Now and Then in Centerville, Iowa

I’ve had a little writer’s block lately, I guess. We’ve moved east from Iowa to Indiana while I simmer the ideas for the blog.  So, it’s time to bring us up to date with a few quick posts. 

About a week ago we were in Iowa, at the Buck Creek COE Campground ….just enjoying the nice surroundings.  Pieces of that scenery were these long-stemmed, bunches of daisy-type wildflowers  waving brightly in the breeze around the park and the roadways into town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of the nearby town, a  funny thing happened one evening on a trip into Centerville.  We had decided to have a late anniversary dinner at the Continental Hotel, a slightly upscale restaurant on the town square. But, the plans changed quickly.  When we arrived that Saturday we found signs on the doors saying they were closed to the public for that one evening due to an alumni gathering. Great timing, huh!  We could see through the windows a smiling group of our own generation getting reacquainted and perusing the menus at their white-clothed tables. Crash the party?  No, not this time.

As we laughed about our good timing and took a walk further around the downtown square, we noticed young people dressed in unusual attire – girls in heels and evening dresses, boys in dress pants and ties.  And there was one more distinctive clue – wrist corsages. About the time we were adding it all together we spotted the sign: Welcome to Homecoming Weekend.  Then we also noticed the other restaurant on the square that was drawing people inside, George and Nick’s.  We like to try the non-chain, local places when we can find them.  This one seemed to fit that description.

 

As it turns out, we couldn’t have been more pleased that the other dining establishment was occupied. This was one of those finds  that you reminisce about down the road. We had delicious Italian food and fabulous people watching.  Actually, our timing was just right. As we were ordering and consuming our creamy alfredo and pesto pastas, we had a front row seat to discreetly follow the teenagers socially interacting in their finery.  Although the tried and true tradition of the Homecoming event seemed to be preserved, the current influence was also evident. Not  far from each young person’s hand was their trusted texting machine.  As the under-twenties enjoyed their dates, other local citizens of another generation roamed in to fill the room. We were sure that the atmosphere was as good as we could have hoped, a mix of then and now.

See you soon.