Spoonful

A laid back day with the morning devoted to laundry and housekeeping duties. Lunchtime we checked our book, RoadFood, and found some interesting places nearby. We selected Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop where they specialize in "loose meat." We sat at the counter in this small place on the main street in Newton. In front of us they had a huge tub of ground meat which they shovel into buns and have different sizes and condiments that can be added. Jeff tried the regular and it was served with a spoon to scoop up everything that falls out of the bun. He declared it "good" and different than anything he'd had before.

Next stop was the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. This is named for a former Congressman and we decided that a lot of pork was involved to establish this 8600 acre reserve and the beautiful learning center building. We changed our minds after viewing the exhibits and watching their excellent movie. The quest is to reestablish the plains that once existed in Iowa. It is a noble endeavor and this refuge is so important for people to understand what was once here. Outside the building are gardens of wildflowers and these and grasses are being planted all over the refuge. They have also introduced herds of bison and elk since these animals had once dwelled on these plains. With the large animals come coyotes and other animals and lots of vegetation that has disappeared. We drove their auto route and did not see anything but some butterflies and birds. Jeff is posing with a huge ground squirrel in the kid's underground area. The bottom photo shows the edge of the refuge with the difference in environs from plains to the current adjacent farms.

We had some super delicious corn for dinner and Ziggy and I sat outside and enjoyed the fresh air and quiet surroundings.

BTW - the title is a Cream song according to my source - Jeff.