"Cornfields of billowy gold - in Iowa"

July 21 – 23, 2006
We were in no hurry to move on the next morning because it was such a pleasant location at the Isle of Capri, so we tarried as if we were at home. I watched Good Morning America and The View (my guilty favourite) while Fernie played some online poker. By his muttering, I don’t think it was a profitable morning. I cleaned out some cupboards and drawers while Fernie shone the windows. It sounds mundane but we enjoyed it.

For some reason, gas dropped 20 cents a gallon when we crossed from Illinois into Iowa to $2.899. I’m glad we waited to fill. We had a great first impression of Iowa. The fog had disappeared, the temperature had dropped (in line with the gasoline) 20 degrees and we found the countryside so very pretty. Rolling hills with farmhouses on the hilltops, emerald lawns, white picket fences, cattle grazing where the land was not cultivated, wildflowers in a profusion of blue, white and yellow, rolled hay bales and undulating corn rows with copses of trees breaking the monotony.

Fernie was such an enchanting companion after a successful night at the tables, that as navigator, I steered us to another casino – The Meskwaki near Tama/Toledo, Iowa, a beautiful venue with a new wing opening the following week. It was well off the beaten path, surrounded by cornfields. Tama and Toledo are tiny farming towns and it would be a couple of hours drive to the nearest city.

A good poker room enticed Fernie over for a few hours that evening. He came back grinning and when I asked “How much did you win”, he answered “I didn’t – I lost but they had a great dinner for the poker players; scalloped potatoes and bratwurst!”. I guess that’s a typical gambler’s attitude – optimistic and taking losses in stride. I make a bad gambler because I don’t take much pleasure from winning and cry if I lose.

The casino was promoting their new expansion and to garner the attention of the locals, they were ‘throwing a party’ all day on Saturday. Who are we to say no to such an invitation, so we stayed an extra day. In the morning while Fernie was playing poker, Caesar and I wandered over to the customized classic car show and craft show held in the ‘back 40’ surrounded by cornfields in true Iowa fashion.

I chatted to the ‘ladies’ at the craft tables while browsing through the homemade goods. One woman, her face etched in deep lines across her weathered cheeks, told me she’d just got a Westie two months ago. As she scratched Caesar’s ears and made a fuss of him, she said “Gaby’s drivin’ me nuts” alluding to her five month old pup. “He’n the cats – I got five of em – runnin’ all the time”. She lived on a farm, had cattle as well and when she wasn’t working the farm, she sewed and quilted. I bought four quilted mats from her – only $1 each. “You can use em for hot pots and dishes or as place mats” she said. I fingered a small quilted cotton pouch with a flap wondering what it was. “Them’s for baked po-taters” she trilled, eager to explain how they worked. “You wash your taters – don’t prick ‘em – wrap ‘em in paper towels and put ‘em in the bag – then just microwave ‘em like you always do and prick ‘em when they’re done”. I just had to buy one. “Where you from?” she asked. She wasn’t too sure where Vancouver was but “ I bin to Canada – three times – Saskatchewan” she said proudly. “Folks are real nice there”.

A little further on, I found a pile of little homemade sun visors for dogs and tried one on Caesar. He didn’t seem to mind and I thought it would keep the sun out of his eyes even if his dignity were compromised. The two ‘ladies’ at the booth were extremely garrulous and we chitchatted for a long time about dogs, seafood (lobster and crab were the subject of their choice), Iowa and the heat. “I just hate it! I stay inside with the air conditioner” one exclaimed with the other nodding agreement. “It’s real nice here in the fall – don’t snow until December” she continued, as she fanned herself.

The sun hat was obviously a fashion statement because as I wandered around browsing at the classic cars, everyone stopped to admire Caesar. “Oh, he’s soooooooo cute!” I heard a dozen times and the people, men as well as women, would engage me in lengthy conversation. I must say – Iowa folks are real friendly!”

Fernie won back most of his prior night’s losses so is almost back to even overall now. He only played for a few hours and was ready for a break. The weather was beautiful, not too hot, just perfect. We spent the afternoon almost comatose beneath a spreading chestnut tree in the Toledo Town Park. Crickets buzzed and hummed like electricity sailing down transmission lines. In stereo sound, the strident buzzing emanated first from one tree, then another and another, then to the one above shading us then circulate again, cease and start up the reverie again half an hour later. Not too far away, an owl ‘twit-twooed’ periodically and one flew past us very low and alighted in a tree.

That evening, the casino party continued. Behind the casino, there was an outdoor theatre and they were putting on a ‘free’ show – The Coasters, The Platters and The Drifters. Free - that’s just up my alley. We hauled our folding chairs over and settled down in the midst of the Iowans feeling as if we’d assimilated into the Iowa farm community. There were a fair amount of grey heads around, probably 75% were over 50 years old. Three women settled down next to us. “Can we sit by you?” one of them asked as she unfolded her chair and continued to chatter on about how she broke her foot in Acapulco and had to have surgery there and she didn’t have health insurance and it cost her $6,000 and she was a nurse and she thought they did a real good job on her. I held myself back from telling her she was STUPID and smiled and showed concern. “You’re not from ‘round here, are you?” she said. When I told her I was from Vancouver, she didn’t have any idea where it was. “I never was much good at geography” she apologized. “I’ve never been to Canada” she said.

We had seen these three groups perform at the Orpheum in Vancouver a few years back. I had won the tickets in a radio station contest. It included a suite at the Four Seasons Hotel and dinner.

It was enjoyable to be in the environment, in the fresh air and under the stars as the sun set but I can’t say there was anything spectacular about the performances. The singing left a lot to be desired but they called for a lot of audience involvement, which made it fun. The locals lapped it up, dancing in the aisles, swinging their arms, yelling out, clapping wildly and singing along. That was the most entertaining part.

The groups are certainly not the original singers, except maybe the Drifters who are an older group of men. I don’t think the Platters are even the same performers we saw in Vancouver about six years ago. I wonder how they get to use the name. They all peddled their CD’s after the show was over. I found it quite pathetic how they promoted the sale of them.



The night ended with a magnificent fireworks show, which we really enjoyed – lots of oohs and aahs! It had been a thoroughly enjoyable day.