The Huxley House

Adam took a detour off the RAGBRAI route yesterday...

he wanted to see our old house in Huxley.

She's still there, looking unchanged~~except for the two big trees that once stood

 in the front yard. They've been replaced with new ones.

Note: RAGBRAI stands for the Des Moines

Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa...

this is its 39th year...

.from west to east, river to river.

Adam rode just one day, the leg from Boone to Altoona.

He also visited Kelley where we once lived in the parsonage...

the house doesn't appear to be a parsonage anymore.

He called Kimberly from the Kelley phone booth.

Yep, the town of Kelley has a phone booth.

Right downtown :)

They're Out to Lunch

After a couple hours of morning football camp,

 handsome dudes, Hunter and Blake, meet up with their Mom on Walnut Street.

Hunter's pointing out the window where Mom works.

(I love how their hands come together...brothers.)

We walk to DJango's, just around the corner.

Hunter orders the Omelette du Jour,

substituting green beans for the French fries that come with it.

Blake's entree is "the BEST

Mac 'n Cheese in town".

The boys top it off with a shared dish of vanilla bean gelato.

Django's is part of the old Fort Des Moines Hotel

so there are a few ancient-looking things around.

Living on the Edge

Landon's newest BF is cousin Mady.

Inseparable for naps.

Adorable.

Cars, Trains, and Boats, Oh MY!!

This is Landon's first day at Adventureland.

Well, actually he attended last year in a stroller~~he was about two months old.

 This year the free Adventureland tickets I always receive from the

Meredith Corporation went to the newest Jerdee family.

 On Meredith Day, everyone from the company can enter the park

an hour earlier than the other amusement park attendees.

Parking ticket, picnic lunches, and all rides for free.

Nice work benefits, I say!

So here are a few shots Adam sent via his Blackberry:

A face painter at the park gave Landon a tattoo.

Dad shows him the ropes for riding...

....then he does a little back seat driving.

Solo boating...

Mom and Landon.

Water park, anyone?

Birthday Bash at the Clubhouse

Amy and Dave hosted a dinner party featuring drinks, salads, pizzas (duck, smokehouse, taco), and red velvet cupcakes for a combination birthday party featuring Kim and Allen. It was a good chance to catch up on all the family news. Kim and Adam just returned from exploring the North Shore, Allen enjoyed a reunion with his sibs in northern Minnesota, and the Underwoods have moved past their water leak in the irrigation system and a television set that blew up. They've had more than their share of house problems in the last month!

We dined al fresco in the "gazebo."

Big, cushy chairs, long table, and flowering plants...we had the whole place mostly to ourselves.

Landon wanted to break loose. Exploring the swimming pool area adjacent to the gazebo seemed like a better option than listening to adult conversation.

We liked the chef's cupcake style...no wrappers to deal with and they were frosted on the bottom to keep from slipping around on the tray :)

Jerdees gather before the Fourth...

Jeff and Kathy, their sons, Jim &  Joel, and grandaughter, Isabel, came to Minnesota from Alaska.

The trip was made for a memorial service of Jeff's mother in Bemidji.

However, it was an opportunity for Jon, Mavis, and Allen to reconnect with them...Jon hosted a fish fry from his home in Northome.

Here are a couple family shots from last week.

 Jon, (Allen's brother); Mavis, (Jon's wife); Allen

(left to right) Joel, Isabel, Jim, Kathy, Jeff, Jon, Allen

Jon's new dog, Kate

Just the right size...

Landon found an old Norwegian chair outside a Norske restaurant

somewhere along the North Shore.

They're back from vacation but Landon took a fall today

 and chipped his two beautiful new front teeth.