Blogs from Amana, Iowa, United States, North America

July 5 This morning was a hot one, sun was baking down with intensity for our first foray out this morning with the dogs. It was so hot I didn’t even want coffee, just too hot. We knew Dan was up early this morning putting a brisket in the smoker and we were looking forward to that. We checked in by phone with Angie and Dan and decided we’d go over to their house in the early afternoon. We’d let them get there chores done as they were having us and some other guest for barbecue around 4pm. In the meantime I enticed David to go shopping this morning at the Amana Colonies by suggesting we go to the local bakery for breakfast. I’m not sure he completely understood the ramifications of his quick answer, YES, ... read more

July 3 Today we’ve got a pretty long trip. Straight North out of Columbus to Amana Iowa. Originally we were going to stay near a lake at a Corp of Engineers park but it only had electricity and only 30 amp so only one air conditioner could run. It’s been so hot and miserable that without both air conditioners I think we’d be pretty unhappy so I canceled and we’ll be staying at the Amana colonies with full hook ups and 50 amp. We are staying 5 days to visit our niece, Angie & Dan. We dearly love them and didn’t make it out to see them as originally planned last October. We promised this summer so this will be our farthest point east of the trip from there we will turn west again. We got ... read more

I stood in the beautiful old barn, the only female under fifty, along with six hundred grinning, gesticulating, enraptured men surrounded by the thing they felt most passionate about—woodworking. Woodworking doesn't particularly interest me. Its this thing my husband loves and always talks about. This thing that fills my garage with saw dust and piles of wood. This thing that keeps him standing in the cold, on a concrete floor in January til 2 a.m. This thing from which emerges something beautiful, personal and completely unique. I'm familiar with the vocabulary woodworkers use. I know words like hand plane, jig saw, dowel and spokeshave. I know the difference between a dovetail and a miter joint but that's about it. Road trips to Iowa and displays of hand tools don't particularly get my pulse racing, but meeting ... read more