Day 11: Flowers in the Jewel of the Prairie

The first time I went to Iowa for college, the lay of the land and towns seemed so strange and foreign that I felt like I should be using foreign currency. But it didn't take long for me to fall totally in love with it. When I was greeted with a "Welcome Home" at the local coffee shop this trip, it felt wonderful and totally natural.

Our day in Grinnell was jam-packed with visiting friends and places from our college years. We had a breakfast featuring acorn-fed Berkshire sausage at the home of one of the most outstandingly talented, fun, and kind families I know, lunch at the Phoenix with our friend/former advisor/professor, and a picnic dinner in a park overlooking the cornfields. Other highlights included a visit to the demonstration prairie gardens, firefly catching, and cloud-gazing.