Iowa Visit with Laila

On Saturday, I drove to Minneapolis to pick Laila up at the airport.  She had called me and told me she was at Door 8 at passenger pick up.  But, when I got there, the highest number door I could find was Door 6.  Confusing.  But thank goodness for cell phones.  I called Laila to ask where she was and then it dawned on me, that I was probably at the wrong airport.  Sure enough, SouthWest flies into Terminal 2 (Humphrey).  So, it just took me about 10 minutes to get over there.  

Other than going to the wrong airport, it all went smoothly.

Then off to Iowa we went.

We stopped in Faribault, MN at The Depot for lunch.  

It was yummy food and a cool old train depot building.

Next stop was Garner, IA to check into our motel.  

The Garner Inn is a brand new motel and it is very  nice for sure.  

The decor was stylish, the beds were so comfy and the bedding was crisp and nice.  We couldn't even find anything to complain about.  There is even a pond out back with some many birds in the trees around.

 Breakfast in the morning was delicious little omelets in a large gathering room.  But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

After checking in, we headed to Belmond to see the folks.  Saturday was Dad's birthday and we had made plans to go out for dinner, even though Dad had been through a cardio conversion the day before, he felt up to it, so we went.

We thought we would eat in the bar, so settled in with a cocktail and some visiting.  Before long, the Karaoke guy started setting up...never a good sign.  So, just before we ordered our meals, we had to move into the dining room so that we could hear ourselves think.  We all agreed that we don't understand why the volume has to be cranked so high in such a small space...sigh...owell.  Once in the dining room at least we could visit (although I thought the music was still to loud, but that's just me).  

Laila and Dad

Laila, Dad & Ev at dinner

We had a good dinner and then went back to Dad & Ev's for a little visiting.  

It was fun to see all the cards that Dad had received for his birthday.

***

Sunday morning, Laila and I were lounging around in our rooms after a tasty breakfast of mini omelets at the motel, when Ev called to say Dad was in the ER with shortness of breath.  

So, we got in gear and headed there.  

The doctor thought that Dad might have a little bronchitis and sent him home with antibiotics and an inhaler.  

After a little lunch, the folks were off to a nap and Laila and I took a drive around Belmond to see the sights. We got in touch with Jim & Janette and invited ourselves out to see their barn house.  This is a huge project that they started ~8 years ago?  I had not been there for about 5 years, and they have made much progress. Laila enjoyed seeing it and meeting J & J.
On the way back, we saw these guys enjoying the river.

Looks like these guys are glad the ice is gone.

The red sled, Laila was catching up on her email, etc while I was out taking pictures of everything in sight.

It was sunny and windy and it felt good to be outside.

That evening we had talked about another meal out, but Dad was feeling weak, so we did take-out fish from the local pizza place and it was very yummy.  

I played a little piano too.  I like playing on a real piano when I am there, and the folks (and Laila) were nice enough to listen and ignore my mistakes.

***

Monday was our work day.  Dad and Ev had a few items on a list that they wanted us to take care of for them.  

This was the set up before we started.
Rinky Dink but doing the job of holding the bird feeder.

The big project had to do with the bird feeder & Grandma's beans.  

Ev had planted some of the seeds about a week ago, and they were growing like crazy.  Laila and I figured out how to make a planter looking unit out of their existing table and bird feeder with the help of supplies from the dollar store.

It is amazing what a little spray paint will do to spiff up a project.

 Our ending project, turned out pretty sweet in my opnion.

Now we are hoping the beans will grow fast and flower and provide a nice little garden area for the folks out their living room window.

Our other projects were done quickly with two of us there to do the work.

Dad was still feeling a little under the weather, so we decided to cook at home Monday night, not to mention that we had to be home to watch Dancing With The Stars!

So, Laila made Quesadillas for us.  Very yummy with fresh guacamole.

Tasty!

After watching a little of the DWTS, Laila and I headed back to our motel.

We both play games on the computer and we caught up on our games and relaxed in our fancy rooms.

Tuesday morning we were up early and getting packed up.

We needed to finish off our planting project with a little more potting soil, so a quick stop at the dollar store and then off to the folks to have coffee and a visit before heading back to Mpls.

Laila and Dad

We were happy to see Dad feeling much better and looking much better, 

of course he was lounging in his robe ☺

It was a nice morning for a visit and then we headed North.

Dad & Ev

Always hard to say goodbye, but easier when they are both looking good.

Off to the airport (right the first time), got Laila there with time to spare

and then I headed back home to Rice Lake.

I did make a quick stop in Baldwin.

I had to have my first DQ of 2013.

After a stop at DQ, I stopped in at Dana and Erin's and visited with Dana and Jake.

It was a nice afternoon and we sat on the deck and had a Coors Original.

I love my nephews, they always have a cold one on hand.