Making Hay

Having had enough (for now) of Canada, it was time to head south for the good old USA. We crossed the border at Pembina just west of Minnesota in North Dakota. Passing through US Customs was a bit more difficult than the Canadian counterpart. Where it took us only 30 seconds to pass into Canada, it took around 20 minutes for the US inspection. We had a small problem with the agriculture inspector. She decided to take my lemons I had brought from our tree in San Diego. I told her I understood and it was ok, but she seemed to need to provide an explanation. She explained that it was really California’s fault. Oh well. I talked with a guy from Texas and it took him over 2 hours to clear. Seems they were sure they would find guns or ammo somewhere in his trailer. California, fruits and vegetables. Texas, guns and ammo, go figure.

Iowa, You Make Me Laugh – Well to be honest, the slogan is (or was, I guess they changed it for some reason) ”Iowa, you make me smile”. Iowa is my home or at least it was for the first 20 years of my life. Most of my family still lives here and we are enjoying see everyone. We are camped at Whispering Oaks RV park in Story City which is pretty much in the center of the state. It’s less than 2 miles to my Moms place so it’s quite convenient.

In Memory of Raymond Sellers – Ray was my step-dad for the past 20 years. When we arrived here in Iowa on Thursday July 12th, he had been admitted into a hospice house. He passed away on Sunday afternoon with most of his family around him. Having no kids from his first marriage, he always called us his “ready made family”. He was 90 years old, led a full life and was ready to meet his Lord.

Summer Evening in the Park – One of my fondest memories of growing up here in Iowa is enjoying the band concerts in the park on a warm summer evening. Last night I had the opportunity to show Mellie what Iowa is all about; a free concert in the park with the band playing John Phillip Sousa and other favorites. Not only was the concert free but they had free ice cream and cookies as well. But there’s more to it than just that. Imagine it was over 95 degrees with super high humidity for the past week. The night before it rained buckets. On the night of the concert the weather was perfect, 80 degrees and no wind. So people came from everywhere to enjoy and take advantage of this rare summer evening. They may not have the perfect weather of Southern California very often but they know how to enjoy it when they do.

Road Revelation #7 – Make hay when the sun shines. My Dad use to always say that. As a young kid I merely took it literally and thought it was rather obvious, you sure can’t bale hay when it’s raining. But now I see what he really meant. Enjoy life’s moments as they come, don’t waste an opportunity to relish in a beautiful day. Take in that free concert in the park and make hay when the sun shines.