Jim and I were married 30 years ago, June 8th, 1987.
The 1900s seem like a long time ago to a good portion of the people, and I suppose 30 years is a long time. It just doesn't feel like it.
In those 30 years, we bought a house, raised three children, welcomed a multitude of friends and family, served countless meals, hosted potlucks and celebrations, and now enjoy grandchildren in our home.
I doesn't sound like much, but each of those items on the list represent a bountiful helping of work and love.
Best of all, we've worked together. We've had a good life and I hope we put some good memories in the next 30 years.
We have been planning for years to have some sort of special trip for a special anniversary. We thought it would happen on our 25th, but I had cancer instead. Then, we looked ahead to our 30th, but this year we're having a wedding.
So--we went to Omaha.
Jim had to pick up some pipe for a job coming up next week, so we decided to stay overnight and make a fun little trip out of it.
I did all my getting ready for our '30th Anniversary Trip' Friday morning, by doing laundry and packing everything except the John Deere shirt I especially want to wear on Saturday because I packed Jim's. Thankfully, I brought two shirts (or thought I did), so I had a fresh one to wear on Saturday, because it was hot on Friday. We left at noon and just after 4 pm, we had the pipe loaded onto the trailer and ready to go out sightseeing. We went down to the river front to the Heartland of America Park where they have a 300 ft. fountain that sprays up and down like Old Faithful. What interested us most was the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge that looked a long way away and turned out to be a longer walk that we anticipated. This is what the website says about it:
"a one-of-a kind 3000 ft. long cable stay bridge connecting two states. Photo op alert: stand in two states at the same time - one foot in Nebraska and one foot in Iowa."
As we crossed a charming foot bridge, we could see the cable bridge a rather long way away, but we set out gamely, walking along the river front, through the Santa Lucia carnival/festival going on rather loudly at the time, around the Salute to Labor bronze sculpture, past the National Parks building which had a garden of native plants, and onto this very long serpentine bridge. We didn't walk quite all the way across, just around the last curve and we could see the end. After we were back in the vicinity of the parking lot we rested a bit and watched the fountain and some people enjoying a leisurely sail in a 'Lewis and Clark' type boat. That would have been a fun thing to do, but by this time it was nearly 8 pm and we were ready for supper.
We ate for the first time ever at Olive Garden, (don't faint, we can't be the only ones that have never been there) and ate a yummy supper that was way too big even for two people who walked almost 3 miles since the salad was served in a bowl that could have served 5 people instead of one.
Saturday morning we were out early to the Lauritzen Gardens and rode the tram to get a feel for the place, then roamed at will. Thankfully, there were a lot of shady spots and there was a briize so we didn't over tax our full body sunscreen. Across from the Gardens in the Kenefick Park are the largest steam and diesel engines that belonged to the Union Pacific Railroad. We've gone by them multiple times crossing the Missouri on I-80, but never realized what the big deal was about them. After lunch at the cage, we went on to the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs and studied the exhibits in depth with interest until our feet gave out and we decided to save the rest for another time. Our last stop was at the 'Sand in the City,' a fund raiser for an adoption/children's advocate agency and got a first hand look at large sand sculptures. There is an amateur competition where teams in the area plan and practice their entry and are given a pile of sand and 4 hours to work with awards given at the end. When we stopped the voting was over and we could view the completed entries and watch some professionals at work. They were there so the general public could see a work in progress. It was pretty neat. Jim asked lots of questions. They don't come with a plan, they think of what to make, start at the top and work down. The sand contains about 2% clay which helps in the sticking together part, but what they are using is mostly just sand and water and make them into incredible sculptures. They used al sorts of tools to get the job done, trowels and what look like cake frosting spatulas in various sizes, spoon like thingys, water sprayers, straw for flowing away loose sand and paint brushes for the same. I saw one using a cattle/horse groomer ( a thing that has circles inside circles with small teeth on the edge.) We didn't take long there, we were ready to be home. Them off to pick up the trailer of pipe and hit the road for home.
