Weekend Wanderings

Since we celebrated Father’s Day last weekend with the whole family we didn’t really have any plans for this weekend. The one thing we did know was we were staying inside as much as possible – the forecast was calling for very hot and humid days and boy was it right. You would break a sweat just by standing outside in the shade! We’re supposed to get one more day of it today before it finally breaks.  So we stayed inside as much as possible and did very little. We went out for supper with Dad and Mom Saturday night which was an adventure. We ended up eating at a restaurant called Four Corners that Mom had read about in the Our Iowa magazine and it was delicious! It was out in the middle of nowhere, about an hour from home  with cornfields all around. The parking lot was full and there was a wait but it was so worth it. The best buffet we’ve had in a long, long time! Dad and Mom enjoy finding new restaurants in out of the way places and we hadnn’t done this with them in a long time. When we got home we sat outside at their house and Drew caught fireflies. Once the sun set the heat broke and it was a beautiful evening.

Beautiful picture my cousin Todd drew. It depicts the train depot in Richland, Iowa from days gone by. Todd is a history buff and a very talented artist. Richland is the town where his mom and my dad were born and raised.

On Sunday we went with Dad and Mom to visit my Uncle Jerry and Aunt Konnie. It was Uncle Jerry’s birthday so Mom took brownies to celebrate. My cousin Todd was home so we had a nice small family get together. They have a beautiful farm with the most breathtaking views. They live outside a little town called Rubio but now have a Richland address since there’s no longer a Post Office in Rubio. There’s nothing left in Rubio besides a small refurbished train depot which is now a community center and a handful of houses. I think Jerry and Konnie’s farm is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been (Not that I’ve traveled or spent much time out of Iowa!) We had a nice visit with them and then we drove into Richland. Dad wanted to check on the acreage he and Konnie have together. It was originally their home place with their house and their grandpa’s house but there’s no houses left – it’s just a corn field. We drove past the Friends Church where Dad and Mom got married and their old high school which is no longer used. We meandered into the cemetary and drove around there. And Dad took us on down the road past the cemetary that led to two very very old cemetaries that I never knew where there. When we got back to Sigourney we drove through another cemetary. One I hadn’t been to since grade school when we would walk there and see all the old gravestones for fifth grade history class. A friend of my mom’s had passed away about a year ago and Mom wanted to show me the gravesite. I didn’t realize this cemetary was still being used. It’s a small cemetary with lots of very old stones. Drew wanted to get out and explore so we decided we would run to town one day when it wasn’t so hot and walk around and look at all the old old stones together. It’s a very peaceful and pretty place and I look foward to exploring it one of these days!

I would love to have this view out my front window! It’s beautiful in all seasons!

Drew found the kittens of course!

Celebrating Father’s Day Early

We celebrated Father’s Day a week early this year. We spent the weekend camping at Belva Deer. It was a lot of fun and so great to have all the kids with us. There was rain, heat, bugs, games, food, walks and lots of fun times and memories made!

Diamond supervising while Grandpa builds a fire – no matter how hot it is we have to have S’mores!

Bocce ball players!

Nap time!

These two little boys put a lot of miles on those little legs!

Our campsite!

Bayah and Great Grandpa!

Water fights with the neighbor kids!

Good food – it always tastes better outside!

Walks through the woods!

Walks around the pond!

Piggyback rides!

And cheesy smiles!

Early Father’s Day

When Joe ran into H & M on Saturday to get a replacement tube for the wheel barrow tire he mentioned that they had these tractor planters that reminded him of his dad and he thought it would be nice to have one in the flower bed along with the stone he got from Albert’s funeral.  He wondered if I would have anyplace to do something like that. Now this is not something Joe normally thinks about doing so I thought I would run back in sometime during the week and get one for him for Father’s Day because he had obviously put some thought into it. But then I didn’t know where I would put it so he wouldn’t find it. So, on Sunday I suggested we go in and look at it and if he wanted it it could be an early Father’s Day present. I should have taken a before picture because we got it home and Joe immediately took it down to the shop and “Oliverized” it! He used the paint he had leftover from when he refinished his Dad’s original Oliver tractor to paint the wheels red and the grill yellow. The little planter came with a free flower and he picked out a begonia – a flower his mom always liked. I think it’s just perfect and a perfect addition to this little spot under the kitchen window!