Summer Days in the Heartland

lfzellmer
Mar 1
4 min read

Updated: Apr 22

The long days of summer found us in the Midwest, visiting with family and friends. First stop was Iowa, where we reminisced over childhood visits to the farm communities of Audubon and Atlantic where Alan's parents grew up. While these two towns are only about 25 miles apart, they did not meet until they had each moved to California as adults and met through mutual family friends, finding a bond in their family roots in the Midwest. Alan has many fond memories of family trips to Iowa and his adventures with all his cousins on his grandparents' farm.

In Waukee, we enjoyed a great visit with family - it was a quite a reunion for the cousins as they had not been all together in 50 years! Kathy and Tom hosted a lovely lunch for all of us in their beautiful home. We spent the afternoon laughing and sharing stories. Murphy was on his best behavior, snoozing under the dining room table..

We also got to spend time with Mark and Teresa on their farm in Audubon. Mark took us on a tour of the property, speeding along with Mark and Teresa in the lead on the Quad and Alan and me following in the Gator. We drove along farm roads and enjoyed the view of the acres and acres and acres of corn!

Mark also raises Back Angus cattle and one of the highlights of our visit was to see a brand new calf that had just been born the night before we arrived. This baby was resting quietly in the grass under his mom's watchful eye.

Our time in Audubon flew by - we look forward to more trips to Iowa in the future!

Of course our trip to Audubon would not be complete without a stop by the town's landmark of Albert the Bull. Yep, Albert proudly stands at 30 feet tall and weighs in at 45 tons - clearly he has earned the title of the World's Largest Bull!

While in Iowa we also visited with dear friends Deb and Gary in Ames. Deb and I have been friends since high school! We had a great time catching up. Our time with them was much too short and we hope to visit again soon.

Iowa treated us to absolutely gorgeous sunsets - the sun painted the sky in brilliant colors, while the windmills were silhouetted against the horizon.

Heading south, we made our way from Iowa to Missouri, to visit family in Florence, just outside of Sedalia. Sedalia is about 95 miles from Kansas City, and Florence is another 2o miles east. We visited there with my son Matt, his dad Jack and Jack's mom Barbara and sister Joyce. Their farm is lovely and peaceful, far removed from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Beautiful and dramatic skies abound in Missouri - I love the lightrays breaking through the clouds.

This sassy rooster lives on the farm and makes his presence known, strutting around like he owns the place, and crowing whenever he feels the need to sound the alarm.

And here is my son Matt - the bunny he is holding is huge - the neighbor children named the bunny Sugarplum!

In the evening, the local deer stroll through the yard - they love to graze on the front lawn. Murphy felt compelled to follow them into the brush and Alan had quite a time coralling him! He loved having such a big area to run in!

Matt at the Lake of the Ozarks - what a handsome guy!

Fishing on a Saturday morning -

We had lunch in a fun little tavern where we sat out on the back patio, overlooking the water.

Made a new friend at Lake of the Ozarks -

Beautiful sunset over the hayfields, where the bales are encased in baling wrap that looks like the American flag.

We also visited Sedalia, enjoying its hometown charm. The local landmarks included this replica of the Statue of Liberty on the courthouse lawn.

St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church standing steadfastly with its elaborate brick architecture -

And its towering spire stretching into the sky -

Hotel Bothwell, built in 1927, is still very elegant. Famous guests over the years have included Harry Truman, Bette Davis and Clint Eastwood. The hotel was built by John Bothwell, a prominent and influential citizen of Sedalia. He was an accomplished lawyer, philanthropist, and banker and also served in the state legislature,

He contributed to Sedalia's growth in many ways, including serving as Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, and later as a judge in the circuit court. He was president of the Sedalia National Bank, and while in the legislature influenced the Missouri Pacific Railroad to locate their manufacturing and repairs shops in Sedalia, bringing 1,800 jobs to the area. He was also instrumental in locating the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia. The state fair was established in 1899. Held in August, the fair attracts as many as 350,000 people annually.

Quaint streets with brick buildings in the historic section of Sedalia.

The Eternal Flame in front of Pettis County Courthouse honoring Veterans from the Pettis County who served in the armed forces.

It was fun to explore the historical section of town, and Matt and I enjoyed photographing the buildings. He also found a very curious but willing model -

Missouri Cat Eyes - kitty portraits from Matt

Do you see his friend in the shadows?

The Bothwell Estate, which is now a lovely park -

With flowers blooming lazily in the shade -

Gotta love the magnificent clouds in the Missouri sky - they are quite spectacular!

We spent about a week in Florence, enjoying the quiet of the country and time with the family, Then headed on through Illinois.

The campsite where we stayed in Illinois was bounded by a man-made fishing lake on one side and fields of soybeans and corn on the other. Above us was a sky that somehow seems bigger here. Summer heat brought thunder clouds and lovely sunsets.