Visiting the Amanas... and then some

Monday, Linda and I started out for the Cajunfest in the Amana Colonies. Yes, there is a cajun themed festival at the Amana RV Park over Memorial Day weekend; has been for years. This year, we went to check it out. Along the way, we thought we'd work in a couple of items from the lists of things to eat or things to see in Iowa.

Our first stop was in Grinnell to try the Cream-filled Coney at the Danish Maid Bakery; it was closed for the holidy. Just up the street is the Merchants National Bank building that now houses the Grinnell Chamber of Commerce offices; also closed for the holiday but still impressive from the outside. The stained glass in the center of the design on the front looked like it would be interesting to see from inside the structure; we found a much larger wall of stained glass on the east facing wall of the bank as well. It must be pretty dazzling to be inside on a cloudless morning. One of the "Jewel Box" banks designed by architect Louis Sullivan late in his career, it's certainly treasured by the community as many of its elements are repeated in recent construction and enhancement of an already attractive downtown area. We admired much of the architecture and then moved on.

We arrived at the Amana Colonies and took some time to soak up some of the color of this National Historic Landmark community. An entry on the one hundred places to visit, it hosts four of the things to eat (or drink as you'll soon understand.) The first place we stopped was the Millstream Brewery to sample their entry to the list, Schild Brau Amber beer. Served in tiny mugs, the various samples were popular with a group of cyclists who'd stopped in ahead of us. We walked around the community and saw the various well preserved shops and outbuildings. In time, we found the home of another list entry, Rhubarb wine, at the Ackerman Winery. Again, tiny samples of many of their products were available.

We decided it was time to head out to the Cajun Festival and, to be honest, were a bit underwhelmed by the the experience. The food was tasty enough but nothing to really say much about. There was a pretty standard small town fair carnival and some pretty decent live music with some Louisiana influence but that was about it. Probably as entertaining as much of anything else was one wiry gray haired gentleman with a impressive tray of crawfish remains beside him. As you can see in the bottom right photo of the colage, people were coming up to take pictures of his accomplishment.

After our Cajun experience, we returned to the Amanas to see if we could score the third and likely last food item we'd check off here. We'd seen the Colony Inn on our drive in but couldn't put our finger on it for a while. When we did, we were pleased to find it open and receptive, even intrigued, by our mention of their item on the list of things to eat: sauerkraut salad. We were able to purchase a small order and went outside to sit at a table in the shade. Our first bites were pleasant surprises. Not at all like what you'd put on a frank or brat, this left a pleasing sublty sweet aftertaste I found very enjoyable. Put that alongside some barbecued ribs and I'd be set. It was excellent!

While we were finishing up our salad, the woman who'd served us came out to talk with the lady caring for the patio plants. We expressed our appreciation and she thanked us for stopping by. Both she and the flower woman were curious about what other area entries had shown up on the list. We shared a few that remembered and explained that we were eating our way through the various featured items. The flower lady was very interested in that idea and asked a couple of times if we were really doing that and that she thought that sounded fun. It was a pretty good stop.

Of course, Cedar Rapids was only about twenty miles further and there were places to see and things to eat there too. After a wrong turn, we were soon on the right path and heading for yet another brush with Iowa greatness.

Our first objective was the kolaches of the Sykora Bakery in the Czech village portion of Cedar Rapids. Unfortunately, when we got there, the bakery was closed and not just for the holiday. We may have to remove that from the list of things to do just because it can no longer be done. Curious, I checked Wikipedia and found

A kolache is a type of pastry consisting of fillings ranging from fruits to cheeses inside a bread roll. Originally only a sweet dessert from Central Europe, they have become popular in parts of the United States. Several cities, including Prague, Oklahoma and Caldwell, Texas, hold annual Kolache Festival celebrations, while Montgomery, Minnesota claims to be the "Kolacky capitol of the world" and holds an annual festival known as "Kolacky Days". Verdigre, Nebraska stakes the same claim, with a similarly named festival. Prague, Nebraska is commonly known as the home of the world's largest kolache.

They sound good!

We looked for other items on the lists and found no small food items but did see three places we could try to visit. The African American Historical Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa was closed for the holiday as was the Grant Wood Studio and Visitor Center. We did peek in the windows and take a photo but that was all we could do. The last place, the Brucemore, was also closed but the grounds and gardens were accessible and actually travelled as part of at least one of the locals walking routes.

Not to travel the same roads on the way home, we went west to Marshalltown, home of two more food places. Taylor's Maid-Rite, one of the original Maid-Rite franchises, one of the first fast food chains, is housed in a small boxy bulding with a three counter setup and a good little business. The loose meat sandwiches are much as they ever were when I've enjoyed them at other stops but this setting has to be one of the best. An understandable entry on the list. Just up the street, Stone's Restaurant is home to a Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie but we were unable to try it as they were closed for the holiday.

