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Old Friends, Good Times

10/20/2022

Fifty or so years ago, Sew and Blow was born. Six women with common interests, our families spent a lot of time together, our children were in the same age range, and our husbands were good friends as well. We had no dues, no officers, no rules. We just got together for coffee to chat, and some of us actually sewed. We have remained in touch and celebrated each other's joys as well as shared each other's sorrows. Three of us have lost husbands; two and a half years ago, we lost one of our members.

We don't all live in the same town any more but we manage to get together at least once a year. The last few years, that has been at Lake Darling in a couple of their all year cabins. This year, we apparently chose the three coldest days in October for our gathering. That didn't interfere with two of our favorite activities: eating and jigsaw puzzles. We enjoyed hearty meals and yummy snacks. The puzzle that was agreed on this year was a collage of vintage campers. I didn't do anything to influence that decision, honest.

But we did get outside in spite of the temps and brutal winds. Several walks were taken although we didn't have any of our planned campfires. Winter coats and gloves were the dress of the day. The fall color was coming on and the park is beautiful.

And we did talk a little bit. We covered politics, gossip, philosophical questions, and grandchildrens' weddings. We discussed recipes, even though we don't cook as much as we used to, and things we wished we'd done, even though there's no going back. We enjoyed beautiful sunsets. There is no substitute for long time friends.

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Tricks and Treats

10/7/2022

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I love fall camping. The crisp temperatures make campfires more welcome, soups and stews more tasty, sweatshirts more comfortable, and hiking more appealing. We are at Oakland Mills County Park south of Mt. Pleasant for a few days, where my niece's husband is the county conservation director and my in-laws are hosting at the campground for a couple of weeks.

Like many campgrounds, they are taking advantage of the season and gearing up for a Halloween decorating contest and a couple of nights of trick or treat this weekend. People began getting their decor out yesterday, but high winds made havoc of some.

Kids will be looking for candy Friday and Saturday nights but the real tricks for our group came Thursday afternoon. Several friends came down to celebrate brother-in-law Ken's birthday, which is actually today, with an apple torte and other goodies. We had had rain earlier but the sun came out and helped temper the effects of the wind. Nine or ten of us were sitting around in lawn chairs anticipating our treats, when suddenly a gust of wind dumped a shower of rainwater off the end of the awning on Harriet and Rhonda who were sitting right underneath. They moved pretty fast but didn't avoid a thorough soaking. They decided as long as they were up, they would serve the torte. They moved over to the picnic table under the front of the awning and just had cut several slices, placing them on festive fall plates when another gust dumped more rainwater off the front of the awning onto the servers again as well as the table. It didn't hurt the torte. I thought maybe they could reenact the incident so I could get some photos for this blog but no one would cooperate.

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Chilly Days on Shady Creek

9/28/2022

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From a 98-degree-day a week ago to possible freeze warnings for tonight meant different wardrobe choices for this camping trip than the rest of the summer. We are at Shady Creek, a Corpse of Engineers campground on the Mississippi. I have been here many times in the past but not for the last several years. The purpose of this trip was twofold: camping with Don's sister-in-law and brother-in-law; and a lot of fishing, including teaching me to fish.

Shady Creek is a nice campground: cement pads with lots of big trees--a characteristic missing in a lot of Iowa campgrounds the last few years. But I'm sorry to say the shower house is a D+ at best. There are two showers in both the men's and women's sides. One is quite small and the other larger, serving also as the handicap facility. On the women's side, the handicap shower has a push-button control which requires a fair amount of pressure to depress, and the the water only runs as long as long as the button is pushed in. And it doesn't get warm. Not the best set up for a handicapped person. The other shower has a push button control that stays depressed for about a minute and the water does get warm, but the floor of the dressing area is lower than that of the shower. Therefore there is about an inch of standing water in the dressing area all of the time. If you drop your towel on the floor (as I did) you're in big trouble. There are two barely functional hooks in each shower. On second thought, maybe it should be a D- shower house.

But I know you're dying to know about the fishing lesson. It happened and it was successful! Tuesday, we put the boat in in Muscatine and spent a couple of hours trolling below the dam. It was windy but not unpleasant. And I caught a fish! I made Don hold it for the picture--the wind had really done a number on my hair. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Shallow water near an island caused us more trouble and we finally hung it up for the day.

