Day 48 June 30 Tues

Busy day in Dubuque. Visited Ron Hahlen's kiln and Mississippi Mud studio where he works and the shop where his pottery is sold. See pictures. Also rode on the 4th Elevator and visited the new riverwalk in Dubuque. Really all great stuff. Dubuque continues to grow and change. Lots of nice development. Kind of chilly actually. We are going out to dinner and then little birthday party for Chris.

Day 47 June 29 Monday

Some shopping today and then another great meal that Rob and Chris made. Picture of sunset over Dubuque. Nice to be taking it easy.

Day 46 June 28 Sunday

Quiet day and then dinner with the Hahlen's, etc. Very, very nice. Saw some fireworks on the way home. Pictures of Apel's house in East Dubuque and their view of Dubuque across the Mississippi.

Day 45 June 27 Saturday

We have arrived in Dubuque and already spent a great evening with Jack's cousins. Sitting outside with great view of Mississippi and Dubuque. Started out today in the Amana Colonies. Always wondered about it. Very interesting as a commune that lasted over 80 years. See picture. A few shops with a variety of things and I liked the museum.

We then headed to the Herbert Hoover Museum and Library. Nicely done and apparently recently redone. Learned a lot of things I didn't know before about him and the times he lived in. Continues to be very hot and some threat of rain. Picture is Hoover as a younger man.

Day 44 26 Friday

Off to a good start today. I took some pictures of the capitol in Des Moines (simply beautiful - see dome and outside is gold leaf) and then on to a great art museum. It is comprisedof 3 buildings that were added over the years. One by I M Pei in 1968. Didn't know he was working back then. Think of him as younger. Picture is of his building and the glass along the right is the cafe. Anyway, all modern art. Rothko is still my favorite. Special exhibit of Japanese art that is from their permanent collection and how it influenced modern Japanese comics and graphics. No pictures allowed. Some things I really liked. We couldn't believe the security. The other special exhibit was Tara Donovan's whose art is made of ordinary things like straws, buttons, stryofoam cups. Unbelievable. I will share the booklet on the exhibit when I get back.

Had lunch in their cafe. Soup was potato blue cheese to die for and right behind was white bean with chicken and artichoke. Yummy. But then came dessert. Chocolate cheesecake topped with coconut cheese cake and chocolate pecan pie which was like pecan pie but chocolate instead of brown sugar. Oh my God!

The art museum is in a very nice section of Des Moines with lots of big apartment buildings etc. Again kind of like Bethesda MD. We drove through downtown where there was an art show. Absolutely no people on the streets.

Made an important little detour. See pictures. Surprise, surprise. There was a police officer waiting for speeders and I asked him how they pronounced the name of the town and it is pronounced as my sister pronounces her name. What fun. Wikipedia says 61 people live there. I know the railroad is now biking/hiking trail that I saw. The romance of it, I don't know. The sign was just this side of the road behind the police car. So the picture is the town The rest of the people must live on side roads.

Speaking of which, I just don't understand how people live in such isolated places. I guess you just assume that a bad accident or a heart attack and you're dead. Can't even imagine what it is like in winter. Needless to say, there is lots of corn, lots and lots of corn. Got planted late according to the paper because there was so much rain.

Kept on to the Meskwaki RV Park which is at the largest casino in Iowa. Nice rvspace. Hardly any people. Had dinner in their steakhouse. No comparison to the Lester's at the casino in LA. Very disappointing service and food. We ordered drinks that came from the bar which was a long-g-g-g way from the restaurant. Restaurant also empty of course. Played slots for a little while. Penny slots were packed. I don't get it. Win a few cents and it is such a complicated game. Bingo hall was booming. Bet there are 1500 slots here. Jack was going to play blackjack but no seats. Nice hotel. We are near Council Bluffs and Iowa City.

Day 43 June 25 Thursday

First, we went to the play last night. Kind of cute. Kids threw popcorn at the villian, a sing-a-long at intermission, etc. The place was packed with people from the lodge and campers. See picture.

Headed towards Omaha and saw this church up on the hill from the interstate. So we went up to see it but not opened until 10. I climbed over the gate and took some pictures anyway. Jack said that's trespassing. Too bad. Not as nice as the one in Eureka Springs. Not the same mood and the lines not quite as good. They have a stone path with a little stream in the middle leading to it and it is surrounded by wildflowers, etc so it's very natural just like the other one in the woods. I guess the woods were just prettier than the grassy plains are. Also this one is Catholic rather than a non denominational house of prayer.

Then went to Boys Town. I can't believe how nice the campus is. It is now Girls and Boys Town and they live in homes with a couple who have their own apartment in the home. They act as surrogate parents and the 6 or so kids can be from preschoolers to teenagers so it's creating as much of a family as they can. The dorms are gone. Some children/adolescents sent there by the courts, others orphans, and others there recovering from abuse, etc. The museum is just great. Understand why it was Boys Town and not Boys Home. Statue of 2 brothers became the symbol. The original statue showed the boy being carried with braces. See photo. One of the actual brothers it was based on wore braces and all of the boys helped carry him around because it was so hard for him to walk.

You have to give it to Father Flanagan for having the idea and the ability to market and raise funds to make it as big as it was and continues to be. Also credit his successors for changing with the times as more was known about problem kids and how to deal with them etc. Their programs and approaches changed to deal with new adolescent and social problems. Heavy into parenting skills for example and they have a national 24/7 hotline for parents to call. Education still important but listening to the interviews of alumni, it seems that life skills is what they got out of it - how to get along with others, anger management, etc. as well as vocational skills. There is still a heavy religious influence of course. We ate in the cafe with all of the people who work there. Each one wears a pin with the 2 brothers emblem on it.

The first branch of Boy's Town was - guess where? No, Tallahassee and there are two others in FL. Some branches focus more on counseling, parenting programs etc. but all of them have a residential component. The emphasis is different from place to place and they are all over the country but not that many of them.

Drove through downtown Omaha. Seems like medicine and universities are the big businesses. Seems nice enough. At least through the sections we were in. Wanted to see the Golden Spike Monument in Council Bluffs IA since I was at actual place in Utah. This is where the Union Pacific began. Council Bluffs is right across the river from Omaha. It wasn't worth it. And that section of Council Bluffs was kind of icky.

Onward to Des Moines and in a nice rv park. Pricey and just did laundry. Saw lots and lots of windmills along the way.

Day 42 June 24 Wed

First of all, I forgot to report that the actor Robert Taylor was from Beatrice. Road out of town was named for him. Dinner last night was only so so. Poor service but great view. See pictures.

Went next door to the Strategic Air and Space Museum. Lots of fighter and bomber planes. Not my thing but Jack in his glory. Thank goodness they had electric scooter. It covers 2 huge hangers so lots of walking -- or scootering.

Their special exhibit was portrait photos of Holocaust survivors in Omaha. Most of them came here in 1950. Not sure why. It was about how they look today but gave a brief background of where they were prisoners, etc. Then watched a movie with interviews of survivors and the soldiers who liberated them. Very moving. They had it tough as displaced persons as well. I didn't know that Japan had given refuge to Lithuanian Jews, thousands of them. They spent time in the Japan before coming to US. A few summer school groups but otherwise the museum was not very busy. There is a "melodrama" at the theatre here in the park tonight so we will do that. Will move on to Iowa tomorrow.