Water Fights!

Saturday afternoon area fire fighters came together for a friendly competition. Dale and I have enjoyed this kind of event in the small town of Adel and decided to drive downtown to check out the Des Moines version. The game was similar, but the setting was quite different. Two teams of firefighters face each other with hoses pointed to an empty keg hanging from a high wire.

It's a fast pace competition with the force of the water pushing the keg quickly toward the opponent. There was a live band on Saturday and a nearby festival. It was a fun place to play with the cameras and enjoy the enthusiasm of the participants. We didn't stay long but I am glad that we took the time to check it out.

Knitting Squares

I have mentioned that I have knitted rectangles for years; mostly scarves and prayer shawls. One would not think that learning to knit squares would be big news! But it's actually been fun. Jill found this pattern for dishcloths and I have learned to knit squares. It's unique because the pattern instructs that you start at one corner and increase each row then start decreasing down to the far corner. I know. . . must be a simple woman to feel a bit of a challenge at knitting a square, but it's a good way to use some cotton yarn. Anybody actually use knitted dishcloths?

Zoo Time

Sunday afternoon when Dale and I left the baseball game we headed to the zoo. We both like the zoo and enjoy photographing the animals. It was a gorgeous day to be outside but maybe a bit bright with mid-day sun for the best photographs.

We ventured to the children's petting area. We don't usually spend much time there but it was fun to watch the animals relate to each other, especially this goat and kid. The shade in the area was good for the photos also.

The giraffes are always my favorite at the Blank Park Zoo and it was especially fun to watch this mother and son interacting. The sun and shadows were problematic with my attempt at a great photo, but I did enjoy watching them as the ate, nudged and used each other to scratch an itch. Spending time at the zoo made me think about visiting other zoos in the future. It would be fun to go back to Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. It's been at least fifteen years since I was there. I think it would make a great Saturday road trip.

Pathetic Tomatoes

These sad little Roma tomatoes are growing in a pot near my patio. There are many tomatoes and they are ripening each day, but as you can see the nasty black rot stuff has invaded! The black seems to have dried and scabbed. It's such a pathetic tomato plant. I probably should pull the thing out of the dirt and let it rest in peace. Fortunately I have gotten generous gifts of tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini from some of my volunteers who garden. Several evenings this week I have enjoyed making dinner created around beautiful healthy tomatoes and vegetables. It's good that I did not have to rely on my own pathetic tomatoes this year! I still don't know how to solve this garden dilemma next year.

I-Cubs at Principal Park

Strike Three!!

Dale and I have enjoyed baseball at Principal Park lots this summer. Sunday afternoon was a gorgeous day that was sponsored by the local food bank so we grabbed some canned goods and headed to the park.



This is a vendor that we see every time we watch a game. He seems to work the entire ball park selling pink baseball bats, foam fingers and anything else that might fit into his tub.

At a recent game Dale noticed a yummy looking bratwurst and decided that it would be worth trying. Although we usually eat before we go to the game, it's nearly the end of the season so time was running out to try the brat. I opted for the hot dog and skipped the sauerkraut. Both were great for a ball park lunch. The afternoon made me even more excited about an upcoming trip to a major league ballpark! Baseball season is great!

On the White Pole Road

Saturday morning Ashley and Travis left after a very short visit. Dale suggested a road trip to enjoy the gorgeous day so we took off in the car. We wandered for hours, stopping when something seemed interesting. We spotted this butterfly on the clover at Brenton Arboretum. It was on my side of the car so I got to use Dale's zoom lens. It was fun to see the little bug nearby when we downloaded the image.

We also traveled a ways along the White Pole Road which we discovered accidentally a couple of years ago. It took us a while to figure out why all the utility poles are painted white. I had heard about this renovated sign in Menlo and today was a good opportunity for me to see it for myself. We also stopped by Darrell's Place in Hamlin where they claim to have the best tenderloin in Iowa. It is a good one! It wouldn't be an official casual road trip for us if we didn't stop by to photograph a courthouse or Carnegie Library so we made our way to Carroll and Jefferson before coming home. The fields were beautiful and the clouds were perfect. It was a great day to see rural and small town Iowa. I even made it home with time to exercise in the pool.

August Exercise

I have been terrible about exercise this year and it shows! Although August may not be the best month to start walking, it's a good time to get ready for it! I have been exercising in the pool every day for the last fourteen days. I know, two weeks of exercise should not give me bragging rights but it's a gigantic improvement for me. Fortunately even on the rainy days the skies have cleared and I have headed to the pool in the sunshine.

The last few days I have been paying special attention to strengthening my arms and shoulders. I worked on my upper body strength after my broken arm and frozen shoulder but after I reached my goals, I forgot about it. The water is a great place to get started and I can feel that it is working.

This evening Dale and I decided to enjoy the gorgeous evening and walk around Gray's Lake. It was 72 degrees with a beautiful breeze. It's only two miles around the lake but that felt like enough for now. I could blame the fact that I had already exercised in the pool for forty minutes. I could also blame my running shoes which need to be replaced, but it probably makes more sense to admit that giving up my regular routine of walking has caused me to be terribly out of shape!! When the pool closes in a couple of weeks I will have to rely on my walking for exercise so now is my chance to build up some strength and buy new shoes. I may even get my weights out and start working on my arms again.

