Memorial Day tomorrow

80 degrees at 9:00 pm in Clarinda, IA.  Happy birthday to my next-older brother Don today in Cape Girardeau, Missouri..

These two photos were taken last

evening as we were coming home from

supper at our friends here in town.

Rain had been forecast for

most of Saturday, but we 

never got a drop.

Had started out the morning yesterday by taking
flowers to relatives' graves here at the Clarinda
Cemetery.  Phyllis put several together]
with flowers from our place.

Her Grandpa and Grandma
Cabbage's grave

My sister Louise's grave.

Her funeral was eight years

ago this month - May 25, 2008.

This couple, Royce Duncan and sister Elaine Duncan Odem were putting

out flowers and stopped to chat

a moment.

Their mother was Leone Winger

For lunch we stopped at the Garrison House here in Clarinda for lunch.  They are on the "Our Iowa" magazine's book of Mom & Pop restaurants in Iowa, even offering a $5 coupon.  This is Phyllis and Carolyn Miller, part owner of Garrison House.

After eating lunch we

drove to Lake of Three Fires

near Bedford, Iowa

Ada, Rosa Lea, Inez (three daughters of Phyllis' Uncle Marvin and Aunt  Rose) and Phyllis.

They had driven in from Des Moines,Atlantic and Kansas City, Kansas for the all-school reunion at Conway, Iowa today.  

They plan to spend a week 

in this cabin, visiting

with each other and people

in this area.

Then we drove to Jack and Karen
Baumgartner's place in north Clarinda
for supper.  Jack grilled hamburgers
and brats.

Cynthia and Ron Peterson, from 

Mound City, MO came and we

three couples had a good visit

and a good supper.

We rode the recumbent trikes 8 miles this morning and really feel it.  Haven't been riding them like we have in the past.  I did get the table and chairs from the deck taken into the shop, rubbed down with wire brush and repainted with black spray paint.   Also mixed some Oil of Peppermint with  water and sprayed it around several places as a preventative for the ants.  Somehow they seem to be busy this year.  Haven't seen any more of the big black ones in the bathroom, but some teeny ones in the kitchen.  Flattened the collection of tin cans that have built up (intend to take them, with some other iron, to salvage yard in Atlantic on our way to Omaha in a week or two.  Have itemized a few things to maybe put on yard sale on June 6th which is when the city-wide yard sale is on.  We didn't get an ad in the paper, but if come up with enough stuff will set them out.

Phyllis' sister and husband will be here tomorrow, from Grand Lake, Colorado, and several relatives locally are due here for a get together tomorrow afternoon.  Hope the rain holds off so we can be on the back deck. Think the Gregory's will stay until Wednesday.

More later, Lynn

.

Rain and more rain

66º with rain in Clarinda, IA at 3pm Thursday.  I dumped 1/2" of rain from the gauge this morning when I went to the hot tub----and I dumped another 1" out about a half-hour ago.  It was sunshine most of the morning and early afternoon, though.  I planted some lettuce, sprayed "Home Defense" bug stuff around the outside of the house and in the crawl space under our bedrooms/bathrooms.  Have had a bit of an ant problem since we got back this spring.  Big, black ants, though they are never moving very fast.  I had done a spray job the day after we got here in early April and apparently they crawl through it to get in.

Had phone call from our friend Bill Oberholser in Boone, IA (we visited him and Twilla a little over a week ago).  He had happy news that the checkup on his pace-maker regulator thingy that was inserted under the skin on his chest a month or so ago checked out fine.  He was now released to drive, so Twila will get a rest from being the chauffeur.

Well, got sidelined and it is now 6:30 am on Friday.  Stormed and rained most of yesterday afternoon and overnight.

About 2 weeks ago, on a Sunday that was Patty Steckelberg's birthday, we took her to Red Oak for lunch at the Pizza Ranch.

Happened on to Lowell and Sylvia Schaaf who live in Griswold.  Lowell was square dance caller for many years and taught us square and round dancing back in the 1970's and again

in the 1990's.  He has retired from calling, but has served several rural Methodist churches for years.  He said he is now retiring from that.

Patty, the birthday girl.

She has now caught

up with Phyllis in years.

Few photos taken from the kitchen
table of the bird feeder.

Yesterday I was able

to get the flag I bought at

Pella Tulip Festival

mounted on the front

of our place.

