Nebraska

We spent a lot of last week in Little Creek campground on the border of Iowa and Nebraska.  A short drive south took us to the Platte River State Park; another very pretty park where we saw a wild turkey and a couple of empty teepees.

The Teepee Village was very picturesque and available for camping… but with it so hot there were no Indian wannabes.

 

Iowa

We had to drive the car and motorhome separately for a while, till we got the car set up to be towed. (Is a Suburban a car or a truck? Comments?)  As we were driving, I commented to Cherryl following in the car/truck (by hands free cell phone) how beautiful the farmland scenes were.  She replied with far less enthusiasm than I obviously  had.  I was thinking the cornfields rolling over the gentle hills were gorgeous.  Later, once the car/truck was being towed behind our Fudge Ripple, she said she could see what I’d been talking about… “The view is much better from the motorhome!”  Sitting higher gives a view over the tops of crops and lets you see the shape of the countryside.  Maybe even as high as an elephant’s eye! A great way to travel!

Cherryl eyeing Soybeans…

Tasseling

We have learned a lot about Tasseling… it seems that at exactly the right time, thousands of school kids and maybe retired folks work extremely long, hard hours ripping the tassels off of corn plants.  While this might sound like vandalism, it is a necessary step in the production of hybrid seed corn.  Only certain select cornstalks are allowed to keep their tassels and pollinate the pretty little silks of the growing corn kernels.

Nice scenery for morning walks…

 

Minnesota

Midweek we made it to our daughter’s home north of Minneapolis.  Great to see the family!

Thursday evening the city of Champlin had a “Touch a Truck” event.  Tons of the city and county trucks (really, MANY tons!) were on display, and kids were encouraged to climb on them.  And not only climb, but honk horns, turn on lights, and even (if you’re a little boy) rub your hands on greasy tractor parts! (guess how we know that!)

Dayna got in the ambulance, but wouldn’t get in the patient’s stretcher…

This was not a “brief” case!

Everything from Ambulance to Zamboni!  Hummers, tractors and tracked toys, blades and backhoes, firetrucks and a fireboat, mega mowers and snowblowers, police cars and even police horses! Great fun for all of us kids!

Even more fun than “Truck Touching” was having my other daughter and grandkids come from Washington!  Now the whole family is here, except poor Loren who has to work a few more days.  He’ll be with us mid next week however…

Breakfast Banana Splits

How cool is that! Build your own Breakfast Banana Split, with many yogurts, granolas, berries, nuts etc… Fantastic!

 

L’More Chocolate Shop

An afternoon trip to the cute shop where Becky works as a chocolatier.  So many awesome delightful chocolates!  Rather difficult to get 4 grandkids to decide on what they want now and later… and keep track of all the exotic flavors of truffles!  We left with raspberry, elderberry, peach, key lime, peanut butter, peppermint, and apricot truffles!  Life is Good!