As you may have noticed, autumn is my favorite season, particularly when it sticks around long enough to really enjoy it!

Because mid-October is prime leafing time in Iowa, I have explored three Iowa parks this past week.. And the leafing did NOT disappoint. While I have been to all three parks before, it is always fun to see the seasons change in all three of these parks.

I was amazed to discover all the fun things to do at Platte River State Park near Louisville, Nebraska.

Calling all outdoor lovers, bird watchers, fishing enthusiasts, leaf peepers and anyone with kids or grandkids or is a kid at heart!

There are few days each year I enjoy more than a day with my family at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch and Apple Orchard.

I just attended a few hours of the Japanese Festival at Lauritzen Gardens this afternoon and loved it! You can see it tomorrow (Sunday, October 8)!

We interrupt this blog series about my recent road trip to focus for a week or so on a very important and timely topic, at least in my mind.

I was looking for a little excitement by going on my road trip and it turned out I got a little more excitement than I bargained for.

While I was impressed with the twenty Chihuly installations during the day, they were spectacular at night!

Another little secret about me is that I am a Dale Chihuly glass artist nut. Consequently, I was dying to see his temporary exhibition at the St. Louis Botanical Garden.

After going to Powell Gardens east of Kansas City on Sunday afternoon, I spent the evening in Boonville, Missouri. Why Boonville?

Sometimes you just want to “get out of Dodge!” (American idiom for leave town). And that’s what I have done.

While I enjoy festivals of all kinds, few festivals bring me more joy than hot-air balloon festivals.

The Durham Museum in Omaha has some fun exhibits running through September 3…

Who doesn’t love an outdoor concert when the weather is great?

There’s nothing quite like a county or state fair in the Midwest.