Hodge Podge

My oldest daughter turned 15 and wanted to spend the day with a few friends at a state amusement park that has been around forever. I have memories of going to it nearly five decades ago. Some things has changed but the wooden rollercoaster ride in the background was one I rode on as a kid. I couldn't help but ponder the millions of dollars in lumber it now holds in todays lumber market.

One thing that has changed is that they now rent cabanas in the water park portion of the park. Since the three teenage girls obviously didn't want a dad with them all the time (and truth be told I lost them within 15 minutes of our arrival), I rented one for the first time along with a lunch shown above. I could sit in the cabana on a comfortable chair, under a ceiling fan and spend my day reading while the girls did their thing and stopped by once in awhile for food, drinks or to change into their swimsuits. It was hands down, my favorite trip there outside of when I was a kid and actually liked to ride the rides.

If  you noticed a shortage of comments on your blog a couple weeks back, that was because my brother stopped by for a visit for several days and since my office is the spare bedroom when I fold the murphy bed down, I don't have access to my computer and I don't own a tablet. Thus my internet time was cut to zero for a few days. During that time, my brother and I did some work on the farm, visited our grandmother in the nursing home and drove around checking the crops. Above is a cornfield and it just struck me as classic SE Iowa so I took a picture. 


 We vastly expanded our garden this year and part of the reason is to just try a lot of things to see what works. Above is a kohlrabi plant that seems to be doing really well. We like eating shredded kohlrabi in summer salads. We did a lot more work in our garden but we were so pooped at the end of the day, I neglected to take any pictures but the one above. I hope to do better next time.

Comments

  1. Like you, I used to like amusement parks, but when I last went when I was ~40, I didn't want to go again afterward.

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    1. My inner ears can't handle even the mildest of rides anymore.

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  2. In general, amusement parks took a huge leap forward when they figured out waiting places for parents was a good idea. I have not been to one in some years and frankly, perhaps outside one more visit to the Mothership of Amusement Parks, the Big Mouse, have no desire to go. Too many people, too many lines.

    Thank you for sharing the corn picture. The Ravishing Mrs. TB's family is from that area and we have been back to visit a few times. It is not a landscape I grew up with and I certainly enjoyed rows and rows of corn.

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    1. I have no desire to go to the Big Mouse. We almost did once out of proximity but when we checked the webpage it said expect wait times of over an hour just to use a restroom! We went airboating and checking out crocodiles instead.

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    2. One thing I have talked about with The Ravishing Mrs. TB is that when everyone is gone to college, we go again. At that point, we can go any time during the year and maximize the least amount of people there.

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  3. Boy, time flies. I can't believe your oldest is now 15. The cabana rental idea is genius.

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  4. I haven't been to an amusement park since our kids were little. Sigh...
    We are talking about going to Disneyland with the whole family when we celebrate our 50th anniversary in a couple of years. Your cabana sounded like the PERFECT idea!
    I'm so glad you got to spend that precious time with your brother. But WOW! That's a huge field!!!

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    1. We enjoy each other's company these days.

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  5. I had to laugh at myself because at first I thought the domed container was a covered ride - with hamburger seats.

    Glad you are still blogging - but I am also sad that I didn't have time to catch up backwards from your oldest posts.

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    1. Me too, but I think it is for the best.

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  6. I haven't grown kohlrabi for a long time. In fact, I had forgotten about it.

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    1. I have never had the stuff until last year so it is all new to me.

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  7. I hope you took at least one ride on that roller coaster--it looks like a classic! Sounds like you had a nice time at the park and with your brother.

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    1. I did not. Several years ago, we came here with my wife's family and I made the mistake of riding just a little kiddie rollercoaster with my youngest and that was enough to leave me feeling a bit green.

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  8. That amusement park visit sounds right up my alley. My town does have the state fair and a wooden roller coaster, which I don't ride since I'm both motion sick and fearful of heights. I love kohlrabi!

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    1. It is a nice "local" feeling park that is easy to navigate so we tend to go every couple years with our kids.

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  9. I don't believe I have ever tasted kohlrabi. Perhaps that will be my new thing next year. This years experiment is dried beans, black and navy.

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    1. You should try it. I'm sure it will grow well out your way. I want to do some dried beans as well but all our beans were a bust this year due to the cold wet spring.

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  10. Am I missing something or have you cut away your blog history going right back to 2004? Seems quite drastic. Glad you had a good day out in your private cabana.

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    1. I have them backed up but they are no longer accessible to the general public.

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    2. Glad to hear that it hasn't all been deleted. It's the story of your life over the last seventeen years.

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  11. It’s great when you can take your child somewhere and she’s old enough to be on her own, while you’re still nearby if you’re needed. That’s when the “physical” part of being a parent gets a little easier.

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    1. It certainly does. I felt quite fresh by the end of the day compared to the other times when I've been completely worn down.

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  12. What a great idea! We used to go to an amusement park in Ohio, when I was a kid, that had the same kind of wooden roller coaster. I think I would definitely opt for the cabana these days. I always feel that things are right with the world, when I see a field of corn. It takes me back to my childhood.

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    1. I wasn't the only one with the same thoughts judging by other cabanas I could see.

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  13. Is that amusement park in or near Des Moines? My brother and his family lived there in the 50's, and we sometimes visited an amusement park there. I can't remember the name of it, but it was a big one. I recall we could pay some guy to take us under a bridge and back on whatever river that is, and that was actually my favorite ride there! I remember a big wooden roller coaster, but I wouldn't get on anything that scary at the time.

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