Trip to Iowa

We took a quick trip to Iowa to see family...they have received more than the needed rainfall there and are experiencing flooding. My mother-n-law has had her basement flood twice in the past month and never had that happen before. She has two pumps, one for backup and that has always covered heavy rain. But, when the ground is saturated...and 5" of rain falls in a very short time. This happens.  These were the clouds as we drove into Cedar Rapids. It seems pretty ironic that we came from Oklahoma where we are experiencing drought conditions. 

We did not let the rain stop us from a week of antiquing and hitting many of our favorite spots. We also were successful in  finding many new places this time. We always go to Sister's in Kalona, Iowa. The one time we drive our small SUV and not our pickup...we found two beautiful wood tables that we would have brought home in a heartbeat.

A few other stops that we found this time that I must mention is the Brass Armadillo in Des Moines, Details, A Studio of Antiques in Cedar Rapids, and the towns of Marion and Mount Vernon, Iowa had some adorable antique finds. 

We also enjoyed the Cedar Ridge Winery in Swisher, Iowa. After going to Nappa in April, I was very impressed with the vineyards, the tasting room and the entire facility. The wine is excellent and I highly recommend stopping by for a tasting if you are in the area. I heard many rave revues about their wood fired pizzas, as well as the live entertainment on the weekends. I hope to stop in, the next time we are in town. 

It was a quick trip to see family and do a little antiquing. We wish we could have brought the rain home with us.