We’re lucky. We live by a tiny town with a river that’s part of Ozark National Scenic Riverways. It’s called the Current River and is known for its clear water, movement that flows enough to carry canoes and kayaks, swimming holes, and fishing.
A couple of nights ago, my son and I went to the boat ramp in town. I was able to catch these sunset pictures. What a lovely evening it was.
January 27, 2023- sunset at the Current River
sunset at the boat ramp- January 27, 2023
snow in my mirror reflection- January 27, 2023
a tree in my window reflection- January 27, 2023
Current River view from the parking lot- January 27, 2023
It’s so wonderful to have nature close by. It fills up this photographer’s heart a million times over.
On my walk around Ricketts, Iowa last Sunday, I saw some cool windows.
front view of the gas station windows
windows through windows behind the pump
Up the block from the gas station, I saw a reflection in this window.
scene in the reflection ~ Ricketts, Iowa
small windows in the mini train station ~ Ricketts, Iowa
church window~ Ricketts, Iowa
reflections on a window of windows in the mini train station and old gas station ~ Ricketts, Iowa
Window are so cool, aren’t they? They allow us to see in, see out, and even see behind us sometimes. I always watch for reflections in windows because it’s fun to get to see something more than once.
And, completely off subject, oh my gosh, you guys! This morning, I was researching the old gas station in Ricketts, Iowa and the town itself.
While looking through internet images, I saw my photos on the internet search! The ones from ‘New Favorite Building’ are on there!
I about fell over! Ha. I’ve never seen my photographs on there before!
Here’s the screenshot of it. How cool is that?
screenshot of my photos on an image search of ‘old gas station Ricketts Iowa’
Thanks for joining me on my Iowa trip recently. I had a wonderful time there.
I have a new favorite building. It’s in Iowa. After filling up on potluck food, I went for a walk in Ricketts. This is the last building going out of town, or the first building coming in.
my new favorite building~ Ricketts, Iowa
a rainbow roof~ Ricketts, Iowa
not sure if it’s still a business, but I love the sign
windows that don’t see out or in~ Ricketts, Iowa
vintage door~ Ricketts, Iowa
on the building’s window reflection, I could see the mini train station and gas station down the block
back end of the building ~ Ricketts, Iowa
sliding door~Ricketts, Iowa
In this age recycle, recycle, recycle, this building models using what you’ve got. That’s my favorite thing about it.
Thanks for being here. Hope you have a wonderful day.
We had a family potluck in Ricketts, Iowa today. It’s a tiny town, in the midst of corn fields and farms. Seriously, I saw two streets in town that ended right in a corn field, with no dead end signs even.
When I was a kid, my grandparents had a farm not far from there. I spent a good amount of time in town, at my cousin’s house. There used to be a tiny bowling alley we went to. These days, the bowling alley is long gone.
A walk around town this afternoon led me to some pretty cool opportunities for photographs. Thought I’d share some of Ricketts with you.
old gas station~ Ricketts, Iowa
a mini train station ~ Ricketts, Iowa
Railroad Street~ Ricketts, Iowa
bell in front of the fire station ~ Ricketts, Iowa
Ricketts, Iowa post office, love how the sun tossed the trees on the side of the building
remnants of the old bowling alley ~ Ricketts, Iowa
On Thursday, October 13, 2022, my son and I got to meet Betty who has, https://chambersontheroad.com, and her husband Dan.
How cool is that?
We met at a cute cafe not far from their campsite, an hour north of our house. When we walked into the restaurant, it was like coming home.
We were met with smiles and gifts. They bought our lunch. We ate, laughed, told stories, and laughed some more.
Afterwards, we met at their campsite. I thought we’d maybe stay an hour. We stayed four! We played games, went for walks, took nature photos, and told more stories.
It was a really great day!
Gratitude:
that I found Betty’s blog months ago on a search for camping/ hiking blogs
that through writing/reading each other’s posts, it made the awkwardness of meeting someone new not as awkward
for the sunny, but windy, afternoon
for Dan’s help playing Yahtzee
for learning to play Rummikub- it’s really fun
for walking around the campsite and seeing Halloween decorations other campers had out
for their hospitality
for hearing about driving adventures, the Million Mile Van, movie stars, and the 300 game
Betty’s yellow shirt
that our jackets almost matched
for hugs and pictures at the end
Miracle photos:
some brilliant orange stuff growing on a tree that we saw on a walk
trees reflecting on a bridge history sign we saw on our walk
If Dan and Betty happen to read this, thank you for a wonderful day! We really enjoyed it!