I was in bed by 8:30.
We had a lovely time.
*******WARNING--OVERLOAD OF PHOTOS AHEAD*******
"a one-of-a kind 3000 ft. long cable stay bridge connecting two states. Photo op alert: stand in two states at the same time - one foot in Nebraska and one foot in Iowa."
As we crossed a charming foot bridge, we could see the cable bridge a rather long way away, but we set out gamely, walking along the river front, through the Santa Lucia carnival/festival going on rather loudly at the time, around the Salute to Labor bronze sculpture, past the National Parks building which had a garden of native plants, and onto this very long serpentine bridge. We didn't walk quite all the way across, just around the last curve and we could see the end. After we were back in the vicinity of the parking lot we rested a bit and watched the fountain and some people enjoying a leisurely sail in a 'Lewis and Clark' type boat. That would have been a fun thing to do, but by this time it was nearly 8 pm and we were ready for supper.
We ate for the first time ever at Olive Garden, (don't faint, we can't be the only ones that have never been there) and ate a yummy supper that was way too big even for two people who walked almost 3 miles since the salad was served in a bowl that could have served 5 people instead of one.
Saturday morning we were out early to the Lauritzen Gardens and rode the tram to get a feel for the place, then roamed at will. Thankfully, there were a lot of shady spots and there was a briize so we didn't over tax our full body sunscreen. Across from the Gardens in the Kenefick Park are the largest steam and diesel engines that belonged to the Union Pacific Railroad. We've gone by them multiple times crossing the Missouri on I-80, but never realized what the big deal was about them. After lunch at the cage, we went on to the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs and studied the exhibits in depth with interest until our feet gave out and we decided to save the rest for another time. Our last stop was at the 'Sand in the City,' a fund raiser for an adoption/children's advocate agency and got a first hand look at large sand sculptures. There is an amateur competition where teams in the area plan and practice their entry and are given a pile of sand and 4 hours to work with awards given at the end. When we stopped the voting was over and we could view the completed entries and watch some professionals at work. They were there so the general public could see a work in progress. It was pretty neat. Jim asked lots of questions. They don't come with a plan, they think of what to make, start at the top and work down. The sand contains about 2% clay which helps in the sticking together part, but what they are using is mostly just sand and water and make them into incredible sculptures. They used al sorts of tools to get the job done, trowels and what look like cake frosting spatulas in various sizes, spoon like thingys, water sprayers, straw for flowing away loose sand and paint brushes for the same. I saw one using a cattle/horse groomer ( a thing that has circles inside circles with small teeth on the edge.) We didn't take long there, we were ready to be home. Them off to pick up the trailer of pipe and hit the road for home.
I was in bed by 8:30.
We had a lovely time.
*******WARNING--OVERLOAD OF PHOTOS AHEAD*******
Heartland of America Park
This wasn't really in the park, but trust a utility contractor to be interested in 7 ft. pipe.
Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge
Salute to Labor Sculpture
I don't think you can see the markings mentioned above in this photo, but the 2011 flood had water up to the front statues hand.
The wind came up while we coming back across the bridge. This was the biggest cable and Jim held on to see if he could stop it shaking in the wind. He couldn't.
The wind is blowing his shirt out.
The fountain at it's peak.
First course at the Olive Garden.
Lauritzan Gardens
In the Conservatory
They grow bananas in there, a variety called "Ice Cream". They pick them early and let them ripen a month in a shed before they eat them.
This banana cluster has the male flower on the end. It pollinates the female flowers that are under the bananas as they grow. As the male flower grows farther down no more bananas are made.
The Rose Garden
Agapantha
Centennial 6900--Largest Diesel Engine
Big Boy--Largest Steam Engine
Train Garden
Along the Way
Lion Flower
Union Pacific Railroad Museum
Sand in the City
Entries
Jim's favorite
Mine
Home again.
A pleasant sight, our neighbor has his refinished (if that's the right word) tractors on display.
