Back In Our HomeTown To See Our Mom's

                                         Sunday 7/14/2013

We left Ottumwa, IA., and headed for Cedar Rapids, Iowa, our last permanent home city. Usually we don't come through Iowa until fall, but because my class reunion was smack dab in the middle of summer, our usual schedule was change for the event.

As I left Ottumwa I started to call my big sister who lives in Mt Pleasant, Iowa to see if she wanted to meet us at the Mt Pleasant Wal-Mart for our lunch pit stop, as we past by. Her phone was continually busy, so we made the stop and continued north.

We had noticed how green Iowa was this year. We had heard Iowa had a ton of rain this spring. Good thing, because the prior year Iowa went though a long drought.

The pictures just don't portray just how green the landscape of Iowa is.

Thank you Jesus for the rain. The farmers and Mallery appreciate it! (Mallery loves the green grasses of Iowa).
  Joe and I set up home in Squaw Creek Park in Marion, IA. (which is a suburb of Cedar Rapids) for the next 2 week. I didn't take any pictures of the park, because I already blogged it last year. If you are interested in the park, you can put the name in my search area and it will bring up the blog. It is a very nice park with cement site slab, and huge cement patio with fire rings. The only negative is that you have to make reservations online if you want to stay longer than 3 days and pay $30 a day. If you just come to the park without reservation and find a spot it costs $25 a day for full hook ups. The electric / water sites are $20 a day and on a first come first serve basis. The park is a county park and well maintained with exceptional individual shower rooms. The park was 1/2 full when we arrived on Sunday, but full pretty much there after until we left.

 The next day I went to pick up my 86 year old mom, who turn 87 in September. She lives in a 55 or older apartment complex.

Her name is June and she is our June Bug! She is wearing the survival whistle I ordered for her, unfortunately she only wears it when she goes out. I bought it for her when she is alone in her apartment. I keep telling her it is for inside, but she puts her keys on it, and uses it for a key chain instead. Just like your kids, mom's don't listen either!

The following Saturday, Joe and I took our mom's to the Saturday morning Farmers Market.

Joe and I have been to Farmers Markets all over the United States, and we come home to find out Cedar Rapids has the biggest one we have ever been to. It is so large, that we did not see it all after walking around for a couple of hours. It encompasses about 10 blocks, and is held 2 times a month. Joe captures this picture of me in the blue top, with Kay( his mother) in the black and white stripped top, and my mom in the white ball cap, behind her, as we looked around.

The market has everything from art, crafts, vegetables, wines, foods, and etc. I love this picture but like always, no place to put it.The picture is by Lizzy's Creations Gallery at lizzyizdizzy4god@gmail.com. ( I posted the information, so that someday when I have a larger home, maybe I can order this picture)

Both our mothers were worn out from all the walking, so we headed back to the car. Our car was parked on the bridge, and we saw where the city was getting ready to drop the ducks into the river.

No, not real ducks silly! Rubber ducks that you could buy for a chance to win a prize if your numbered duck is dipped out further down the river. It was hot and the wait was going to be another 20 minutes so we decided to forgo seeing the thousands of yellow rubber ducks dumped in the river, that would have then floating by.

Next we decided to go to the 1 year old Newbo City Market.

Joe's mom was the only one who had been there since it had opened. The market has all kinds of eateries, shops and crafts.

Outside the market, music was being played, there were numerous BB Q's stands, as well as a beer tasting event. After the market we met my big sister Karen, who had drove from Mt. Pleasant to see mom and myself. She didn't know where Newbo City Market was, so we met her at McDonald's for lunch.

That evening I took mom out to the Lighthouse for ribs for a late Mothers Day dinner, with Karen and Joe. Joe took this picture before we left. He took 13 pictures because he has learned, he has to take that many for me to find one that I like. Out of all those pictures mom had her eyes closed or looking the other way. I told her that  I wear sun glasses in most of my pictures, because my eyes are sensitive to the flash too, and I end up the same way. She also complained, "How did I get so short"! I told her she was short, but not as short as it looked, because I had platform shoes on, making me appear taller. She still is a shorter shrimp than myself, even when I wear flats!

Joe and his mother Kay, who turns 91 in September.

Mallery loves to come to Kay's. She always makes herself at home when she is there. When Joe and I were still working, Kay use to take care of Mallery on our week long trips. I think Mallery thinks Kay is her second mom. It is so cute when we drive to her condominium,. Mallery gets all excited. Kay buzzes the security door open, and then we have to take the elevator to the third floor. When the elevator door opens, Mallery turns right and runs down the hall to her door (which Kay  usually has cracked open for us) and she runs into the apartment, looking for Kay. After all these years of being on the road, Mallery still remembers where we are and which turns to make.