If you like reading about camping, Pickleball, cast iron fried donuts, recipes, and other adventures, maybe have a look at Betty’s blog, it’s really great!
Thank you for reading! Hope you have a sunny Saturday!
Yesterday, we finished the second half of our trip home from my dad’s. We took country roads a lot of the way and saw some old buildings and tiny towns. Love that.
a stately building with a wagon in some town
care for a sit?
At an intersection, I saw this sign on a building and laughed. I asked my son if there’s a store where we can get A’s too. Ha ha.
‘N’ store in the country that we saw
Miracle photos:
I had my highest game ever bowling last night!!! I got a 123! A few weeks ago, I had a 49.
my highest score ever!
I also broke a 100.
scored 100+
What miracles are you seeing? Noticing any big or small ones? Feel free to share, if you’d like. I love reading them. Thank you.
Yesterday, Saturday, my son and I spent the day with my dad. We went to garage sales, out to eat, saw a Memorial for veterans, and went to a quilt show in a small town.
It was fun going to garage sales with my dad. I love watching him shop and get bargains. I got a few things for my art and my craft booth. I have a craft show on October 8th.
Dad didn’t go into the quilt show, but I wanted to see what it was about. My goodness, it was amazing!!!!! So many gorgeous quilts made by people in this area.
Next to the Memorial Building is the Veterans Memorial.
the Memorial Building in Rock Port Missouri
looking up at this gorgeous building
quilt show in Rock Port, Missouri
a quilt at the quilt show in Rock Port, Missouri
quilt show in Rock Port, Missouri
Rock Port, Missouri quilt show
Veterans Memorial Rock Port, Missouri, next to the Memorial Building
Veterans Memorial Rock Port, Missouri
Miracle Photos:
lunch out with my dad
yum! fajitas I had out to eat with my dad
This beautiful wood trim:
wood trim on an old building I saw with my dad
Those may not seem like miracles, but they are to me. Doing anything with my dad, after losing my momma, is a gift that feels like a miracle.
I haven’t been writing on here. With all this talk about fall, I’ve been squeezing in as much summer as I can.
If there was a bus between seasons, I’d be the last one on the bus to autumn. I LoVe, love, love summer!!
Every day for weeks, I’ve been in our pool. They say vitamin D can be soaked up from the sun, I’ve been getting my share, ha ha.
Labor Day came and went with a day spent bowling, a day trip to Arkansas, and two days by the pool.
And, to top off all this squeezing in summer?
A county fair yesterday!
Ferris Wheel
view from Ferris Wheel
these made me laugh!
sunset at the fair
see all those boxes? potatoes!
those potato boxes belong here
yum!!!
We rode the carnival rides. On one, for some reason, I laughed the entire ride! I could not stop laughing!!
this ride made me laugh!
We watched the demolition derby, too. It’s crazy how those cars get all banged up!
loved that a car was pink!
love Ferris Wheels at night
We had a wonderful time! In the next few weeks, there are two more fairs we are going to. Take a few steps backwards Fall, we’re not quite done with summer yet! Most are, of course, but we aren’t. Ha ha.
Seems like all I’ve been doing is writing about loss and grief.
Here’s the thing I’m learning though. I can go through a loss AND live my life, too. Just because I had a loss, it doesn’t mean I’m *required* to be sad all the time.
In fact, I’m not sad all the time. Sometimes? Yes. All the time? No. Remember my post, Switchbacks and Waves? Sadness and grief come in spurts.
So, back to the pretty cool thing.
My husband bowls. In fact, he’s a really good bowler. Have you ever seen those bowlers who can throw a ball, it almost hugs the gutter, then it suddenly curves over and knocks down all the pins?
He can do that.
He has been bowling in leagues for about nine years. One or two nights a week, he bowls.
Me?
I only bowl maybe once a month, when we go as a family. My balls are usually in the gutter, ha ha, and when I do bowl, it’s straight down the middle, I hope.
