We say good-bye to Kevin and Bekah as they head off to work, and then we pack up the car for another day on the road. Todd yesterday e-mailed a high school friend who is working in Dodgeville for Land's End, which is directly on our path to Iowa. In the morning, Alan writes back that he IS in town and can see us for lunch today. Nothing like giving someone a little advance notice! A few hours later we see Alan’s smiling face on the steps of Land’s End.
The kids are getting used to meeting this endless string of “Friends of Mommy and Daddy” and love having a fresh audience for all of their tales (some on the tall side) of their adventures. Thanks Alan!Halfway to Iowa and we are making great time today. We arrive at the hotel in Cedar Falls a half hour sooner than expected but my mom is already in her room waiting for us. The kids are absolutely thrilled to see her. Much as they have enjoyed meeting new people and making new friends, they are VERY glad to have their very own Grandma Darlin’ with them now. All is well.
We head out together to my Uncle Steve’s house where dinner and family await. Katie has a special treat. My cousin Todd has a daughter named Elizabeth who is 10 days older than Katie. As we pull up in the driveway, Elizabeth runs out to meet us and she and Katie are instantly best friends. 
They run off together and we will hardly see them apart for 2 days. The boys, too, are enjoying running around, catching fireflies, and enjoying the wide open spaces after so many years living in a high rise apartment and then so many days strapped into the car. It is a wonderful, relaxing evening with family!
After dinner, Renee, my cousin Bret’s wife, takes my mom, Christopher and myself over to her house for a grand tour. We have noticed on the way in the gaping holes where houses used to stand until the tornado came through about 6 weeks ago. On the way to Bret’s house we look up at the hillside and can see the path the tornado took. It is about a mile wide and there are skeletons of trees and piles of burning rubble reminiscent of war movies. Volunteers have been combing the fields for weeks and what cannot be salvaged has been put into a pile and burned. We pass on the way the Quonset hut where my cousin Bret and his son-in-law Matt found refuge during the storm. There is a big dent in the side where something really heavy hit it and it is missing the front door, but otherwise it is intact. Bret’s house, however, is gone with the wind. Christopher asks “Where is the house?” and we just point to the fields towards the North. The foundation and front steps remain, and so do the lily bushes which are in full bloom, but otherwise there is nothing. Had Bret and Matt found refuge in the house instead of the Quonset hut, there is no way they would have survived. We are so thankful that as bad as the storm was, no one in our family was injured!
Back at Steve’s house, Christopher captures a couple of fireflies he is determined to keep as pets. I doubt they will survive the trip to Colorado, but for now he is happy and settles down to sleep with the jar tucked in by his head.
They run off together and we will hardly see them apart for 2 days. The boys, too, are enjoying running around, catching fireflies, and enjoying the wide open spaces after so many years living in a high rise apartment and then so many days strapped into the car. It is a wonderful, relaxing evening with family!After dinner, Renee, my cousin Bret’s wife, takes my mom, Christopher and myself over to her house for a grand tour. We have noticed on the way in the gaping holes where houses used to stand until the tornado came through about 6 weeks ago. On the way to Bret’s house we look up at the hillside and can see the path the tornado took. It is about a mile wide and there are skeletons of trees and piles of burning rubble reminiscent of war movies. Volunteers have been combing the fields for weeks and what cannot be salvaged has been put into a pile and burned. We pass on the way the Quonset hut where my cousin Bret and his son-in-law Matt found refuge during the storm. There is a big dent in the side where something really heavy hit it and it is missing the front door, but otherwise it is intact. Bret’s house, however, is gone with the wind. Christopher asks “Where is the house?” and we just point to the fields towards the North. The foundation and front steps remain, and so do the lily bushes which are in full bloom, but otherwise there is nothing. Had Bret and Matt found refuge in the house instead of the Quonset hut, there is no way they would have survived. We are so thankful that as bad as the storm was, no one in our family was injured!
Back at Steve’s house, Christopher captures a couple of fireflies he is determined to keep as pets. I doubt they will survive the trip to Colorado, but for now he is happy and settles down to sleep with the jar tucked in by his head.
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