A different way of life

     It’s always interesting, entertaining and fun to have family around from out of state, especially from a different part of the country.

     Over the Fourth of July holiday, into the weekend, and early last week we had extended family here in Iowa from Arizona for my sister’s wedding. My mom, my sister and her new husband, and I took turns showcasing the best of what Iowa has to offer.

     In the desert of Arizona, my cousins don’t get the chance to go fishing, so that was a Midwest pastime we introduced them to, including night fishing. They also went kayaking on the Maquoketa River south of Lake Delhi.

     The last time my cousin Jason was back in Iowa it was April. The crop fields were empty; it was a bit too early in the season to plant corn or soybeans. Jason is a film buff, not unlike myself, and wanted to see the Field of Dreams movie site. I think those of us in Iowa take tourist spots like the Field of Dreams in Dyersville for granted. But that April, we went out to the movie site, but it just wasn’t the same, showing it off to a Southwesterner without the tall corn to walk through out on to the ball field. This time, however, the corn was taller than expected, so we got to walk out of the corn like the Ghost Players in the movie. My cousins got a kick out of that.

     We also took them to Dubuque to see the Mississippi River Walk, the river museum, and more.

     Jason also loves history like I do, namely presidential history. So, the Hoover Presidential Library and Museum was a must-see. While I toured the museum last fall, it was worth the experience with a fellow history buff. Jason has been to quite a few presidential museums, trips I’d like to add to my bucket list.

     While we were in West Branch, it seemed a waste not to take my cousins to Iowa City for the college life and Coralville for a Zombie Burger.

     We fit a lot, plus a wedding, into a week’s time!

     It was also interesting to introduce them to our life here in Iowa. They thought it was funny to hear us say “pop” versus “soda.” Not having a grocery store, drug store or much of anything in some of our small towns was an oddity to our Arizona family. (They stayed in Earlville with my sister and asked about getting to the store… 15-20 minutes in the next town.)

     Stoplights is commonplace in the big cities in Arizona, as is constant highway and interstate traffic. Earlville has stop signs and one blinking traffic light, but technically no stoplights. When I was driving back from Iowa City/Coralville on Interstate 380, I remarked about the traffic. Apparently Iowa interstate traffic is nothing compared to Phoenix interstate traffic.

     Another big adjustment for our family was 55 mph roads. And let’s face it, most of us are probably going slightly above 55 mph, but apparently that’s still slow-moving.

     While I wasn’t born in Iowa, or the Midwest for that matter, over the years I’ve definitely adapted to the ways of life here. I consider myself an Iowan for sure. It’s rather fascinating to see your “home” from others’ perspective.