Days Five and Six: Iowa City, Iowa

Friday and Saturday 27 and 28 September -- Iowa City, like so many college towns, has a lot more bars than breakfast places.  But I did eventually find a couple, and picked the one with a smoothie bar for an almond-spinach concoction.  It was weird but tasty, and chock-a-block with nutrients.  The weather is great for a fifth day in a row, and L.T. has a washing machine and dryer, so all my needs are being met by various forces.

Including the need to connect with a dear friend.  L.T. and I spent a few hours together (between 12 hours shifts, 5-6 hours of sleep when she gets off, and an hour or two for napping before work, she has only a few hours to socialize) and caught up a bit.  We know the logistics of each other’s recent lives, but it was good to get a better sense of where we both are mentally and emotionally.

After she went back to work, I watched a bit of the English TV series Doc Martin, which is one of L.T.’s favorites.  “He says all the things you want to say, but can’t,” she explains.  It’s filmed, quite beautifully, in beautiful Cornwall.  I think a road trip around the U.K. would be rewarding...

I started my Saturday morning right, with a walk up to Deluxe Bakery, started a few years ago by a U. of Iowa alum.  They gave me a decent cup of cocoa and an excellent croissant.  Later, a small group of us headed to Kalona, Iowa, a nearby town with a large Amish population.  We talked cows on the way, with the five-year old contending that she doesn’t care for them because their poop smells bad.  I defended cows enthusiastically.

Strolling Kalona in a drizzle.

Kalona was celebrating its annual Fall Festival, whose highlight for me was a talent show featuring some distinctly non-Amish participants.  Jim from China was a standout with his beat-box act, which included exhorting the crowd to stand up – several actually did.  I heard “Cups (When I’m Gone)” twice in about ten acts – once a well-rendered a capella cover, and again as the music for a self-choreographed and rather gymnastic modern dance.  The song eventually left my brain about 36 hours later.

"Build Me Up, Buttercup;" very 60s show-biz style.

She's a clog dancer; I don't know how that differs from tap dance.

Jim learned to beat box from YouTube.

Sugarland cover and very well done.

The morning had been beautiful, but around midday there was a brief downpour, followed by hours of intermittent drizzle.  A great day for barley soup, homemade by J. with L.T. and me helping.  I learned a better vegetable-chopping technique, for which I am grateful, though I’m not yet particularly deft with the knife.  I’ll keep practicing.