November 2006 - Posts
Anyone who's done a decent amount of air travel has also done a lot of waiting in terminals and knows this fact: airports are the best place to people watch. Seriously. There's no better place to see a fascinating mixture of people in their best and worst moments. You witness melt downs at the gate or standing in line at security check-points. And, you see sad goodbyes. But, you also watch homecomings: the look on a mother's face welcoming her child home from college or a couple kissing after a long (or short) separation.
That joy is my favorite part about airports. And there was plenty of it Wednesday at the Eastern Iowa Airport. The arrival gate and baggage claim area were flooded with people travelling to eastern Iowa for Thanksgiving. There were college students coming home for the first time since their parents sent them off to school in August. There were young couples bringing their children home to see grandma and grandpa and there were reunited couples who kept stealing kisses and hugs.
As a seasoned airport people watcher, I was in my element. But, I also was a little sad. My entire immediate family lives 4,000 miles away in Alaska. And, though they were just here for my wedding in July, I still found myself wishing that I was at the airport to pick them up or with luggage of my own, on my way to see them. I haven't been back home since I moved to Iowa two and a half years ago. So, even though I'm excited about hosting our first Thanksgiving, a part of me wishes I were going home for the holidays.
Keeping in the holiday spirit, Nicole will be at the Prelude to Christmas/ Tannenbaum Forest in the Amanas on December 4.
I grew up playing board games. Scattergories, Balderdash, Pictionary, Rummikub and Scrabble. Man, you better believe I can really nail you with a mean triple word score. Card games are another story. I never really progressed beyond Go Fish and War. The closest I've ever come to playing real cards was the couple of times in college when the guys tried to teach me Euchre. I never really caught on. Probably because the first time I heard the game's name I thought someone was sneezing and quickly blessed them.
This is all probably why the poker craze has eluded me. Or I've eluded it. Either way, going to the Isle of Iowa Texas Hold 'Em Tournament Friday night at the El Kahir Shrin Temple was definitely an educational experience. While we waited for the tournament to start, I talked to more than a dozen players. Everyone was more than happy tell me what they thought was the key to being a top-notch poker player. Some tried to convince me it was all luck, others placed their bets on skills and still others said it was a combination of reading your opponents and being aggresive. The one that confused me the most was the guy who said the trick was to fold often. Huh? That's was my response too. But, he says that way you get to stay in the game longer. Who knew? Not me. But, I figure now I have notebook full of tips. So, should I ever decided to sit down for a hand, I'll be one step ahead of the, er, game.
The tournament was also a chance to learn about the Isle of Iowa organization. Prior to this event I didn't even know what a Parrothead or the Isle of Iowa was. For those of you that don't know either - a parrothead is someone that's a huge Jimmy Buffet fan. And the Isle of Iowa is a group of 150 or so parrotheads. The organization is part social and part philanthropic. A few weeks ago, for example, they threw a Halloween dance and raised $1,400 for the American Cancer Society. They're going to use money raised by Friday night's poker tournament, which pulled in 78 players at $75 a head, to fund next year's big charity event.
I also learned that the El Kahir Shrine Temple often hosts poker tournaments as fundraisers for different groups. They take a cut of the proceeds in return for providing the space and running the tournament. Stop by the temple to see when the next one is. Who knows maybe you'll see me there.
Nah. If you could see my face, you'd know I was bluffing. But, you will see me at Lindale Mall next weekend catching up with the after-Thanksgiving Day shoppers to find out what everyone wants for Christmas.
Modeled after the open-air markets held in Germany throughout the Christmas season, the tenth annual Old World Christkindlmarkt held at the Riverside Roundhouse over the weekend was definitely a good way to get into the holiday spirit. Even though I haven't done any holiday shopping yet, it wasn't hard to be inspired by the charming Christmas decorations set-up in the roundhouse.
There were at least a dozen Christmas trees decorated in delicate ornaments. In the German tradition, there were glass birds, fruit and other baubles. Many were replicas of the paper-thin vintage ornaments that I remember fingering gently as they hung from my grandmother's tree. Hers were chipped and faded in spots, but they seemed all the more special for their wear.
Wandering around the market, there were plenty of other items that hearken back to childhood memories. One vendor was selling hand-carved nutcrackers, Santas and snowmen. They also had German Christmas Pyramids like the one I remember my grandmother setting out at Christmas. Hers was a tiny nativity scene. There were blades at the top and candles fitted to various parts of the pyramid. When the candles were lit, the heat would move the wing blades and rotate the whole thing. I remember being mesmerized by hers as a child.
Another vendor had oodles of toys. Some were from my childhood; others were from my parents or grandparents' eras. There were dozens of wind-up metal toys from late 1800s and early 1900s. The mechanics behind them is probably rudimentary, but they seemed simplistically ingenious compared to today's plastic toys that beep and sing and move. I was tempted to pick-up a few for Christmas presents for my son and nephews, but I didn't because they looked too delicate for a toddler. His plastic toys may not be as carefully made, but they can withstand the wear and tear he doles out.
Which reminds me. We desperately need to start our Christmas shopping. And by the sounds of it, we're not alone. Most of the shoppers I talked to Sunday at the market hadn't started yet either.
Check in next week. I'll be checking out people's poker faces at the Isle of Iowa Texas Hold 'Em Tournament at the El Kahir Shrine Temple in Cedar Rapids.
Firefighters in North Liberty have been busy for the past few weeks, and fortunately it wasn't because of a sudden rash of fires in town. They've been putting in even more volunteer hours than usual teaching kids about fire safety and raising money for the department.
Oct. 6-13 was Fire Safety Week, and they visited 850 kids in elementary schools and day cares to talk about fire safety. They wore full gear so kids would learn not to be afraid of firefighters.
On Tuesday, they held the third annual Halloween party at the fire station, where 300 or 400 costumed kids showed up to trick or treat.
On Friday, they put on the first Kids' Night at the North Liberty Community Center. The family of Matt Boerjan, 19, a lieutenant and public education officer with the department, owns Aero Rental. So, the business donated all kinds of equipment for the carnival. Kids bounced in "moonwalk inflatables," competed in timed basketball shooting contests and played other games. They snacked on cotton candy, popcorn and orange Kool-Aid and got hugs from Old Country Buffet's O.C. Bee mascot. The kids got fun stuff like stickers and temporary tattoos, and parents got important stuff like magnets for emergency numbers, and brochures on carbon monoxide detectors, fire detectors and fire escape plans.
Anyone who wanted to could drop a donation into a firefighter's boot at the front door. The all-volunteer department, which has 35 members, established a benevolent fund to buy equipment and help with training. Last year, they bought a thermal imaging camera, used to see into fires, and a digital camera and video camera, which they use to tape training exercises. Boerjan said donations are increasing as the city grows. It's good to know that residents are supporting the department.
It's a shame if you missed all of these outreach events the fire department has been sponsoring for kids. But, you can book a kids' birthday party at the fire station, or have a firefighter visit a birthday party. Visit www.northlibertyiowa.org/fire/ for the department's contact information. Maybe lots of fire departments do this, but it was news to me. What a great idea. Kids can see a real hero AND learn something at the party.
If you haven't already, check out On the Street in Monday's Gazette. I asked young adults at Kids' Night what they liked to do when they were kids.
And, tune in next week, when co-host Carly Weber will stop by the Christkindlmarkt at the Riverside Roundhouse in Cedar Rapids to ask folks how their holiday shopping is going. (What, people have already started? I haven't even taken the witch and bat lights off my front porch!)