A few pictures from the Baby Shower
last Sunday.

 putting diaper on a bear

Ashley and a quilt she got.

Ashley and Emily

 Last Sunday

evening pizza.

Phyllis, Ashley and Emily

Grandson-in-law Heath and son Cameron

Lynn and daughter-in-law Patty

This Thursday the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society Festival starts and we will probably be helping with ushering and such.  You can see the schedule HERE      Come and listen to some great Big Bands.

Later, Lynn

 

Rainy day in South West Iowa

68º in Clarinda with rain.

Well, I labeled the last post as the day of Granddaughter's baby shower, but never got around to posting anything about it.

Friday night we got to Marengo, set up in Sudbury Motel RV park and went the mile or so to Cam and Patty's place just west of town on Highway 6.

Went to the Amana Colonies to eat supper at PHAT Daddy's.  They were located in Marengo for many years, but a few years ago moved to their Amana location Check their Facebook HERE

They have quite a variety of Pizza's!

After eating we walked

around Amana -- was great weather

and not very much traffic.

This set of statues is supposed

to be a tribute to Grant Wood.

These metal sculptures

were something!  They

were for sale and you could

  be first on your

block to have one

of these in front

of your very own house.

 Saturday, with both granddaughters, and Ashley's husband. Heath, we went to Cedar Rapids and ate at the Panda Express.

 After lunch we headed south-east

to PALISADES-KEPLER STATE PARK

for some exercise.  Cam and Pat and Phyllis

and myself went for a hike, while

the girls went to the beach

along the river with blankets.

Heath had to drive back to

Marengo for some school stuff.

I would guess we walked better than

two miles -- the first part included a 

good path and quite a few steps.

Then, to save some distance and climbing, we took a "short-cut" down a ravine area.  This didn't have much trail and got interesting.  We took our time and climbed over downed trees and around rocks in the dry waterway.  It did avoid the climbing, though.

 That evening we 

played Ladder Golf

until it got

too dark.

Had not played

this game before,

interesting game.

Sunday -- finally the day of
the Baby Shower for Jessica Lynn Long,
our soon to arrive (June 29 is predicted) great granddaughter.  I guess the shower
was for her mother, but scads of stuff
(much clothing) was received for
the little girl.  It is doubtful she will be
able to wear all the clothes before
she outgrows them.

At right is Ashley, in center, with Grandma Phyllis Miles at left, then Grandma Fern Baze, Mom Patty Miles, Mother-in-law Sheila Long, and Sheila's mother - Grandmother Lou.

Ashley and her sister Emily

Well, some 500 photos were taken of the event and I won't put them here.

More later, Lynn

Day of Granddaughter's baby shower!

77 degrees and bright sunshine, no wind, in Marengo, IA at 11:00 am Sunday.

Drove from Marquoketa to St. Donatus, Iowa through the countryside.  Different kind of farming in that corner of the state; literally no terraces and they farm right up and down steep hills.  They do skip over waterways.

This town is considered "Little Luxembourg", but there were no really touristy places.

   Well, here I am already, 3:30 pm Tuesday afternoon in Clarinda - 85º and bright sunshine.  Rain was forecast, but it went south of us, maybe some later today.  I had a hard time writing in the blog while we were traveling.  Did a couple with the phone and that is really difficult as I couldn't find the pen we have with the soft nose for writing on phone, so was using chubby fingers.  When started this, was at son's, but had my older computer and not best setup for seeing the screen.  Well, anyway, will try to finish this.

 Near the Maquoketa Caves we listened to a presentation on the caves and the fact that there had been a scare for several years about a virus that was deadly to the bats.  It is no longer quite as severe and you don't have to wear cloth booties now, but you are requested to not go near any other caves with the clothes you are wearing for a period of 6 months.

I guess it was a way to get attention, but they did have on display and talk about a few species of snakes.

We drove to just north of the city of Maquoketa to the Hurstville Interpretive Center which is run jointly by the Jackson County people and the Iowa NRD.

Many displays of all the creatures
and vegetation of the area.

Just to the north of this area there used to be, many years ago, a large kiln that reduced ground lime to a very fine powder that was used in masonry.  It was quite an industry Hurstville Lime Kilns 

We did not drive out to the reconstructed site.

