We Have it All in Iowa!

For those who think Iowa is a backwards, hillbilly, flat state with nothing but fields & farmers...

We actually have big industry! This is an ethanol plant along Highway 18.

We have some "green" thinkers. There are wind generators dotting the fields...

We even have skyscrapers - to store grain in.

Some hydroponic gardening (maple seeds sprouting in the gutters).

We are not devoid of law and order either. (a sign in the church parking lot)

We have couch potatoes like any other state. Only our couches are hay racks! (this is my nephew holding Dixie Lee, his new baby goat)

And our chickens are smart enough to run the farm machinery!

We do get snow here. Sometimes a LOT of it.

But we get sunshine most every day. (this is my Mom sitting pretty at Preparation Canyon)

We have amazing soil! This is the garden plot I am using this year.

And amazing soil makes for some amazing weeds! There is some garden in there.

The soil grows most of the nations corn.

And hay....

We do get some scary storms too, so the camping areas have storm shelters.

We have wild animals... well, wildlife. Ok, we have a lot of cows and pigs.

And cats (this is Sergeant Gusto, our house cat).

This spider spent a week in the refrigerator guarding it's egg case (I didn't know I had picked it with my Swiss Chard). When I took her out she warmed up and hauled the case all the way up the wall to the ceiling!

And some pretty big fish! This was a muskie at a fish hatchery - almost 4 feet long!

Little Bumble was the baby robin that I watched grow up in my backyard. We were good friends until I moved. I nearly picked him up one day. He went from this stubby little tail and spots to a long sleek tail and rusty red chest.

We have "wild dogs" too! Bogie, Dad's buddy, is wild about his tennis ball shooter!

We have the ugliest bugs I've ever seen - earwigs! Yucky!

Iowa also has amazing people - like my friends Dr. Dennis and Jeanette Dahl. They took me bird watching one afternoon with our cameras. Dr. Dahl is also a mountain climber and go cart racer (I know, I don't know what he does with his 6'5" in a go cart either! But I've seen pictures.

Mr. Nickum is an amazing artist. After his bout with heart disease and diabetes he started making little figurines with duct tape. He has over 150 different ones. Oh, and this is Smokey on his lap - a Chinese Hairless Crested dog. The funniest looking dog I've ever seen!

Fran is 93 and still "techy" enough to enjoy helping me choose pictures for a slideshow we made documenting the church's "A Father's Day A-Fair" event.

We have the best Chinese restaurant - our friends own it. They come to our house every July 4 with a LOT of food. I'm glad I got some this year!

And my Dad and brother had a spaghetti sauce cook-off. Yummy!

We have culture... Matt and Josie had a concert at this location in Spencer, IA.

This was the early crowd - a lot more came on time.

And we have fun with pyrotechtics.

We do have some water here at the "Iowa Great Lakes"

And, yes, we do have hills in Iowa!