Quite a Surprise!

Thursday, July 26, 2012--Des Moines

It was cooler today after all the rain last night.  Even into the afternoon when it became warm, it wasn't like a convection oven wafting heat against me.  The high is forecast to be 93 degrees today and only 86 tomorrow.  What a relief from the 100+ temperatures.  I wonder if it will save the corn?  The stalks actually still look green.  I had expected them to be brown from the sun.  Maybe the rain and the milder temperatures will allow the farmers to get the crops in before they burn up.

I was out early today to explore downtown.  I went first to the Iowa Capitol.  It is impressive on a high hill with not only a main dome but also four corner domes.  Inside it was light and airy.  It was obviously larger than the ones I've seen in the previous states; the population of Iowa is much larger.  I had to go through security here, but then I was given a map and allowed to give myself a self-guided tour.  It is a pretty building.  I was told by the man at the tourist desk not to miss the library, and it was quite nice with about four levels of books on wrought iron flooring with circular stairwells going up to them.

From the capitol, I headed to the Iowa State Museum nearby.  It had very nice exhibits about the history of the state.  There was an especially good exhibit about the period of the Civil War--the numbers of men who went to war, the resistance that existed against participating in the war, how the women managed to do the farming while they were gone, the hardships of fighting the war, etc.  There were also honest exhibits about how Iowa, although a free state, legally blocked Blacks from having full citizenship privileges.  There were many other exhibits--about the native culture, about the arrival of the Europeans, about the development of mining and farming, etc.

A disappointment came next.  I had hoped to visit the Borlaug Hall of Laureates which is in an old building with nice murals and other features.  Unfortunately, the sign on the door said it is open to the public only for limited hours on Tuesdays and Saturdays.  I will already be gone before it opens again.

Leaving that part of town, I drove eastward to see the Iowa State Fair grounds.  The fair here is considered to be the ideal state fair.  The grounds are in the process of being prepared.  The fair starts in just two weeks.  Too bad I will miss attending it.

I parked on the west end of downtown and went to the Pappajohn Sculpture Park.  It is a long city block  that is filled with sculptures owned by the Des Moines Art Center.  I wandered through the grass taking photos and being very happy that the afternoon temperatures were so much better than they have been being.

From there, I headed to the Des Moines Art Center.  I entered and started touring.  I walked into the first small hall and saw art that did not impress me much--a rope with plastic bottles partially filled with colored water hanging by twisted wires from it, a piece of plastic packing binding stuck onto the wall and falling loosely according to its bends from its use around a box, etc.  I looked at the name of the artist, and that's when I got a surprise.  I KNEW (know) him!  His name is Tony Feher, and he lived in Corpus Christi growing up and for a few years after college.  He was best friends with artists in town, but I never knew he considered himself to be an artist or was trying to be one.  We weren't close friends, but we have gone out together, and he has come to my home.  Anyway, the surprise was further enhanced when I discovered the main gallery was full of his work.  His art is the major exhibition there currently.  In the main room, there was a "coffee table" book that has been published about his work.  And on the Internet, there are many articles about him and many photos of him with other artists and of his works.  I had not heard anything about him and had not thought about him since he left Corpus Christi in the early 1980s.  Researching on the Internet, I discovered that he was recently in San Antonio as a resident artist at ArtPace and that he had an exhibit there that ran through the spring. I don't know how I missed that information.  Anyway, it was a real surprise to see his name.  And I find it difficult to understand that the work he produces sells for tens of thousands of dollars.

This evening, I went to Valley Junction.  It's the original downtown of the town of West Des Moines.  It has two long blocks of store buildings from the early 1900s.  I had read it was a tourist site, and when I looked it up on the Internet, it said that tonight was an event night--a farmer's market combined with live music.  I drove about 4 blocks from my hotel and caught a free shuttle bus there.  Because of I was one of the first 400 drivers to take the shuttle, they gave me a $5 coupon for buying anything I wanted there.  I used the coupon to buy a pork loin sandwich--two thick (3/4") slices of pork on a hamburger bun and topped with barbecue sauce.  Later, I bought a piece of peach pie from a lady who had made them at her home with a homemade crust.  I walked up and down the streets for two hours listening to the music--a young man singing folk songs, a trio singing songs from the 60s and 70s, a jazz band playing big band music, and a rock band playing more modern music.  There was a big crowd and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was fun watching the people, seeing the foods, hearing the music, and just being in a crowd.

Steps Walked:  18,590

Miles Driven:  33