Back to Iowa to visit family

Hi neighbors. I've spent this last week in Des Moines, Iowa, visiting my daughter's family. The weather was a little cooler than here in Nevada. As usual, I had a wonderful time visiting and spending time with my granddaughter and son-in-law as well as my daughter!

My daughter has become an experimental cook and cooks up some great dishes! I must have gained at least 5 pounds! But we did more than eat. My son-in-law was visited by his brother who was there for a couple of days on route to meet more family. Talk about their shared childhood was great to hear. I love family stories about places families lived, school days, vacations, etc. It reminded me of days on my grandmother's porch hearing of family tales.

During our trip to Des Moines I discovered a new and unique place to buy books! That's always a treat for me. These little books were about old songs with lyrics and music. A great find.

My granddaughter went on an adventure finding things and places to photograph for a school project. Her digital photos looked great and told a tale about the Iowa State Fair fairgrounds: both the related history and current architectural sites. A very good job on her part! And her teacher agreed.

Although I'm writing this before the trip home, we hope to stop at the Jesse James Family Farm and Museum in Kearney on our way back to Missouri. I've always been interested in the James family and hope to learn more about the genealogy of that family's bloodline. Doing a search on one of several websites about the James farm and museum I learned that the house where Jesse and his brother Frank grew up is reported to be haunted! Lights have been seen moving about inside the house among other things. I'm not sure if we will find any ghostly or paranormal activity; but I'll take lots of photos and let you know if any spooky things are evident. I also hope to find a genealogy report on his family. Some of you may know that Jesse's older brother, Frank, lived here in Nevada for a time after he settled down. He enjoyed an honest lifestyle while here and worked at a local retailer. I think it will be a lot of fun to see the old home place of the James family anyway, haunted or not.

I certainly enjoy being with my family; either my daughter and her family in Iowa or my son and his wife here in Nevada. Family ties are important.

Don't forget to honor and remember those of your own family who have passed away. May is the month to do that and with Memorial Day just around the corner, we all need to revisit our departed family members. If you can't go to a cemetery to visit them, spend time showing your children pictures of their ancestors and tell them about how they lived and what the accomplished.

Just after Memorial Day, Tuesday, May 31, is the next meeting of the Creative Writers Group. I hope to see some new members. We are growing slowly but surely. Our group focuses on celebrating creativity in all forms and encouraging writers to keep writing.

Until the next time friends, enjoy the nice days and keep busy on the rainy days. We will soon be missing the rain and cool air!