Our last busy Saturday at Frosted Lemonade.  We got home in time to watch the last two minutes of FSU -21 vs Alabama -14; I guess we didn't miss much the first half, either.  We went to an RV and boat show yesterday; we still like our ARV for now.  Bud and Margaret, our neighbors, invited us over for dinner one evening; great food and great company.  Everyone is cleaning and preparing their RV's to move out after the season; it's very busy around here.  Once we leave here we won't have wifi until we reach Nokomis so our notes will be short.  Later -

WOW!  Saturday was a very busy day at Adventureland: almost 7000 guests who enjoyed the weather and all the fun.  Sunday was 1/2 as busy...   Monday night we shared the farewell dinner with our neighbors Margaret and Bud and two couples who work with us in Rally- Louise and Sam,  Eileen and Victor.  It seems like almost all 800 happy employees were served chicken and all the trimmings by our managers and supervisors.  This is a very good place to work.  And then...rain and a cold front coming in from the NW has left us with a high of 65 today and getting even colder tonight: 48.  Now why are we still here???   Paul has two more evenings of table tennis; Regina is still trying to get rid of paper...  Soon we will be on the road to Florida!

It was another beautiful day (read "warm") so we spent six hours  at the Living History Farms which includes three working farm sites, an exhibit center, and the 1875 town of Walnut Hill which showcases the original Flynn Country House and Barn.  This is a stop worth making along I-35/I-80 and could be done in two hours with less conversation with the knowledgeable farmers and tradespeople.  Visit www.LivingHistoryFarms.org  Now we are preparing for two busy days at Adventureland with Regina at Dippin' Dots and Paul at Frozen Lemonade.  Autumnal Equinox happens at 4:51 a.m. Sunday here; now the days will be getting shorter.  The leaves are changing colors already as the sap slows down.  Yep - time to move south.

Today we had lunch with Connie Lee at the Des Moines Art Center restaurant on Grand.  The food was great and the company even better!  Regina and Connie Lee are looking forward to a BPW gathering in October.  FYI, the museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The 1945 Lannon stone building designed by Saarinen was followed in 1968 by I. M. Pei's bushhammered concrete addition and Richard Meier's three-part clad porcelain and granite addition in 1985.  The unique architecture houses a noteworthy collection; today is the opening of the artist Enrique Chagoya - some very interesting paintings.  Check it out at www.desmoinesartcenter.org

Today was free for workampers at the Blank Park Zoo - the Discovery Center is our favorite with all its wonderful exhibits and especially the frogs.  The outdoor areas I enjoyed most were the prairie dogs and turtles; Paul compared the sea lions to nascar -go as fast as you can and keep turning left.  Of course, the variety of cats sleeping is amazing as are the many birds.  We like zoos and museums that can be enjoyed completely in a short day.  From there we went to the Jordan House built in 1852 with an 1872 addition.  James Jordan was influential in the politics of his day; encouraged the railroad and the development of Valley Junction; provided his home as a stop on the Underground Railroad.  The house is well-kept and comfortable.  There is still so much to see... tomorrow is another day.

After a cool weekend it has warmed up and we are comfortable.  We drove up to Boone on Monday to ride the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad through the countryside; interesting and beautiful.  The Railway Museum was closed; we checked out the Birthplace of Mamie Doud Eisenhower, the Historical Museum, and just drove around town.  Today is a rainy day but still warm.  Tomorrow we go to Blank Park Zoo and the Jordan House before Chinese buffet for Paul's birthday.  We're slowly cleaning and packing for our move back to Florida.  If it's Tuesday, Paul is at table tennis.  Keep smilin'

So where will you find us today?  Inside, of course.  It is going to be a cold weekend!  Last night 45, today's high of 60, tonight 38...  you get the idea.  Don't think we'll be selling much Frozen Lemonade on Saturday.  We've been sorting pictures, paper, and belongings in preparation for our move to FL in October.  It's just too cold to get outside even with the sunshine.  We now understand why IA has wind turbines and FL doesn't:  there is almost always a breeze and it is often near 10 mph; not so in sunny, warm FL where solar panels make much more sense.  I've had to "watch" FL football on the computer since those games are not on national TV here in Iowa...   We did go to Prairie Meadows and enjoy the 55+ breakfast which should be $7 but by the time we leave the slots we've dropped $20 - our level of acceptable loss for the day. 

Cloudy and humid today as we await the cold front moving in overnight.  Next week is supposed to be 52 night to 74 day temperatures.  The heat will be on in ARV for sure.  Paul is busy being creative while Regina reads and surfs.   Remember to fly the flag on Tuesday, 9/11, in remembrance.

Hope your weekend is labor-free and fun-filled.  We had a very busy day, having fun.  We really enjoyed travelling last week and visiting Iowa City and the environs; so much to see.  Best of all was the Devonian Fossil Gorge formed when the Iowa River overflowed the dam in 1993, moving earth and rocks down to fossils and earth of millions of years ago.  This week we're hanging around taking care of daily chores.  Be thankful for the USA!