August Road Trip - Part 5 (Iowa)

Done were the "short stints" of our road trip. We were in for a doozy of a day beelining it from Frankort, MI to Decorah, IA so that Jason could participate in the first event of Adam and Licia's wedding weekend, which was a men's circle (thankfully we gained one hour in the process of our travels that day). We were unable to work out the timing of our trip to hitch a ride on the ferry across Lake Michigan, so we took the longer route around it. Once we landed in Decorah, our home for the next few days was the 4H campground where the majority of the wedding festivities took place. We bunked in one of the cabins, which we shared with just one other person (who, thankfully, was not bothered by the sniffles that were moving their way through our family; a small souvenir from along the way). Our time in Decorah was full and sweet, cool in some moments and real hot in others, and we left feeling so grateful that the stars had aligned for us to be present for these days of celebration, connection, ritual and lots of laughter. Here's what we collectively chose to share with you from our Thursday night to Sunday morning time in Iowa:

While sitting in traffic on our sprint to get to the first wedding festivities in Iowa, Terah added some levity to the moment by genuinely asking if these were giant toilet paper rolls. 

While Jason attended the men's circle, some of the rest of us baked cookies. Prior to the trip, Adam wondered if his favorite Tangly Woods cookie could make its way to Iowa - I brought ingredients instead so they would be fresh!

Look at that grin - is it because he's with Jason or enjoying a cookie?!

Grateful for our accommodations but not the mouse poo OR their nighttime parties. We snuggled in long sleeves in our sleeping bags the first night and the last night we couldn't get cool enough.

Our family has always enjoyed being on the back end of wedding preparations and Friday was such a day for all of us. We weren't sure how we were going to hang these ginormous decorations in the trusses of the pavilion but Licia's son and his mad climbing skills came to our rescue.

Here we are working on paper bag lanterns that would light the way to the wedding pyre on Saturday evening.

We didn't just work that day! 

Many of us enjoyed a relaxing river float.

Swinging bridge above the river...

...and the view of the swimmers below!

PIZZA...PIZZA...PIZZA!

After all that hard work (and play), Adam and Licia treated all their wedding helpers to wood fired pizzas made twice weekly at a local farm.

It was great to have some quality time with our dear friends from Virginia. We declared we wouldn't wait until another out of state gathering to get together again.

The wedding morning dawned clear and hot! Thankfully, the ceremony was being held under a HUGE oak tree in the middle of the Decorah Community Prairie. We arrived in time to help gather flowers.

They were used to decorate the outdoor space and snazzify the tree!

We also got snazzy!

The exquisitely crafted yet purposefully partially unplanned ceremony was inclusive and community oriented, rich with ritual and ample opportunity for participation. 

Between the wedding and the evening festivities, we squeezed in a fly by visit to Seed Savers' Exchange. We walked out 15 minutes later with a catalogue and a few business cards.

We also dashed over to the home of some friends of theirs that Adam insisted we really needed to meet while in town. He was right! We thought we were arriving late until we realized our car hadn't had its clock adjusted for the time zone so we had an extra hour and got to savor a longer visit. The husband of the couple is a highly skilled stone mason and pictured here is the spiral staircase in their home,

After visiting over some bean shelling and pear cutting, we ventured into the heat for a quick tour of their garden and chicken flock. By this time, Terah had made friends with their dog, Sam.  

One of the things we had in common was breeding chickens for local adaptation. We tried to resist but in the end came home with a dozen fresh fertile eggs which are currently halfway through incubating under one of our broody hens. We also came home with seeds from some of their favorite garden varieties. 

We got back just in time for the dance...

...a whole bunch of sweaty fun!

One of Janelle's favorite parts of the weekend was the abundant supply of adorable babies on the premises! She was missing her doula babies and at times regretting Jason's vasectomy. 

The dance was followed by a potluck and highly entertaining and meaningful open mic session. 

The wedding pyre - a 10ft stack of packing pallets and branches. Terah and Janelle crashed for the night back in the cabin, while the others went to watch.

Aren't we stylish? Iowa will do funny things to a person!

We thoroughly enjoyed the time with Adam, Licia, and their community. We soaked it up as well as we could and it was hard to leave our friends, both old and new. It was special for Alida to get to know someone who is just 5 days older than her. But, alas, home beckoned.

P.S. NEWS FLASH: While in Decorah, Kali was defeated for the first time in ping pong by Alida, 14 to 21! (Kali still won best of 3)