So this is Iowa????

We left the rainy Northwest in early April and traveled back to the even rainier state of Iowa. This is not at all the way it should be! We expected lots of rain in Oregon and Washington but Iowa has out done them all. This is the rainiest spring in Iowa on record. In May it rained 21 days of the month and I think most of the other were overcast. There has been significant flooding once again, however the city was much more prepared than in 2008. I long for some beautiful sunny days.

Along with the dreary weather came colds for John and me. We have struggled the last couple weeks. I ended up at urgent care last week with ear and sinus infection as a result and today back to my regular doc because my asthma is acting up. So after antibiotics, lots of ibupofen, decongestants, and now predisone and albuterol I am hoping there are better days ahead. I actually have had things to blog about but no energy to do it.

John and Walt

Memorial Day John’s brother came to visit. Walt usually takes a little time in the summer to spend a couple days with us. He is a physician in a workman’s comp clinic in Missouri. The weather was not conducive to spending time outside so we decided to visit the Czech & Slovak Museum.  I had a few photos in a previous post but I had not been in the museum since its big renovation and John had only been there for a friends wedding.  Currently the museum has former Secretary of State Madeline Albright’s pins on display. This is an exhibit that is worth seeing if you get the chance. She was known for wearing pins that reflected her mood or what she wanted to accomplish. As an example, there is one of a snake that she wore in Iraq after there poet laureate called her a serpent, her message there was beware!. Then when she visited NorthKorea she had

a large American flag pin made. North Koreans can only display their leaders face on any pin, patch or decoration so she made sure hers reflected her loyalties and couldn’t be missed. The pins are varied from expensive jeweled pins to costume jewlrey.  There seems to be a story for most of them and lots of photos showing her proudly wearing many of them. One of the Soviet leaders once said they always wanted to see what she had on before a meeting to gauge how things were going to go. I am a huge fan of this lovely and talented lady who has served her county well. She chose this museum as the jewelry's first stop as her family fled the Czech republic when the communists came to power. This display will be traveling and if you get the chance, it is worth the visit.

The museum also has its gallery of Czech and Slovak traditional costumes, beadwork, lace, pretty much all things Czech. They also have a film about the invasion of their countries in 1968 by the Soviet Union. I am old enough that I should remember this but I really don’t. It was very sad and reminded me that war and occupation are never pretty. I wish we could find a way to get along without these conflicts. I truly wish we could  embrace our diversity through out the world instead of each group insisting its way is the only way. I think that applies to the militant Muslim as well as our own county. I know many will disagree with me here but thats ok. If there is anything I believe all Americans should embrace is the right to agree to disagree. I really don’t want to go all political on this. So I hope you take that simply as my opinion which I am entitled to just as you are entitled to have a different opinion.

This week we celebrated the birthdays of both my boys. Gabe was born June 4th and Mitch, June 6th. Gabe wasn’t here for his birthday so a phone call was our celebration but we may get to do a little more on one of their visits here later this summer. Thursday we babysat little Evie while Emily and Mitch went to Hotel Kirkwood for dinner. This is a restaurant and hotel run by the community college. Their culinary students run the restaurant and it is very upscale. They had a wonderful dinner and then came home and we had his favorite Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake to top it off. Emily surprised him by decorating the house after he left that morning and she bought him a patio set that he had wanted. He loves to grill and entertain. I think he was amazed by all her efforts and the gift was perfect.

Time to party!

Happy Birthday Mitch!

So here we are in rainy Iowa trying to get healthy. This week we are scheduled to move to Sugar Bottom campground at the Coralville Reservoir with our friends John and Gayle. This is a COE campground and the flooding on the Iowa river which feeds this lake has been some of the worst in the state. They thought it might breech the spillway but crested yesterday at about a foot shy of that. I think our site is high enough it shouldn’t be affected but we will check in with our friends before we leave.

Had to add one cute baby photo---Evie 1 month old!

I sure hope the sun is shinning where you are. :)

Happy Trails........................