Along the Mississippi

     Went touring the Mississippi River Distilling Company today. This small operation primarily makes gin and vodka. The copper tanks and evaporators came from Germany. I have seen how Beer and Bourbon are made but never Gin or Vodka. While this is a small operation, they provide quite a bit of product across the US and Europe in a surprising variety. Below is a picture of what they distill and market here.

     We went down the road to a nice little German restaurant for lunch. Above is the view out the patio. A large barge was navigating up the Mississippi. You are that close to the river! It was a relaxing stay in a very nice park.

Touring Iowa

State Capital Building

     We left Manhattan and drove northwards to Des Moines. We spent some some time seeing a couple of movies that had come out, enjoying some new local restaurants and touring the state capital city. We lucked out as the huge farmer's market debuted on its first weekend of the season. This is one huge market. About five city blocks long and a block on either side are filled with vendors. Crafts, vegetables, flowers, and meats were just a few of the things to buy, see, and/or eat.

Just a part of the Farmers Market

     The RV park where we stayed had a new crop of Canadian Geese. They were cute and Misty was quite fascinated with them (much to the distress of the parents).

   

Imes Bridge

     Just a few miles south of Des Moines is Madison County. This county was made famous by the book and movie, Bridges of Madison County. You can tour the county and see all of the remaining covered bridges. They are the last of over 1,000 wooden bridges that were built in Iowa during the later half of the 1800's. There are six bridges on the tour. The Roseman Covered Bridge figured prominently in the movie.

Holliwell Bridge 

Cutler-Donahoe

Roseman

Roseman

Cedar Bridge

     The Cedar Bridge (above) is the only bridge that you can still drive through. All of the others are easily accessible but blocked to traffic. 

     Above is the Stone Bridge in Winterset's City Park. This served as a scene in the movie also.

     No visit to Winterset should be complete without a visit to the birthplace of a famous American. This icon of the silver screen was born in the above modest home in a very small Iowa farm community. Just up the street is a museum chronicling the life and times of this legend. Who is it you ask? Well none other than John Wayne!!!

Soaps and Locally made Crafts are sold here

     From Des Moines, we drove a short way to the Amana Colonies. Here are seven villages that were started by German immigrants in 1843-44. This was not an Amish or Mennonite community as many think. They were Inspirationists, an offshoot from the Luthern faith. They pooled their resources and purchased 5,000 acres near Buffalo, NY. In ten years they needed more space. Leaders searched for and found the ideal place in Iowa. In 1855 they established six villages, a mile or two apart across a river valley tract of 26,000 acres. They named the villages Amana which means "remain true". The six villages were: Amana, East Amana, West Amana, South Amana, Middle Amana, and High Amana (not necessarily creative in naming their villages). The village of Homestead was added in 1861 giving the colonies access to the railroad. Life in the colonies was communal in nature. All of their assets were pooled and money was not used in daily life. Residents received housing, medical care, meals, all household necessities, and schooling for their children. Adults were assigned jobs by the village council of brethren. If they needed things they could go to the cobbler for shoes, the woolen mill for cloth, the general store for other goods. They would pick up what they needed and it would be recorded on a ledger. They raised most of the food that they needed and the village craftsmen made items that were shipped to the rest of the country bringing in additional money for the colonies. This way of life remained essentially the same until 1932 when the Great Depression forced Amana to set aside its communal way of life. Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit the colonies annually now. Many of the historical buildings are beautifully maintained and easily visited. Craftsmen still practice their crafts and offer tourists their wares. 

     We were fascinated with the unique lattice structures along the sides of the homes and buildings. Still early in the season, there is no vegetation. In the summer I assume that there is a lush green covering of leaves that block the heat of the sun and keeps the inside of the building cooler. 

Each Craftsman has his own bench in the wood shop

Just some of the wood crafting machines

...and the end result is...WOW

     The wood crafting shop is amazing. Any piece of furniture for the home or office is made and sold here. Each craftsman sees a piece from board to finished product and personally signs their work. The clocks in the clock shop were beautiful!!

     In the Wollen Mill, fabric items are made from scratch. The wool is brought in and turned into thread. The machines above contain dozens of spools of thread that are joined together into unique fabrics. Wool blankets, tablecloths, placemats, mittens, and socks are among the items made here. The mill building above dates to the early days of the colonies and once was destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt and you can see the difference in the brick at the roof line where the roof was replaced. 

     After a couple of days and some fantastic German meals, we left Amana and Iowa in continuance of our journeys. On to Illinois...

Beginning Our Summer of Fun!

