This post will probably not be too interesting to anyone other than family members. Last Saturday, Mom and Dad; Tom, Verity and I took a little tour of places we had lived in the Norwalk/Martensdale/St. Charles/Winterset Iowa area. It turned out to be a really great day. This is part one of two.

Technically- not stomping grounds- but we had to get ourselves fueled up with some brunch. This place puts Cracker Barrel in the shade- located in West Des Moines, you couldn't get a farmy-er theme for a restaurant if you tried. We had the breakfast buffet- it was amazing!!!  Thanks Mom and Dad for taking us there!

Yessiree Bob!

I'm from Ioooway- that's where the tall corn grows!

Not looking its spiffiest anymore- this is the house that our Bown grandparents lived in at one time- right next to Interstate 35. The family land was cut by the interstate, and they got to see it being built. Dad entertained us while we were driving around telling us about Grandma and Grandpa Bown and their adventures.

Here is our "first old place" as we kids called it. This is where we oldest three kids were brought home after we were born. It didn't have all the trees and shrubbery when we lived there. I only have the faintest memories of living there, since we moved from there when I was maybe 3, maybe younger. Our "second old place" by Norwalk doesn't exist. It has been torn down, and replaced by suburbia and the creek where we swam is now a posh lake.

Bussanmus Garage is still there, but now a BP instead of a Conoco in Bevington. The Skelly truck stop station Dad and Grandpa B operated, is gone now. Sometimes they would let me wash dishes in the restaurant kitchen with the cool dishwasher.

Our "third old place" which we also called the "Smith Place" after the people who lived there before us. I lived here just before Kindergarten through fifth grade. Again, lots of trees where there weren't any before.  This was a wonderland for us kids. Acres of timber behind us, with a river we were supposed to stay out of, two ponds, lots of outbuildings for pretend houses and space ships.

A picture of me on the front porch- March 26, 1969 it says on the back. There is our AE milkbox! This was taken with my second camera- a Polaroid, uptown!!

Next door- Blair Chapel.

 This is next to our property. My best friend Terry Maxwell lived just on the other side. If I played at her house into the evening hours I would have to pass by this on my way home-

On the front sidewalk you could see this- doesn't show up too well in the picture, but there were footsteps in the concrete of "Aunt Mary" and "Uncle Ben". Our feet didn't fill out the footprints when we were children, although "Aunt Mary's" was really small.

We couldn't believe it- we got to go in! There was someone cleaning it when we got there, that was SO neat! I am sure it is locked now.

The building has changed some- it has electricity and carpets now. The building was always open when we lived near there, and we could stop in and "play church". I didn't realize how beautiful the building is. The Martensdale men would hang Coleman lanterns from supporting wires on the ceiling when we would hold Gospel meetings there. I can remember how they hissed- the lanterns, not the men, ha.

Our tour guides.

I didn't remember that the ceiling was barrel. Looks as if they even have A/C now!

My cousin Connie shared this picture of a time when we had a picnic during one of those Gospel Meetings. This must have been one held by Richard Riggins, since Grant is here. The Riggins stayed with us, that was so much fun with the four Riggins kids!

In this picture are closest to camera L-R: Bryan Bown, Dick Bown, Rick Bown, Cindy (Bown) Stanley (in stroller) Grant Riggins, Connie (Bown) Ward, Deanna (Bown) Kewan. In pink dress- Phyllis Bown, Tammy (Proudfit) Schreck (child next to Phyllis). I think that is Mom with the glasses seated behind Dick.

Now there is a nice new sidewalk, fence and stairs.

Going to a meeting in the 60's in the twilight. You can see the lanterns lighting up the interior. Photo courtesy Connie (Bown) Ward.

This is where my brothers, some cousins and myself spent our formative school years. It is closed now. This school and others in towns nearby were in the I-35 School District. Yep- that's right- our school was called I-35 (it still is called that), and our mascot was/is the Roadrunners.

The newer addition that had most of the grade classes in them. I had 1st and 2nd grade on this side of the building.

I brought my Kodak Brownie to school and got some pictures at recess just to the left of the above picture. Dresses were mandatory for girls. You could wear "snowpants" underneath in the winter.

Someone else took this one- I am the one on the far left, with my friend Debbie trying to drag me into the picture. I just couldn't stop yakking, evidently. I made the dress I am wearing- the first one I made with Mom's help. It is a "wrap-around" dress. I was so proud of that!

