State Fair 2011

I am learning to love being in Iowa. And one thing Iowans must be proud of is the State Fair. This year Nate and I helped construct a can display as a joint project with the Iowa Soybean Association, AIA, Canstruction and 4 local architecture firms. The reward for our time was some fair tickets, food vouchers and parking. That made the fair even more fun since we were able to come back another day with the kids and keep our spending below $40. (The State Fair is very expensive. As my father-in-law pointed out, they make it easy, everything costs $10.)

We met up with Nate's parents and his brother and sister-in-law and their baby boy.

If you ever go, the Butter Cow is nice but what you really must see is the Big Bull and the Big Pig. They are unbelievably BIG. I also love the pumpkins...one day I tell you! That 1200 pound gourd will be mine!!! Evander got to throw a frisby to the stunt dogs at the canine show and then he and Nate rode the sky ride across the park. Honestly though, Evander just wanted to stop and look at all the machines. Every day he asks me things such as: "Mom, when are you going to buy a combine?"...or "Mom, is it okay if I get a grapple skidder?"

This year we were prepared and brought a change of clothes so the kids could play in the water fountains. Jayne and Evander loved it, Caleb was content to keep me company in the shade.

Anyway, the kids were so good, and we all had fun. So I suppose we'll be going back next year.

Road Trip - Driving Home

The drive from Portland to Des Moines took 5 or 6 days. I have lost track. But we saw a lot on the way.

* We avoided a serious car accident during rush hour in Spokane, WA.

* We stayed a wonderful night and day at Hotel Seth&Brittiany. It was so nice to meet my newest sister-in-law, and to just hang out eating, talking and playing games with my brother.

* We learned that when a hotel is listed as "historical" it might just mean old, as was the hotel we stayed at in Miles City, MT. Even more incentive to keep driving through Montana's beautiful scenery.

* We saw Mount Rushmore, hiked through Rushmore Cave and drove through the Badlands. (Side Story: I am pretty sure that our tour guide in Rushmore Cave was happy to lose us. The tour group was 20+ people, including the 5 of us. I carried Jayne and Nate carried Caleb. After passing the point where you could choose to turn back, both Caleb and Jayne started crying, taking turns at it, inciting the other to cry harder, on and on. And it really does echo in those caves. Eventually, the group quit waiting for us and we just wandered to the end on our own. Anyway, this was a much different experience than when I went on the tour with Lindsay 9 years ago. Also, by the end of it, both Nate and I were rubber-armed. Hope they enjoyed it, it's not going to be happening again for quite awhile.)

* We visited North Dakota. For some time, we have been trying to come up with a reason to intentionally go to North Dakota. I have an old roommate there, but...not quite incentive enough. And really, why would anyone ever go there? So, since we were so close we went to Teddy Roosevelt Park in the Southwest corner of the state, and ate lunch on a very toasty warm HOT playground. And then on we went. It was flatter and more open big-sky-country-esque than Montana. You couldn't see AN-Y-Thing for miles.

The last night of our trip we stayed in Sioux Falls SD. And it was definitely time to be wrapping this trip up. Jayne had been running a fever of 102 for a couple of nights, throwing up some, but only at night. It seemed familiar, couldn't figure it out and then the rash appeared and I remembered, Roseola. We've seen that before. Anyway, the Falls at Sioux Falls were great, a nice way to end the trip. And then 4 hours later we were home.