Blogs from Iowa, United States, North America - page 5

Description provided by Habitat for Humanity: Malawi is a country of immense beauty, yet also of extreme poverty. The country is rated as one of the least developed countries in the world. 90 percent of its population lives in rural areas. The economy is predominately agricultural and is dependent on substantial international assistance. Because of the widespread poverty, four out of five families live in substandard homes, with little hope of ever being able to afford a decent house. A typical village hut is built of mud and daub with a dirt floor and thatched roof and requires frequent repair. The conditions put families at high risk of all kinds of diseases, with leaky roofs making the house damp and mud floors attracting insects. The number of orphans and vulnerable children in Malawi has increased from ... read more

The resort and nature center at Honey Creek State Park offer free activities throughout the day, including hikes, ice fishing, campfire stories, and crafts. We signed up for the animal tracks and scat hike. It started at the nature center, so we hung out there for a bit and checked out some of the animals until it was time to set out for the guided hike. Our guide asked the kids what scat means. Oliver proudly declared that it's animal poop. The children were all fascinated with the rabbit scat that the guide spotted at the start of the hike, and they shrieked with horror when he told them rabbits eat their own poop to digest it twice. He then spotted a pellet on the ground that seemed to be made up of a partially digested ... read more

We got a bit of a late start on our drive to Rathbun Lake. The sun started to set about halfway through our drive. As we drove on winding, rural, unlit roads through bits of forest preserve, I worried about the driving conditions in the dark. We took the drive at a safe speed, which proved a wise choice when we passed a couple herds of deer. One herd started to cross in front of us! It was dark when we pulled into our hotel at Honey Creek. The stars and the moon were bright, which delighted the kids. This part of the state seems like a good place to head to for star-gazing!... read more

Well, now that I've attended the 2nd of 2 TCU road games in a row, the ostensible reason for my Great Plains road trip is at an end. But that doesn't mean I intend to go directly back to Athens, GA (a.k.a. home). I'm planning on taking a circuitous route of sorts, so while I won't be in the Great Plains anymore, the road trip will continue a few more days. I saw the first familiar face in about 10 days this morning - Beth, a friend from my days of working summers at Camp Westminster, and who also attended McAfee School of Theology with me. She had seen my blog a few days back and asked whether we could work out to meet up since I would be coming to Iowa. I was happy to ... read more

We had a great day today with 81 miles travelled and two more locks under our belt. It was warm and calm yet overcast. Lots of little fishing boats darting around but not much barge traffic except at one lock where we waited almost an hour. What made today a banner day was stopping for fuel, finding a place to stock up on beer and getting a real shower. We are now in Leclaire Iowa at yet our favourite; a free dock in a pretty little town. The trains scream by almost against it but hey, they are all along this great River. After a rolly night in thunderstorms last night, this will be heavenly. This is the home town of Buffalo Bill, what a find! Our rocky cliffs and lush rolling hills are now replaced ... read more