Tummy's full and late in the afternoon, we headed for home. We tallied up the list of things we'd done and tried to do:

Cream-filled Coney at the Danish Maid Bakery... closed.
Merchants National Bank... closed but impressive.
Amana Colonies... check!
Schild Brau Amber at the Millstream Brewery... check!
Rhubarb wine at the Ackerman Winery... check!
Sauerkraut Salad at the Colony Inn... check!
Kolaches of the Sykora Bakery... closed for a while.
African American Historical Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa... closed
Grant Wood Studio and Visitor Center... closed but will check it off the list.
Brucemore Mansion... closed but will check it off the list.
Maid-Rite at Taylor's Maid-Rite... check!
Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie at Stone's Restaurant... closed

Seven items off the list! What a day?!

Watching the races

Sunday of Memorial Day weekend has become a HUGE day for racing. The Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 make for several hours of excellent racing ... and time on the couch. I logged my hours and was thoroughly entertained. I saw neither race through to the finish but did see a lot of excellent action on the tracks.

I started with the 500 and was disappointed when I learned that Jim Nabors wasn't going to be singing Back Home Again; that's become an important part of race day for me.

The race started and the action started immediately. I think that in the first two laps there were three lead changes; busy. Occasional accidents provided time to catch your breath but then they'd be back at it again. Weather awareness seemed to add a sense of urgency. Just over half way, the rains came and the drivers parked their cars. A couple of hours later, the rain was gone and the track was drying. They'd be racing again! They returned to the track and the action resumed. Sixty laps later, rain came again and Dario Franchitti was declared winner of the 91st Indianapolis 500.


A little before the end of the the rain delay in Indianapolis, the cars were firing up in Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600. Like the race "out west," the 600 had action from the start. Before it was over, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson led and Kyle and Kurt Busch wreck. Some things unusual happened as well: Brian Vicker's Toyota led as did Jeremy Mayfield. Jeremy also makes one of the finest saves of a car out of control I've seen; he lost it left, right, did a 360, and got it right... right in front of the grandstands! Excellent!

In the end, fuel mileage and guts put Casey Mears in the winners circle. His Hendrick powered Chevy had enough milage and his team had enough guts to stay out when others were pitting. That put him in the front and he was able to hang on as the laps ran out. When the race was done, so was his fuel; he ran out on the cool down lap. That's cutting it close. Congrats to Casey on his first Cup win!

My team didn't do too well. They were up against the number one team this year and lost. Jeff Burton had tire trouble that put him in the wall. The Kellogg's number five had Kyle driving (as usual) and that put it in the wall ... multiple times. Jimmie ran well but couldn't afford to take the fuel gamble so he finished tenth.

#2 Overdue 346 vs. 211 #6 Red Neck Racing Academy
#4 halffastracing 405 vs. 308 #1 Bear Down Racing
#5 Blue Bayou 307 vs. 251 #3 Desert Denny

#4 halffastracing was 9-2; won; now 10-2
#1 Bear Down Racing was 7-4; lost; now 7-5
#5 Blue Bayou was 6-5; won; now 7-5
#6 Red Neck Racing Academy was 5-6; lost; now 5-7
#2 Overdue was 3-8; won; now 4-8
#3 Desert Denny was 3-8; lost; now 3-9

Stepping back in time

Saturday was a rain soaked day but the annual Buckskinner Rendezvous was scheduled to be going on at the Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt. Wondering how the old time role players would weather the storms, Linda and I took a trip to see. Along they way, we took a swing by the Norwood Inn to split one of their now famous hot sausage sandwiches. Not a staple, it's certainly good on a day when you want to be warmed from the inside out. By the time we finished lunch, the rain had stopped... at least for a while.

We arrived at the park and found the village of tents and a tipi. Too late to see the flintlocks, we wandered the community killing time until the skillet toss. Most of the tents were basically just housing but a few were offering various trinkets. We stopped in at the scrimshaw tent and heard a little about the history of the art and technique of the craft. While there, we heard the call to the skillet toss.

The first skillet tossers were pretty young little girls. The antler used to mark the longest toss moved steadily back as the age of the participants increased. Once the girls were done, the women picked up skillets. They chose to go for distance rather than aim for a twine loop tossed on the grass.

After the skillet toss, we continued our little exploration of the settlement and found a handful of boys putting up a canvas tent using wood that certainly appeared to have been found in the area. Led by a young man, they were making good progress. A handful of little girls chatted nearby. Further up the road, we found a candy vendor. We selected an assortment of old style hard candies to enjoy and moved along.

As we were again nearing the skillet toss area, someone shouted "Candy cannon!" Intrigued, we cut through between a couple of tents and came out behind a line of children being positioning by a few adults. "Fire in the hole!" Boom! I looked into the sky and saw a leather pouch open and a rain of candies falling in my general direction. Well positioned, the kids scrambled to pick up their treats while the cannoneer came looking for his leather and wadding material.

