“Oh the Midwest!” said my wife as she flung open the curtains of our room at the Days Inn at the Des Moines Airport ($67 per night) that looked out on a Great Plain — this one adorned with a well-trimmed lawn, trees that were turning golden — and a storage locker business.
There are no scenes at the Days Inn like the ones our friend Roseanne Burke is posting on Facebook as she vacations in the Greek islands. And there are no hand-painted murals in the bathroom by Jerianne Van Dijk, either. But breakfast is included, and the room is spanking clean.
Our Frontier Airlines puddle jumper touched down more than an hour late at 10:30 p.m. (a maintenance issue), so we scooted to the motel in our Chevy Malibu ($18 a day) to get some sleep.
Later today we’re headed up to Ames for the Iowa State.-Texas Tech matchup. Our son is excited too. It’s a quintessential Midwest college town, with golden leaves this time of year.
“My cousin is the starting quarterback for Iowa State,” he proudly told the flight attended when she asked why people who lived “near Lake Tahoe” were going to Ames for a quick weekend trip. (As it turned out the flight attendant and her husband eloped in Lake Tahoe when they got married 21 years ago). People are friendly here. My son drew her a picture.
We’re going to watch the game, spend Sunday with our nephew, cook him a homemade meal at his apartment, walk around the campus and head back home at the end of the weekend.
There’s also a good restaurant — Mullets — that serves fried catfish po’boys overlooking the cute stadium where the Cubs’ minor-league team plays baseball. But I don’t think have time to go there.
We’ll be back though: Southwest is launching low-cost service to Des Moines, with a connection in Chicago, according to the billboards. “You can’t afford not to fly.”
Enjoy your weekend!
The morning’s Des Moines Register has this article on Steele and his team, with some comments from Nevada Union High’s Dave Humphers, no less.
Here’s the “Gameday Central” tape of the Iowa State-Texas Tech matchup:
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Eating breakfast at the “Drake Diner,” a “lib” neighborhood near Drake U. in Des Moines. I asked the waiter if Obama would win Iowa. “I don’t know,” he said. It’s a toss-up here, for sure. On to Ames.
This time of year in the Midwest with the fall colors and the summer heat and humidity are gone, it can be pretty sweet. Add a college football game on a sunny Saturday and its perfect. Those of us who grew up back there know exactly what you’re saying Jeff.
Texas Tech 24- Iowa St. 13. Glad we’re here. The poor guy had laryngitis all week, evident during the playing calling, but nothing a homemade bowl of gumbo with his extended family can’t cure. And a review of the game tapes.
Hello Jeff. You might remember me from the Jewish men’s club.I
invited you to speak and you were great. At any rate, interesting
that what you are experiencing with your nephew we are enjoying
with our grandson, Joe Southwick, starting QB for Boise State. Same
nice college town, same record 3 and 1, and same joy (and sadness)
every weekend.
Jay Sondheim
JS.sondheim@gmail.com
Jay,
I do remember that. What fun. Hope the Jewish men’s club is doing well – a delightful, intelligent group.
Iowa State upsets TCU! My nephew didn’t start, but he’s on the team, now 4-1.