It's been perfect weather for evening campfires. We've enjoyed one every night and it's been great to visit Don's inlaws. We went to Muscatine last night for a little Italian food and lots of leftovers. Lola is a delightful golden doodle who gets very excited when Joan says "Daddy's home!" It all makes me very sad as the end of the season approaches.

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A Mixed Bag

9/17/2022

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Usually if there's a damper on a camping trip, it's a literal one: a rainstorm, a tornado warning or some weather related event involving water. The past week at Black Hawk Campground on the Mississippi, the weather was predominantly lovely. We had a rainy day on Monday--sounds like a song--but it provided the perfect excuse for a road trip to check out the apple establishments for apple donuts, apple pies, apple cider, apple butter. You get the picture.

Every evening was a perfect campfire night. Showy sunsets ranged from soft pastels to vibrant reds, oranges, and pinks. Mornings were just on the crisp side or softened by fog over the river. Daytime temps were perfect for walking or lunch overlooking the Mississippi.

So what was the fly in the ointment? Well, first of all, there were about six thousand of 'em, hanging around the camper door like they were waiting to see the queen lying in state. That's an expected side to camping and the flyswatter was always at hand. However, the purpose of this trip was for Don to fish, and to teach me to fish. I don't want to hear any comments about old dogs. Tuesday noon, after two pleasant hours on the river, during which I had requested I would just watch, I suggested that he drop me at the dock and I would go back to the camper and spend some time writing. We would go out again Wednesday when I would actually try my hand.

Part way back to the camper, I realized I had no keys. I called Don and he said he was coming in anyway; he had just had a run-in with a rock pile and had wrecked the propeller on the motor. I wrote in my last blog how we then spent the afternoon crisscrossing Prairie Du Chien before we found Cabela's boat shop. The young man ordered a new propeller and said, since it was already after 3:00 pm, it might not arrive on Wednesday but would by Thursday, and he would have tracking information by Wednesday. It would be shipped from the factory in Fon du Lac, three hours away.

Long story somewhat shorter, it did not arrive Wednesday nor did any tracking information. It did not arrive Thursday. We spent both days waiting for a call and hanging around Prairie du Chien. By Friday morning, the weather forecast for Friday afternoon and Saturday included a lot of rain. No call from Cabela's, but when Don called "it had just come in!" I bought a cute shirt there a couple of days before, but I would stay away from the bridge department. Anyway, I am still a non-fisherwoman and my brand spanking new license is stashed in my purse.

Other than that, it was a lovely week.

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Fish, Cheese, and Apples

9/14/2022

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We are spending the week at Black Hawk Campground near De Soto, Wisconsin. A first time experience for me, Black Hawk is a beautiful park perched on low islands and peninsulas in the Mississippi, and surrounded by the river bluffs of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. Our site backs up the this peaceful view of a backwater, home to a wide variety of birds including a lone blue heron.

My friend Don planned this trip because it's one of his favorite fishing spots. So far, nature and mechanics have mostly foiled that activity. The Ottaways are here too and yesterday morning, Don, Vince, and I went out for a little fishing excursion. For the most part, it was unproductive but a pleasant morning until a run-in with a rockpile damaged the prop on Don's boat. We spent the afternoon crisscrossing Prairie du Chien several times to locate a repair shop that could order a new prop. It will be here today or tomorrow. Those hiccups did not ruin a pleasant day on the Mississippi and a great supper and campfire with Ottaways.

Because of rain off and on all day Monday, we decided to do a little road tripping, particularly to the apple places at Gay's Mills and a personal favorite, Valley Fish and Cheese in Prairie du Chien. Plans for the rest of the week depend both on the weather and the arrival of the new prop. I am supposed to be getting a fishing lesson the next time out so stay tuned.

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Cuz We're Cuzzins

8/28/2022

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Until I was eleven or twelve I lived in the same small Minnesota town as all of my cousins and grandparents on both sides. And there were a lot of them; twenty grandchildren on my dad's side and seventeen on my mother's side. Our cousins were our first friends. Ever holiday was split with time at each side of the family. But about the time I was in fourth or fifth grade, the fracturing began. One by one, families moved to Iowa, California, and other Minnesota towns. We had fewer and fewer gatherings. Eventually, some of us managed to gather for weddings, and later, funerals. Covid put a halt to even some of these.

