I just returned from yet another fun day at the Iowa State Fair! You might think a fair in 2024 is an old fashioned place that only a few folks attend. Not so in Iowa and several other places in the U.S! In fact, in 2023 more than 1.1 million folks attended the Iowa State Fair and this year at least one daily attendance record was broken, so the Fair just keeps getting more and more popular.

I just got home at 1 am from a wonderful trip to Seattle and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. I say this almost every trip, but this trip was one of the best trips I’ve ever had! I got to do so much fun stuff I can’t believe it. My son presented at a national conference in Seattle, so I decided to go with him (since guess who was mostly footing the bill?). 😏 I totally turned it into a “Bucket List” trip for myself though!

Eleven years ago I was fortunate to travel from Vancouver to Victoria, British Columbia just for the day. I spent 5 wonderful hours in Victoria, two of them at world famous Butchart Gardens. It was so incredible that 2 hours was not nearly enough time. I vowed that day I would be back for a whole day some day in the future. It took 11 years, but today was the day!

I love taking unique ways to travel, whether it be by air, train, unique automobile, or animal!  I have ridden in many types of vehicles, planes, trains, trolleys, tractors, boats of various types, and horses. So I was excited to try a water taxi in the canal in downtown Oklahoma City in April 2024. Yes, you read that right. 😏 It surprised me too!

Hi, my fellow travelers! I am traveling this week and, unfortunately, will not have much time to blog. The good news is that I will have lots of great places to share with you when I get back! Please keep checking back, though, because I may do some blogging when I’m too tired to walk anymore. 🤪🙄😵‍💫

Well, Freebie fans, you are in luck! This weekend only (August 3 and 4) you can explore 70+ Omaha-Council Bluffs area spaces and places completely FREE! Let me repeat that - FREE!!! Is that awesome or what?!?

I spent the Fourth of July this year in the Okoboji area in Iowa, as I sometimes do. This year, due to flooding in Northwest Iowa (heartbreaking), I had to take a different route than normal to get there. On the way home I was looking for fun stops on Google Maps and I spotted Lost Island Lake Nature Center a ways south of Spencer, Iowa. So I paid it a visit on the Sunday afternoon after the 4th.

I love to stay in unique hotels when I travel so on a recent trip to Kansas City, I decided to try a highly-rated newer hotel I spotted on Trip Advisor. What I discovered is my new favorite hotel to stay in when in KC. It’s called The Aida KC.

As I have “acquired years and wisdom” (read between the lines), I have discovered that “tiptoeing through the tulips” is actually very beneficial for my well-being on multiple levels. I now LOVE gardens, particularly botanical gardens! Not only do they encourage me to get my steps in, the flowers, foliage, and trees enhance my mental health and feed my soul. The artwork inspires me. Listening to the birds sing and watching butterflies flit around calms and fascinates me. And I always learn something new. In short, spending time in a garden just makes me doggone happy. Maybe you can relate! 😁

I’ve probably driven by Fat Putter at least 50 times in the last year or two, always reminding myself that sometime we should go there. Well, let me tell you that we should have gone sooner because it is super fun! Allow me to give you a look around…

Just got home from a fun trip to the Kansas City area! Here’s a few photos to pique your curiosity. More photos and stories to follow soon right here on my blog!

Ok, fellow Iowans - did you know that the beautiful Iowa Capitol building in Des Moines was not the original Iowa Capitol? Despite learning Iowa history in elementary school, I had forgotten that the original capitol building was in Iowa City and served as its first seat of government for approximately ten years, from 1846 to 1857. The building would then become the University of Iowa’s first building.

Whether you grew up on a farm or have never stepped foot on a farm, you will LOVE your stay at Lucky Star Farm near Iowa City, Iowa. So much to do on the farm and so much to see within an hour’s drive in any direction. Come explore one of my “happy places!”

While I love road trips, sometimes driving for several hours makes this body ache a bit. My usual solution is to find a highly rated city, county, or state park to get in a quick walk.

Someday when I decide to slow down a bit, I want to learn how to quilt. I have said that for at least 20 years, so maybe someday I will actually do it. I just adore the artistic aspect of quilts. They are blank fabric canvases and you can create a thousand different masterpieces with them, depending on the pattern, the fabric and even the quilt stitch. The possibilities are endless. You can even tell a story with them, as folks did on the Underground Railroad.

While it’s true “There’s no place like home” there are certainly wonderful home rentals that not only feel like home, but also make you feel like you’ve been transported to a completely different world. That was my family’s recent experience while staying in a fantastic newer AirBnb in Topeka, Kansas for Father’s Day weekend.

As I was driving out of Sac City, Iowa yesterday a Freedom Rock captured my eye, surrounded by a tall circle of American flags. What is a Freedom Rock? It is a large rock painted on all sides with patriotic murals and tributes to those who have served in our armed forces in the U.S. These unique murals are painted by Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II. Many towns in Iowa have one.

Do you enjoy reading and browsing fun, unique stores? Are you looking for a summer getaway that’s something a little different? Maybe even a QUEST? 😲

I strongly believe that “great art” is in the eye of the beholder and not in the artwork itself. I can look at the same piece of art as 20 other people and it would “speak” to us in 20 different ways. With that thought in mind, I viewed lots of great art at the Des Moines Arts Festival today. I talked to a number of talented and friendly artists

As you have likely guessed, I really enjoy staying in AirBnbs when it makes sense to do so. The variety of AirBnbs and other home rental offerings is amazing to me. Check out this barn-themed AirBnb in Roger’s, Arkansas!