Linda and I followed the cannon master back to his tent and chatted a bit about his uncommon artillery. Using a circle of leather, a half dozen car buffing pads, and a five inch pipe welded to a back plate, he'd experimented to find the right amount of black powder and candies that could withstand the shock. He figured he'd go through twenty pounds of candy over the weekend. Of course, he was a very popular figure around the camp.

We didn't stick around for the cannonball toss. How could it top what we'd already seen?

Catching the color of thoroughbred racing

Friday evening, after tasty ribs at Claxon's, Linda and I returned to the Prairie Meadows racetrack to watch the horses race. We went through the casino and out onto the apron where we were both impressed and surprised by the size of the crowd and the number of young children.

Over the course of the evening, we watched about five races. We watched the whole process from where the horses enter the paddock to get their blankets, saddles, and bridles. While there, an official would check something about the horses by looking in their mouths. The bugler played the call to post with ten minutes to go. All geared up, the horses were led around a flowery loop where the jockeys were waiting. "Riders up!" would be called and the jockeys would swing into their saddles. With jockeys aboard, the horses were led along the rail for one final look before heading for the starting gate. "They're into the gate. They're off!" As the horses came to the finish, we could hear them pounding to the finish line.

It was a nice, colorful, Iowa spring evening out.

Trying the ribs at Claxon's

Friday afternoon looked to be one of the best days of the holiday weekend so Linda and I looked for something to do outdoors. We'd talked about going to watch the horses at the track again and it was certainly close enough. I had the post time as 3:30 so we headed for the track. We learned that 3:30 is post time on mondays and tuesdays; friday post time is 6:30. We had some time to kill.

A few weeks ago, I'd seen that Claxon's, home of one of the 100 Things in Iowa You Must Eat, was nearby. With the dinner hour approaching, we moved on down the road to knock another entry off the list. We were pleased to see that outdoor seating was an option and got our spot. Before we left, most of the outdoor tables were taken.

Linda's office had had treats so she wasn't hungry enough to order. I, on the other hand, had only had a bowl of soup for lunch; I was prepared to order the featured item: the ribs. For Linda to get credit, I shared and we were both well pleased. Having had Gates the weekend before, we noted a few differences. These had a little more honey flavor and were maybe a little slower to really get the full flavor. Certainly a very good selection for the list.

Friday Construction Photo #6

Progress is being made but it's largely where you don't notice it much. If you look closely a little right of center in the photo, you can see a white cement mixer. To the right of that mixer, there are several men in yellow and orange vests around a shallow hole. Next to the men is a stack of carefully crafted reinforcing rod blocks that would fit nicely into the hole. Hmmm... Looks to me like the holes are about where those orange squares were located a week or two ago; like they've dug up the dirt around the tops of those undergrown concrete pillars. I think that this week, they're putting reinforced concrete tops on those pillars. That would seem likely to produce a nice footing upon which to build a building... or hide Jimmy Hoffa!
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It has come to my attention that this is my 200th post to this blog. For something that was originally intended to only last a month, it's become something else entirely. I know that it's mostly read by a pretty tight circle; you're who I write it for. Thanks for reading. It's a lot of fun writing. One of the unexpected effects has been that I'm more likely to go do things and document it in image and word. It's led me to new experiences and the pleasure of sharing them. I think I'll go a while longer...

Checking off another of the 100 Places

About noon Sunday, Linda called and asked if I had any ideas for the afternoon. A few minutes later, we were on the road again; this time heading for the Iowa Speedway near Newton. The NASCAR Featherlite Coaches 200 race was going to be starting at two o'clock. Neither of us had been to the track and it is on The List so this was about as good a time as any. While this race is to be between drivers trying to make it to the Nextel Cup level, Kevin Harvick, winner of this year's Daytona 500, was going to be a featured driver.

It was very easy to get to the track and tickets were still available. There were only a handful of sections with seats available to it was going to be a good crowd. Outside the track, there were the normal displays of cars and sponsor's products, just not as many as at a Cup event. Also missing were the driver's merchandise haulers; probably a little early for that yet.

We found our seats in time for the introductions and learned that at least one of the drivers was only sixteen years old... and he would be starting in the front row, next to Harvick. Not bad!

The race started and Kevin took the the lead in a white number thirty-three. Several people in the stands were wearing shirts and caps with his name and Cup number. He got off to a good start but didn't get away from The Kid. As the laps clicked off, the two traded the lead back and forth fifteen times! While much of the crowd was there to see Harvick, The Kid was building a fan base of his own. In the end, Joey Logano, The Kid, prevailed and actually won by the comfortable margin of over two seconds! Quite a feather in his cap.

The racing was excellent. The facility is quite comfortable. Traffic control on the way out will improve. It was a great day for racing. Nice to check another item off the list.

