What I Did On Vacation...
I spent last week with my Mother visiting family in Iowa. Both of my parents hail from there, and it had been a long time since I'd visited...too long.
Although I took some heat about visiting in August (pun intended), the weather was beautiful and so was the state. I could not get over the lovely rolling hills green with corn and soybeans. The farms scattered among these hills were like pictures, and the driving along the isolated country roads was sublime--no traffic, no road rage, no problems.
The air was electric with the sounds of insects. At times it was almost deafening; but how lovely. There was a pulse there, a pulse of light, of sound, and of energy from growing things.
The people were nice too. We went to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins, both on my mother's and my father's sides of the family. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed their company so very much. One of our traditions is visting the local Maid-Rite place. This is a eatery that specializes in hamburgers without the patty. That's right...loose spiced hamburger.They are actually good, but they can be messy to eat. As far as I know, they are an Iowa institution and not available elsewhere. I'm sure that franchise opportunities exist in your area!
We stayed at a great place with a waterpark for the kids. My cousin's son, age 9 appreciated this very much. And luckily, the Maid-Rite was right next door!
We ran across this lovely victorian home across from church on Sunday. It sits on a lot the size of a city block. How I'd love to see the inside! We had to take a picture of it.
Here we are--the lovely ladies! (My cousin, who is quite lovely indeed, was taking the photo so is missing, alas.) My mother, me and my aunt (my mother's sister, who I know will be happy to remain anon.)
Finally, I HAD to share this with you. My aunt (shown above) was responsible for single-handedly creating this library from scratch. She started with a shelf of books in a closet. After 16 years of hard work, and countless volunteer hours, her town now has this wonderful library. They have a fantastic assortment of books, videos, and thanks to Microsoft, they even have computers. The shelves were handmade by a local man, and it's all so fresh and beautiful! I know that the local children use it a lot and it gives them a wonderful place to spend their spare time.
My aunt is a private person, and doesn't like a lot of fuss--but guess what? She's one of my heros!
Although I took some heat about visiting in August (pun intended), the weather was beautiful and so was the state. I could not get over the lovely rolling hills green with corn and soybeans. The farms scattered among these hills were like pictures, and the driving along the isolated country roads was sublime--no traffic, no road rage, no problems.
The air was electric with the sounds of insects. At times it was almost deafening; but how lovely. There was a pulse there, a pulse of light, of sound, and of energy from growing things.
The people were nice too. We went to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins, both on my mother's and my father's sides of the family. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed their company so very much. One of our traditions is visting the local Maid-Rite place. This is a eatery that specializes in hamburgers without the patty. That's right...loose spiced hamburger.They are actually good, but they can be messy to eat. As far as I know, they are an Iowa institution and not available elsewhere. I'm sure that franchise opportunities exist in your area!
We stayed at a great place with a waterpark for the kids. My cousin's son, age 9 appreciated this very much. And luckily, the Maid-Rite was right next door!
We ran across this lovely victorian home across from church on Sunday. It sits on a lot the size of a city block. How I'd love to see the inside! We had to take a picture of it.
Here we are--the lovely ladies! (My cousin, who is quite lovely indeed, was taking the photo so is missing, alas.) My mother, me and my aunt (my mother's sister, who I know will be happy to remain anon.)
Finally, I HAD to share this with you. My aunt (shown above) was responsible for single-handedly creating this library from scratch. She started with a shelf of books in a closet. After 16 years of hard work, and countless volunteer hours, her town now has this wonderful library. They have a fantastic assortment of books, videos, and thanks to Microsoft, they even have computers. The shelves were handmade by a local man, and it's all so fresh and beautiful! I know that the local children use it a lot and it gives them a wonderful place to spend their spare time.
My aunt is a private person, and doesn't like a lot of fuss--but guess what? She's one of my heros!
posted by Lisa at 5:04 PM
2 Comments:
Lovely! Thanks for sharing about your aunt!
What a neat story about your Aunt I have to share you blog with my blog friend, Donna at Are We There Yet! She is a librarian! What lovely ladies and what a lovely place!!!!
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