What did You Find Surprising About Iowa?

– asked Aunty Irene.

Me:
Firstly, it was incredibly surprising to find out that I had family in Iowa.
Secondly, I guess I was surprised at how cosmopolitan it is. (But I’ve already written about that)
Thirdly, I guess most of my life is pretty surprising, so I could say everything, but that wouldn’t be very informative.
Fourthly, the hamburgers are really good. I’m not even kidding. I had good hamburgers courtesy of Irene, The Machine Shack, Steak and Shake, etc. And not to mention Whitey’s, which is also Uncle Wilky’s favourite, evidently.
Fifthly, it was very surprising that Melissa was around. And also going off on an adventure involving midwest > northeast. And she showed me the Prairie Lights Bookstore, which was delightful.

Baby Bunny by Isabel Bloom

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
— Albert Einstein

Here are some things I really enjoyed in Iowa:
1) I got to ride on a tractor! Also, a definite bonus was that the old tractor driver let a young airforce pilot do the driving, and we got an extra-long ride!

Iowan Tractor Ride from JHu on Vimeo.

2) The light in the evening is breathtaking. No wonder David and Nathaniel are both photographers.
3) Their Target, which is a SuperTarget, was SuperGood. I can anticipate that living next to a SuperTarget would be SuperBad for my wallet.
4) I got to see Irene’s house growing up and meet the couple living there. And I got a rock with a fossil in it from the backyard. Now THAT doesn’t happen to you every day.
5) They have two very good dogs.
6) Isabel Bloom statues are eerily similar to the stuff my mum does
7) Irene’s dad learned German, and had a little book with flashcards in them. One of the books is a story book written by this guy who was a world traveler and suffered from something called “wunderlust”, with which I am increasingly familiar
8 ) Bridges of Madison County and Mississippi Solo
9) I felt like Indiana Jones in the basement, except this was real treasure
10) Whenever your suitcase is too full, it is time to leave a book behind, which I can revisit later. I believe in the conservation of matter and energy – therefore, nothing is truly lost.

The library lizard shrugs off its library skin
– Irene Hope