Cedar Falls, Iowa

We parked in Cedar Falls about two years ago, at Black Hawk State Park.  Unfortunately it is now under water,  but we still had a couple other options opened to us when we arrived last Thursday.  Our second choice was filled up due to the holiday week-end and graduation events.  However, the owner of that park was kind enough to point across the Cedar River and show us where there was a church conference center which had about 10 spots for large recreational vehicles.  That is where we ended up parking.   And from that vantage point we could look over the river bluffs at the swollen Cedar River.

The river continues to flow swiftly and flood the low-lying areas of the city-  it most certainly will be one of the rivers feeding into the Mississippi and causing it also to flood.  John and I have seen a lot of rain in the past week, and according to weather reports, it probably will not let up until the end of this week.  As I commented when we were in St.Louis,  it is hard for John and I to understand all this dampness when we had such a dry winter in Texas!

We are in Cedar Falls for the high school graduation of our niece Martha and her husband Quique’s son Joshua.  They are pictured below along with their other children Becky, Joel and Lydia.  Grandparents Carolyn and Jim came up from Farmington to also join in the week-end festivities, which began with an open-house for Josh at their church on Friday evening.

And, despite the weather, John and I did find some dry time to get better acquainted with Cedar Falls.  Last time we were here we biked around the millrace and historic downtown area of the city.  This time we explored the streets of Cedar Falls which are lined with large Queen Anne and Victorian homes, many of which have been restored.  The older homes were built in the 19^th century by successful businessmen who were associated with the numerous mills built along the river.  Cedar Falls is also an arts and entertainment destination.  Yesterday we stopped at the James and Mary Hearst Center for the Arts.  The center is comprised of two galleries, a recital hall and a sculpture garden.  It was while we were strolling around the garden  that we became acquainted with the work of James Hearst, an American poet, philosopher and professor. He has sometimes has been described as "Robert Frost of the Midwest".  Posted in the garden, amid many blooming flowers, are the verses which he has written.

Today, Thursday, we are headed to Omaha, where my sister Gloria and her husband live.