Outsider on the Inside
November 2009
On any given weekday around lunchtime, downtown Des Moines is bustling. Of course, you can’t see it from the street. All the action is up three stories high.
October 2009
This past weekend, my taste buds had the pleasure of encountering spices and textures normally reserved for travels outside of Iowa, and even outside the country.
September 2009
Last weekend, I was strolling through the annual Beaverdale Fall Festival, and there was Peter Fonda. And a full-on film crew.
My indefatigable neighbor, a 73-year-old retired Marine and Army man, serves as our local forecaster. He regularly consults the almanac and spends a good portion of each day watching cable news and The Weather Channel. We have come to trust his predictions, and last week he told us it would be a long, cold winter.
This Saturday marks the much-anticipated football matchup between the beloved Iowa Hawkeyes and the beloved Iowa State Cyclones.
August 2009
Before my family and I moved to Iowa three years ago, I was encouraged by a co-worker back in California to take full advantage of the Iowa State Fair.
July 2009
I don’t want to be a cyber gossip, but I can’t help it. What I have to divulge may not even be considered gossip. Are rumors gossip? I will call it expounding on a rumor. Now brace yourself, this is a doozie.
In honor of RAGBRAI—The Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa—pedaling through south-central Iowa this week, I will focus this week’s column on bicycles and things I don’t understand.
It was a perfect day in Iowa. Sunshine, slight breeze, live local music, ample space to sprawl out on the green grass, local beer, and all of it surrounded by art.
June 2009
I feel good supporting a business that is an endangered species. I am making a statement that it is important for my family and me to invest in quality, local products, even though it may cost a dollar or so more at the checkout stand.
Since I moved here from California three years ago almost to the day, I have learned how, when living in Iowa, not only does the weather dictate your life, but also you must plan ahead. That means, hourly checking of the weather online. And, even when the weather.com icon shows clear skies in the current forecast, it could be raining outside in real time.
