Tag: Iowa

2012 Joyrides Published

2024-03-18 /

James posted Reiman Gardens & Kansas City Joyrides.  Always fun and interesting to look back through pictures taken during vacations.  We knew this process would take time, effort, and dedication.  We are making progress….  Just think of this as the story of the Tortoise and the Hare.  🙂  We have learned it is much easier to take notes while on each vacation so when we return home, only small edits to the text are needed before narrowing down the photos to post. 

We have 2 vacations planned for 2024.  The first is in a couple months and the other is at the end of the year.  We also have a long weekend planned for Fall to see a concert.  Not sharing the destinations!  You will have to come back to find out where we “roamed”. 

On a Mission (or 5) to visit the Alamo

2023-05-01 /

We wanted to take a short vacation before June.  We decided on San Antonio!  James had never been there and Julie visited 30 years ago with her college friends when they drove to South Padre Island one Spring Break.

We booked our flights intending to leave early evening with arrival in San Antonio around midnight thinking this would give us 4 full days to explore.  Well, like the last time we flew out of DSM, best laid plans…..  Our original flight was canceled and we were rebooked on flights the following morning.  We arrived in San Antonio around 12:30p the following day which still gave us plenty of time to visit the River Walk and a few other attractions outside of downtown.

Check out the San Antonio Jaunts page to read about the rest of our adventure!

James also added 3 “Joyride” pages from 2008.  Take a look!

Des Moines Christmas Market 2022

2022-12-06 /

We enjoyed a chilly but sunny afternoon at the Des Moines Christmas Market browsing the offerings by local artists and food vendors.

Each year we make it a point to visit Christkindlmarket to remind us of the fun we had the 2 times we visited the Christmas Markets in Germany and Austria.

Our first visit was in 2015 when we journeyed from Frankfurt to Berlin by motor coach.  Our Trafalgar Travel Director Stephanie shared history and stories about the region.  We visited the markets in Frankfurt, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Nuremburg, Eisenach, Erfurt, Weimar, Dresden, Leipzig, and Berlin.  We really enjoyed Dresden and still felt the tension of East vs West in Berlin.

Our next adventure was in 2018 when we embarked on a Uniworld Cruise from Vienna, Austria to Nuremburg, Germany.  Since we spoke so fondly of the Christmas Market atmosphere, James’ parents joined us.  The cities we visited are located on the Danube River.  The atmosphere was a bit different since we stopped during the day in Vienna, Durnstein, Linz, Passau, Regensburg, and Nuremburg.  We extended our stay and traveled by train to Munich (with a day trip to Neuschwanstein). 

If you have the opportunity, we highly suggest a trip to any of the European Christmas Markets.  And if there happens to be a local Christkindlmarkt, show your local artisans some love!

James and Julie near building with wall art for Iowa State Fair

James and Julie at the Iowa State Fair

Our State Fair is the BEST State Fair!

2022-08-24 /

Enjoyed spending last Saturday exploring the Iowa State Fair.  We walked the Avenue of the Breeds and saw a Highland Coo (a Scottish cow – of which we didn’t see many when we were in Scotland in June!).  Examined student projects in the 4-H building.  Took in the sights & sounds of the animal buildings (neigh, baa, moo, oink!)  Ate lunch at Stockman Inn.  Perused doll houses and interesting photography in the Cultural Building.  Checked out the vendors in the Grand Concourse Shops.  Waited in line for 30 minutes for James to try “Pork Picnic in a Cup” from the Iowa Pork Producers.  (The food was actually pretty good.  Bottom of the cup had Frito corn chips topped with shredded BBQ pork, baked beans, & coleslaw).  Wound around the upstairs and downstairs of the Varied Industries Building.  Ended the day waiting in line for another 30 minutes for a bucket of Barksdale Cookies.

A Highland Coo (Hairy Cow) on the Avenue of the Breeds
Best picture of Scottish Highland Coo all year.

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