Yesterday, the overcast kept the temps very comfortable while still allowing the bugs to be their annoying selves. While the men golfed, Pam, Linda and I took a hike around the lake. The flower gardens at the old bath-house-now-lodge are in glorious full bloom. But because of the ecoli levels currently in many Iowa lakes, the beach was deserted and the concessions/boat house was closed. Very sad looking.
From the lodge, we crossed the old causeway, known in our youth as the Old Dam Trail. Most of the small trees and shrubs that gave it that wonderful spooky feel when we were young have been removed, but wildflowers are beginning to take their place. The north side of the lake has nice homes just beyond the strip of state park land where the path runs. We came around the east end to the spillway, skirting the flock of geese who had taken possession of the grassy area there and back to the campground. A very pleasant hike.
From the lodge, we crossed the old causeway, known in our youth as the Old Dam Trail. Most of the small trees and shrubs that gave it that wonderful spooky feel when we were young have been removed, but wildflowers are beginning to take their place. The north side of the lake has nice homes just beyond the strip of state park land where the path runs. We came around the east end to the spillway, skirting the flock of geese who had taken possession of the grassy area there and back to the campground. A very pleasant hike.
Soon after the golfers returned and in the afternoon we headed to the fair. The Franklin County fairgrounds are also the site of a reconstruction of a village from earlier times. There were live music in the little gazebo and demonstrations of rug making and other crafts going on. Ice cream is for sale and you can watch it being made behind the stand powered by a John Deere tractor.
I was particularly fascinated by the old linotype machine in the newspaper office. When I was in fifth grade, my dad worked for the Hampton paper and I was enthralled with that machine and its operation. I thought at the time that being a linotype operator would be the perfect career. Of course, within a few years, they were disappearing but I'm sure it inspired me to take a lot of journalism classes in college.
We also visited the livestock barn and I was delighted to find a Flemish Giant in the rabbit exhibits, such as the one mentioned in The Lady of the Lake. We also cruised the cultural exhibits, signed up for free prizes, and caught the tail end of the wild animal show. Get it? Tail end? Yuk, yuk.
And today? It's raining, and according to the radar, there's a lot more out there. It remains to be seen whether tonight my classmates will be gathered around a fire down by the lake, cooking s'mores, reminiscing summer nights in the past, and waiting for "The Lady" to make an appearance or stuck in a hotel conference room.
We also visited the livestock barn and I was delighted to find a Flemish Giant in the rabbit exhibits, such as the one mentioned in The Lady of the Lake. We also cruised the cultural exhibits, signed up for free prizes, and caught the tail end of the wild animal show. Get it? Tail end? Yuk, yuk.
And today? It's raining, and according to the radar, there's a lot more out there. It remains to be seen whether tonight my classmates will be gathered around a fire down by the lake, cooking s'mores, reminiscing summer nights in the past, and waiting for "The Lady" to make an appearance or stuck in a hotel conference room.
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