Goin' to Kansas City

Friday afternoon, Linda and I loaded up and went to Kansas City to attend a reception that evening for my son and his classmates and his commencement Saturday afternoon. Of course, we had our cameras so I collected quite a few shots. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the collection of images to really organize well relative to the chronology of the weekend so bear with me a bit.

Country Club Plaza
This is a very attractive and interesting shopping and dining area along the river. The effort that has been taken to provide a visually interesting experience makes for a lot of nice photo opportunities. Several very attractive fountains are nestled in the Spanish style architecture. Tile roofs, wrought iron, and decorative tiles reinforce the impression that we not in Kansas. It was a nice treat to get to roam around Friday afternoon and again Saturday morning when the number of people was relatively low.

Loose Park
Saturday morning, we set out to find a few of Kansas City's other notable fountains. One of them seemed familiar from an earlier visit to the area. Loose Park, south of the Plaza, is a beautiful park and home to the Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden maintained by the Kansas City Rose Society. I'd taken photos with Eric and expected it would look great in the morning light; I wasn't disappointed. The rose garden will get better but there were already some very attractive views. The design alone provides some interesting shots.

I remembered there was also a pond but couldn't find it again until we drove around the park; turns out we'd probably been within fifty yards of it. The Saturday morning strollers and runners like to loop the water and the waterfowl don't seem to mind unless there's a dog along. We sat on a bench for a bit and had a pair of geese come up to graze on some grass close enough that we could hear the blades breaking when they pulled.

Kansas City
We visited several other Kansas City sights. The image in the upper left is detail from the top of the Liberty Monument. A towering round monolith atop a bluff overlooking Union Station and the southern face of downtown, this complex houses the National World War One museum. From the foot of that tower, the Western Auto sign that was featured in Eric's senior project was a unique image. The memorial fountain dedicated to the memories of firemen lost was beautiful in the morning light. The image in the center and the fountain in the upper right are from the river walk. In the lower left is the south lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. There are giant badminton birdies on each side of the museum as if it were the net; pretty striking modern images in a rather classic setting. The lion statue was displayed inside the museum. The red metallic thingy is my artsy shot; it's the KCPT television tower against the morning sky, rotated for a little more interest. The last image is of the restaurant where Linda and I enjoyed dinner Friday night, Gates Barbecue. I try to visit that place nearly every time I'm in KC... yummy for my tummy!

Commencement
These last images are rather poor excuse for graduation photos. It seemed that I was always either out of place, out of focus, or out of step with the proceedings to get a really good photo of Eric receiving his diploma. Fortunately, there was time after the proceedings to get in one with him.

This commencement was truly an joyous and entertaining celebration of what these students had accomplished. Often a rather boring formality at the end of the year, these guys know how to make it interesting. To some degree, it was just another example that they'd accomplished their goal: to develop a greater sense and capacity for creative expression. As the student speaker put it, it was as if they'd taken all the art geek, non-jock kids from all the schools around and brought them all together on one place; now it wasn't enough to be good, you were surrounded by the very good. It was a treat to be in their presence.

Friday Construction Photo #5

Looks like it's been a week of drilling and pouring the pilings that will support the building. Most of the same machines in about the same configuration look like they're doing about the same thing as last week.

Gambling a bit...

Tuesday evening was pleasant weather so Linda and I went out to our local casino / horse track to watch the horses run. The number eight looked feisty to Linda so I suggested she place a bet on him. We had a few minutes prior to post for her to put two dollars down; I put two on the six, one of the more favored horses. Tickets in hand, we headed down to track side to see them come to the finish. The starting gate was in what I'd call turn two, the far side of the big oval. The horses would have a long straight before heading into turns three and four and then coming to the finish.

As the horses were being loaded into the gate, one of the few other people out along the rail said "He bucked him!" Linda's horse had thrown it's jockey! That re-affirmed the feisty nature of the horse but made us wonder whether it was actually going to be a good horse to have money on. The jockey climbed back aboard and the horse was loaded; the gates flew open and the race was on!

It was now, as the horses raced down the backstretch obstructed from our view by the tote board, that I realized we'd only paid attention to the numbers; the call of the race was by name! While the announcer called off names, we had no idea if our horses were doing well or fading fast. Fortunately, we saw a lighted sign that listed the numbers of the front four horses; unfortunately, our numbers were not among them.

As the horses came around the turn and pounded for the finish, we could make out the silks of our horses. As they went by us, the eight was moving up fast, possibly to contend for the money. My number six was ... well... not last. The finish was close enough to require photo review to determine third; Linda's horse was neither first nor second but she'd bet he'd show... it was still possible. When they posted the official results, third place went to the eight. Linda had won! We went to the window to collect her winnings: four dollars and forty cents; more than we'd arrived with and we'd enjoyed the weather and watching the horses run. We'll probably go back when we can actually watch several races.

On the way out, I took Linda over to the craps table to teach her a bit about my favorite casino table game. While intimidating to many, the game can be simplified and still enjoyed on a pretty reasonable budget. We stayed for about twenty minutes and left a little wiser and with enough winnings to more than pay for the gas. A good time!

