When is 19 degrees a heat wave???

Picture the crows from Dumbo


So we were sitting around and Carl said " What shall we do this weekend?" Kaitlin says " I don't know? What do you want to do?" Mama says " Hey, Let's go to Iowa"

Well, not really. Our nephew ,Charlie, was graduating from the University of Iowa with his Phd and lots of the family was going to be there so we decided we should be there too.

So we loaded up the van on Friday and left LR. It was 56 degrees when we left.

This is the view out of our motel window on Saturday morning. I am not sure what the temp was then but it was COLD. I believe turtlenecks were invented here. Even though Carl and I lived in Minnesota for 2 years, I forgot how cold it gets here. I mean so cold that the gel ice packs I travel with for my back, froze in the car over night. Which was a blessing but you get the idea. My mama who grew up in the Dakota's always and I mean ALWAYS wore an undershirt from November 1 til May 1. I now remember why.

Kaitlin, Marisa, Carl and I spent the morning with Alex and Esther. They gave us a tour of Iowa City. We saw they school buildings, where the flood was ate lunch and shared lots of laughs.

The girls had to do a snow jump

The reason for the visit. We got to see Charlie graduate with his Phd, hang with the family and meet Gus, our new nephew.

This is Alex, well, looking like, Alex.

We got to go to an open mike night and hear our nephew, Willy. There were about 20 of us in a small back room. There were about 15 chairs and 3 sofas. If you want to hear Willy Here he is.

Willy played and then he called up his brothers up to play with him.

This is what -20 looks like as we drove down the road back to Arkansas on Sunday morning.

I'd like to give a big Thank You to all the folks on S US 218 that had Christmas lights on as we drove home in the bitter cold. It was a great trip. I am thankful for all the safety God gave us as we drove.