We stopped at the Corn Palace in Mitchell S D. Good for a break.

The ragbrai riders on Monday got soaked to the skin late in the day from Milford to Estherville. It was a downpour when I took this picture through the windsheild of the car.

Marlene has an excellent view from her kitchen window

Marlenes Raindropped Dahlia

The Kelley's driveway

Terril Iowa

Well, we arrived in Terril a little while ago. I am on Marlene's computer cuz I have no signal here. She is shopping.
We are thinking of finding a campground because it has been so bloomin' hot and we need both of our air conditioners. Now and while we were in RC we run the front one in the daytime and the back one at night. We need a 50 amp plug in to handle both at the same time. We'll see. It feels cooler up here. Amazing the difference a 100 miles can make.
I ran the GPS on the way up.That thing still amazes me. Telling me how many miles and tenths of a mile it is to the next turn and which way the turn will be and how many minutes and seconds it will be till we arrive at the turn. I am loving it!

Here is the quote for the day...I loved it too!
TODAY’S QUOTE

"Men want the same thing from women that they want from their
underwear... a little support, comfort, and freedom."

--Jerry Seinfeld

Rockwell City Iowa

On the nature trail- Rockwell City Iowa

I received this message from Karyn Juilfs about the round barn-That round barn at Twin Lakes belonged to a family from our church. (Milton and Mary Heins) They donated it to the Bible Camp two years ago and it was quite a project to see it moved the five miles to get to it's new home.
Karyn

Scott told us to not be surprised if we had deer visitors and he was correct! This morning at 7:30 AM.

Rockwell City Deer

We are in Rockwell City Iowa at the RCRV park. It is one block north off hwy 20 at eighth street. It is a wonderful little park and the price is right at $10 a night and that is with full hook up. It is listed in www.freecampgrounds.com. Clark's Grocery is less than a block away and there is a second grocery store downtown. An excellent little restaurant (Jots) is a short distance away as well. Behind the RV park is a walking/nature trail. Twin Lakes is 5 miles away. My sister Myrla lives here and has all her life so it makes a nice place to park and then visit with her and Scott. My mother lived here for years before moving to Cumberland to be near us. Today while in the grocery store a lady thought she knew me. She more than likely had my mother in mind.

These Hollyhocks are in sister Myrla and Scott's yard around her garage and the corner of her house. I asked her if she had planted them and she had not. They had a rural friend bring some dirt in to place around their foundation and the hollyhocks were an unexpected bonus the next summer.

This georgous round barn is along the bike trail at Twin Lakes

Black Iowa Soil

Rusty display along the Twin Lakes Bike Trail

It's a Roadmaster

A small covered bridge on the Twin Lakes Bike Trail

Fishermen at Twin Lakes

Twin Lakes near Rockwell City Iowa on a hot summer morning

Butch wanted to ride by the houses at Twin Lakes while I stayed on the trail.

Leo and Keri had two major projects at their house this summer and Butch was involved in both of them. There are new shingles on the roof and the sewer project and this shot shows both. Photos courtesy of Leo Brooker

Sewer project at Leo and Keri's house

Butch was the foreman...and they needed one!

Sewer project at Leo and Keri's house

Leo's new sewer hole

This years deer picture did not compare to last years. See the last one in the August 2004 archives to see what I mean.

I have been riding the trail everyday to Cooper and back which is nearly 18 miles roundtrip from the moho. It has become easy, routine but never ordinary. These three were todays special treat. I saw two others besides in other places. I also saw a raccoon and we were a big surprise to each other!!

The Depot Today

Winkelmans Switch- July 10th 1971

Taken July 10th 1971

The Depot in its heyday

Depot inside

The Greene County Arts Council changes the display about every 30 days or so.

The Depot-inside

I volunteered at the depot yesterday and it was a slow day due to heat and wind so I took photos of photos I found lying about. This is the depot a long time ago.

In Cooper there are four circles where grain bins used to be located. It looked like a perfect place for a square dance. Well for four squares anyway!

On our trail ride today I happened to catch this bird on takeoff. This photo opp is a one in a million shot...at least with my camera.

