ISU Cheerleading
November 3rd, 2007
After spending years as a flyer with a private team, my younger sister Ashley started cheerleading for Iowa State University.
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Archive for the ‘Attractions’ Category
Island Park, Adel
September 8th, 2007
We went camping somewhere other than the Saylorville area this time. Island Park in Adel Iowa was a great alternative and just as close to Des Moines. Not to mention it’s right beside Adel, providing easy access to necessities.
Bonnie and Josh’s combined children show their superhero strength.
Richard got the rest of us in trouble with our significant others.
In case anyone wonders, my camera takes some good pictures. Luckily there’s no human intervention needed, it does it’s job then lets me know when it’s done. Now if I can only teach it to cook for me. But then again, my pans cook some really tasty food anyway.
We met this assumably remotely rural lad while he walked through our camp to get to the Raccoon river. He stood at our camp for a little while, telling us stories about his pa, ma, and other family members. After we couldn’t stand to hear any more we had to tell him to “run along now.” Nice kid, if not tear jerkingly boring. They must not have any neighbors or schools in his area. The kid sure can hold a fishing pole for a 8-hour shift, let me tell ya.
Island Park Adel, Electric Sites
The gals played the game telephone with the kids. Amusing.
Attractions, Greatest Hits, Nature, Night, Outdoor, Parties, People
National Balloon Classic
August 1st, 2007
I arrived at the National Balloon Classic in Indianola, IA (30 mins from downtown Des Moines) just in time to see the balloons heating up in preparation to fly.
More hot air balloons than you can shake a stick at, literally. Over 80 balloon pilots participated in this years event.
They have to try to catch a flag on this pole. Balloon pilots can only steer by adjusting altitude to catch different directional air streams. Even then it’s usually not possible to move more than a couple directions. Learn more.
I was shocked by the massive number of people that drove to Indianola on a Wednesday night to see the balloon classics. Although I can’t blame them, it’s something you have to see in person.
Night Glow, or “Nite Glow Extravaganza” according to National Balloon Classic lingo. All participating pilots attempt to simultaneously release gas into their balloons, making them glow in the twilight.
Tree birdhouse hot air balloon
Towards the end of the Night Glow (Nite Glow Extravaganza) the staff opens the gates, allowing spectators to visit with the balloon pilots and get a much closer look at these huge contraptions.
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo 2
July 28th, 2007
Continued from PAGE 1.
These water misters were a necessity as it was blistering hot this weekend.
This tiger reminded me of our cats Conquistador and Shnookums who are probably in the same pose back at home.
The lion kept licking his chops. Either we looked appetizing or he was expecting a meal soon. You could almost see the saliva flicking off his tongue.
Not a shabby place to call home.
Everyone was amazed by a loose squirrel that was running around. A couple people tried catching it as it sped by. Probably not a brilliant plan, nope.
Here’s the photo opp we’ve been waiting for.
Who’s in the cage, us or them?
This guy kept licking the lady’s finger.
The girls patiently wait as daddy takes pictures.
This one didn’t like something about me. He ran full speed across the yard and pounded with all his weight into the window I was at. He became a blur due to my quick hip-shot reaction and his speed. Check his eyes as he starred right into mine.
Hey, you got poo on your butt. Uhhh, nevermind, just kidding.
Spectacular views
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo 1
July 28th, 2007
Finally we made it to Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. Omaha is a great place for a very short vacation on a whim. No complex itineraries or transportation woes here. If you’re very quick you can see a majority of the zoo in a whole day, opening to close. You’ll likely want to spend another half or whole day exploring the historic Old Market area.
The animals run for cover and hide when we come around.
Strange birds
The desert decoration went well with the temperature this weekend.? It was about as hot as it was steamy.
The underwater tunnel was really neat, unfortunately everyone else seconds that.
Elk Horn Windmill
July 27th, 2007
We stopped in Elk Horn, IA to check out their authentic windmill. Elk Horn is the largest rural Danish community outside of Denmark. In two years the small town raised $100,000 and recruited 300 volunteers to locate, purchase, move and rebuild a windmill. This is what they found, shipped from Denmark in 1975. Shipping across the ocean alone costed $8,000 USD.
Under The Bridge
July 12th, 2007
? Came back for more shots of the bridge at Gray’s Lake.
The? tallest of the downtown buildings can be? seen in the background.
Grays Lake
July 7th, 2007
? Went to Gray’s Lake in the evening, to check out the fireworks from Principal Park, Following the Icubs game.? I’ll have to find a better spot next time.
The angle prevented me from capturing all? the colored lenses on the lights of the Grays Lake bridge.
Grimes Funtastic Days
July 6th, 2007
Grimes Funtastic Days was much more impressive than I was expecting considering the size of this suburb of a suburb.? Sam’s Amusements of Okemah, Oklahoma provided the rides and labor.? They also did Urbandales’ 4th of July fest, and I’m sure they had other cities booked not far away.
