Today we drove to Austin, Minnesota to visit the Hormel House that was built in 1871 in the Greek Revival style. George Hormel purchased the home in 1901 and lived there until 1927. This 18-room home, features pillars imported from Italy at the front of the stucco structure. Light fixtures of Quesal and Tiffany, as well as leaded and stained glass can be viewed throughout the home.

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A buzzer beneath the dinning table once rang to the signal servants. Furniture once owned by the Hormel Family is displayed in this beautiful dining room. The honeycomb woodwork on the ceiling of the dining room is one of the few remaining examples of this type of unique workmanship.

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Our next stop was the Spam Museum. It is dedicated to the delicious meat (their words not mine) that was first created at the Hormel Foods Corporation plant in 1937. It was a fun and informational place with interactive and educational elements.

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No one could believe that I had never eaten Spam. Since we were here at its birthplace I felt I should take the plunge and try a piece. I was surprised that it wasn't really salty. As a little taste, it was ok but Lorraine bought a can that we tried for breakfast one morning and my vote is a NO for spam!

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Reiman Gardens is one of the largest public gardens in Iowa and creates a striking entrance to Iowa State University and the city of Ames. It is situated on a 14-acre site and features distinct gardens in both indoor and outdoor areas. It has several lily pad ponds, a rose garden, an indoor conservatory, a 2,500-square-foot indoor butterfly wing with butterfly emergence cases, and five supporting greenhouses. Had it not been so hot that day we probably would have enjoyed the gardens more then we did.

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We boarded this historic train in the town of Boone. We were in the car called "The City of San Francisco" which was built in 1950 as a sleeping car and later modified into a combination sleeper/dining car. Our ride took us some 12-miles during which we crossed High Bridge which is 784-feet long and 156-feet tall and crosses Bass Point Creek (which looked more like a river to us!). We also crossed the Des Moines River on a bridge that was 729-feet long and 30-feet tall.

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Our table was set with cloth napkins and our meal was served on china. We had a fun time though on the return trip the train was rather warm (understatement!)

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Heat and stormy weather yields beautiful skies here in the heartland.

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Forest City welcomes the rally-goers with Puckerbrush Days. The local philanthropic groups serve dinners at courthouse square, there are bands playing and on Saturday they hold the big parade. It is a great opportunity for this city girl to see old and new tractors and to collect candy, gum and sponges that the parade participants throw to the crowd. What a fun time we had at the parade.

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Each night at 8:00 we have professional entertainment in the amphitheater. Each day at 4:30 the people from California (there were about 50-motorhomes here this year) gathered for social hour. During one of these gatherings, Gloria and Al entertained which was fun for all.

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Each year they have a talent show in the big entertainment tent. Al decided to enter and was able to perform 2-songs. He had his own cheering squad since we all showed up and got front row seats to watch.

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Various awards are given throughout the rally. One of the contests is for Chapter Newsletter. Our chapter won second place which is pretty good since it is a nationwide contest. As editor, Tryna accepted the "trophy" from Denise Yeager, Winnebago News Editor.

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