Education
The Humble Architects of an Unseen Power
Pulling out of the airport in Cedar Rapids, out into the back roads and side roads and major roads of Iowa, the first word that comes to mind isn’t what you might think. It’s not cows. Or corn. It’s not…
Why Good People Don’t Run for Office
When I was preparing to leave for Iowa, a couple of people made a point of saying that the Midwest seems oddly pale compared to Switzerland, compared to Austria, compared to whatever, fill-in-the-blank with some other beautiful place you’ve gone…
Not Tall Enough to Be Noticed
Off the beaten path of the Mississippi River, I found what appears to be a castle or a fortress or an ancient something without explanation, high enough that you can see the river from the top, but not tall enough…
Mississippi River Drive
In less than three full days, I drove more than 1,000 miles (1,038 to be exact) between Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and (briefly) Wisconsin. The original goal was to visit some old familiar sites from my childhood, stop by the hospital…
Entering the Land of Lincoln
Looking east out of my Airbnb in Davenport, across the Mississippi River, you could see the State of Illinois, a part of the nation fully immersed in its recognition of Abraham Lincoln, so I made my pilgrimage to the American…
I Remembered His Name Was Jake
The current principal of my old junior high school was free and open to giving me a tour, talking about education in Iowa, and ultimately sharing that one of my old eighth grade classmates now happens to be one of…
A Quick Tip About Tipping Overseas
There’s a strange disconnect in the world of hospitality both here and abroad. And after working in restaurants, in hotels, in places where my wage barely covered the cost of my taxes for roughly fifteen years before I became a…
But Sometimes, You Just Want to Come Home
We went high. We went low. St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Towers and Catacombs. Saw Vienna’s Collection of Old Musical Instruments. Wandered a graveyard until our feet hurt. Paused for a little while inside the Library of Austria. But you know that…
This Unexpected Assault on Her Hearing
Some of you know. Others maybe not so much. A little more than three years ago, we booked flights and made plans to visit Switzerland and Austria. In essence, this trip we’ve been on over the past couple of weeks…
Konzerte im Mozarthaus
You don’t have to love classical music to appreciate names like Mozart, Bach, Haydn, or Mendelssohn, to appreciate that they were the artists of their day, or to appreciate that this evening, we walked through the early rains of downtown…
