Moominmama's Adventures

In which Moominmama  explores the pleasures and indigenous history of Iowa and  makes new friends...  Moominmama has long admired Amish quilts, many of which rival the best of modern art in her view.  I'm fascinated by t he simple patterns and colors contrasted against the often ornate hand-stitching that hold the layers together. But I've only ever seen these quilts in photos. So I jumped at the chance to visit the Kalona Historical Society museum and its Amish quilt display just south of Iowa City. I landed in Iowa City largely by chance, because it was the halfway point on my route to Minnesota -- and a campsite was available. But I'm awfully glad I stopped here. This community is  full of bike trails and cozy restaurants and opportunities to hike or get out on the water. Iowa City even has a jazz station! At the quilt museum, I discovered I could tour the Kalona Historical Village where they had an installation detailing some of the indigenous history of the...

  Wherein Moominmama celebrates Juneteenth in St. Louis and tries to figure out "Where it All Began" for the Lewis & Clark expedition... St. Louis is home to the National Blues Museum, and the street corner outside the museum was awash in sound yesterday -- a concert in honor of Juneteenth. What better way to spend this new national holiday than to revel in the blues? St. Louis is one of several major cities associated with the growth and development of the blues. The song, "St. Louis Blues" by W.C. Handy from 1914 is the most recorded blues tune in history, according to the museum. The blues grew out of African traditions, and the banjo in particular is believed to be an adaptation of a lute found among the Mande people of West Africa. The blues surfaced in the work songs of enslaved people and in their early churches, where singing made use of call and response. But the blues grew to be a major -- if not THE major -- influence on all the music that followed in...

Wherein Moominmama explores some pre-history as well as some personal history near the Ohio River.... The prospect of a "fossil discovery hike" tempted Moominmama to drive south from Bloomington to the Falls of the Ohio across from Louisville, KY. It turns out that the limestone riverbed is a treasure trove of fossils from the early and mid-Devonian period about 390 million years ago. Back then, the area was a tropical sea, before the earth's tectonic plates shifted the land much farther from the equator.   Volunteer guide Stan Dunn led a group of us down the steps onto the flat rocks that run up to the river. We were in luck because the water level there was low enough to reveal some of the older fossils. These include corals, crinoids (or sea lilies) and the predecessors of sponges. They are early animals, even if they look like plants. But they are remarkably abundant and easy to see. No one is allowed to take the fossils, but Stan did have handful of individual specim...

In which Moominmama visits her alma mater to see what's become of the Ernie Pyle School of Journalism.... Indiana University at first glance has enrolled an entire class of cicadas. They clutter the pathways the way students do during the school year, with one bold cicada attempting to use Moominmama for a ride. They're loud but glitter like gold in the sun. There is very little I recognize in Bloomington, Indiana after more than 30 years, but I did make it to the Ernie Pyle School of Journalism. And while the exterior is still that familiar grey limestone, everything inside has changed. It's now the admissions center, and the interior -- where I spent hours of my life in class -- is polished and modern. Journalism is no longer a separate school within the university, but subsumed under the College of Arts and Sciences, reconstituted as the Media School in a different building. Now you can major in game design or specialize in social media. No one trains for print journalis...

Rochester, N.Y. and the Genesee River on a typical cloudy day! In which Moominmama wishes everyone a Happy Mothers Day and celebrates daughter's recovery from surgery... Moominmama is back to mothering for a short time and is pleased to report that all went well with older daughter's surgery. Daughter is experiencing some pain and general discomfort but also knows that this will pass. She remains in good spirits.  While she was getting some much-needed rest, I ducked out on a rare sunny afternoon for a walk in my all-time favorite park, Highland Park. This time of year, it is spectacular, and I'm happy to be here to watch the lilacs come into full bloom in the coming days and weeks.  For those of you who don't know Rochester's Highland Park, it is home to about 1,200 lilac bushes, representing 500 different varieties.  Over 50 new varieties have been developed by horticulturists here but some of the original bushes, dating back to 1892, also remain. Though Rochester...

Wherein Moominmama visits the birthplace of the civil rights movement and comes face to face with the violent history of racism... Driving the Moominhouse over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma gave Moominmama the chills. For some reason, I thought the iconic bridge would be preserved as a monument and not still serve as the everyday route to Montgomery! But there are markers and memorials at the bridge and along the road to honor the march for voting rights in March of 1965.  Unfortunately, the main "interpretive center" on the road to Montgomery was closed due to COVID, though an outdoor display board noted that the site was once home to a tent city for Black families -- sharecroppers who were kicked out of their homes for seeking to vote.  Come nightfall, the display noted, angry Whites often drove by and fired shots into the encampment. There is no turning away from the history of violence that marks the legacy of racism in this country. A visit to the Legacy Museum and t...

  In which Moominmama follows the pirates and survives a (minor) Galveston storm... Last night, the Moominhouse shook like it was possessed while the sky rumbled, cracked and flickered like a bad lightbulb. Then a firehose of water dumped on us, leaving a splash pool under the open window by the door. Fortunately, it was over in 30 minutes.  The island of Galveston, Texas is defined by its storms -- and by a cast of miscreants including pirates, bootleggers and gamblers. Galveston is the first place Moominmama has seen to boast of its historic red light district and background as a Mafia town. The first Westerner to settle here was reportedly the pirate and smuggler Jean Lafitte, after he and his fleet were chased out of Barataria Bay and New Orleans. The site of his Galveston home, called the Maison Rouge, is proudly marked on Harborside Drive. Galveston is a long sausage of an island on the Gulf south of Houston. The inland side holds the port, and the Gulf side remains a hu...