It's pretty enthralling to be in a small town full of hawkeye fans these days...the black and the gold exploding out like fireworks. The Hawkeyes are 8-0 for the first time in their long college football history and ranked 4 in the weekly ratings, coming from behind it seems like every week. I don't know what's happened, I've been pretty ambilvilent in regards to sports since I stopped playing them, but lately I've found myself not being able to sit I'm so damn wound up, stomach turning wanting to look away! Where did all that come from? It was a real good game Saturday as they beat Michigan State on the last play of the game, I'm feelin like a Hawkeye!
Had a great time down in Dyersville visiting the Field of Dreams. We got there and there were some kids playing catch! I ran over to the minivan and asked their dad to borrow a glove, he gave me what I assumed to be that "aren't you a little old to be trick or treating" look.
He did let me use the glove though, and as Em and Joan took pics of the grandstands I ran out to left field full sprint. Already feeling like the only kid in the freshman locker room with chest hair I cringed as I saw the younger brother take a pop fly off the tip of his glove and pop! right in his eye...a good thump...he kept wanting to cry but I kept patting him on the back "you're allright, let me look at that...oooh that's gonna be black. Your tough" I will embarrassingly admit that I was worried he'd run in and cry and get us in trouble and we'd have to quit! Like we done somethin wrong! Everything was ok though and we got a good game of catch in and even some ground balls in the infield. Felt good to be on the ole diamond!
We took some Corn Stalk shots and went on our way.
We then went over to Joan's co-worker's family homestead. Claire jr. was waiting there with her purse that was an old binocular case and a star wars light saber at the corner of the old farm waiting for us on the lonely Iowa 2 lane backroad. She must be 9 years old and real sweet, showed us her cats in the laundry basket. Cindy is her mother, and Cindy's parents Claire and Merle live in the house that was originally lived in by Claire's parents. Claire Sr. hugged us and led us down to the basement to show off her summer bounty which happens all at the end of summer, they laughingly refer to it as "divorce week".
LISTEN!
Canned Goods - Greg Brown
I guess Merle loved gardening but would love to leave the canning up to the mrs. Anyway she had the booty down there! From the diced tomatoes to the tomato salsa to the tomato sauce. They had peas and beans and everything in between...pickled beets, raspberry jam, carrots, etc. They shared the tricks they use to get the kids involved, and made me plug my ears as they shared the tricks they use to make their men feel useful too (I knew it musta been good, little Claire was giggling and giving me a look of pity). They had a big box of potatoes that will last them through the winter and enough fresh apple cider and rum to keep em warm.
After Merle led us through the garden we piled in the van and waved to Claire sr. and went over to their friend Ted's cottage and studio. He's a wild welder, wood worker, artist, bohemian, metal artifact collector etc. I was in the corner of his cabin next to the pot belly stove looking for a poker stick to stoke the fire, as he asks me across everyone "you like weapons?" I turn around to him holding what I believed to be the poker for which he let me know was an ancient ritual staff forged in Africa. He then showed me a samurai sword he forged...took it out of the sheath his buddy made for him, it was awesome! The cottage was full of neat iron work, tools, muskets, candle holders etc. His son was getting the fire in the fire place stoked with black walnut for a little cooking later in the evening with some friends. Ted told us some pretty funny stories of the friends he has that are revolutionary war re-en-actors. They come over and stay at the cottage every summer when they are in town for the mountain man rendezvous http://www.fortbridgerrendezvous.net. He said he'll come over to the cottage and the family's are in all their regalia; the men are outside cooking a full turkey over the fire looking like pilgrims, the women are in the house knitting in the rocking chairs, the teenagers are outside shooting bows and arrows, and the kids are at the table playing with wood blocks! Then they say, "ah let's go shoot some muskets!"
This story makes a little more sense when we go take a tour of his welding shop where he and 3 or 4 employees make metal art pieces and commissioned furniture. He walked us through and showed off the old tools and machinery. Huge hydraulic metal pounders from the turn of the century, old coal/wood cast iron stove that heats the metal working shop (probably 2000 sq. ft.). In the wood shop he had tools I have never seen, like the big "multi-tool". It was run by a big electric motor with huge belts that ran each individual tool...the table saw (to adjust blade height you needed to raise and lower the table), pull lever at floor to engage another belt which ran the band saw, do it again to engage belt that runs planer, again to engage the joiner. The thing was probably 8 ft. long by 5 ft. wide and was from the early nineteens. His shop was cool!
