Monday, August 12, 2013

back to yames...

Back in Ames...the garden of doom is a weedy mess.  The weeds and thistles are flourishing.
So far, it has yielded exactly one banana pepper.  Carrots though are a later possibility.  Hooray.

Monday, August 5, 2013

travelin'

Traveling is fun and funny.  People start speaking to you in French and then you're like, I have no idea what you're saying so you must look slightly bewildered and say Sorry I don't speak French.  One very determined young woman who wanted to tell me about puppy mills, and then switched to English to ask me to sign her petition, another lost looking woman, possibly trying to ask me directions to somewhere. Unfortunately could not help her.  Big coffeeplaces and bookstore and restaurants, with occasional adult novelty shops with lingerie and XXX movies, thrown in here and there, and money changing shops.  It's sort of like Times Square (before it was cleaned up).  And
there was some accident, a big piece of construction equipment seems to have fallen into a hole in the road?  Lots of people stopped to gawk and police have blocked off the road.  I stop to look too.  It must be interesting, right, if so many have stopped.  Then I detour to walk up the side road.  Oddly enough like an hour and a half later, upon walking back, the scene appears to be unchanged.  People still gaping, some taking pictures with their phones, police and police cars still there. 

Monday, July 22, 2013

But wait, there's more...

More new foods to appear at the state fair:

  • Carmel Apple Funnel Cake
  • Strawberry Funnel Cake
  • Maple Bacon Funnel Cake
  • Jalapeno Cheese Corndog
  • Fresh Tenderloin Sandwich
  • Bratwurst on a Pretzel Bun
  • Cajun Flavored Cheese Curds
  • Deep Fried Prairie Oysters
  • Fresh Wood Oven Pizza
  • Graham Champion Fair Square

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Kori at the zoo...

A kori bustard that is...




We finally checked out the zoo in Des Moines, which is pretty nice.  They have a great exhibit of African animals, including this bird, a native of Tanzania called: the kori bustard!  Another highlight of the zoo, the free-range wallabies... 

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

record breaking attendance at bird feeder





A real crowd at
the feeder: SIX birds in attendance! 

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Show me the bunny...

Less than seven days now til the Bunny Hopping competition at the county fair...

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

toasty...

The car thermometer today read: 99 deg.
It went down to 98 deg. while driving.