Trip Back to Iowa - part 3

I know this story is about a trip back to Iowa so what is this about me being in Sioux Falls, South Dakota?  Well,  I love this city and try and get back to see friends as often as possible.  It is only miles from the Iowa boarder so please bear with me as the journey deviates from Iowa and I hope you can find some pleasure in the story.  My short stay in Sioux Falls is filled with visiting friends and a lot of laughing and hanging out. I love when the opportunity presents itself for a quick return. Since I often take a minute when writing about my experiences in Brazil,  to share a little history about the cities or regions I am visiting.  I guess I can do this now for my readers from other countries so they can learn more about the United States.   Well, Sioux Falls is a small metropolitan area in the southeast corner of South Dakota with a population around 155,000 (metro area 230,000).  With a booming economy and lust for life,  the city has seen a quick increase in population from 81,000 in 1980,s to the current day numbers.  It ranks as the 47th fastest going city in the United States and the largest city in the state of South Dakota.

The history of the city surround that of the cascading waters of the Big Sioux River created 14,000 years ago by the glaciers retreat in the region.  Many Native American tribes lived in small agricultural communities surrounding the river.  The first European settlers explored the falls and the Big Sioux River in the early 18th century.  Believing the falls would provide great water power,  they chose this location to settle and begin building a community.  It did not hurt that there was such a natural beauty on the river for their Sunday afternoon leisure. The population remained quite small until the railroad arrived in the 1880s.  As the iron horses rolled into the train station,  so did the number of people moving into the now incorporated town.  The population quickly increased and the city grew as an agricultural and railroad center in the region.  This boom ,however, slowed at the end of the century until John Morrels built a meat packing plant in 1909 which fueled another spur in growth. This packing plant is currently the third largest employer in the city.  The most recent influx of residents has been driven by two areas: credit card company jobs and medical jobs.  Many credit card companies (like Citibank and HSBC) have located here to benefit from the availability of trained employees and favorable state laws.  It is a regional medical center with two large hospitals calling the city home.  These centers are the number one and number two employers of the city. The quality of life in Sioux Falls is good  and it has been honored by being ranked: #1 city in the U. S. to live  several times by different magazines over the past twenty years.  

I can remember my first visit to the majestic falls that give the city its name.  After driving through a pretty run down neighborhood, the park was in need of some intervention.  Drug deals and who know what other activities were taking place there.  Today the city has focussed on renovating this area with the expansion of main street to Falls Park. They have nightly lazer shows during the summer and put up thousands of lights during the holiday season to attract visitors to the park.  It is now a great place to go  listen to the bustling waters and just relax.  (thanks wikipedia) 

Well, enough talk about Sioux Falls,  my time here today is done and it is time for me to head back across the boarder.  My nephew is playing football this afternoon and since I don't get the opportunity to see any of my nieces and nephews play or perform in extra activities, I cannot pass up any opportunities when they fit into my plans.  The drive to Sibley, Iowa, my brother's home town, is short and it doesn't take long to locate the school where the game is to be played.   I turn down the street and immediately am assured I am in the right place by the number of vehicles parked in the lot.  I pull in, park, and head
towards the bleachers.  As I get to the fenced area,  I am greeted by my other brother who is watching my nieces and nephews as they relieve some of their extra energy.  They all stop what they are doing and come at me with a wonderful greeting which I am always blessed to receive.   After catching up a little with them, I head to the bleachers where my sister n laws and parents are sitting.  It is a lovely afternoon with the great blue skies overhead and nice cool breeze of the fall.  I sit back and watch as my nephews team proceeds to win their game and I truly enjoy the afternoon.  I cannot believe my nephew is already old enough to be playing football, but I guess that is life and living so far away from family.   Time passes by so quickly. 

