Catching Up in CR...

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog.  In fact, its been about 2 months.  It’s hard to believe that time can sometimes fly that fast.  So you may ask what have I been up to?  Most of my time has been spent between two different jobs.   I’m working on saving money up for my next tangent of road adventure. But today, I had my first day off from both of the jobs and so here I am doing a bit of updating...

One of the jobs I’ve been working is a on-line tech support job for an educational firm.  Yes, I know those of you out there that know me find this rather funny.  On-line tech support?  She had to bring a guy friend over the last time to set up her stereo/TV/DVD Player.  But I seem to be managing through with the help of a wonderful on-line resource and a supportive team spirit of people that I work with.  I’m actually solving people’s problems over the phone and it sometimes amazes me that I’m doing this.  But it’s been a fun experience overall and I will admit that I'm learning to be more tech saavy.

The other job that I’ve been working is for the Cedar Rapids Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.  It seems like a perfect fit after being on a road trip for  four and a half months.  In that time I have visited an awful lot of Visitor’s Center and know what I would expect  as a visitor.  So, here I am working from the other point of view.  Thankfully, because I grew up in Cedar Rapids; I already really knew my way around.  The center where I work is in the Czech Village area of Cedar Rapids. Last Saturday was the St. Joseph Day's Parade in Czech Village.  I took a few pictures while I was working.

Photo- It's Iowa, of course there's a tractor in the parade!

 

Photo: Thing 1, Thing 2, & Cat in the Hat--Hmmm?  Not sure what they had to do with St. Joseph
but at least they were wearing red.  So, why not?

It’s been rather fun meeting people from all over the country and I’ve even gotten to talk with an exchange student from the Czech Republic.  I get to hand out different flyers and give directions to people .  Some of the places I’ve been to, some that I would like to go visit, and still others it has been years since I’ve been there that I have forgotten.  A few things that are on my list are; the Brucemore Mansion, the Grant Wood Studio where he painted the famous American Gothic, and to Dyersville to see the Field of Dreams Movie set.  Yes, I know it’s rather corny of me to want to see a baseball diamond set among corn fields, but after all I am in Iowa.  I figure a little “corniness” is allowable in the Corn State.

Photo- All pimped out in Red for St. Joseph! 
Did I mention that the local pubs were serving Red beer too?!?

 

Photo- Got to have the ladies dancing in a parade!  And these ladies were wonderful!

When I’m not working at either of the two jobs, I’m doing some painting or Mall Walking.  Yes, Mall walking and let me explain that Iowa’s weather is so very unpredictable.  It can go from rain to snow in a blink of an eye and quite often it doe.  I want to go some place where I can get some form of exercise on a predictable schedule and somewhere cheap because I am trying to save after all.  But I will admit that it is a boost to the ego to be passing all of those older people that do that Mall Walking.  I know that’s terrible of me.  I am hoping that as Spring really eventually comes to this past of Iowa that I’ll be able to get out on my bicycle or perhaps, even get some running in too.

I'm also hoping to squeeze in a bit more local sight seeing while I'm here in Iowa and hope to report and show pictures here soon,  Thanks for visiting and I hope to be updating you soon with some local sights!
 

A Christmas Break & New Year!

(*** Editor's Note: Google Blogs has been having issues with downloading of photos.  I hope to be able to add these photos in at a later date.  I also apologize for just not keeping up on my blogging.  Oh, and Happy Belated New Year! )

I have come home to my hometown for Christmas; in the hilly country of eastern Iowa.  I was in need of a much needed break of my traveling style of life.  It's rather hard to move from day to day.  Plus it is always interesting to “go home”.  Of course, there always are those residual memories, both good and bad that remain.  I will admit that it was good to see the family.  But with that also there’s that portion where the family can really drive you to a point of insanity and you remember why you left in the first place.  That point arrived a few days after I arrived.  Mom and I butted heads to say the least.  Family always seems to manage to push your buttons and it’s never a very pretty sight.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love my family but they really do know how to push my buttons.

Photo- The family on the couch for a Christmas photo.

It has been fun revisiting old hangouts.  I went to the old Spring House Restaurant with my mom.  The Spring House was the place where we always used to go eat when I was growing up.  It was relatively inexpensive and there was a sit down dining room area.  Growing up it was bit of a splurge for us to go there because of being a single parent home.  It’s rather amazing when you go to a place like that again and see that it really hasn’t changed all that much.  In fact, I think they still have the same original chairs and booths; just recovered.

Photo- My nephew and I building snowmen.  His snowman is taller than mine of course!

I did manage to have some new fun.  I took one evening and built snowmen with my nephew.  I know his snowman was so much better than the one I tried to build.  His mother supplied us with a couple of spray bottles that had water with food coloring.  It was a choice of yellow, red, or yellow.  In my sick sense of humor, I tended to go overboard with the yellow.  There’s just something about yellow snow.  Oh I’m terrible!  We also went and purchased some new sleds which I hope we will get to break in soon.

Photo- A snow covered empty street in Main Amana, IA.

Another afternoon, we took a drive down to the Amana Colonies where we went around looking at little shops throughout the cute little German community.  The Amana Colonies is a National Historic Landmark and one of America’s longest-lived communal societies.  I periodically have visited the main Amana as I was growing up; mostly during the May Fest which is a large festival.  There are seven different villages of which the main Amana is the largest.  You can read more about the history and the colonies at this link… http://amanacolonies.com/

During our afternoon we tasted wine, had Rubens (mine without the kraut), and walked through all kinds of wonderful shops.  My favorite places I used to go as a kid were the Woolen Mill where they make all kinds of woolen goods and the furniture store where they have a room full of clocks.  I was a bit disappointed because usually at both places they have areas where you can watch people working.  At the Woolen Mill, there’s usually a room where the looms are going and you can watch as material is being made.  Due to the holidays though, there were not any equipment that was being operated.  This was also the case at the Furniture Shop.  They usually have an area that you can watch the wood workers which is always fun and fascinating.  But I got some fun in with watching a dancing clock face in the furniture shop and I almost bought a pair of "Mucka-Ducks" which were heavy woolen long moccasin like socks that looked very warm. 


 Yes, I'm having a bit of time adjusting to the cold weather here in Iowa.  I forgot how cold it can get here during the winter.  Those cold fronts come out of Canada and drift down into Iowa.  They deposit here and seem to want to stay.  Some of the evenings have been getting down to the negative degrees which is something that I haven't had to experience in years living in Utah.  Utah gets the snow but it doesn't get much below the lower 20's.  I'm very much hoping for a bit of a January thaw in the New Year.

For New Year's Eve, the night got down to -1 with a lovely chill factor (a common thing here in Iowa during the winter) it actually felt like anywhere from -15 to -20.  Mom and I had a snack night in front of the TV watching the New York New Year's Eve.  But I had to laugh when I saw on the local news about Prairie Du Chen, Wisconsin did a dropping of the HUGE carp fish.  Leave it to us, Midwestern folk to make things interesting and different.  So they drop a carp almost 100 ft. out of a tree.  I wonder what happens to the fish then?

I woke up with a cold on New Year's Day with a sore throat and feeling yucky.  Yep!  I started the New Year with a cold.  I stayed in bed most of the day and came out only to try to eat a bit or to use the restroom.  Happy New Year to all of you out there!  I hope your year started out better.  And thank you to those of you that have been contacting me to see how I have been doing I haven't been blogging as much as I should have been.  Something I need to work on in the New Year.