Bombs Bursting in Air
July 4th, 2007
These first pictures are a bit blurry, I didn’t want to annoy everyone with my flash.
We prefer Urbandales’ 4th of July fireworks over all the others in the area.? It’s one of the most popular in the metro.
North Forty
June 15th, 2007
? We went to North forty on the South side of Des Moines to play some mini golfing/putt putt.? This is still the best location to play in metro Des Moines.? Others have tried to compete but they fail in comparison.? They’re open late and it seems to me more fun to play after sun-down.? As a bonus, they’re BYOB, so you can drink on the course.
It’s really hard to take decent pictures and manage to play at the same time.? I was putting between shots instead of changing the necessary lighting and camera settings.? As a result almost all the pictures sucked.
Jester Park Camping
May 19th, 2007
Where’s Waldo?? We got a more scenic camping site at Jester Park this year.? It’s a lot more popular over here on the edge of the lake, but I thought it was worth it.? I got to play with my super-wide angle lens some more.? The girls weren’t impressed when they learned that they’ll look fat if they’re towards the edge of the frame.
? Roots
Richard and Brad found some “walking sticks.”? Richard came charging up a path to the lake with his stick.? This family didn’t find our antics to be very funny.? After we were done trespassing on their campsite, they resumed their impressions of skits from the Lawrence Welk Show.
? Check out our walking sticks
Stephanie brought out the preschool posse for the day.
Time-out photo-shoot.? Great for kids that can’t stand still.
Sip and pass
? “Stop it, that’s my friend”
Time to cook some grub
? More Dave Hill affect.
Camping and Recreation in IA
Not much later, a few cop cars came down and swarmed a campsite a few down from us.? We felt comfortable again, like we never voyaged a few miles from the city at all.
Attractions, Greatest Hits, Nature, Night, Outdoor, Parties, People, Travel
Saylorville Lake
May 19th, 2007
I spent an hour or two driving around different parts of Saylorville Lake, trying to find photo ops.
Saylorville lake seems almost like a large pond to me, since you can see the opposite shore from anywhere.? Growing up in the Milwaukee area, we spent a lot of time at Lake Michigan.? I’ve been? to Lake Michigan in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan.
This is the wildest I’ve ever seen the tides here.? The lake is probably larger at the moment due to the flooding.
? Wide angle affects and Dave Hill affect.
Plenty of land between Saylorville Lake and Des Moines hasn’t been sold out to developers yet.
View from atop the Saylorville Dam
The outlet of the Dam, where it becomes the Des Moines River again.
I still haven’t figured out how the water coming out maintains a height much lower than the river.? Unless it’s an illusion, the water rises maybe? 15 feet or so from the pipe to the river.? The sheer power of the water coming out is amazing.
InPlay Now Playing in Des Moines
March 31st, 2007
InPlay is? a new style arcade/restaurant/bar combo.? Juice, our nightlife focused fork of? The Des Moines Register? gave reviews that made this place sound spectacular.? It was ok, but we were slightly dissapointed with the quantity and quality of the games.? Sure, they are decades beyond Loco Joe’s games from the 1990’s.? But from the rave reviews I was expecting some revolutionary stuff that’s out of this world.? I don’t know if this is all the gaming industry can do these days or if they didn’t have the budget to buy the very newest and best.? Don’t get me wrong though, the games were impressive compared to anywhere else in the metro.? They had a lot of empty floor space, I hope they intend to add more games with time.
Everything was free this week to promote their grand opening of the new Des Moines location.
? Eric got really close to the high score many times, this time wasn’t one of them.? He had many tries that got him to just under 900.? We wondered if one of the InPlay employees practices every day so he can keep the high score.
? InPlay’s open spaces.? Pssst… add more new games here.? How about? the “virtual reality” games that you hyped in the misleading? advertisements?? That sucky game with the periscope is anything but virtual reality.? Even Loco-Joe’s has that reject of a game, and they don’t have anything produced since the year 2000.? Don’t lie in your marketing campaign, we hold grudges when you disappoint us.
Since all games at In Play were free this week for the grand opening, it was impossible to get on the popular games.? People? just? pressed the credit button? to? continue time after time, oblivious to the fact that people were waiting endlessly just to try anything.
? Since this boxing game couldn’t be hijacked like everything else, we spent most of our time here.
? I met this guy, he went crazy on this dance-dance spin off game.
? He wants to get into break dancing.? I think he’s got a shot.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2007, Des Moines IA 2
March 17th, 2007
Continued from Page 1? of St Patrick’s Day Parade 2007, Des Moines IA
We only saw one bagpipe.? I was dissapointed.? We missed the very beginning which we heard had more.