After the game my family heads to the quaint downtown area filled with all the traditional little stores of small town Iowa:  Post Office, bank, restaurant, hardware store and a couple specialty stores. It is the last game of the season for the football team and so my brother, being the coach, is treating them to pizza at the Pizza Ranch.   My family gathers at a table in the corner of the little restaurant and soon we are enjoying our pizza and conversation.  There is more catching up and talk about the next day as plans are in motion to get together as a family again to celebrate my parents birthdays.  My parents are five years apart (I won't share how old...kkk) so all the major birthdays can be celebrated together, which is nice.  The afternoon ends and soon I am driving back to Sioux Falls where I will be staying with my friend again. The drive through the countryside of Iowa and South Dakota is so peaceful and relaxing.  I take my time driving with the windows all the way down and fresh air rushing through my hair.  It is a great time of reflecting on life and all the wonderful ways I have been blessed.  As I am driving along the horizon looks to be on fire with the only thing missing is a huge cloud of smoke.  I soon realize it is the sunsetting over the western skies and what a wonderful site it is!  When I get back to Sioux Falls I am able to hang out with some more friends and enjoy some good down time... to be continued ...

A Park Expands ...

I am back in the USA and it's time to head for a walk in the park. One of the benefits of living in Midtown is that Piedmont Park is so close and easy to enjoy. It is a sunny day and God’s invitation to be outside and enjoy this wonderful day has arrived at my door step. I have not gone to Piedmont Park since I arrived back in Atlanta so I look forward to visiting my old walking paths and green grassy knolls (that one is for you Georgina).




I walk the five blocks through the Midtown neighborhood with its trimmed front lawns and beautiful flowers in bloom to the entrance of the park.  It is just as I remember it: the old bridge welcomes me to stroll high above the old railroad valley into the grove of shade trees. The air is fresh and clean and I begin to head towards the little pond. To my right there lies one of those beautiful grassy fields.  In the center of the field theere is a shelter that has been constructed on what used to be a small parking lot for the park. It sure is nice they have turned this asphault into more green space.  Soon I am imagining a bride and groom exchanging their vows here or maybe it is a family gathered together with their basket of goods to have a lovely afternoon picnic.  It is a perfect location for either of these occastions.  As I walk down the sidewalk past the shelter towards Magnolia Hall - a small event facility where that same imaginary couple may be having their reception after their wedding nuptials. I continue to fantasize a little about the couple and how their day is just perfect with sun beating down,  a few light fluffy clouds in the sky and a light breeze to keep their guests cool.  I walk past Magnolia Hall and am distracted by the realization thatt the park expansion they were working on during my last visit is now open.  I decide to check what they have created instead of heading the the Botanical Garden which was my first thought. 

The sidewalk descends down the hill and so I follow it through the shade of the large trees surrounding the path. It opens up and you can see the back of Amsterdam (a small retail center) and the two dog parks. One park is for larger dogs and one for smaller dogs, for those who have never visited a dog park in the United States; they are large open areas which are fenced in. Dog owners bring their pooches here and let them run free with the other dogs. These dog parks can be seen from the bridge (the one at the entrance of the park I had strolled across earlier) and from time to time I stop and watch the dogs playing down below. I find it relaxing and although I do not own a dog I can appreciate the carefree play of a dog and easy life it lives.

Back to my walk, I stroll along the path and there are many places to look out over the natural terrain below, where the train used to run. It is obvious there is some work to be done yet, but the water ways and drainage systems look ready for the next large rainfall. The grass has turned brown already as the summer heat has hit Atlanta early. On the overlooks there are benches for people to sit and I must say the have done a nice job of expanding the park. I continue a little further and soon hear the laughter and screams of children playing ahead. Walking onto a large grass oval I cannot see the source of the
excitement and wonder what could be creating it. Soon I come to a small summit and quickly see what all the noise is. There is a legacy water fountain with children sprinting through attempting to not catch a drop. Even though I am sure that is not really what they want. The water must be quite refreshing in the heat of the morning.

I stop for a while to watch the children enjoying the water, never knowing which fountain will shoot water next and running and screaming and just simply having a good time. This is what summer is all about. Soon it is time for me to continue my journey and I walk down the stairs and once again think of our imaginary bride and groom. This would be a perfect place for a romantic picture or maybe a not so romantic photo of the wedding party. Both would have the beautiful background of green grass – greystone steps and carriage lamps.

Soon the path I am traveling turns to dirt and is no longer paved. The final section of my stroll is through the new area is obviously still under construction with its bright orange fencing keeping visiters inside the lines. There is a lot of space to be converted and a couple of free standing bridges that are yet to be connected to paths. The expansion is going to be a great enhancement of the park once finished. Soon I arrive at the road behind some shops bordered by Piedmont Road on the other side. My journey through Piedmont Park’s expansion is complete for today. I look forward to visiting again and see more improvements in the near future.