Tomorrow- Winterset!

In our starry-eyed trip planning optimism we thought we would be going to the Fair two days in a row. But we felt like we had gotten enough Fair to satisfy us on Thursday, and decided we would have a slower day on Friday. It just isn't a vacation without playing miniature golf, and where better to play in the Des Moines area than Toad Valley????  We were sorry to miss Allison and Kelly George- they were out of town, but we were taken care of well by Allison's brother Jason and sister-in-law Teresa that day.

On our way to the course, we went to visit one of our favorite people- Alna Meacham, who resides in assisted living not too far from Toad Valley. We love Alna's sparkly, sparky personality, and she still has her girlish giggle going. Her great-grand niece reminds us a lot of Alna- Alena Brady Ingle. Alna and her sisters, Audrey Brady (Alena's Great-Grandma) and Mary Alice Fillman have had a great deal of good influence over a lot of lives, including our family's.

A couple of sweet people there!

We agree!!

Verity did really well- she beat her mama!

The gallery quietly snapped this picture as Tom prepared to putt.

Verity and I sat in the shade to watch Tom at the driving range- I did shoot a few, but they weren't anything to write home about.

At long last, we got to go to the Iowa State Fair again!!!  Last time we had visited the Fair, Verity had been in a stroller. You can't really take the Fair in, in one day, but we did our best to hit some high points last Thursday, opening day. It has something for everyone!!

Yes, they do!!

I was so excited!!!  Our first glimpse of the grandstand!!

Our first stop was at the Varied Industries Building, which has all kinds of things people would like you to buy. This was around 11:30 or so in the morning, and already people were loving those vibrating recliners to hush their "barking dogs" (sore feet)

This young lass was sitting at a booth- pioneer-ish in all the modern stuff.

Critchett Piano!!  Tom and Verity are looking at some gizmo that can convert your piano into some sort of electronic playback.

Okay. I was not really thinking when I said, "Oh, let's ride the sky glider!!!" 

Since there were three of us, Tom went on ahead and I rode with Verity. I didn't take any overhead shots after this, I was scared I would drop my camera. In fact, I was kind of terrified for about half the ride. It was way higher than I had bargained for, and it didn't seem like there was much keeping us from falling out. I finally got used to it, but still kept my camera securely zipped into my purse which I was clutching with white knuckles. I am a big fraidy cat.

What luxury!!  The arena is AIR CONDITIONED!!!!

We rested for awhile and watched these dairy cows being judged. It was a very hot day on Thursday, so we had to pace ourselves. We are so sorry we didn't get to see the LoHe cattle being shown by the Hermons- we had to go home on Sunday, and I think they showed their cattle on Monday.

The agriculture building....What can we see in there????

A BUTTER ASTRONAUT...

.....A BUTTER COW....

.....AND A BUTTER TV TO WATCH THE ASTRONAUT ON....

But I don't think that there were any cattle on the moon.

It was VERY crowded at the butter cow.

One of Tom's favorite things to do is watch people conduct demonstrations of products. We lingered a long time at the Vita Mix display, a super-duper blender.

Tom and Verity were entranced by his patter.

A one-man band!!!  He was funny. And why didn't I take a video of it I am wondering now.

For our ceramics major Julie, there are the ribbon winners. We enjoyed seeing the various things people had created out of not much into a piece of art.

Tom was keeping everyone cool with this big fan.

Up in Pioneer Hall, we learned about how things used to be done, with a lot more work involved. I appreciated our modern printing methods, after seeing how they used to set type and print newspapers.  

Verity got a big hands-on demo from these two. They set her name in type, then printed it on this "newspaper". He had her come back behind the roped off area, where he put her linotype name into a block of wood, showing her how to not cut off her fingers in some sort of table saw. He may or may not have a piece of finger missing, I am now noticing in this picture.

Side note: Verity is now a fan of UNI. She had a wardrobe malfunction earlier, and there just so happened to be people selling T-shirts in the Varied Industries Building. We are thinking this is the school Matt Harvey went to, so that makes it even better.

Even though it was hot, it was a beautiful day. There was a nice breeze.

I got acquainted with some fellow hens.

The cattle were AMAZING- so, so beautiful. Verity really liked the horses too- she spent some time patting them.

Tom shows off his artistic side with some spin art. Only a dollar!!!