     We got our Summer adventure off a couple of days early. We watched the weather forecast for the Houston area and all we saw was drenching rains. We made a decision to move up our departure by a couple of days and we were glad we did. Even as we left, we had to navigate roads with water running over them. As the day went along, they were closing roads we had just travelled! We stopped overnight at the WinStar Casino on the Texas/Oklahoma border, then on to Wichita the next day. We stayed on McConnell AFB once again at the FamCamp. We left the coach there and made a quick weekend trip up to Kansas City to cheer for Shelby (Shawn's girlfriend) as she competed in her second fitness competition. Shawn came into town from Kentucky, Barb and I along with others in the family came to support Shelby. She works very hard for these shows and we wanted her to know we were there pulling for her. She did really well, placing 5th in one of the categories she was competing in. We all were very proud of her and her achievements and we all met at Old Chicago following the show to celebrate (and for Shelby to finally eat!!)

Shelby posing during the competition

After the competition, sporting the 5th place Medal!

     The next day we all trooped out to breakfast, then drove over to The Legends shopping area to see if there was anything that we just couldn't live without (there wasn't thankfully!). We drove back to Wichita and stayed for the next week catching up with friends, family, and doctors. We left and headed to Manhattan to visit with Barb's Mom and Brother. From there it is off to Iowa.

Preparing for the Summer

     Well, according to our Facebook page, we were already on the road for our summer in Oregon this time last year! This year we have delayed a little. After all, we are retired, we have nothing but time right?!? Plus, there is still snow in the north!  Anyway, we have spent the last couple of weeks getting things ready to either travel or be stored for the summer. We spent time checking the irrigation system in the yard and garden. We raised up some sprinkler heads and re-adjusted the coverage area of others. Making sure that everything we wanted to water would be getting water (and in the right quantities) was the goal.

     Back when we landscaped the place, we put in a decorative grass called Monkey Grass. Now come to find out there are two different varieties of this stuff. One stays in a nice clump (like a mini-Pampas grass). The other takes off and overruns a garden like Bermuda grass on steroids. Unfortunately we had what appears to be a mixture of both. I wanted flower beds not a grass pad so we took to trying to remove all of the offending Monkey Grass. That was a major chore!! Those things shot out runners in all directions and were actually choking out some of the flowers and shrubs. We succeeded in removing a vast majority of the grass and replaced it with another type of decorative grass. This is a wider blade clump that isn't supposed to send out runners. We'll see how that goes.

     While running to Home Depot for gardening supplies we came upon this car in the parking lot. Thought it was an odd thing to have in the parking lot of a hardware store but unique nonetheless. Turns out that Houston has an annual Art Car Parade and Show and Yoda here was part of the entries. We saw it featured later on the evening news and saw that there are also two very large ears that are added when the car is in show mode. Portlanders have nothing on Houstonians for weird!

     What is amazing is that when we came back here in February, most everything you see in the photo above was under water. The flooding of the Bayou and the Trinity river came up to just below our site. The waters have receded and spring is blossoming out all over. (So is the pollen!!)

     A significant part of our preparations includes some TLC to our home/transportation. Besides the usual checking of tire pressures and engine fluids, there is the checking of bolts and connections to insure that things that may have come loose get snugged up again. Then there is the cleaning... To wash and wax the coach, I take my time (primarily so as not to exhaust myself but also because I'm a perfectionist). It takes 5-6 days for me to thoroughly inspect, clean, and polish "The Beast". We also opened the underside bay doors and cleaned and inspected them. Barb helped frequently but took it upon herself to better organize our storage areas and to vacuum the accumulated dirt. She inventoried what we had onboard, determined if we really needed it or not, organized like task items and put the stuff we seldom use deep in the middle and the stuff we use more frequently to the outside. In the process she freed up some space and we actually have some open spots now! My task is to try not to expand into the new open space. :)
     The car is not forgotten in this frenzy. It too gets washed and waxed. It gets cleaned inside and out and the tow bar is cleaned and re-attached.

     We also have spent time packing up the interior of the Casita and Spa. Both have gotten a thorough cleaning and things have been put away and stored until we need them again. There are a few things on our list that must wait until just before departure but we are just about ready. We have decided not to workamp this summer and will spend our time touring the upper mid-West. Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio are on the travel plans. We will come back through Kentucky to check up on our son, then meander back towards Texas to park the coach for the late Fall and Winter. Hopefully there will be more posts this summer (compared to last summer) with details of our travels.

Quick Trip to KY

     We made a quick trip to Richmond, KY to check on Shawn and see how he was settling in. We buttoned up the motorhome and made the drive from Texas to Kentucky in one day! 1,000+ miles! Don't recommend it, makes for a looooonnnnnggggg day.

     As usual, we swooped in and had several projects we wanted to accomplish. We built some frames for some paintings that Shawn had purchased in Haiti. Helped organize and unpack. Visited Shawn at his office and got the tour. We also toured some sights in and around the area. On Friday night we went into nearby Lexington and saw Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy live. It was a great show.

     Kentucky is the Bourbon whiskey capital of the world. In fact, there is a thing called the Bourbon Trail that you can drive and visit several big name distilleries. We toured the Woodford Reserve Distillery in nearby Versailles. It was very informative and included a tasting at the end of the tour.

     The first step in making bourbon is combining the grain mixture with water and yeast. Here there were five huge vats just bubbling and making grain alcohol.

