Iowa country roads.
We left Grinnell on the 5th and headed northwest. We had a week before we’d meet our friends in Minnesota, and we thought we’d drive through North and South Dakota (two of the eight states I’ve never been to) and get up into Canada for a bit. So with no particular destination in mind, we drove mostly on quiet two-lane roads through corn fields and hay fields, passing the occasional tractor, and enjoying the beautiful barns and farms. Iowa is truly the tidiest state I’ve seen. In towns, every lawn is freshly trimmed and yards are uncluttered, houses well kept. In the country, the farms are just as pristine. No rusty plows discarded in side yards, junker cars or scrap heaps. Just perfectly maintained farmhouses and barns, vegetable gardens, birdhouses, and lawn furniture.
A day inside Bessie.
We stopped at a county park just north of Fort Dodge, Iowa: Kennedy Memorial Park. It was filled with picnickers that beautiful Sunday after the Fourth, and the grounds were beautiful. Acres of green lawn (well-trimmed, of course) rolling down to a pretty lake. The campground bordered a golf course and was quiet, mostly emptied out after the holiday. We stayed for two nights to give ourselves a rest day after the big weekend in Grinnell.
River between the campground and park.
It rained on Monday, and it was nice to just hole up inside, write and read, sort through photos, play with the kitten. When it stopped raining in the afternoon, we explored the now-empty park. It was a hidden gem of a place, known only to locals, judging by people’s surprise to see our license plates. It seems some of the best camping places we’ve found are city or county parks.
Gypsy enjoys some outside time.
The day we left Kennedy Park was the kitten’s week anniversary with us. We think that makes her about nine days old. It was time to name her. We’d had many suggestions from friends, and we finally agreed on Gypsy. Perfect for a wee kitten born into a life of caravanning. She’s adjusting well to the shoebox and bottle and growing a bit more each day. The day we named her, she opened her eyes and now stares soulfully at our enormous faces. We are completely in love with the little creature. There’s no turning back now!
“What IS that little thing, anyway?”
Bailey is still not sure what to think of this new addition to our family. We’ve tried to rouse her latent mothering instincts, but whenever we put Gypsy near her face, Bailey turns away. It’s hard to let go of that only child status, as I’m sure Tobi can attest to. But I think she is resigned to it. Maybe once the kitten is bigger and mewling less, Bailey will start to interact with her.
I love all your little stories! As usual I enjoy your writing!!! Gypsy is a perfect name for the kitten. It makes me feel like having another cat, but we have two + a dog… I think someone would file for divorce ..
I am in San Luis Obispo with Lena who is participating in a soccer ID camp to be seen by coaches in order to play in college.. We will see… We just came back from the Dominican Republic where we spent two weeks.. After that the summer will be at home for the most part , back in foggy Berkeley . In mid September after Noam moves back to Davis where he is in college I will leave for Jerusalem for my annual visit to my sister.
Many hugs and kisses to you and Kate. I really love your posts it makes me feel like traveling in the U.S.