Today was starting out to be a boring day; however, when Sudi called, I suggested we go to Cantril to the Dutchman's Store. She agreed that it would be a good day for a road trip, so off we went! The Dutchman's Store is an experience in and of itself. It's run by Mennonites and has just about anything you could ever want, including natural casings to make your own sausage links! They have fabric, dry goods, bulk foods, and some of the best candy in Iowa. We met up with Rita and Bob at Cantril and then followed them to Mt. Sterling to A.J.'s - a typical "redneck" bar/cafe, complete with dead animals on the wall. I ordered a tenderloin which completely covered my plate - in fact, the bun looked like a little teeny island surrounded by a lake of tenderloin! After eating all I could eat, I asked for a take-out box and what tenderloin that was left had to be cut to fit in an 8 or 9" box!! Now that's a tenderloin!
After lunch we went to Rita's house to see it. After having grown up in the Fairfield area, Rita and Bob moved back to Iowa last year from the Dallas-Fort Worth area to this remote southeastern Iowa acreage. I can't imagine the culture shock. Now instead of having anything and everything to choose from in the Dallas metroplex, now they have to drive about 25 miles just to get to a store. They don't have internet service where they are, so they drive to Keosauqua just to read their email! Their home is beautiful and so is their acreage. It's nice to have them back in the area again...they were gone for 35 years.
A potentially boring day turned into a wonderful day with old friends! Thanks, you all!
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