Every few years, someone takes the initiative to organize a reunion. This year, cousin Jeff volunteered to have a gathering at his beautiful country home near St. Peter, Minnesota. Sister Gretchen started an email campaign. Of the thirteen surviving cousins, seven were able to make the gathering, plus four of our children and two great grandchildren--a fraction of the whole group but a nice size to reminisce and share family stories.

Two family members have been doing a little genealogy research and have raised a few questions. Our grandfather, Andy Jensen, came to the US in 1914 as a blacksmith. He had lived in Argentina for two years after leaving his native Denmark. He married Grandma, a Norwegian (considered a mixed marriage in those days). But one of the researchers discovered that Grandpa's parents may have come from Sweden! Does this mean we should have been having Swedish cookies along with all of the Danish and Norwegian ones every Christmas? Enquiring minds want to know!

We also enjoyed sharing stories and images of the people in our childhoods. Some remembered Grandma as stern; others as a softy. (I maintain that perhaps those images reflected our own behavior.) Regardless, a fun weekend!

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Best Campground by a Dam Site

8/17/2022

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One of the best, anyway. For several years, Howell Station, below the dam at Lake Red Rock near Pella, has hosted our extended camping group the third week in August. We like it because of the spacious, level sites, large trees, and lots of paths for bike-riding. The group was smaller than usual this year, due to silly events like weddings in Spain and vacations in Colorado.

Other popular pastimes are eagle watching, fishing, and sunsets. Because the campground looks northwest across the Des Moines River, there often some pretty spectacular sunsets. This week, heavy clouds a couple of nights precluded those displays, but Tuesday night was good.

Of course, there's always trips to Pella to the quilt shop, the bakeries, and the other shops. Much-needed rain Monday afternoon and evening chased us into town for supper. My friends Ginge and Clare came out Tuesday and we made a quick tour of the shops and the flower gardens.

As indicated by the photo of the fence at the top, birdwatching is popular. Bald eagles like to get 'take-out' for breakfast in the area of the Des Moines River below the dam. Once we spotted seven on the sand bars at one time. When we walked across the footbridge one morning, a magnificent specimen swooped toward us, but I was too slow to get a photo. The same thing happened Friday morning when I spotted a pileated woodpecker--every time I snapped a picture, he moved in the last second.

Wednesday, Don came down with his boat and we took a tour of Lake Red Rock while he checked out fishing spots. It was a beautiful day and the scenery was wonderful.

Victuals weren't lacking, even though the group was small. Breakfasts included sausage gravy on biscuits, wheat germ pancakes and sausage, and French toast made from cinnamon swirl bread from the bakery. Suppers featured pork sandwiches, BLTs, and burgers plus a variety of sides.

So, although I did quite a bit of walking, a return to my regular exercise routine this week is especially necessary, especially after the Triple Berry Dutch pie ala mode, on Thursday night from, of all places, the meat market. Hopefully, we will all be back there next year for another go.

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Tied in Knots...or Tying the Knot?

8/15/2022

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This past weekend, I had the great joy of witnessing the marriage of another of my grandchildren. Tuan Nortman and his fiance Rhianna chose to keep the festivities small and somewhat informal, which was just as well, since three days before the wedding, they closed on and moved into their first home. Anyone who has been through either of those events knows that one alone can be challenging, exhausting, and full of mishaps. Doubling up can increase things exponentially.

Tuan and Rhianna are nothing if not creative, and they put their own stamp on everything from the venue and vows to the menu and music. The wedding was at a dance studio in Indianola. This is in keeping with a non-pattern established by three previous grandkids' weddings: the Des Moines zoo, a rec center, and a barn venue in Alabama. I can't wait to see where the next one is. Anyway, they wrote their vows and chose a variety of music. Tuan asked his parents to cook an all-Asian meal for the reception: fried rice, egg rolls, a Korean beef and noodle dish, and garlic chicken. Family members and friends helped set everything up. Their attire was not the traditional white satin and tux but instead showed their spontaneous, creative sides.

But there were a few flies in the ointment. Besides the wedding, I was looking forward to seeing all three of my kids together for only the second time this year, as well as six of the eight grandchildren. But life interfered. Early in the week, granddaughter Brooke tested positive for Covid so she, her husband, and two daughters had to beg off. Saturday morning, son Andy woke up feeling poorly and he too had a negative test, Grandson Steven served in another wedding that he had committed to a year earlier. So there were fewer of us to watch the couple's first dance and wish them well in person. But the others were there in spirit.

