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…
Grinnell, Iowa
Grinnell is a bucolic little college town nestled in a sea of cornfields in southwest Iowa. My family moved there when I was four and stayed until I was 12. Back then, its population was 7,000. It’s grown a little…
Bevier, Missouri
Due to kitty excitement (see Kitten Rescue), we didn’t get out of Springfield until mid-afternoon. We drove north, towards Iowa, and stopped at a Passport America spot just a few hours away. Shoemaker’s RV Park was just off the highway…
Grinnell Photos
After 47 years, a three-day visit to the tiny Midwest town I grew up in. [Show slideshow] 12345►
July 4th Photos
There’s nothing like the 4th of July in a small Midwest town. [Show slideshow] 123►
Kitten Rescue
Kate was packing up Bessie to move her out when she heard a frantic mewling coming from the RV next to us. It was a large Monaco coach that workers had just parked there that morning. The sound was definitely…
Kitty Rescue Photos
A newborn kitten found in the undercarriage of a Monaco coach. [Show slideshow] 12►
Dad Visit in Springfield
Both sides of my family are from Springfield, Missouri, and when I was growing up, we went back for visits a couple times a year. We always stayed at my maternal grandmother’s house, the six of us sleeping in one…
Springfield Photos
Two-and-a-half week visit with my dad in Springfield, Missouri. [Show slideshow] 12345►
Father’s Day Expedition
It’s been 40 years since I was with my dad on Father’s Day. When I realized our visit with him in Springfield, Missouri would be over the holiday, I wanted to do something special. Kate and I suggested taking him…
Dewitt’s Folly Photos
A Father’s Day adventure, searching out an old family homestead that’s now part of the Mark Twain National Forest. [Show slideshow] 1234►
Freedom in All Fifty
For the larst couple of months, Kate and I have been traveling through states that don’t recognize our Washington marriage as valid. Somewhere in Texas it occurred to me that if we were in an accident or if one of…