JULY IS ALMOST OVER..!! What happened to all my big plans? Grandma Camp started off with such promise -- I had a long list of places we were going to go this summer...things we were going to do...it seemed like we had all the time in the world.
I just can't let the summer go by without planning at least ONE ROAD TRIP...
So, I called my young friend Anne, in Cedar Rapids. That's about 90 minutes from here.
Anne and Sarah came to see the Ya Ya show in Beaver Dam in May...so Lilly has already met Sarah
We made a checklist of things we needed to do:
Clean the car
get money
get gas
print a map
Have Garmin
Go shopping (in the basement) for some gifts
We packed up a basket-o-goodies (Sarah has a twin brother, Sam)
We gassed up at our favorite convenience store...
THAT IS BACON PIZZA, PEOPLE..!!
After one hour, we stopped at another Casey's for donuts (coffee for me)...
Sarah and Anne had made a plan for our day. The Girls are ready to go...
Can you guess what they're doing??
It's SKY ZONE -- the indoor trampoline jumping place. AMAZING...
Anne and I sat upstairs, where we could always see what the girls were doing...they had SUCH A GREAT TIME...
Really -- you've got to love a place with a sense of humor...!!
Marion arrived on a Tuesday night. And Wednesday was going to be our IOWA day.
We went to
breakfast with John at his favorite little country joint.Argo...
Welcome to Iowa. This was a $5 breakfast...their fried potatoes are AMAZING...
Then -- over to visit my friend Sue on her CENTURY FARM.
She gave Marion the tour of their beautifully restored farm house...
The upstairs kitchen has this pristine vintage stove!!
The NEWEST addition to the farm is Sue's little potting shed
One of these days, I'll be sewing a curtain to go below the counter...it will be 19 feet long...
We went into LeClaire for a quick trip around ARTWorks. Marion bought a great little knit dress, and I got a long black vest.
Kim and Ronda came over to visit with Marion out on the porch, and then cousin Linda called and said she was on her way out. We made another quick trip back to ARTWorks, as Marion wanted to take a better look at their unique selection of clothes.
That night, I made Tabbouleh salad (Helen Farro's recipe) and a loaf of cheesy olive bread (thanks, Ree Drummond). We ate on the porch and watched the hummingbirds. The next day -- we would be leaving for our WISCONSIN ROAD TRIP...
At first -- when my review of Jim and Linda's didn't come up on the Yelp website, I thought it was because it had to be approved by somebody. Huh? Then, life gets pretty busy around here -- and I put it out of my mind.
Every now and then, I'd check back -- but my review was never there.
THEN, in a moment of epiphany, I realized my review WAS there, but because I was NOT a "Recommended Reviewer", it wasn't actually posted.
Hummm...I did a little digging on the Yelp website -- and found this explanation.
NOW I GET IT. I wrote one negative review -- so their algorithm probably thinks I am getting an acrimonious divorce from the owner. If I had written only one RAVE review -- they would believe I was having sex with the owner.
OF COURSE...so, all I need to do to become a "Recommended Reviewer" -- is write some other reviews??
So, last month, I started to write Yelp reviews. Lilly and I are both getting quite a kick out of this new activity.
I am happy to report that one week ago -- my very negative review of Jim and Linda's finally came up on their page. Six people have declared it "useful".
This is the story of why I had to become a Yelp reviewer...
John's birthday is in August, and we usually do a little day tripping through Wisconsin.
Last year was John's 70th birthday, and we wanted to do something special...so we planned a THREE day cheese tour...
Wisconsin is a beautiful state to drive through. Charming small towns, lovely countryside, interesting cheese factories. So, we drove 5 hours to stay in Fondu lac. We wanted to have his special birthday dinner at Jim and Linda's Supper Club. We fondly remembered a wonderful dinner we enjoyed there many years ago.
Sadly -- the meal was a huge disappointment. There were so many things wrong with that restaurant -- I decided to write my first YELP review. Here it is:
Written in August, 2014: We arrived early (to beat the big crowd). Sadly -- the crowd never materialized And -- I think I know why.... The clam chowder (served in small cups) was watery and tasteless.
The salad was a small serving of wet lettuce on a flat plate, with a single piece of rock hard tomato and one slice of cucumber.
