4-5-2016 AMES, IA

The Kraus family festivities, which spanned 7 days for this girl, have drawn to a close.  It began and ended with bratwurst, sauerkraut and beer, and in between were sprinkled a lot of funny stories, jibing and politically incorrect, irreverent, occasionally x-rated razz-ma-taz.  Thank goodness for Confession!

Standing from L:  Swede, Linda, Bootsie, Bill, Carol, Larry, Beep,
 Dixie, Karen, Rob, Ray, George
Sitting from L:  Captain Bill, Patty, Lindy

The Midwest weather was typically all over the map:  sun, clouds, freezing temperatures and as we left town today, cold wind, rain, slushy snow and a bit of sleet.  The locals shrug and deal with it, running around in shirt sleeves.  “Hey, it’s April.  It’s supposed to be warm.  We can’t help it if it’s snowing!” 

Lindy on a side trip to Stillwater, MN
"So this is April in Minnesota..."

Rob and I personally miss sunny and dry.  Speaking of weather, our first stop on the return leg of this trip is Ames, Iowa.  Of note, the team name at Iowa State is “Cyclones.”  Fortunately, we are passing through at, shall we say, a “non-Cyclone” time of year.  Snowflakes, OK.  Cyclones not so much.

I pointed out to Spouse, “Gee, we bought a truck and drove 4,100 miles to retrieve 24 cents worth of junk from the farm!”  Ultimately, a worthy endeavor.  In the back bed, the precious cargo includes my childhood snow sled, the baton my big brother Bill gave me for my birthday, my brothers’ bows and arrows and hockey sticks, a wheel from our wooden buggy, our red Radio Flyer wagon and the family’s first record player.  We found on the spindle two little yellow plastic records, “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” and “I Taut I Taw A Puddy-Tat.”  Absolutely worthless and meaningless throwaways to some.  For me, these are little scraps of my childhood and gold-plated playtime with my brothers and sisters, things without which my story line would be incomplete.  These artifacts must have plucked a few of my brother Larry’s strings because, toward the end of the week end, more boxes materialized.  Now my treasures include my Dad’s prayer book and pictures of Gramma and Grampa Voitik and Great Aunt Kate.  I return home the richer.

Among the artifacts is an old football.  My big brother Dick (aka “George,” another long story) had a country paper route, as all my brothers did at one time or another.  In the Fall, the leaves on the two big maples in the front yard turned orange and red.  After school, in the late afternoon, we Three Little Kids would sit on the front stoop tossing the football from hand-to-hand and watch for Dick to come riding his bike toward home on the last leg of his paper route. 

The 3 Little Kids:  Larry, Lin and Mar

Dick doing the paper route accounting, 1959

When he turned into the yard, we’d yap like puppies until he would play football with us in the chill wind with the colorful leaves flying about.  We’d scream and giggle because he would run the length of the “field (the front yard)” with three little rats clinging to his legs trying to tackle him.  It was impossible.  He was just too big! 

Lindy, Larry and Marlene,
The Three Little Kids

Naturally, when we had the ball, he could gather all of us up in one grab and that was the end of those downs!  We played until the sun, or we, dropped.  What a good sport my big brother was!  Yes, that football will stay with me.

On the ISU campus, the Iowa House, now a bed and breakfast, is on the Historic Register.  It was originally the Delta Chi Frat House built in 1924.  What a gorgeous residence!  I’m pretty sure that if I had lived in a place like this when I was in college,

Iowa House

party-time would have far outweighed diploma-time.  There is a lot of dark wood, a beautiful fireplace, sofas and other beautiful furniture in the drawing room.  We are on the third floor in the “loft,” which has rafters and a spiral staircase up to a second bedroom. 

Rob in the loft room at Iowa House

Our room is furnished with an old secretary that could not be used because it was in disrepair.  The youngster (an ISU student) furnished us with screwdrivers and a bucket of screws and we made it functional.

Engineers fix the secretary

Tonight we ate where the locals eat:  The Hickory Park Restaurant Company.  This restaurant began 46 years ago and it is huge, with the capability of serving 450 guests at a whack.  The chefs smoke about 20,000 lb. of pork, chicken, turkey and beef per week.  Just amazing, delicious and a fantastic way to end our day in Cyclone Alley.