Several weeks ago my husband super gigantically surprised me when he asked me if I would consider being in a league.
Like, a bowling league. I about fell over! I was so honored that he asked.
Then, approximately two seconds later, the questions started kicking in:
Wait, I’m not very good! Who would want to be on MY team?
Is there pressure? Because I don’t want any pressure if I’m not doing well.
How long is it? What if we sign up and it’s too long?
Me? Are you sure? (Is what I was thinking)
Turns out he does want me on his team, there is no pressure because it’s just for fun, and it is long, thirty six weeks, but it’s one night a week.
Heck yeah, sign me up.
We live in a tiny town and to get to the bowling alley we like, it’s fifty miles one way. So, about a hundred miles one night a week. Sounds like a lot, but it’s totally worth it.
It’ll be family time, a chance to make new friends, and it’s something we can do together.
Bonus?
It’s by a lake!!!
Last night we went up there and bowled. I did pretty decent and my husband and son did great. We even got to meet some of the league bowlers we’ll be bowling with in a couple weeks. It was really fun.
About sunset, we went over to the lake. My goodness, it was so beautiful. Sooooooo beautiful. And, so quiet. We just sat there and watched the fish jump and the sky change.
Afterwards, we found a really nice Mexican restaurant and had a wonderful meal.
Tuesday, the first week of September, OUR league starts. Our! How cool is that?
Me, is included in that our!
Even with gutter balls and very up and down scores, I get to be on a team!
We are back home in Missouri and absolutely loved our trip. It’s interesting how visiting family can lead to different places on the road.
Four years ago, my husband’s job moved us from southwest Missouri to the opposite corner of our state. The significance? It added three extra travel hours to my parent’s house in northwest Missouri, which changed it from five hours to eight.
We just spent eleven days on roads and land I’ve been going to all my life. We passed through a couple of big cities, but my heart belongs to the rural backroads of tiny places that are nearly a blip on a map.
Being at my parent’s house, brought me a sweet peace I can hardly explain. It didn’t make the missing of my momma any less, but it certainly did bring me lots of comfort seeing her things and being in a space she loved dearly.
On my other blog, Jeweled Again by Jessica, I have been sharing posts about my aunt Karen and my great aunt Esther. Esther is the reason we left dad’s and headed for Iowa.
Esther is my momma’s aunt and she is 103 years old. Esther has been an important part of my life for many years. When she turned 100, my boy and I made an eleven hour trip to go to her birthday party.
The pandemic canceled her 101st birthday party, but we were at her 102nd. This year we were late to her 103rd. It was in May, we arrived in August, but you know what? She didn’t care about that. She welcomed us with a huge smile and kind words.
Esther lives in Spirit Lake, Iowa and moved there in 1952. She and her husband rented out lake cottages back then and had their cottages open for 26 years.
If you’ve ever been to northwest Iowa in the winter, you’ll understand how cold and snowy their winters are. Her and her husband started going to Texas in the 1960’s winters. While there, she started doing ceramics.
You know how much I love and miss my momma, well, Esther is the same. I think my momma’s loss touched her in ways I may not quite comprehend. She was 27 when my momma was born in a rural Iowa farmhouse. Of all the people still on this planet, she knew my momma the longest.
I think us being together, soothed both of our hearts. And, family does that sometimes, you know? When the missing of someone is so huge, it seems like just seeing someone else who knew them too, can help.
Esther’s husband passed away over 40 years ago and a year ago March, she lost Patty, her only daughter. She and Patty lived together in a story book type house since 1979. After Patty passed, Esther decided to sell their house and moved into a very nice assisted living place. That’s where we visited her.
Esther loves frogs, this is outside her door
a shelf of Esther’s things, outside her door
cookies my son and I got from a bakery for Esther’s assisted living nurses and staff
where Esther and Patty lived from 1979 to 2021
pictures on the top shelf are of her 103 birthday, the third shelf down middle one is her wedding picture
the pillow we sent Esther for her birthday
What a heart-filling trip we had. Spending time with my dad, yard sailing with my sister, seeing Kate, Diann, and Karen on the way to Spirit Lake, being with Esther, AND making special traveling memories with my son was exactly what I needed.
Unmeasured Journeys 