Curtis's Guide to Apartment Living: Episode 3

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Good Night Plymouth County Fair

The Dessert Formerly Known as Cheesecake on a Stick

The end

On a Stick

Animal Talk

And after that, a hug.

I think we all need a nap.

All's Fair

Catching a breather before my 2nd lunch and the Demolition Derby

There's Fruit in There Somewhere

A new day: A new delicacy

Sure, But Does it Have All Wheel Drive?

Dessert. A cream puff. I'll be back tomorrow to try the funnel cake.

Ding Dong

Let's play guess which button is the doorbell at the stranger's house . . .

If you guessed the one directly to the right of the door, you'd be wrong. That's the garage door opener. It's also a good way to get the attention of the homeowner -- more effective than the doorbell you might say.

Queen of the Fair

Best in Show in my 1st annual Blogger Bovine Awards

Plymouth County Fair

Welcome to the Plymouth County Fair

Hospitality

RAGBRAI brought out the best of the locals in my area. Here is a poem I wrote about it.
It's an acrostic. Deal with it. (The rhyme scheme, yes there's an acrostic rhyme scheme, is AABBCCD)

Riders, not racers, flood the streets, ringing bells
At 40 miles a day, just imagine the smells
Generally they slept in tents on the village square.
But in one house I spotted, over 20 slept there.
Riders were smiling, approaching the task with great zeal.
Armstrong was in the crowd, that's Lance not Neil
In a surprise twist, one rider assumed any folks who have houses along the route automatically extend an invitation to the rider take a leak behind said homeowners evergreen tree. So, that was interesting.

The End.

I recommend RAGBRAI to all and to all a good night.

Long Iowa Drive Survival Kit.

Before embarking on a multi-county drive, make sure your passenger seat has:

1) Pop tarts - a rare treat in that in can serve as any meal during the day.

2) Bottled water - unless you've brought your own divining rod.

3) Kleenex - in case you find the Field of Dreams. Why'd ya do it Shoeless Joe, why?

4) Candy Bar - for dessert. What else would it be for?

The Greatest Thing to Hit Suppression of Anger Since Those Balls Filled With Rice

Life is stressful. But I found a driving range. This should help for a while.

RAGBRAI

The Interior Shot

We skipped JR's to eat at My Place instead. It's right across the street.

A possible place to eat?

Lunch in Melvin, IA

County Fair . . . apalooza

Today marks the beginning of my trek to 3 county fairs in 3 weeks.

Say ahhhhh

As I always say, You're never part of a new town until you see a local oral health expert. Of course I never got to apply that since I've never moved until now.

A Story

This tale clocks in at 3:47. Longer than usual, but it does have pie in it.





"underwritten by the illicit silverware foundation in Seattle, WA."

Something different

Tired Of Traffic? A New DOT Report Urges Drivers: 'Honk'

RAGBRAI

Question: What is RAGBRAI?

a) An acronym for "Reading a Great Book Really Ain't Important", the controversial converse of "Drop Everything and Read" week.

b) A delicious meal you eat for weeks after Passover.

c) Voldemort's zany sidekick

d) None of the above

If you said D, you'd be right. RAGBRAI is famous bike race. And it's coming to town. Lance Armstrong is coming along with it. So get your yellow bracelets out of the sock drawer. It's only 11 days away.

You Can Get Anything You Want

At Misty's Bar-Grill Restaurant

Special Guest

Here's to you . . . for coming to Sioux City

On the way to Storm Lake, there are many, many gyrating, rotating wind-power collection devices.

I like this photo because the one in the middle seems to be missing an arm. Those crazy town hooligan kids are at it again. First frightening Ol' Woman Jones's cat. Now stealing an arm from a wind turbine. Oh, crazy kids. What will they think of next?

A Maplewood Maple Wood

Storm Lake, IA has a park full of trees with stories histories or ancestries. In front of each one is a plaque describing its origin. This trees father/mother come from NJ, so it rises to the top of the blog. But is the story accurate?

All this and more at 84 RV, Storm Lake, IA branch. (hey, a blogger has to pay the bill's somehow)

They still make this stuff? Thanks, random gas station in Hartley

Baby Elephant Drive

Spencer, IA

The road elevation is a few feet below the banks of the sides. So it looks like corn is towering over you. But, at the moment, they're not exactly at Elephant level. More like ostrich.

In some fashion, the roads in Spencer resemble New York City. Sure, the unmaintained gravel roads may suggest otherwise, but as I drove down 290th street, spewing dust about the roadway, I realized it's one big grid. Stay on the same road long enough and you'll traverse the town. It's just like the song. "The Bronx is up and the grain elevator is down."

Warning: Every now and then a cornfield plops itself right in the middle of the grid. So use caution.

This little gem tops the Bronx Zoo, but without a giant stuffed grizzly, it has a bit to go until it matches Space Farms.

Visiting New Lands

Theatre Review

In Memory of Joel Siegel (1943-2007), a film-critic who's skill far exceeds what I put together below.