Welllll … we’ve been full of good intentions to catch up on our past stories, but days and weeks just keep rolling by! We just came back from a LOVELY 5-day trip to the Boundary Waters, plus we’ve had a really great time in the Twin Cities the past few weeks. So stayed tuned for stories and photos from these adventures, coming soon(ish). But for now, let’s go back a little further:
We had a lovely time visiting family and friends in Iowa, Aug 8-22. First, a little over a week in Kayla’s hometown of Storm Lake, where we had time with Dad and Nora, plus Kayla’s brother Kevin and sister-in-law Kristi.
So nice to see these two and make them chuckle. 
Nora’s place has a really lovely sun room with a lake view. 
Bike ride with Kevin & Kristi! 
Dad shares sage advice as Matthew replaces the well-worn suspension 
Winged pig welcomes you to the Tyson plant. 
Love this guy so much!! 
In case you’re lost at sea in Iowa, this lighthouse will help you find Storm Lake.
We also had the chance to take in the Albert City Threshermen and Collectors Show – FANTASTIC small-town festival, showcasing the history of midwest farming, and providing machine & engine collectors to show off (and trade!) their stuff. The highlight for us was a steam-powered tractor – check out these photos and a video of the steam tractor:
One of the highlights of the weekend is the “A Year of Farming in a Day” where various machines from horse drawn to modern take turns harvesting, threshing, and then plowing the field. Can you imagine driving a steam powered tractor?
We also explored the area a little bit beyond Storm Lake, including Correctionville (named for surveyor’s correction line), the coldest spot in Iowa, and the world’s largest popcorn ball in Sac City.
Plus, after departing Storm Lake, we spent a couple quick days in Ankeny and Boone with dear friend Bridget and her family.
AND we went to the Iowa State Fair! Fantastic! I think it was about 167 degrees outside the day we went – all the animals had personal fans, and all the humans looked SO HOT. But it was a blast. We especially loved the 4-H projects – among these photos is a kid’s quest to learn whether he could cook a steak by slapping it. Ha! We also grabbed a good seat for the llama limbo – check out a quick video of that silliness below.
Our last day in Iowa, we hopped on a really fun excursion with Rail Explorers – a unique opportunity to ride a specialized “railbike” and pedal your way along the rails. They’ve established these tours in 5 places across the country, one of which is Boone, IA. The highlight of the tour was the 750′ crossing of the 156′ high trestle bridge. Here’s a photo of us on our railbike, plus a cool video of us crossing the high bridge. Be sure to watch to the end of the video – you’ll really get a feel for the ride!
Dear K & M, Dog-gone it. Why not invent a machine to shrink people, me, for example to tooth brush size, and then at the things you are doing put some water on me and get me to regualar size and let me come on these trips. If you can build that trailer home you can make a shrink and unshrink machine. Well done. Enjoy. Jeff b
Wow!! What a summer you have had. I love it. Can’t wait to get more about the boundary waters