On the Road Again

So, it has come to pass. I find myself in Iowa after 25 years away.

It ain't changed much.

My wife and I are travelling around the country for the first time since we were married. It is a sorta "visit relatives/see friends/see america/have a honeymoon at last" kinda thing. Our first stop was in Agency, Iowa, population 105, of which I am related to, oh, about half. Basically, if you want to see a lot of people who look like me or my sister, go to Agency.

The family that lives there to whom I've actually been introduced account for about 1/20th of the total population; namely, my Aunt Marion (85 years old) and Uncle Robert (87), both of whom are as close to profoundly deaf as a person can get and actually still hear anything. Don't get me wrong; We had a wonderful, if very loud, visit. We looked at the scrap books that Aunt Marion had compiled over the years that detailed much of my family tree. It was wonderfully informative, as geneology is something that I, to am interested. We had a great time, and probably gained five (or more, in my case) pounds due to the fact that my aunt is a wonderful cook and won't take "no" for an answer. I just needed to purchase industrial strength throat drops as we headed out of town.

We then moved on to Des Moines (don't pronounce the s's and you'll get it) to visit my Aunt Jean(80). Just to clear up any confusion, these aunts and uncles are my dad's siblings. In stark contrast to my dad and most of his other sibs, Aunt Jean has perfect hearing. Like my dad and most of his sibs, she likes to talk. Fortunately, I was more than willing to listen as she brought me up to speed with what has happened with all the aunts, uncles, and all the assorted cousins therein. As I hadn't been in touch in 25 years, there was a lot to cover. Also, it gave my wife some info with which to fill some of the larger gaps in my recent family history that I couldn't provide. We only had an afternoon to spend with her, but it was a great visit none the less.

Our next stop brought us back, strangely enough, to Agency. Due to an unexpected rainstorm, my cousin Wendell, Uncle Robert's son, was unable to work in the fields to harvest corn. This provided us the opportunity to visit with he and his wife, Becky. I had never met Becky, and found her to be a wonderful person, full of life, and very much a partner with my cousin in the running of the farm. Not only do they share in the running of the household, they share the chores around the farm, including the driving of the various pieces of equipment used there. According to Wendell, she is actually better with the combine harvester than he is! It is obvious they love each other VERY much, and it is wonderful to see.

Wendell was always fun when I came out to the farm in the past, and this time was no exception. We soon found ourselves out in the machine shed under a combine trying to figure out the proper adjustment for the "shelling concave". Trust me, he knows what he is doing. I have worked on many things powered by pistons, but this thing is a moving testament to man's ability to overdue a pulley system. I have never seen so many drive belts in one place outside of a parts house. Anyway, we had a good time getting covered with corn dust and a not so small amount of mud. Just like old times!

Becky and my wife also hit it off, talking and sharing with each other like long lost friends right from the start. But like all such visits, it was over too soon, and the time came for us to depart. We decided that a more prolonged visit would be necessary next Spring, and we will be staying in touch until then.

Stay tuned for the next trip installment!