08-18-2020 Des Moines, Iowa

The morning flows smoothly.  We all have our routines and we move smoothly around one another.  Ginger and I are adding sliced peaches to our yogurt and granola, in hopes of using them up before they go bad. We thought they would be a good hostess gift but it turns out that Bonnie is not a peaches fan, so we’ve got some serious eating to do!

 Bonnie is going into Des Moines today to run errands, mail boxes, and get her car serviced.  We’re going there, too;  but we’ll just be tourists, so we take our own car (read that “Ginger’s car").  We know how to lock up the RV, so it’s okay that we leave a little after Bonnie does.

 

Driving north we catch sight of the National Balloon Museum!  Who knew?  Ginger says there is a big hot-air balloon festival in Indianola, where we are, so it makes sense there would be a museum!  Unfortunately it isn’t open, but we can see the stunning stained glass window and the miniature balloons that decorate the outside.  Most are sponsored by businesses, but there is one that is sponsored by a single family.  There are three record holders in the family, with Matt Wiederkehr having won twenty-two world records, Denise holding twelve at age sixteen and Donna holding fourteen at age fourteen!  They also pay tribute to Matt’s wife, Bobbie, a champion chase car driver!

 

Onward to Des Moines, Iowa’s capital.  Their capital building is one of only five in the country with a gilded dome!  As we approach the city, we can easily see it gleaming in the morning sun!  Parking is scary easy.  There is almost no traffic and we question whether we missed the apocalypse! 

 

There are some people that might be in a line and we head for them in case we need to do something, like have our temperature taken, before we can enter the capital building.  Turns out it’s a farmers’ market!  Ginger buys some rhubarb and a mixture of tomatoes, including one kind called indigo.  It is purple before it ripens!  And there is one that is green inside!

 

We stash the veggies in the car and walk toward the capital, checking out the monuments and sculptures along the way.

                                                                    The Pillars of Truth

                                                   That's the planetarium in the background.

                                 This one is dedicated to those who fought in the Korean Conflict.

                            This one is dedicated to all those who fought in the war of the rebellion!

 

Then we follow the signs nearly halfway around the building to the public entrance.  The security procedures are what you’d expect, x-ray your purse and camera, go through the scanner, collect your goodies.  The lady at the information center tells us that tours are by reservation only and they are full for today.  But there is a detailed map and she marks the areas that are open to visitors, and points out the elevators and staircases.

 

The building is gorgeous inside!   There is stained glass in the ceiling of the third floow and beautiful decorations all around.  There is one wing that is dedicated to the women’s suffrage movement and a model of the USS Iowa.  There is a display that honors the Attorney General and another for the governor, Kim Reynolds.  Across the hall is a case filled with dolls showing off the inaugural gowns of the state’s first ladies – and Kim Reynolds’ husband!

 

There are six enormous mosaics and lots of marble of different colors.  And we get to walk into the visitors’ galleries for the House and the Senate.

                                        Flags representing all the tribes that live(d) in Iowa

                                                        The First Ladies inaugural gowns.

                                                     And the First Gentleman's tuxedo!

                                                             The State Supreme Court

                                                         And the table for the attorneys

                                                                                       Stairs

                                                                               The House

                                                         The Senate is far more elaborate.

 

It’s time for lunch and we’ve found a place on Trip Advisor that looks perfect, Exile Brewing Company.  It’s not a very long drive and parking is right across the street.  We see a sign that tells us to wait at the patio entrance and before we enter, the hostess takes our temperature.  Sitting outside and socially distant we feel very safe and can relax and peruse the menu.  Our young waiter Basil, brings us paper menus when we tell him we don’t know what we want!  Later we notice that we could have scanned the QR code and gotten the menu on our phones!  We’re starting by checking out the local brews and Basil says we can have samples.

                                     This special effect is called "shoot through the windshield".

                                     The point of this empty photo is just that!  See the no traffic!

                                                             Much better out the side window!

 

Ginger is fascinated by the Jesus on a Forklift, a BA Imperial Rye Stout;  but it’s 12.5% and although she gets a sample and loves it, she orders the Ruthie Gold Lager.  I’m torn between the Hannah Hefeweizen and Sir Moch-a-Lot, a smooth coffee stout.  I sample the stout and the hefeweizen doesn’t stand a chance!  That decision out of the way, we move on to food.  The Exile Burger wins out with sides of fried Brussel sprouts and truffle French fries.  The burger is a half pound of ground chuck, so we spolit it!  It has white cheddar, onion haystack, truffle aioli and house-made bacon jam. If they sold it separately, we would have bought several jars each!

 

After a relaxing and filling lunch we drive a short distance to the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park.  Bonnie tells us that this is actually their personal collection.  We walk almost the whole park and find two or three pieces that we appreciate.  It’s great, though, that it exists at all.  There’s a Keith Haring that makes me think of Stephanie, who first introduced me to his work.  And there is the very pumpkin that is on my t-shirt from Ben and Elizabeth, by Yayoi Kusama. The one that attracts the most people is by Mari Rueter.  It’s called the Panoramic Awareness Pavillion and is a fascinating adventure in colored panels.

                                                                   The map is in Braille!

                                                Moonrise.East.January by Ugo Rondinone

                                                Moonrise.East.August by Ugo Rondinone

                                     Air Gets Into Everything, Even Nothing by Ugo Rondinone

                                              Panoramic Awareness Pavilion by Olafur Eliasson

                                                         Pumpkin (L) by Yayoi Kusama

                                                                 Nomade by Jaume Plensa

                                                               Spider by Louise Bourgeois

                                                   Ancient Forest by Deborah Butterfield

                                                     Thinker on a Rock by Barry Flanagan

 

Back to the car and back home.  Bonnie is already back from her day and she did the capital and the sculpture garden, too!  We chat and eventually decide we need to eat soon so that we can listen to the convention by the fire.  Bonnie fixes pulled pork sandwiches with three-bean salad and sliced fresh tomatoes.  A glass of wine  completes the meal and Bonnie goes outside to build the fire while I clean up the dishes.

 

A warming fire and the convention - Fun!  Eventually bed time.  It will be chilly again tonight and that’s just fine.  And today the weather was breezy and cool.  What a treat!