The breadbasket was three grocery store rolls...unremarkable in every way...
YIKES... My husband ordered his prime rib medium rare. It arrived lukewarm yet strangely overcooked. Toughest piece of meat he ever chewed...and chewed...and chewed...
His twice-baked potato looked like a frozen food product and it had no flavor. I ordered the BBQ ribs -- and they were stale and awful. Boiled (two days earlier) would be my best guess. Reheated in the microwave, the bottled sauce was poured on top -- but the bottom of the ribs was a very unappetizing gray color. I am sorry to say this must now go down as one of the WORST meals we ever ate....and, at $75...it was expensive as well as mostly inedible. Our waitress was a lovely young girl who couldn't have cared less that we were disappointed in the food. I sincerely doubt anybody connected with Jim and Linda's Supper Club will read this review. From the look of the place -- the outdated interior and the unkempt exterior -- it's been going downhill for quite awhile -- maybe nobody is really in charge any more. It's a pity...
*********
However, my review was not posted to the Yelp website...so I went on a mission to understand why not....the thing is -- I don't give up...Really. These people do not know who they are dealing with...
In this area, there are MANY, MANY groups doing plays during the summer. On a recent weekend, I had all this to choose from -- all these shows are less than an hour from my house:
Clinton Showboat (15 miles) was doing "Sussical the Musical".
Eldridge High school (10 miles away), the local community theater group was doing "Big Fish".
Circa 21 Children's Theater (20 miles) How I Became A Pirate
Circa 21 professional troup was doing The Sound of Music
Ohnward Fine Arts Center (40 miles) Bingo, the Musical
Walcott Colisium (30 miles) Becky and the Ivanhoe Dutchman
Timberlake Productions
was doing Peter Pan
SO -- WHAT SHOW DID I CHOOSE??
Here's a photo hint...
Lillian LOVED our one-time accidental Bingo game. I thought it sounded like a winner.
And I was anxious to attend something at the Ohnward Center in Maquoketa, Iowa
We recently discovered this place when the TMBC had lunch with Carol Bodensteiner...
I WISH I HAD TAKEN A PICTURE of the lobby before the show! There was a wonderful assortment of homemade cookies and bars -- really?? What a terrific way to begin our outing, eh? Lilly was delighted...and so was I. It's a good day when you can start your adventure with dessert first...
But I DID TAKE A PICTURE of their fabulous ladies rest room. ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
Really. This bathroom was as big as some stadiums I've been in...and SPOTLESS, TOO...
From their website:
The Ohnward Fine Arts Center belongs to the people of Maquoketa. This 29,800 square foot performing arts center was built entirely with private donations, a Vision Iowa grant program and with Gary Drew leading volunteer labor. More than 900 families, individuals and businesses donated financial assistance, volunteered their labor and loaned or donated equipment and materials to complete the project.
The Ohnward Fine Arts Center of Maquoketa officially opened in December of 2004. With the help of over 95,000 volunteer hours and $900,000 in little and big donations, the community of Maquoketa built this state-of-the-art Ohnward Fine Arts Center without the use of a single city or school tax dollar.
YOU GO, Maquoketa!!
AND -- hey -- thanks for a WONDERFUL TIME. We'll be back, that's for sure!!
My TMBC. Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club. Many years ago, we started off as a once a month book club. There used to be more of us...and we all loved talking about the books we were reading. But, what we enjoyed even more was talking about our lives...sharing the ups and downs...doing what we call the "download".
As we entered retirement, we realized we were free to do this thing ONCE A WEEK...
Yes...we are lucky, lucky girls...
This is my best picture of the four of us.
We are a pretty artsy fartsy bunch...Linda was into collage at this point...
We do day trips...here we are at a local quilt show.
One of our founding members. Jackie made my favorite zebra purse!! It was a show and tell that week...and she will be visiting for a few weeks. (be sure to bring your new sew and tell along, babe)...
Sandy loves to do cards...
And quilts...
Linda is also a very persnickety seamstress. This is a poor picture of a GREAT jeans bag...
And THIS is the child-size apron she made with Lilly's name on it...
Last week, I brought ACTUAL PATTERNS for my sew and tell. Wha???