How My Garden Grows

My little tiny garden area gives me an opportunity to dig in the dirt and grow a few things. It takes very little work and I do enjoy watching things grow. My flowers are doing well. The marigolds in the photo are the ones that I started from seed this spring. Obviously I should spend a bit more time dead heading them but I just walk right past them most days on the way to my pool. My Roma tomato plant has been a disappointment. I have lots of tomatoes but it seems that every one has a big black spot on the bottom. I really wanted to cook with these tomatoes but that's probably not going to happen. How do I avoid this "black rot" on my tomatoes? This happened last year too! I guess it's a good thing that I have not invested too much time or money!

Knitting Fingerless Gloves

I have done very little knitting in the last three years. Before that I knitted lots of rectangles; mostly prayer shawls and scarves. When I moved to Des Moines I took a knitting class at a very fun shop called the Village Knit-Wit. I learned some stitches and even made a hat, which was NOT a rectangle! I had set my knitting needles aside until Jill visited in July. She brought along a couple of her projects and also wanted to visit some yarn shops. I got excited about trying something new. Since Ashley is doing so much photography I wanted to try to make her some fingerless gloves to keep her hands warmer while photographing in the fall and winter. Jill helped me find the right yarn and she found a very simple pattern for me. It was fun to be knitting again and try something new. Ashley is a good sport about being the recipient of my experiments, but I don't think she wants too many pairs. I have a couple of more patterns from Jill that are a bit more complicated. I want to try those too so I may have to start wearing fingerless gloves myself. I think I will make one more pair then maybe move on to learn how to make mittens. I may need to visit Jill for private lessons!

Water Exercise

I have been spending more time IN the water lately! I have been at the pool lots this summer and enjoyed many hours of reading novels and sipping raspberry tea. Getting in the water is always a pleasure but this time of year the water is much warmer than in June and the air is much hotter. The heat sends me into the water often. Last week I made a commitment to exercise in the water more often rather than just the quick dip to cool off. The pool will close in a couple of weeks so I want to take advantage of it now and hopefully transition to walking more in September. In the past I have been much more consistent about exercise, but not this year. Maybe this is a start! I have exercised every day in the past week. It's especially fun when a friend joins me and we can talk while we splash around. I exercise for a longer period of time when I get to talk. The time goes so quickly. The only tough part is that when I climb up the steps out of the pool I feel so heavy! The weightlessness of floating or treading water feels wonderful! I will enjoy the pool while I can and look forward to the next season also.

Weekend with Ashley and Travis

Ashley and Travis came down for the weekend and it was great to have them here. We really didn't do anything special which made it a very nice comfortable weekend. Dale, Travis and I had fun playing Jenga after exploring a lead on some great waffles. They were very good waffles and the Jenga competition was lively.

Ashley had scheduled a couple of photo shoots over the weekend so she didn't have as much time to just hang out. She was away photographing and spent some time editing at her computer at my home. It was nice to see her at work editing. She is always anxious to get the photos ready so that her clients can see them. If you want to see some of her photos you can look at www.ashleyschragephotography.com

It's Hot Outside

Today is a good day to stay inside. This is my least favorite kind of weather; hot and humid. Heat index has probably reached 100 but the actually temperature is still in the nineties. Although I love being outside, today is a good day to sit inside and look out the window at the patio flowers and plants. I am not tempted to sit out there today! Ashley and I did go to the pool this morning. It rained while we were there but it didn't stop us from enjoying the water and getting some exercise before the sun and heat came through!

Naked Ladies

Today when I got out of my car at work I saw these beautiful blossoms blooming at the edge of the woods. It was a wonderful surprise that brought back memories of my grandma. She taught me so many things that I have many triggers that remind me of her regularly. She grew flowers like this in her yard and called them "naked ladies." She explained that the spring foliage dies back completely before the blooms appear with no foliage. Therefore they were called naked! Later I heard these same flowers referred to more often as Resurrection Lilys. It would be just like Grandma to use the less reverent name! Once Jill and I thought we were getting daffodil bulbs from Grandma's yard but realized we had made a mistake when the following summer we both had naked ladies in our yards!

Nascar in Iowa

It was a weekend of sporting events and the weather was perfect. Friday night Dale and I went back to watch the Menace play soccer again. It was an enjoyable evening but the Menace lost and their season ended.

Saturday was the big day. Nascar Nationwide Series came to Iowa for the first time and it was close to home. Since Dale is a fan and it was a huge event, I was looking forward to the day. There were over 57,000 fans at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, the largest crowd ever. Again the weather was perfect for being outside. I was very pleased to find that the cars that run Nationwide are not nearly as loud as the Cup Series cars. We wore our headsets for much of the race but could still hear each other and the people around us. This helps when I have questions. Actually the people behind us had some questions that I was surprised to be able to answer. There was lots of passing for first place but in the end Brad Keselowski crossed the finish line before Kyle Busch. (I know most of my friends don't care who won but just in case my brother sees this he may want to know.) The event went very well. The only exception would be the exit plan in the parking lot after the race ended. It was very slow moving.