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It's a Wrap!

6/11/2023

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During a frustrating trip home yesterday, I found myself thinking "Why did I ever believe I could do this?" But if I had stayed home in my recliner, I would have missed touring beautiful gardens, making a bandana wreath, learning about the Central African Republic, spending time with fun, crazy people, and lots of good food!

On Saturday, after an excellent brunch, Carla taught us how to make bandana wreaths. Originally she had sunflower wreaths in mind with yellow bandanas and black centers but wasn't able to get enough yellow so we ended up with wide and beautiful variety. I did a sunflower but it isn't quite done; this one is Lorie's.
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Then we were treated to a presentation on the Central African Republic by two of Lydia's nieces and three of their friends who have only been in this country about 5 years. They did a great job and I learned a lot about an area that I knew very little.

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That evening, I did a very impromptu book talk on The Blue Coyote, the second mystery I wrote that is based in Ledges. The audience was very polite and didn't throw any tomatoes. Or cookies, for that matter.

In spite of an iffy forecast, we actually had excellent weather with only a few sprinkles. There were many other activities that not all of us took part in: stream-sitting, the High Trestle Trail at Madrid; the Boone Railroad. In the small world category, the couple camped next to me were from Missouri and in our first visit, I mentioned that I was there with the Midwest Glampers. She said that she had joined our Facebook page some time ago and joined us later for a couple of the activities. I also got a visit from my 'schleroderma sister', Barbara, who lives nearby.


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So what made my trip home frustrating? Start with a power plug full of tiny ants when I unplugged the camper. And then a half hour wait at the dump station because the guy ahead of me took about 25 minutes for what should be no more than a 10 or 15 minute task. Also, I had planned on getting gas on the way home; I had $1.10 a gallon credit on my Hy-Vee gas card which is supposed to be honored at Casey's. The first Casey's I stopped at in State Center does not honor Hy-Vee cards any more. At Marshalltown, there was supposed to be a Casey's within a half mile of the exit but I couldn't find it. At the third, in Toledo, the pump wouldn't accept my Hy-Vee card and a very nice assistant manager came out, couldn't get it to work either but finally managed to ring me up inside. All of these stops added up to almost an extra hour on my two-and-a-half hour trip. However the biggest problem was the folding bathroom door. An earlier mishap with the latch, and an attempted repair resulted in not being able to secure it for travel, so it swung back and forth, dislodging the track from the ceiling. I have a little construction ahead of me.

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Butterflies and Books...and Murder!

6/10/2023

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Yesterday, five of us drove to Reiman Gardens in Ames. The special exhibit right now it Glass in Flight, featuring large stained glass depictions of butterflies. For a couple of hours, we enjoyed the exhibit and many other gardens.

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Next, we visited a delightful independent bookstore in Ames: Dogearred Books. We enjoyed browsing the new and old titles and visiting with the owner. An intriguing revolving statue greets customers as they enter.

In the evening we held a potluck at my campsite, and the amount of food necessitated scaring up another table. These women can really cook! After supper, Lena, our twelve-year old Glamper-in-Training led us in a murder mystery game. It was a full day.
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On the Ledge

6/9/2023

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I am happy to report that Wednesday Agatha made it to Ledges State Park near Boone, Iowa without incident. Batteries worked and new tires performed well. I went through the basic setup and Don took me down to Des Moines because I planned to spend Thursday watching him compete again in pickle ball in the Iowa Senior Games. He had a very successful day, winning a gold medal in the mixed doubles and bronze in the men's doubles. We returned to Ledges as other members of the group were starting to arrive. He returned home to his hot tub and I suspect a nap while I continued my setup.

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We are in a loop that used to be primitive sites but have been upgraded to electric. There appears to be new gravel on the sites and mine is fairly level. So many of the campgrounds in Iowa parks have been denuded of trees in the last few years by the derecho and the ash bore that it is a delight to be in this heavily wooded area. There is a ravine right beside me that makes me hope I don't start sleepwalking. I am happy to report that there are two hooks in each of the showers! I visited with some of the other Glampers, started a fire, cooked myself a steak, and was ready to turn in early. I'm supposed to give a book talk tomorrow on The Blue Coyote, the book that is based on this park. So I am madly trying to reread it because I can't remember the details of the plot!

Today on the agenda is a trip to Reiman Gardens in Ames, a 'stream sit' this afternoon and a potluck supper. It's a chilly morning but that is much preferred by this camper to hot and sticky. Although internet reception seems generally good here, I am having trouble getting on my author email site, so I will mention here that the first book in my Mystery Sisters series, Reunion and Revenge, is free this weekend!


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    Some random thoughts about writing, camping, and eating.

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