Making Memories

Lake Panorama

Lake Panorama was the setting for my father-in-law's recent birthday. A beautiful private lake in central Iowa, the location is perfect for gathering the family together for special occasions. A friend of Jim's sister owns a condo on the lake, so most of the family stayed there. Jim and I slept at the local no-tell motel. It is nothing to write home about, but it is the only choice in the area. The bed and breakfast where we stayed a couple of years ago has since closed, sadly. I will give bonus points to the golf resort that owns the motel as they have striped one of the tennis courts for pickleball, so Jim and I were able to get a little play time in.

Both of Jim's sisters were able to make the trip this year, so all three kids were there. We had a wonderful time playing games, eating too much great food, going for boat rides and just sitting on the deck overlooking the lake. I just wish that our kids would have been able to come. It is a bit hard to get to from Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Even for us it is a 7 hour drive.

Iowa State Capitol Building

When we left the lake Sunday afternoon, we drove to Des Moines to visit a fraternity brother of Jim's.  Steve was in our wedding, and Jim was in Steve and Ann's wedding (both of which took place 37 years ago!), and I am so happy that we have kept in contact with them throughout the years. Ann was out of town, but it was fun catching up with Steve. Monday morning we went to downtown Des Moines for a bit before heading out of town. I particularly wanted to see the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park (no relation to Pappa John's Pizza). A number of my Facebook friends from Des Moines have posted pictures of it, and I was eager to see the park first hand. It did not disappoint, and next time I am in Des Moines I want to go in the evening when the sculptures are lit. I should probably point out that Jim and I managed to forget every single camera that we own at home. Unbelievable! Thank goodness for smart phones with cameras!

Pappajohn Sculpture Park

As is evident from the photos, the sky was pretty threatening on Monday. The drive home from Des Moines was not the most pleasant we have ever experienced. While on Highway 163, which thankfully is four lane, the skies opened up. I have never driven in rain such as this. I pulled over on the shoulder multiple times, along with 75% of the rest of the drivers. The rain was coming down sideways, with little visibility. We finally drove out of that and were clear until just south of Hannibal where another downpour awaited us. We were pretty happy to get home in one piece. The bad drive could not negate the wonderful weekend we had visiting with family and friends though. It is all about making memories.

Happy Anniversary

our wedding day

Yesterday was our 35th wedding anniversary. Wow! That just seems amazing to me. We got married in Des Moines in a church with no air conditioning - always a gamble in the heat of August. On the night before our wedding the hot and humid day ended with a burst of thunder and lightning, accompanied by heavy rains. Many times that results in more uncomfortable weather the next day. But our wedding day was perfect. The blue sky contained white, puffy clouds and the temperature was in the 70's. Though Jim's tuxedo doesn't seem so now, it was quite fashionable for the day. I made my wedding dress, and my mom crocheted the lace on it. With the people we cared about the most gathered around us, we professed our love and vowed to stay together in good times and in bad. The vows were ones we took very seriously, but I can honestly say the good times have far outweighed the bad. I am eager to see what comes next for us as a couple.

Prairie View Bed & Breakfast

Over the past weekend we drove up to the Lake Panorama area in Iowa to celebrate my father-in-law's 85th birthday. Some friends of the family own a condo on the lake, so the folks and Jim's sister stayed there. We stayed at a bed & breakfast outside of the town of Panora. The B & B was very nice and we enjoyed talking with the owners as well as the other guests who were staying there. Three women were sharing the large suite across the hall from us. They have been friends for 47 years and they try to get together once a month.

sunset on the lake

At the lake we were able to take boat rides, and Jim and I took a jet ski out Saturday afternoon. I was driving because I have control issues. Which is why you will never see me behind Jim on his motorcycle! We had been out about 15 minutes when I got pulled over by the water patrol. I have never even been pulled over by a cop before, so I was stunned. I had only been going 18-20 miles per hour as we like looking at the houses along the shore, so I knew I wasn't speeding. I had been coming around a bend and was watching out for the two speed boats heading my way pulling water skiers. Apparently that is when I went outside the buoy instead of on the inside of it. and just my luck, the water patrol was sitting right there. So he asked me to pull up to his boat, which I was afraid of hitting because it is hard to steer a jet ski on choppy waters when you aren't giving it any gas. Then he made polite chit-chat about how nice the day was (and it was beautiful - or had been) before asking if we owned the jet ski. We told him it was our friends, and he then wanted to know if we were new to jet skiing. I admitted that I was, so he went on to explain that I had missed the buoy, and why that was important. Then he told me it was a $50 fine. Whoa! But he added that he wasn't going to ticket me and just suggested that we might like to stay in the wide open area by the marina where they don't have any buoys. But he did write down the jet ski number so I knew I was going to have to 'fess up when we got back. When the owner asked if we had enjoyed our ride, I said it was all fun and games until the point when I was pulled over by the water patrol. Her mouth dropped open. I told her I didn't get a ticket, just a warning, and explained what had happened. Then everyone had a good laugh about it. I had a fuzzy navel instead.

The weekend passed quickly. We had lots to eat and got caught up on what everyone has been up to since we were last together. We got a few card games in as well. We did not leave Iowa until 4:00 Sunday afternoon, which got us back home at 11:00 p.m. With all the great food over the weekend and the fact that we were so tired, we decided not to go out to eat last night for our anniversary. Instead I made a nice roast and some lemon bars for dessert. We will celebrate another day, and in fact will probably take a trip later this year. In the meantime, happy anniversary baby, got you on my mind...