Runnin' around

For the third straight weekend, Linda and I were running around central Iowa, enjoying perfect weather. This week, there was statue event in Newton that sounded interesting. We hadn't really finished up a couple of things last time we were in Grinnell so we went east.

Our first stop was the jewel box Merchants National Bank. Memorial Day, we'd seen the outside but could only imagine the inside. This time, we got to go inside and it was impressive. Wells Fargo acquired the bank and chose to preserve the structure and it's easy to see how this would have been a bustling bank in its day. The docent that talked with us about the history actually had had an account at the bank.

After stopping at the bank, we walked across the street to pick up a couple of coney donuts at Hansen's bakery. The coney looked pretty similar to many other bakery products but, having tasted it, it belongs on the list of 100 Things to Eat and worth stopping in to try.

We asked around for directions to a bait shop to see if we could get some worms to fish at Arbor Lake. The gentleman couldn't tell us where to find bait but did share that Arbor Lake was a man-made lake built to provide water for steam engines. Being at the crossroads of two rail lines, it had been important to have a reliable source of water for the iron horses.

The lake turned out to be at least three times as large as either Linda or I had expected. Someone had done a very nice job of documenting the efforts that are being taken to preserve the quality of water in this lake. They pointed out several examples of measures that had been implemented to that end. We fished our way part way around the lake and walked the rest just to see what it was like.

Moving on, we wandered south and east to Sully, home of the Coffee Cup Cafe. A nice little business on the south side of the square, the Coffee Cup is home to the listed Dutch Salad. On The List, there was no description; on the menu, it sounded like a basic tossed lettuce salad with a dressing of their creation. When it arrived, the salad appeared pretty typical. The first bite revealed the unique pleasure of the combination of elements. Another nice entry to the list! We finished lunch with a piece of rhubarb pie. Tasty.

The Department of Transportation was replacing a bridge on the road we'd expected to take us to Newton so we were on gravel for the third straight week! We found our way to Maytag Park and enjoyed the viewing many pieces by several artists, local and distant. Between the two main tents, this steel band played nice island tunes. We also received a map to installations around town. Sir Rustalot, the dragon in the inset, is a long time guardian of the Newton library.

We swung by the Thomas Mitchell park to see if the fishing hole there would produce for us. Nearly covered with a thick mat of moss, it was apparent that we needed to keep moving.

We took a break to recuperate, rehydrate, and just get some things done around our respective homes. Rejuvinated, we headed for Waukee to see the Des Moines Menace Soccer team host the St. Louis Lions. The first soccer game that Linda or I had attended, it was a very fluid and dynamic game with rapid and frequent reversals, attach and counterattack. The Menace pulled ahead by the half and extended that lead to a four-zero win. Along the way, it was fun to see that about one third of the players were from Iowa schools, specifically Drake and Graceland. We will likely return for another.