Iowa 2019

Julie and I just returned from our annual trip to Iowa—a rare October visit. And a dandy visit it was.

We always snap a pic of the Mississippi as we cross, and text it to Julie’s mom and sisters. Not only does it tell them where we are, it’s the halfway mark of our trip.

Next comes the requisite “Welcome to Iowa.” While it feels good to be on the homestate turf, recall what I wrote, above. Because we enter the state in the southeast, and they live in the northwest, we still have many miles to go.

With three stops, we always plan on the trip taking eleven hours. We made it in 11:03 to the Leckband’s bit of paradise.

With the wide shot, I wanted to capture the grandeur of it.

Not. Even. Close.

Between the soybeans and the house is a huge pond, which they spent years digging, creating it from a creek, before they built the house (rear left in the pic below).

From a previous visit, the next two pics better show the pond and house.

Julie is the dutiful daughter. She spends a good chunk of her week doing things with and for her folks, such as this:

Most of my time is spent reading, eating, and jogging. I love running wherever I visit, including here. But, man oh man, the terrain is one hill after another.

While I’ve adjusted to the city life in Indianapolis, give me the country anytime. I never tire of looking at the farm fields. I don’t mind running on gravel—there’s usually a track of hard ground created by vehicles. If I don’t use the gravel roads, I am stuck running the same two routes—north or south—on the pavement.

Sunny days brought farmers into the fields to harvest corn. Below, there was a combine working near where these trucks were parked. I stopped my run to snap this pic because the thought occurred to me: the old is still respected as the new is appreciated.

In the background, above, the buildings sticking up from the treeline are in Ocheyedan. Down the road from this spot, work is ongoing at a culvert, taking one lane away. Note the yield sign’s admonition.

I was amused. For vehicles to have to take turns would mean at least three would have to arrive at the same time. The odds of this happening are about the same as my never making a smart-aleck remark to my mother-in-law during my week’s stay in her house.

Family time is always the best part of our visit. Sunday morning breakfast was one of many meals we enjoyed together.

The week flew by, then we flew the coop. Julie and I split the driving. I was glad I thought to download some shows on Netflix, to occupy me when Julie was behind the wheel. I was pleased to be able to prop my phone in the dashboard nook. With earbuds in place, I sat back and enjoyed.