Reporting the Darlington Results

The Track Too Tough to Tame proved again to be a worthy test for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. As last week, the saturday night race was postponed by rain and, for the first time in twenty years or so, there was racing on Mother's Day.

Several drivers had hopes of victory as the day wore on. In the end, Jeff Gordon drove the DuPont Impalla to the checkered flag. His car was overheating to the point of having a steaming geyser out the overflow vent for over fifty miles.

Jimmie Johnson finished third, Jeff Burton took tenth, Kyle Busch was involved in an accident and finished thirty-seventh. Juan Pablo Montoya scrapped his way to twenty-third.

#1 Bear Down Racing 356 vs. 445 #2 Overdue
#4 halffastracing 452 vs. 401 #5 Blue Bayou
#6 Red Neck Racing Academy 357 vs. 383 #3 Desert Denny

#4 halffastracing was 8-2; won; now 9-2
#1 Bear Down Racing was 7-3; lost; now 7-4
#5 Blue Bayou was 6-4; lost; now 6-5
#6 Red Neck Racing Academy was 5-5; lost; now 5-6
#3 Desert Denny was 2-8; won; now 3-8
#2 Overdue was 2-8; won; now 3-8

Marking the end of the USHL hockey season

This evening, I watched the website for results from the USHL semi-finals. Indianapolis was eliminated by Sioux Falls this afternoon, 3-2, in overtime. This evening, the Bucs fell to the home Waterloo Black Hawks, 1-0, in overtime. I'm sure both of those games were exciting to watch but the results are a bit disappointing to me. Maybe next year, we'll have an Indianapolis - Des Moines final.

Soaking up some Asian culture

Today, eleven Asian cultures showcased many facets of their history at Blank Park in Des Moines. Special performers travelled in from as far as California to participate in the celebration. There was singing and dancing, gardening and cooking, martial arts demonstrations and "villages" for each of the peoples present. Linda and I bounced around between the villages, martial arts demonstrations, and the cultural performance stage.

Indian, Japanese, Tai Dam, Thai, Chinese, Burmese, Filipino, Cambodian, Nepali, Vietnamese, and Lao were present. Some of their foods or traditional costumes were familiar; some were quite new. I had not heard reference to the Tai Dam people before today. I got to speak with a woman who shared a bit of their history and explained that they are located in an area that has been known by many names over the years but is now northern Thailand.

I think that one of the benefits of festivals like today is that it helps increase awareness of the diversity and common ground that can be found around the globe. It was pretty apparent that everyone likes good food! As I mentioned above, Linda and I would watch a performance here, watch a performance there, try an egg roll here, try a dumpling there. I didn't find anything that I didn't like (no surprise there!) I'm not sure Linda was a fan of the Indian food I chose but I sure enjoyed it.

There were some excellent performances on the cultural stage. Our favorites were the Japanese drums played by three women from Nebraska and two Indian girls who's costumes and dance were wonderful. We actually got to see those girls dance twice! It was a very fun day!

Checking out Principal Park

Last night was a beautiful evening to be outdoors. Linda and I had talked about checking out an I-Cubs baseball game and decided it was time. The Cubbies have been enjoying a prolonged win streak and it was a Fireworks Friday.

We got parked along the street about an ninety minutes before game time, enough time to talk up to Court Avenue and get a bite to eat. She'd never been to Buzzard Billy's, a fun Cajun spot very convenient to where we'd parked. We split a Big Fat Chicken Quesadilla and enjoyed the decor and clientele.

As we approached the ballpark, we enjoyed the music of a small band in Cubs attire; not quite dixieland but of that general flavor. It made the few minutes buying tickets slip by quickly.

We found our seats near the Cubs bullpen and got to see the pitcher warm up. Soon the players were taking the field and they did something I'd not seen before: a guest Little League team from a local community were "Anthem Buddies" and took the field alongside their corresponding position player for the National Anthem. I have to think that was a seriously memorable thing for the kids.

The game got started and the guest Fresno Grizzlies were retired quickly and quietly in the top of the first; being good hosts, the Cubbies followed suit. Fresno scored two in the second and the Cubs responded with a run of their own. The Cubs scored in the fourth and fifth to take the lead and held on for a 4-3 win, sweeping their second consecutive series.

The B-Bops Burger Race included the traditional face-plant, this time by Yellow. Blue squeaked by White in the final feet of the race. White has yet to win this year.

After the game, the fireworks display was as good as many of today's Fourth of July shows. There were never any gaps where something wasn't in the air. One of the amusing / disturbing aspects of the display was that the slight breeze was blowing in and the explosions were just a little closer than usual. Also, the grounds crew was kept busy scurrying across the field, putting out smoldering embers that were landing in the outfield. It was quite a show. A nice capper for the evening.