We are gearing up for a change of scenery. Next week about this time we will be heading north to see my sis Myrla and her fella Scott and of course Taz and Tippy in Rockwell City IA. RC has about 10 RV spots in town and they are quite inexpensive and that is where we plan to be for a couple of days. Soooo the mindset changes when you know you are about to be mobile again. Lots of details to remember so I am busy making lists and remembering!

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Butterfly Weed

Cattails

Yesterday we went to Jordan Creek Mall in West Des Moines with Jason and Laura to listen to Pianopalooza.

Pianopalooza with Tony Bonnenkamp and Jared Hall at Jordan Creek Mall

This little gal was drawing portraits in Jordan Creek Mall. She was either the daughter or granddaughter of the man who owns and runs the kiosk. She is already very talented.

Looking through some old pictures and ran across this one from Butch's glory days.

On Jason & Laura's block in Boone IA---Wildflower- Daisy Fleabane

On Jason & Laura's block in Boone IA---Cats on trampoline! Way to go, Lucky!

On Jason & Laura's block in Boone IA ---I do not know what kind of tree this is but I was fascinated by it.

On Jason & Laura's block in Boone IA the cherries are ripe for pickin'. I set this picture as my desktop wallpaper.

On Jason & Laura's block in Boone IA

Are you going to find yourself being in charge of entertaining children this summer? I know this can set up a panic in some folks, especially many of us senior citizens so I thought these fun and simple games might come in handy.
Barb
SIMPLE FAMILY FUN IDEAS


Entertainment doesn't have to be expensive. Sometimes
the simplest ideas are also the most fun. While preparing
for a birthday party for one of my children, I checked out
several books from the library on party games. I also
searched my brain, trying to remember fun group games
from my own childhood. I came up with several fun ideas
to use at the party, and I thought I'd share them with all
of you.

Many of these games work equally well for children's
parties, grown-up parties, and mixed-age groups (such
as family gatherings).


KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE

Two teams sit facing each other in two lines. One team
is chosen to go first and they must keep a straight face
no matter what. In the meantime, the opposing team is
doing everything within their power to make the other team
laugh or crack a smile. No touching or tickling, but other
than that, anything goes! It's so funny to watch the creative
ways people try to make each other laugh.


SPOT THE THIMBLE

Everyone leaves the room for a moment while one person
hides a thimble somewhere in plain sight in the room. When
the people who left the room return, as soon as each person
sees the thimble, they sit down without letting others know
where the thimble is hiding. The last one to find the thimble
does a forfeit of some sort (ie: sings a song, recites a poem,
spells their name backward, kisses their own shadow, etc.).
The first one to see the thimble hides it on the next round.


MUSICAL SPOONS

Played like Musical Chairs. You set out spoons on the floor
(one less spoon than the number of players). As the music
plays, everyone crawls around on the floor in time to the
music. When the music stops, each person tries to grab a
spoon. One person won't be able to, so they're out until the
next game. Continue the game using one spoon less than
the number of players until only one person is left.


NOAH'S ARK

This game was the hit of my daughter's slumber party. The girls
could've played it all night! Put the names of animals onto slips
of paper and then into a hat (be sure include two of each animal,
of course). Let each participant draw an animal name but don't
tell anyone else what it is. They're going to be the animals on
Noah's Ark. Something has happened so that all the animals
have escaped from their pens. The animals now need to find
their partners. The lights go out, and then everyone spreads
throughout the room or throughout the house. Then they're
told to find their "partners" by only making the noises of the
animals. At my daughter's party, at the end of the game, I
purposely didn't use matches for any of the animal names
so none of the children had a partner -- but the girls didn't
know this! My husband and I sat on the couch and laughed
'til we cried while all the little animals went mooing and barking
and meowing all over the house looking for their non-existent
partners.


STRIKE-A-POSE

A Charades-type game. Put words into a hat such as: tragic,
shocked, lovestruck, smart, silly. The person who is "it" draws
a word and then strikes a pose that somehow communicates
the word (no acting out, just holding one pose).


MANNERISMS

Another Charades-type game. This time put slips of paper
containing adverbs (happily, angrily, shyly, etc.) into a hat.
In this game, people in the room ask "it" to do things to act
out the word. The players say something like, "Go to the
door in the manner of the word," or "Read a book in the
manner of the word," or "Sit in the chair in the manner of
the word."

Have fun, everyone!

Thank goodness the bike trail is high and dry.