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Cruisin'

8/6/2022

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America's love affair with cars is evident by glancing at the titles of popular songs over the last seven decades. Songs like "Hot Rod Lincoln," "Brand New Cadillac," "Little Deuce Coupe," "Mustang Sally," "G.T.O.," "Little Red Corvette," and "Camaro" speak to the cults of brands, styles, colors and other defining characteristics, especially during the times in the last century when differentiation was more common. Having often had the only car in a parking lot that was not black, white, or gray, I think the variety of the past is a great part of the appeal of classic car shows. This past weekend, the CLASS Car Club show was held in Clear Lake, Iowa for about the 35th year. Hundreds turned out to watch classic cars cruise around the lake on Friday night.

Car festivities were of course combined with rock 'n' roll performances. This is Clear Lake, after all--home of the Surf Ballroom. Saturday, the cars were on display all around the city park, as well as along several side streets. Entries included of course, Corvettes, Mustangs, GTOs, and other 'hot' cars but also pickups, station wagons, and family sedans.

A local band was scheduled to play in the bandshell this evening, but looking at the weather radar, I doubt it they were able to pull that off. When we decided to go to this event, it was too late to get a camping spot in Clear Lake, so we returned to Beed's Lake near Hampton. As usual, I take way too many photos here so will just post one of the dam and one of the bathhouse. Another great trip.

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The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Camping Mishaps

7/20/2022

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Perhaps too dramatic a title but it has a nice ring to it. My camping trips have often been connected with other events such as barbecue contests, weddings and graduations, balloon fests, book signings, wine trails, car cruises, etc. But this week is a first for me--the Iowa State High School Baseball Tournament. My friend Don's grandson plays for Johnston High School, which has been rated #1 in Class 4A the whole season. So he reserved a camping spot at Coralville Lake early on to be sure of a site. Last week, with a win in the substate finals, Johnston's participation was confirmed. Because it was a six day stay, we had decided to use Don's camper with its larger water tanks and more storage. However, a couple of weeks ago, an issue arose with the refrigerator. Times being what they are, the dealer couldn't look at it until last Tuesday, so Agatha was put on standby.

She and I spent most of last week at Beed's Lake and returned home on Saturday. Obviously, while I was gone, someone must have moved the power pole by the alley because after two and a half years of backing her in without incident, Saturday that pole reached out and tore the door off the dump compartment. Meanwhile, the status of Don's camper changed daily and then hourly. Yes, it would be done Friday or Saturday. No, the guy who was supposed to work on it didn't show up for work Friday or Saturday. Yes, two guys were working on it and they should have it done soon. Finally it is ready and can be picked up.

Meanwhile, I checked to see if our site was empty the night before and possibly available early. No it's not, but in addition, due to a septic issue, the shower house and restroom in that campground is closed indefinitely. For a six-day stay, we depend on the campground showers. Since Agatha was not going to head out again the next day, I went ahead and removed the clean clothes and all food except condiments. Don called and said the fridge would run on propane but not electricity. We decided to leap in and take the risk anyway. After all, we're camping, right?

On Sunday, we met at the campground and got set up. Our site overlooked the river, and the refrigerator appeared to be running on electric power. And the shower house problem had been fixed and it was back open. But we soon discovered the drawbacks to the site. The only shade was provided by a new tree, as seen in the photo, The late afternoon sun baked the sitting and cooking area and the picnic table, even with the awning out. With 90s forecast for the week, we decided decisive action was needed. The next morning, we trekked up to the check-in shack and arranged a trade for an empty site on the back of the campground but with plenty of shade. The switch was done in about an hour, and the rest of the week has been lovely, if a little warm.

Meanwhile, back to the reason for the trip and the thrill of victory. The first game was Tuesday at 11:30. Because it was a work day for the surrounding hospitals and clinics, parking was restricted to outlying lots and volunteers delivered spectators to the stadium in golf carts. It was hot. After a slow start, the Johnson Dragons handed a defeat to Iowa City Liberty. They play in the semifinals tonight at 5:00 pm.

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Old Friends, Good Times

Tricks and Treats

Chilly Days on Shady Creek

A Mixed Bag

Fish, Cheese, and Apples

Cuz We're Cuzzins

Best Campground by a Dam Site

Tied in Knots...or Tying the Knot?

Cruisin'

The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Camping Mishaps

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