!

quiet campground

Still don't understand why there are so few people using this amazing park.  Its wooded, secluded, and so quiet.  Loving it.

Nashville, Indiana

Will did a training ride this morning and rode his bike the 6 miles out of the park and then 20 miles into Columbus and back again. Suffered first flat tire of the year but he was prepared and made it back safe and sore—I mean sound.

Drove to Nashville, Indiana for lunch and an afternoon of window shopping and gallery hopping. We’ve been to Nashville many times with Steph, always have to get a day in to Nashville when we come to Bloomington. It’s one of those charming little towns that has become an artists’ colony and retained its old style buildings, turning them into trendy shops and galleries and eateries. There is plenty of “kitsch” here but there are also some wonderful local artists and craftsmen that do some great stuff. Lots of potters doing some interesting things and Will was marveling at a couple of stained glass studios among the wood carvers and fiber arts and others. Didn’t catch why Nashville has so many old stone buildings that have survived but it is a cozy spot.