Friday Construction Photo #4

It's been a week suited for drying and the workmen are making some visible progress. The crane is actually in action this week and I got a shot I can actually discuss a little.

If you want to see some of the things I'm going to talk about, you'll need to actually open the photo full size in another window so you can see what I'm talking about. To do that, right click on the little photo and select Open link in new window. Resize and arrange the windows so you can see.

I can now recognize the red cage thing on the back of the crane; it's an engine that, apparently through a hydraulic system, drives the auger.

If you look closely, there are orange squares on the ground where they'll be drilling the footings.

The tan / medium brown soil is what the auger removes as it drills the hole. There's a little front loader in the right side of the image loading that dirt into a dump truck for removal.

There are three cement mixers in the photo. Each will unload into a hopper that feeds a pump to inject the cement into the hole as the auger is pulled back up.

There are lines of green reinforcing bars laying on the ground next to two of the cement mixers. I'm not sure if they end up in the cement in the holes or how they get there.

Near the bottom of the photo, there are a couple of dark blue pickup trucks. Near them are about half a dozen construction grade "cardboard" tubes. At some point in the drilling process, at least one of those tubes is slipped down into the top portion of the hole, apparently to somewhat contain the concrete.

That's it for this week; everything I know ... and then some.

Hangin' at the Junction

Linda and I strolled Historic Valley Junction (one of the 100 Places in Iowa to Visit) for the first Farmer's Market of the year. Live music, tasty food, and terrific people watching were the order of the day ... er... evening. Flipside, a popular local band, provided the music (with adequate cowbell) and the community showed up in terrific numbers. We pulled up a couple of chairs and watched as a couple did some nice dance moves while there was still room.

As we moved up and down the street, we enjoyed marches played by a local post-secondary school band... waaaay post-secondary school. Of course, I had to feature the trombone section. They did a nice job.

The food vendors were numerous and their offerings were tempting. We were familiar with a few and tried a barbeque place from Dallas Center; it was tasty! One of their side dishes had a pretty standard name but had an interesting twist. Their potato salad had a smokey flavor, maybe some barbeque spices; I'm not sure what they used but it was good.

When we returned to the bandstand, the crowd was present and hoppin' to the sounds. Flipside did a great job picking popular and danceable songs and played them very well.

I've come to understand some of the joy of playing in a band: you're there, contributing to the apparent joy of a large group of people. The smiles and laughter of people just having fun moving to your music has to be a pretty fulfilling payoff for the effort of the performance. Playing a dance situation would sure seem to be more fun than a concert where people aren't able to really move. A moment of enlightenment... ; )

Enjoying pizza and a movie

Yesterday, I was a bit late leaving work but got over to Joel's at an acceptable hour and we went to our regular pizza spot for our Wednesday night pizza. As we walked in, we had a momentary pause and I wondered if my tardiness had could have caused this disturbing situation: our table was gone! The chairs were still there but the table was not; an unsettling development for creatures of habit. We played it cool and seated ourselves at a nearby table and waited to see what would happen next. The server confirmed our regular order and explained that a party was going on and our table had been most convenient for moving; they figured we'd notice (duh!) and hoped we'd understand. We assured them we'd make do and had a good chuckle. The pizza was, as always, quite tasty.

After dinner, we took our regular tour of theaters to check out the offerings. None really were on our must-see lists but Next looked like it could have potential. We bought our admission and settled in to see how Frank Cadillac, played by Nicolas Cage, would utilize the ability of seeing up to two minutes into his personal future. Frank not only saw the future but was able to make minor adjustments based on that knowledge and thereby modify that future. A few minutes into the show, it was apparent that we'd stumbled onto a very entertaining action flick. Frank's experienced utilization of his skill were showcased in a brilliant chase. The action slowed but the story rolled on as the FBI and a terrorist group both became aware of the impact that Frank could have on their respective missions. Throw in a love interest and you've got a winner. The implications of seeing the future, even with only a very personal and short event horizon were very well explored and unveiled throughout the show. Certainly a winner. Two thumbs way up!

Taking in a Sunday Matinee

Sunday afternoon, Linda and I dropped in to see what the Spiderman 3 buzz was all about. The opening credits did a nice job of reminding me of several of the characters and events of the first two of the series; I'm not sure that they did as much for Linda who'd not seen either film.

New villains, a new twist on an old nemesis, and Mary Jane Watson all work to keep Peter Parker / Spiderman on the go, struggling to keep it all together. Stan Lee, creator of the Spiderman storyline, made his traditional cameo.

Several small moral lessons are presented without being too heavy handed. How to be a good husband, forgiveness, the value of friends, and consequences of greed all come to mind at the moment. There was even an interesting little perspective on the motivation of one of the bad guys that might be thought provoking.

The action was good, the story was good. I don't expect it to be recognized as a great film but it was worth a sunday afternoon at the movies.

