Wild water adventure

Two weeks ago today we tried something we'd never done together before. We went canoeing. On a river full of moving water. In the hottest part of July. What could have been the perfect recipe for disaster turned into the most beautiful fun day.

Now, we've both been canoeing before - but with other people. And so this time we we not only got to go together for the first time, we got to go in the same canoe, and learned how to paddle together in unison. As we were starting out on the trip, I was wondering if this was something we should have done first as part of the pre-marital counseling - just to be sure we were compatible enough to work through our differences the rest of our married lives.

It turns out I needn't have been concerned. I'm happy to report the day was filled with happy discoveries. Not only were we thrilled to learn the other spouse actually could handle themselves without embarrassment in a canoe, we made quite a good team and had a great day.

Our good friend, Julia, actually planned the adventure. She and her hubby, Dan, led out in the first canoe. Then we pushed off and began paddling downstream, followed by Patrick and Mary in their canoe.

Jamie got a little creative in the front of the canoe when he twisted around to snap a photo of me. And no, thankfully the river wasn't this steep. The camera was also turned as he was contorted in the front of the canoe, trying to balance his weight so we wouldn't topple as he braced for the shot.

One thrilling highlight was floating underneath Union Pacific's Kate Shelley bridge. The new bridge, opened in 2009, stands proudly beside the original. Jamie told me the story of Kate Shelley's heroics and how the bridge came to be named for her bravery. You can read about it here. It is an impressive sight, especially when you're on the water immediately beneath the rails above and can see just how immense the support columns truly are.

We paddled around in the river beneath the bridges, floating downstream a ways, then racing each other back upstream a few times. While we were still close by, a long train passed overhead and the sound of the train coming over the tracks and onto the bridge was really cool.

Even before our canoe adventures had ended, we all agreed we can't wait to do this again. Next time we may even go for the full day canoe adventure since the half-day trip went so well. And thankfully I know Jamie is very skilled in a canoe and am assured of another great trip!

Although, between you and me, canoeing together is probably something we should have done while we were still dating because it's amazing how much you learn about someone when you're stuck with them in a canoe, learning to balance each other's movements so you don't topple over while trying to steer it together in the same direction on moving water. Just sayin'. It's been nearly five years of (mostly) marital bliss (...no one's totally perfect, not even me!) with this man and while in a canoe, I still learned something new about him! Here's to the next five and counting!

"Worth" the visit

For most of those who know us well, we're knee-deep - no, make that neck-deep, up to our armpits and barely stayin' afloat, smack-dab in the middle of fair season. Jamie proudly shared with me this week he gets to go to fair #20 so far this summer and he's looking forward to every minute of it.

When I'm not busy traveling for work, I often get to go with Jamie to some of our county fairs. We usually call them our date nights when he gets to treat me to supper at the local 4-H or church food stand and I get to sample the pie selection whenever we save room for dessert.

Here are some highlights from our date night at the Worth County Fair on June 17.

Stunning hosta in the floral hall



Jamie beckoning me to join him for dinner at the 4-H stand

[confession] I was chuckling so much when I snapped this shot that truth-be-told, it's a little blurry. Take a gander at the handwritten caption and I think you'll chuckle along with me.

A proud photography entry in the 4-H building

The stars of the petting zoo.
The one with the wild hairdo sitting in the dish is my favorite!

So cool! 4-Her's get to take care of their own section
of these beds in the shape of 4-H!





We sat and enjoyed the Big Band music for quite awhile.
The music spilled out from the building and serenaded us
all the way back to the car.

Good night, Northwood! We'll be back again next fair!

Up, up and away

This weekend we crossed one more thing off our bucket list - something we've been wanting to do for quite some time. We went to the National Balloon Classic in Indianola and watched as all the hot air balloons came to life and floated away.

The hot air balloons started their journey flat, limp, and tangled. Their silky skin was carefully stretched across the grassy hill as thousands watched, bathed in the waning sunlight and baked in the late day's heat. They rose slowly, growing larger and starting to stand upright as if taking deep breaths of air to fill their lungs for their long journey ahead.

Soon others on the hillside rose to join the first brave souls.

As the first lifted free from their tethers, more strained to be set loose.

Before long the whole northern sky was filled with fleeing hot air balloons.

Thinking this was the end of the grand sight, we left and started driving northward along a dusty country road. To our great surprise, after the first few hilltops, the first of the mammoth balloons were beginning to return to the ground, touching down in whatever clear space they deemed fit: pastures, roadsides, backyards, you name it - they landed there.

Before long, these majestic balloons were wrapped up and packed away, stored safely for another day when they'll be set free to float away again. And on that day, we want to ride along.

Catching up

Yikes! It's been awhile since the last post. Since May, we've had all sorts of adventures. We have a lot of catching up to do here on the blog so you're in for a treat. I'll entice you to come back tomorrow to see more with this shot of the hot air balloons taking off at the Balloon Festival in Indianola, Iowa this past weekend.

We went for the first time Saturday night, experienced an unexpected thrill after the balloons lifted off, and can't wait until to do this again!

Finally made it to the top

We've visited the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines several times. And every time it's been warm enough that the dome has been closed due to excess heat. So when we went to the capitol during a quiet rainy day on our anniversary this year, we were ecstatic to find out the dome was open!

We'd arrived at the Capitol 20 minutes before the tours ended for the day and the kind guide said she'd gladly give us an abbreviated tour once she found out we really only wanted to see a few key places: the House of Representatives, the Law Library, and the dome.

After admiring the House and Library, we were ready to venture to the top for the first time. We weren't disappointed. The views were incredible. Looking down at the Rotunda from four stories above was breathtaking. The people below looked so tiny.

For better ventilation, a doorway over the rooftop was open so we crouched in the low space and peered out through the heavy screen.

We could have stared at the inside of the dome all day if they'd let us.

Sensing our guide was ready to call it a day and our time at the top was coming to an end, we headed back toward the narrow winding stairs we'd climbed. Peering over the railing, the view inside the spiral only reinforced just how many flights of stairs we'd climbed and had to go back down again. It could make your head spin just thinking about it!

Back on the first floor, we asked about the restoration and construction taking place and were told the center of the first floor is being restored back to its original stained glass mosaic pattern since the floor opening is no longer needed for ventilation now that the building is fully air conditioned.

Standing on the ground floor and looking up to the top of the dome will no longer be possible in the near future. We lingered a few extra moments on our way out and drank in the view, knowing we'll be one of the last visitors to get to see the dome from this vantage point.

Capitol progress across America

We've become fascinated by state capitols. Beginning with our honeymoon, every time we're near one, we make an attempt to visit each state capitol we can.

Our first was the state capitol in Olympia, Washington. There we were, two love-struck honeymooners, driving along when we'd spotted the capitol building. Intrigued, we parked and walked hand-in-hand all over the grounds and wound our way up the grand steps. We stood with our necks craned back and mouths wide open at the grandeur inside. When the cute little old lady behind the visitors desk asked if we'd like a tour, we agreed, and were hooked. We enjoyed our first capitol building so much we stopped by to see Oregon's capitol in Salem a couple days later.

Now every time we're anywhere near a state capitol, we always try to stop by. The history and significance and pride of each state is on display in their capitol and it's such a fun way to get a true taste of the part of the country we're in. Since then, we've been to the capitols in Iowa (of course!), Indiana, and Illinois just to name a few. And we're on a roll. We recently picked up this great book of American Capitols.

Now when we travel near a capitol, we'll take this book so we'll have a little background info about each place, and write the date of each visit on that state capitol's page. It'll be a fun record of our capitol progress across America. Now - any good suggestions for which capitol we should visit next?