Hanging Art

My Grandma Arnold crocheted afghans and potholders. The potholders were made with a very tiny hook out of a thicker thread. I had 4 of the fancy ones framed. We paid a lot to have it done. I am NOT happy with it. Plus paying retail from framing makes me nuts since I know how much the frames cost an inch (since I had a studio). Sometimes I think I should have kept my tax permit for just that reason.

I also had 4 images from San Francisco enlarged. I'm not happy with one of them either. I think I ordered the wrong one. Also the color is off a few points. I wish I was able to print my own color. I was always good at that. However, I only shoot film once or twice a year so that's not really possible either.

We're trying to conserve water because of the flooding. It's one of those things you take for granted.

I'm hosting a father's Day brunch tomorrow. I have no idea if Kurt will be able to attend or if he'll still be in DAV. He did manage to get home last night, have a shower and get 8 hours sleep.

Currently, Cedar Rapids is predicting $735 million in damages. The river has crested, but rain is in the forecast and there have been intermittent storms, winds, hail and tornado warnings throughout the day.

Parkersburg, Iowa

Here are pictures of the aftermath in Parkersburg, Iowa. Five people were killed there and two more in New Hartford. Amy's parents, Greg and Pam, lost everything. They weren't home at the time. Greg and Pam says the pictures don't even begin to show the devastation. I think the shocked, blank looks on their faces does a pretty good job.

The tornado was rated an E F5 on the new scale. They say wind on the ground was 200+ mph. The Red Cross is helping a lot. The Iowa National Guard is on site. Donations are needed. Please designate Parkersburg, IA if you do donate. A fund has also been established for Greg and Pam at a local credit union.

***I received these pictures in a forward and am trying to track down the original source.

A Cheap Date

Kurt and I went out on Wednesday night. We'd heard there was good food one town over. I wanted some MEAT! We arrived and there were two bars with equal amounts of cars in front of them. We decided to go with the one that looked newer. It was mostly a bar. They had 6 plasma screens and lots of college kids home from Christmas. The air was smokey and the menu was disappointing. It was mostly sandwiches. NOT what I had in mind. We ordered a couple of beers and some cheese fries. Both of them were disappointing as well.

We decided to try the place down the street for dinner. It to was a bar, but looked like it had a separate dining room. When we entered we ran smack into a bride. It brought back memories of being a wedding photographer. (It also reaffirmed my belief that I made the right decision to quit the biz). Kurt and I made our way to the "dining" side of the bar and got menus. There was an empty salad bar against one wall so I started to lose hope. The waitress said we could order anything off the menu. Kurt and I each got a 6 0z Sirloin which came with salad, a baked potato, and a roll. He got a beer and I had soda. It was DELICIOUS!! Our bill came to....gotta love smalltown Iowa....$17.12.