Reporting the Richmond Results

After being postponed by rain Saturday night, the Crown Royal Jim Stewart 400 was run in Richmond this afternoon. I didn't get to watch the complete race but did see some during lunch and heard pieces on the radio. I saw that Jeff Burton was finished first when his engine let him down. I listened to the Hendrick Motorsports domination later as three of the four team members were fighting for the lead. This week my team was matched up against Joel and I was concerned to hear that, late in the race, he had at least two in the top ten to match mine and my third man had locked up last. Fortunately, the first two positions covered Joel's.

Jimmie Johnson finished first, Jeff Burton finished forty-third (last), Kyle Busch finished second, and Juan Montoya took twenty-sixth.

#1 Bear Down Racing 399 vs. 366 #5 Blue Bayou
#3 Desert Denny 162 vs. 389 #2 Overdue
#4 halffastracing 426 vs. 417 #6 Red Neck Racing Academy

#4 halffastracing was 7-2; won; now 8-2
#1 Bear Down Racing was 6-3; won; now 7-3
#5 Blue Bayou was 6-3; lost; now 6-4
#6 Red Neck Racing Academy was 5-4; lost; now 5-5
#3 Desert Denny was 2-7; lost; now 2-8
#2 Overdue was 1-8; won; now 2-8

Looking forward to the USHL Frozen Four

This morning, I checked to see how the USHL playoffs wrapped up and saw the following announcement.

Indiana, Sioux Falls, and defending Clark Cup champion Des Moines will be joining Waterloo in the quest for the 2007 Tier I National Championship.

Saturday, May 12
Semifinal Game 1: Indiana vs. Sioux Falls - 2:00 p.m.
Semifinal Game 2: Des Moines vs. Waterloo - 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, May 13
USHL Championship Game TBA

The field is set. Looks like the Des Moines - Indiana meeting is still possible. What a Mother's Day, eh?

Starting a racy month

The Kentucky Derby will be run soon. It's fun to have the familiarity of having recently been there. I didn't include this photo of the twin spires but, when Greg and I went to Bristol in April, we stopped by to see the track. It was quiet that day but it wasn't too hard to envision the massive crowd that has formed for today's running.

It's an exciting month for special races. I've also set the countdown timer in the left margin for the 91st Indianapolis 500. The OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon opened the festivities in Indianapolis this morning. Activities at the Brickyard begin tomorrow with A.J. Foyt Opening Day presented by the Indianapolis Star.

Pella Tulip Time

There is SO much to tell ... this'll take a while. Linda and I took the afternoon off and went to Pella to see one of the 100 Places In Iowa You Must Visit and try one of the 100 Things In Iowa You Must Eat. The weather was cloudy, cool, and moist with isolated thunderstorms in the forecast; this could be a pretty poor day to check out the goings on.

One of the regular features of Tulip Time is the scrubbing of the street before the parade. Linda had read about it in the paper and I'd heard about it from two of my co-workers; must be something to see. We hustled toward the square and arrived as a wave of costumed mostly younger people were running from the other end; something was up! They took positions and demonstrated several fun Dutch dances.

After the dances, there was a recessional as the Tulip Queen and her court left the stage to prepare for the parade. The Mayor and City Council then inspected the street. Even with yesterday's rain, these streets were not going to do for the parade; they must be cleaned. (They looked okay to me...) Fortunately, the community was prepared and hundreds of men, women, and children set to making things right. Of course, some of the younger cleaners were more about playing in the water but the gutters soon ran with some pretty icky water. I guess the city council got it right! Time for the parade!

While we waited, Linda and I tried a couple of fried Pella bologna sandwiches. I added cheese and sauerkraut to mine. Mmmm... tasty!

The parade was classic. There were horsedrawn carriages with the Tulip Queen and her court, bands from surrounding communities (also from Missouri and Michigan), the best fire engine the community can muster, local dignitaries in classic cars, and some very nicely restored tractors.

One thing that was distinctive of the Pella Tulip Time Parade was that there appeared to be more participants than could possibly live in the community! It looked like every school for miles around must have mustered their enrollment, in costume, to participate in the parade. There were strollers with those too young to make the walk; a section set aside just for twins! Pella must have a growing population.

The floats were actual self propelled floats; not flatbed trucks or hay racks.

Each of the roles of the historic village had their places in the parade. The cheese market, the burgermeister, the milkman, and others were represented. The wooden shoe maker must be very busy; one of local bands marched in wooden shoes. It was a nice touch.

During the parade, we did take the opportunity to slip over the Jaarsma Bakery to beat the crowd to get the Dutch Letters on the list of 100 Things In Iowa You Must Eat.

Believe it or not, after the parade, there was actually more to experience! Most of the tulips were past their prime but, on the square, they'd taken care to have a nice display. There were many locals roaming around still in costume for the remainder of the afternoon. People were finding places to get photos at the festival. Judging from the number of cameras around (and my own collection of photos), this is a HIGHLY documented event!