We had to ride the Old Mill- classic old-fashioned ride. You get into a little boat, and  are in the dark most of the time as you ride around in very DARK tunnels.

Of couse we did!!

The midway. We aren't ride riders, so we gave it a pass, but it looks really neat. I always wondered how people could ride the double ferris wheel.

Anderson-Erickson- the VERY BEST MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS EVER!

Of course, the research junkie in me kicked in and thought that you needed to know all of the following:

The internationally-acclaimed Iowa State Fair is the single largest event in the state of Iowa and one of the oldest and largest agricultural and industrial expositions in the country. Annually attracting more than a million people from all over the world, the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines is Iowa’s great celebration, a salute to the state’s best in agriculture, industry, entertainment and achievement. It is the true heartbeat of the Midwest, unequaled and unduplicated.

The Iowa State Fair, the inspiration for the original novel “State Fair” by Iowan Phil Stong, three motion pictures and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway musical, is without a doubt the country’s most famous state fair. National media frequently rank the Fair as one of the top events in the country. In 2004, USA Weekend named the event the #2 choice for summer fun in America, topping New York City’s Times Square, Cedar Point Amusement Park Resort in Ohio and Disneyland in California.

Midwest Living magazine named the Fair one of the “Top 30 Things Every Midwesterner Should Experience.” The Fair is also included in the New York Times best-selling travel book “1000 Places to See Before You Die” and the subsequent travel book, “1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. and Canada Before you Die.”

 Iowa’s fair is also known as “America’s classic state fair”because the event features all of the traditional activities associated with state fairs in a park-like 400-acre setting (the Fair’s home since 1886). The grounds and the adjoining 160 acres of Campgrounds are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Most of the buildings pre-date World War I; many are priceless examples of American exposition-style architecture.

Throughout its history, the Fair has been a unique institution, serving to educate, inform and entertain people from all walks of life. It is an outstanding agricultural showplace, boasting one of the world’s largest livestock shows. Also home to the largest arts show in the state, the Fair showcases visual and performing arts with a variety of special exhibits and activities.

Each year hundreds of manufacturers and industrial representatives clamor to rent coveted exhibit space. In addition to its tremendous growth in agriculture and

industry, the Fair is also an entertainment mecca for Iowa and the Midwest.

Several ground stages feature more than $400,000 worth of spectacular entertainment free with gate admission. Internationally-acclaimed performers and dynamic track events thrill thousands of fans in the Grandstand (Iowa’s original outdoor concert venue). More than 600 exhibitors and concessionaires feature quality merchandise and tasty foods – more than 30 of them served “on-a-stick.” Hundreds of displays, exhibitions, demonstrations, unique attractions and all kinds of competition – for fun, for ribbons and for the pride of being chosen best – make Iowa’s Fair one of the biggest and best.

In 1881, historian James Wilson noted that, “One of the most valuable effects of the State Fair is the fraternizing, humanizing consequences of bringing our people together...No one meets and mingles with 20,000 Iowa men, women and children on the Fairgrounds - the only place they can be brought together - without growth of sympathy.” Certainly this is even more relevant today, when the pace of modern life tends to isolate individuals even more from their neighbors.

Today and tomorrow is work work work- suffice it to say we had a vunderbar time in Iowa. Lots of pictures to share with y'all- not that Iowans say y'all.

Here is a preview picture-

Today, Lord willing, we will take off for Iowa!!!  We are going to the IOWA STATE FAIR!!!  Buttercow- here we come!!

While we were in Kansas City and thereabouts this past week, we had some masked pillagers in our sweet corn patch. We are going to have to give up on gardening for our own consumption and just open up a drive-through wildlife tour company. So far this year we have been "sharing" with squirrels, rabbits, deer and now raccoons. City ordinance forbids unleashed dogs and guns for varmint control. Our thinking that a kitty would be useful needs an upgrade to something a little more fierce- say, a bobcat? (also prohibited by ordinance, alas)

Here are some pictures of the "party" aftermath-

Evidently it is a custom to eat the sweet corn from a safe perch in a tree. Shredded cornhusks were festooning this branch. Is this where people got the idea of T-P'ing?

Each tree had corn husk shreds around the base.

Some ate theirs "to go" in the trees and some "dined in", eating ala stalk.