? Seeing shamrocks
? Pot O Gold
? 95 KGGO and guy giving away shirts
Melrose IA, Iowa’s Little Ireland, 1937 basketball champs, no snakes!? They also had a ginormous number of people and vehicles in the parade.
? Melrose fighting Irish
? Melrose Iowa parade unit 3-17.? Law and order runs afoul? while? the police car is out of town in the parade.
Conway Pallet family
? 
Pot O’ Gold in a wheel barrel
Dogs
? St. Pat was a Democrat
Northern Warren Fire Dept.
Hot chicken.? I don’t see the relevancy, but hey it’s entertaining.
? Shaw Clan, Faith and? Courage
The? Delaney crew
Candy was left all over the ground.? Since we were at the very beginning of the parade, candy was being dispersed towards us at colossal rates.? The street was saturated with dirty sand from the winter, used for traction on snow and ice.? This made the candy much less enticing.? Kids went home with black hands.? Would it have been impossible for them to have a street sweeper do a pass the day before?
? It’s not fun unless you get to be wild and crazy
The chick in the back of the truck gave me what appears to be a Star Trek hand gesture, then she waved and laughed hysterically.? I didn’t start drinking until after the parade, so I was much more confused than humored by her odd antics.
Most of the adults in the parade were drinking, some more than others.
2007 Irish fashion trends
Greyhounds
? O’Reelitz
? There were way too many filler entries (blatant advertising with no entertainment value) in the parade.? It would have been much better if they would have weeded these out.? After an hour of watching the parade we had enough.? Everyone else had enough also, the crowd thinned to 1/3 the size an hour through it.? Repetition is good for the brain, not for the eyes.
? I strongly suggest they use an application process where they can filter out entries with little to no entertainment value.? ? Make them compete in front of? a small? panel of judges who could rate the proposed entries and only a given number of? the best would be allowed to proceed.? We want quality, not quantity.
Animals, Attractions, Cars, Des Moines, Downtown, Holidays, People, Streets
St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2007, Des Moines IA 1
March 17th, 2007
The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade is the second largest parade in the state of Iowa.? A plethora of people come to be in it and watch it.
? Plenty of balloons
? Ancient Order of the Hibernians in America, Polk County.? Since I was taking pictures instead of watching, I was pelted with candy a few times.? The kid on the left is throwing candy our way at this moment.
Saturday night fever pose?? Anything goes on St. Paddys day.
The Murphy Clan
DMI Dance Force
Friend of Des Moines Girl
? Smokey’s
This is what they call a “kilt malfunction.”? The front of his kilt stuck to the velcro of his coat.
? It’s Bonnie and Josh
I wonder what? their lawn looks like at Christmas time?
Guys in Kilt’s representing St. Patrick’s day
? McGinn’s and friends
? Lepprechaun crossing
? It’s great to be Irish
The short bus, 100.3
? Georgetown, IA had a huge number of people and vehicles in the parade
? Georgetown Iowa, Irish spirit by night… Irish spirit by day
? Georgetown church and bar with door between
? Throwing beads
? Iowa D.O.T. Brotherhood of Islanders
Drummer men, 3 generations?
Elvis of? Good Vibrations DJ Service.
Groovy Girls was the name of this entry.? Your guess is as good as mine.
? The Church Ladies?? I’m clueless again.
See Page 2 for more
Animals, Attractions, Cars, Des Moines, Downtown, Holidays, People, Streets
Ways of the Prehistoric at Jester Park
June 17th, 2006
The crew went camping at Jester Park, one of the many camp areas surrounding Saylorville Lake.? It was pretty hot, but a lot of fun.? We had to deal with bugs, heat, entertainment, cooking, and sun in the morning.? We felt like true survivalists, struggling to be self dependant and stay alive.? No, not exactly.? We all brought food from home, listened to? MP3’s and satellite radio,? fogged the area for bugs, and stayed connected with everyone else via cell phones.? But still it was an adventure.
? 
Cooking dinner.
? Heather, Cherish, and Bonnie.
Pee-Wee, Richard, Steve, Josh, Me, and Adam.
Heather and Cherish?
The campfire layout.?
? Reflections.
Hung-over and tired, we wake up when the sun comes up.? Not because we’re morning people, but because tents have minimum ability to block sunlight and the resulting heat.? The green shelter with the screens helped keep bugs away while we ate.? The flys and mosquitos are real thick out there, and they are much more pesky than in the city.? Bugs are usually more active at sunrise and sunset.
? Going to the beach at Saylorville Lake near Jester Park.
A beautiful day to be at the lake.
? Pee-Wee is a leech tamer by trade.
You can’t cool off the outdoors, but you can kill? all living, biting? insects within? 100 ft with a bug fogger.
Photo shoot in the smoke trail of the fogger.
Playing various net games.
? Yaeger Bomb time.
Jayme forgot her shorts in the tent.