We ran into my friend John and he set us on a course to get to several of the remaining treats. The poffergies with powdered sugar were a sweet treat on our way to the canal. We wound our way along the canal and to the Pella Klokkenspiel. With over twenty minutes to wait, we stopped into a little shop where Linda found strawberries on sticks and a chocolate fountain for coating them; simply irresistable!

It was an excellent afternoon and marked two more things off the lists of things in Iowa we must do.

Friday Construction Photo #3

It's been a damp week and the skies are low. The project continues to move forward as a layer of gravel appears to be complete. They've even filled in that hole from last week's photo. I wonder if this layer is to provide a level of separation for the concrete that will be the floor of the building; a layer that would provide drainage possibly? Or, is it to provide a reliable surface for vehicles on the job site; something they'll dig through from time to time to actually build the building. Or both?

In the far corner, you can see the crane they've brought in and assembled. I'm not sure what the yellow boom vehicle is doing; maybe placing or adjusting the massive counterweight on the back of the cab. I've seen that long brown metal lattice piece attached to the crane; they use that to auger out the dirt for the pilings. I think that the firehose-looking line connected to the top of it delivers cement to the tip so they can fill the hole as they pull out the auger. Quite a handy tool. Maybe next week, it'll be up and operating.

Cheering the Bucs!

Surprise! Linda and I went to a Bucs game Wednesday night! It really is something of a surprise in that they were not expected to still be playing. As usual, the game was well played and I found myself on the edge of my seat at least once per period. The momentum started with the Bucs but, by the end of the first period, the Tri-City Storm was on the attack more often than not. The game was pretty even until the Bucs took a 2-0 lead; then the intensity moved up and the Storm were like a pack of wild dogs, chasing down everything with a controlled, caution-to-the-wind kind of chaos. At the finish, the 3-0 Buccaneer victory made it likely that they'd move into the Final Four competing for the USHL Clark Cup to defend their champion status.

There were a few things that were particularly memorable about this game. One was a bit scary when it happened. A player for the Storm went down hard and didn't really move much for a very long time. Their goalie called for medical attention who promptly got on a cell phone for an ambulance. As the gurney took him off the ice, he waved to the crowd who had already risen in ovation. It was one of the best displays by a home crowd I'd seen for an injured visitor.

Several minutes later, one of the storm was called for a penalty in front of their bench. The visiting coach vigorously discussed the call with the official. I'm not sure how far that conversation went but, as the official was moving to center ice to resume play, something more must have been said because the official turned, pointed at the bench and then pointed toward the locker room; someone was ejected from the game. Nobody moved. The official repeated the sign and one of the coaches started off the ice. He'd gone about twenty feet when the official pointed at him and motioned that he go back to the bench. The official then skated to the bench, very clearly pointed at the head coach, and ejected him. Of course, the crowd was very engaged in this minor theater and gave their coach ... or the official... another standing ovation.

I think we've gone full circle with attending Bucs games: the characters in the crowd are often nearly half the show. As much as I've enjoyed watching the games and learning about the players, the league, and the facility, the people who show up add a lot of color to the experience. The little girl in the upper left frame of the picture was doing the motions along with the playing of YMCA. The boy in the top right had one of the best collections of fan gear I've seen, even an eye-patch with skull and crossbones! He got up and danced about any time there was music. Later, he joined Air Guitar Guy "on stage" for a little jammin'; he even brought inflatable guitars for them to play! We've seen scary mothers, funny dads, women dressed fancy, women dressed grubby, possible nuns, infants, seniors ... and Greg; they've all been there supporting one of the great little events that Des Moines has to offer. I'm very glad we finally found it.
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News flash! The Bucs went to Sioux Falls and won 3-2; they're in the Final Four!

Subbing at the cribbage group

I got the call to sit in for an evening of cribbage Tuesday night. I hadn't played in a while so it was a nice opportunity to see the guys, enjoy a little of Jeff's cooking, and play some cards. The last couple of times I'd been there, I'd been fortunate enough to have been on the winning side of the nightly Championship Game so I had to take the opportunity keep the string alive.

All night, the hands were pretty low scoring but the pegging was very productive so the games were close and in doubt to the end. The first game looked like it was going our way until the last hand but Jeff and his father, The Commissioner, rallied to win. As we swapped victories, we paused a couple of times to enjoy some Hershey's chocolate and root beer floats; have to keep our energy up you know.

We were behind 2-3 when it came time for the Championship Game. As we were making our stretch run to the finish, we finished a hand just two points short of the finish. Our lead was no more than a dozen, certainly the game would be decided on the pegging. Jeff had been leading fours to me much of the evening and I had a four in my hand. To pair the fours would give us the two we needed for the win. I tossed a queen to the crib and moved the four to the front, ready to deliver for the win. Jeff played ... a duece. I glanced down and played my duece! The streak is alive! : )