Yes, the slow-ticking clock comment... I'm beginning to suspect that the State of Iowa is pumping a sedative into the air via those innocuous-looking crop-duster planes... yep. The pace is slow, the people are "extremely calm" - even the internet connection in my hometown is wounded-tortoise-slow. It's amazing, actually - I'll bet the average blood-pressure rate in Iowa is relatively low. That's probably why they live so long, especially in Northwest Iowa. Wow. Every restaurant we went to this time was like "The Wrinkle Room" - amazing amount of octogenarians and older in that area, and they seem to be doing pretty well overall. Hey, they're still getting out to the restaurants en masse! In their own cars, no less! (ok, that's the scary part, but luckily they all drive pretty slow.)

Our trip today was amazingly smooth and went pretty fast. I was so engrossed in important businessy ponderings (yeah, whateva) that I totally spaced re-photographing the big statue in Pocahontas, IA, which I haven't done for awhile. I think this specimen ranks right up there with the ugliest large-scale statuary in the world. (I pulled this pic from The Gallery of Huge Beings website - apparently this is an older pic, as I've learned that the teepee is no longer there, and the last time I saw the Native Princess 2 years ago, her paint job and overall appearance was pretty haggard, as was the teepee's)

And speaking of Huge Beings, I just scanned through the list on the Gallery's home page and discovered that at this very moment, I am in the general vicinity of... drumroll... "Bikini Woman" (see below)... who knew!!! The sad part, however, is that my "real" camera seems to be on the fritz at the moment... I'm not going to freak out just yet... I'm sure there's a good explanation and a simple remedy.... and there will be world peace within the month and soon after it will be raining diamonds and dark chocolate truffles. Hey, positive thinking is a good thing, right?

And still speaking of huge beings, I feel like one, myself, after reluctantly, yet secretly gleefully riding the Iowa "food train" for 7 days... the good thing is that I won't have to eat again for at least a month, meaning I should be able to save a few bucks on unneeded groceries.

All in all, tho, it was a good trip. My parents are quite amazing in themselves, really - they'll be 86 & 88 respectively this year and are both going strong, despite some slowdown in physical mobility. Mom and Dad are both busy people who keep their minds busy above all. There is always a card game or a crossword puzzle or a jumble or a novel, et. al. on the go to keep those neurons firing in good order. 

Oh, and chewing gum. Dad had read a few years ago that chewing gum can help "keep your mind sharp". OK - whatever. I, for one, am a huge proponent of the "power of the mind" thing, so if chewing gum makes Dad feel he's keeping his mind sharp, great! It seems to be working, so what the hell. 

As for Mom, well, she's simply amazing. Period. She's always been an incredibly strong person, but she survived a major heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery 5 years ago at 81 and is now one of the healthiest, most vibrant people of any age I know. Strong genes - on both sides, actually. Again, I'm very lucky - not only for the genes, but for having such amazing role models that I truly admire for a million reasons. And yes - we drive each other a little nuts sometimes, but the love is stronger than dirt. 

As Dad says, "well, I'm still on the right side of the dirt". 

We're all lucky, by gum.