The process started in the limestone rock quarry.  The men would get the rock into a manageable size so that it could be loaded into mule or horse-drawn rail carts and hauled to the kilns.  The limestone was then unloaded into the top of the kiln where a fire was burning.  The fires burned at 900 degrees Celsius (1650 F).  They kept the fire burning around the clock - 24 hours a day 7 days a week – for most of the year.   Workers were well compensated for their hard work.  In 1899 many workers earned $1.35 a day and rent was only $3 a month.  
- See more at: http://www.mycountyparks.com/County/Jackson/Park/Hurstville-Lime-Kilns.aspx#sthash.e0CHr9h9.dpuf

The process started in the limestone rock quarry.  The men would get the rock into a manageable size so that it could be loaded into mule or horse-drawn rail carts and hauled to the kilns.  The limestone was then unloaded into the top of the kiln where a fire was burning.  The fires burned at 900 degrees Celsius (1650 F).  They kept the fire burning around the clock - 24 hours a day 7 days a week – for most of the year.   Workers were well compensated for their hard work.  In 1899 many workers earned $1.35 a day and rent was only $3 a month.  
- See more at: http://www.mycountyparks.com/County/Jackson/Park/Hurstville-Lime-Kilns.aspx#sthash.e0CHr9h9.dpuf

The process started in the limestone rock quarry.  The men would get the rock into a manageable size so that it could be loaded into mule or horse-drawn rail carts and hauled to the kilns.  The limestone was then unloaded into the top of the kiln where a fire was burning.  The fires burned at 900 degrees Celsius (1650 F).  They kept the fire burning around the clock - 24 hours a day 7 days a week – for most of the year.   Workers were well compensated for their hard work.  In 1899 many workers earned $1.35 a day and rent was only $3 a month.  
- See more at: http://www.mycountyparks.com/County/Jackson/Park/Hurstville-Lime-Kilns.aspx#sthash.e0CHr9h9.dpuf

This and the photo below show a model

of the plant.  It was all hand labor. The process started in the limestone rock quarry.  The men would get the rock into a manageable size so that it could be loaded into mule or horse-drawn rail carts and hauled to the kilns.  The limestone was then unloaded into the top of the kiln where a wood fire was burning.  

The fires burned at 900 degrees Celsius (1650 F).  They kept the fire burning around the clock - 24 hours a day 7 days a week – for most of the year.   Workers were well compensated for their hard work.  In 1899 many workers earned $1.35 a day and rent was only $3 a month.  

The process started in the limestone rock quarry.  The men would get the rock into a manageable size so that it could be loaded into mule or horse-drawn rail carts and hauled to the kilns.  The limestone was then unloaded into the top of the kiln where a fire was burning.  The fires burned at 900 degrees Celsius (1650 F).  They kept the fire burning around the clock - 24 hours a day 7 days a week – for most of the year.   Workers were well compensated for their hard work.  In 1899 many workers earned $1.35 a day and rent was only $3 a month.  
- See more at: http://www.mycountyparks.com/County/Jackson/Park/Hurstville-Lime-Kilns.aspx#sthash.e0CHr9h9.dpuf

The process started in the limestone rock quarry.  The men would get the rock into a manageable size so that it could be loaded into mule or horse-drawn rail carts and hauled to the kilns.  The limestone was then unloaded into the top of the kiln where a fire was burning.  The fires burned at 900 degrees Celsius (1650 F).  They kept the fire burning around the clock - 24 hours a day 7 days a week – for most of the year.   Workers were well compensated for their hard work.  In 1899 many workers earned $1.35 a day and rent was only $3 a month.  
- See more at: http://www.mycountyparks.com/County/Jackson/Park/Hurstville-Lime-Kilns.aspx#sthash.e0CHr9h9.dpuf

This drawing shows how the lime rock was brought to the top and then dumped down into the area above the fire.  1650 degrees made it a very hot place to work in the summers.

 Lot of info on Bees

Lot of displays of animals.

the ones below were all in one

area together.

WHooo said that?

Outside they had quite a few 

acres in a wetland setup with charts

chowing the different migratory birds 

that stopped in the area on their 

way from Canada to Mexico

We spent some time in the Clinton Engine 

museum which was in the old office building

of the Clinton Engine Company back in the

1950's.

They made a tremendous number

of engines for scooters, generators,

lawn mowers, etc.

More later on our week on the road, Lynn