So far, they haven't exhibited an interest in the popcorn. Hopefully not yummy enough for them.

I take solace and enjoyment from looking at these giant zinnias. So pretty, and I will have bunches of seed for next year!

Last Thursday night we, and Mike and Kathy Manning and the Steve Wrights and the Emery Wrights and the Craig Hensleys and the Adam Norris celebrated Kimber's birthday a day early at the Lawrence Steak n Shake. Good times!! 

The next evening, we attended a wedding reception for Emery and Rachel. I have lots more pictures of that, but I promised them to Kimber, and she should get to share them.

Our Lovely Hostess!

On Saturday we attended the funeral of a very lovely woman, Mildred Hermon,who completed her 95 year course of life. Her grandson Marc shared beautiful words to frame her life story at the service. She filled her life with good works and blessed her family with her many, many gifts, both physical and spiritual. All the ladies who attended the funeral were given roses-a fitting symbol for Mildred, who rendered countless images of flowers in and on various media.

 Tom and I are out in the KC area, taking in as much of the two-week study that we can. Verity is out with us. We got to babysit for Emerald and Moses tonight (Saturday) letting Grace and Kevin get some well-deserved time out on the town. One of our activities this evening was a walk up to Dairy Queen, about 10 blocks one-way- not a bad trip, good for us and them both.

More at a later date- the natives are still awake and restless.

Emerald was *very* enthusiastic about the excursion.

Yes we are sitting still for one nano-second!

The blouse is a family heirloom- got it for Wendy 30 years ago at Newman's in Joplin.

Moses helps Grandpa order.

The DQ was mostly empty. A good thing for us and our livelys.

Verity generously shares her ice cream cone.

Moses was convinced that this was the only way to injest his sundae.

We brought home this feller (fake frog) from the campout.

We asked a few people if he belonged to them, but they said that he didn't.

Please let me know if this is yours, and I will get it back to you. I also have a purple jump rope, but am pretty sure that it belongs to Todd Griffin's daughter.

For those who have been playing "Farm Town" with me on Facebook, I will share some pictures from my real "Farm Town" here at our place. Keep in mind that these were taken pre-Campout. I am sure that it is crying for attention now. It rained all day yesterday, so it will have to wait some more.

The front of the garden. Or maybe I should call it the rabbits' salad bar.

The bare rows are where the green beans were munched on. Looks like if I want to can green beans, I will have to go to the farmer's market and get some.

Grapevines and orchard behind it.

The peaches have been especially nice and big this year. This is what I get to look at out my "office" window.

I think that frosty weather nipped a lot of blossoms, resulting in fewer, bigger fruit.

Backyard pump. The grandkids LOVE to play with this.

Iris and ivy. I didn't intend for the ivy to climb the tree- but it did, and I think it looks neat.

The daylilies under the tree behind it are blooming now- they greeted us when we got home from the campout.

Campout

Here are the four pictures I had in my camera. Wendy had me take some pictures on her camera of the kids at the pool. That was fun- she may share them on her site not_tamika sometime.

Eating Chocolate muffins in the Kiddie Corral were these two cowpokes early Saturday morning.

Back view of one of the rare instances they all were sitting down. L-R children: Calvin, Moses, Isaac, Emerald)

Twinkies Lana and Quinn.

There were so many photo ops- but my hands were busy or I couldn't get to my camera handily.

We got our earliest Friday"going home" start we have had since we started tenting in 2006. We were ready to go by 2 pm this year, and it wasn't blazing hot, thankfully.  Tom did what he was able to, but was on the DL with his back- I never would have been able to get it together without help from others, especially Candace's boyfriend Chad, who helped me pack the car. Tom took me out to eat at the Sullivan Cracker Barrel for supper on the way home- it was so nice to eat at a table with silverware and real plates!

I started feeling human again this morning, thankfully. Yesterday was an achy slow day, and even though I felt like not much was getting done, I kept puttering around, and things seem to be getting cleaned up and put away. I am on my third dishwasher load of toys from the kiddie corral. Notes to myself for next year are to move the corral further away from the meeting area, and to leave out some of the noisier toys. I had weeded out the electronics, but in my hasty packing, had left all the hammers and workbenches and saws in there. Lots of wannabe carpenters were remodeling inside the corral during class. Thanks especially to Carla Hudson Priest who brought over her really neat fold-up table with activity books and crayons. That was so nice!!!