     The liquid mixture is filtered and further distilled in the next room in three successive copper stills. From there it is put into barrels and stored to age for 7 years or so.

Barrels ready to be filled

Filled and slowly aging

     Every bottle of Woodford is bottled and shipped from here. They are working on a new Rye Whiskey that is currently in limited markets. We enjoyed the tour.

     We spent most of Sunday just hanging around the apartment and will leave Monday. Shawn is settling in nicely and thoroughly enjoying his chosen profession.

Just a Three Hour Tour...

     Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale. A tale of fateful trip. It started from a tropic port aboard this tiny ship...

     After returning to Texas for a short time in January, we left once again. Only this time we buttoned up the motorhome and boarded a flight to Belize. Arriving in Belize City, we met our traveling friends, Geoff and Brenda, then boarded a shuttle to the town of Hopkins. This was a three hour drive through the countryside. We took an unplanned side trip to the Marie Sharps Hot Sauce factory. This is a family owned business that dominates the market in Belize and generally in Central America. They use only habanero peppers and come in a variety of flavors and "heats". We saw Marie from a distance but didn't get a chance to speak with her. (Understandable since we just kind of dropped in.) Once in Hopkins, we checked in at the Tipple Tree Inn. A really nice set of rooms in a house on the beach. It is run by a couple who have lived in Belize for 20+ years. Tricia is from England, her husband is from the USA. Tricia spent a lot of time sharing with us her history and how she came to be there. She was very nice and very accommodating.

Our room at the Tipple Tree

We spent the day wandering around Hopkins. It is a very small village without a lot of city sophistication. We visited a variety of roadside fruit and vegetable stands and even a bakery. We bought some last minute supplies and perishables for the upcoming week and things that we couldn't bring via our airplane trip.

The view from our room at the Tipple Tree

     The next day we boarded the catamaran for our trip to the island:  Glovers Atol. This island is approx. 50 miles east of Belize across open ocean. It is, literally, about a three hour trip. You pass a myriad of reefs and border islands. Some are uninhabited, some are the home to very high dollar resort establishments. Luckily the seas were relatively calm and the trip was uneventful. In fact, we came across a huge pod of dolphins who surrounded us and gave us quite a show. We arrived at our destination without incident.

     Above is one end of Glovers as we approached. When we got there, all of us helped to unload the catamaran and received our cabin assignments. On the island, there are huts over the water that you walk down a boardwalk to enter. There are cabins on the beach. And there is a dorm where the singles can bunk and stay. We had the cabin over the ocean.

Brenda and Geoff's Abode....

...Complete with Osprey family

Our home for a week

     In the cabin there are bunk beds and a queen size bed. There is a kitchen area with propane stove. There are a couple of pots and pans along with plates and silverware. You can buy bottled water either in little bottles or five gallon jugs (that is the only way to get fresh water)

     There were windows or doors on each wall that could be opened or closed depending on what you needed.

     Here are the showers and bathroom facilities on the island. The showers use brackish water (not fresh but not fully salt water either) that is only the temperature of outside (in other words, luke warm at best). The toilet is up the stairs and is a compost toilet. You do your business, then add a cupful of sawdust shavings from a nearby bucket. Paper goes in another bucket. Just a step above primitive.

     There is a trail around the island that you can walk and it takes about 20 minutes to complete circle. There are more coconuts than you can shake a stick at and you can eat all of the ones you want. Your hosts on the island will prepare meals for you if you wish (for a price). They go fishing daily and you can put in your order. You can get filets in varying weights or get the whole fish, depending on what you want. We bought 1 lb. filets a few times. Had Barracuda once, Jack another day. During season there is a lobster dinner. We were at the end of the season but still it was a great dinner. They also made a homemade coconut cream pie that was unbelievable!

In the ocean this morning, on the table tonight

     On Tuesday and Thursday they baked fresh bread. We used it for lunches and dinners. During the day you could dive, kayak, swim, snorkel, or just laze about the beach. The reefs were teaming with fish and corals of all kinds and shapes. There were rays and nurse sharks all around but we never felt any danger.

     After a week on the island we packed up and rode the return back to Hopkins. A quick shuttle back to Belize City and then we flew out the next day. We had a great time! It is kind of like camping only on an island.

Our Son, the Doctor

     We left our winter home and headed north to Kansas for the holidays. This year is a little more special than usual. After four arduous years in medical school, he graduated from Cleveland Chiropractic College in Kansas City. He studied long and hard and has an intense passion for his newly chosen profession.

Shawn with Dr. Cleveland

     He has decided to join a practice in Kentucky with Dr. Dennis Short called Bluegrass Chiropractic. First he will leave on December 26th for 10 days in Haiti/Dominican Republic providing Chiropractic care to all who want it. This mission trip is exciting for him and he is looking forward to it.

Proud parents with the new Doctor

     In the meantime, we are very proud of him and his achievement and are pleased for him as he  begins his new adventures.