Kava House Cafe with Friends

We love to get together with friends when we are in Iowa. The Schaubs, Taylors and the Cuhels are some of the best friends a person could have. Today we met at the Kava House Cafe in Swisher for dinner. They have wonderful food. After we ate and visited awhile, we headed over to Carol and Ken's for dessert and more talk. It is so wonderful that even after a year apart, the conversation picks up like it was yesterday!

You'll have to check out this cafe in you are in the area.  It is well worth the trip.  www.kavahousecafe.com

Carol Cuhel and Barb Taylor

Jerry Schaub and Larry Taylor

Lee and Ken Cuhel

Us Girls

The Group

Carol in her kitchen

Jerry and Carol

Barb and Larry

Kennie and Carol

Us

Carol made dessert - Yummy!

Physicals and Tenderloins

We've spent yesterday running errands in the rain and ended up meeting Barb and Larry at HyVee where we were having Chinese.  You can't find decent Chinese food in the Rio Grand Valley so we always enjoy it when we get back to Iowa. 

Today both of us had physicals with Dr. Wilkinsen and then we called Mary and Mickey Hazlett and went with them to the Stovehouse Restaurant in Central City for tenderloins for dinner.  The Stovehouse is our favorite place for tenderloins and Mickey and Mary are almost always willing to go, thank goodness!

Arrival at Liinder Point Campground

We left Geode State Park and Dan and Linda today and headed to Anchor Frame & Axle in Marion to have them look at the suspension.  They determined that we needed to increase the capacity of the springs and they had to order parts.  We'll be back.

Then we drove to Linder Point near Iowa City, Iowa where we parked for two weeks.  We managed to get one of their full hook-up sites.

The Mormon Temple in Nauvoo, Illinois

After lunch we took a short hike around town. We were here several years ago before the new Mormon Temple opened and we were able to get a tour through the whole place. Today, we just walked around town and down by the temple and took a few pictures.

 See http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/nauvoo/ for more information on Hotel Nauvoo.ne

The rest of these pictures are scenes around Nauvoo.

Hotel Nauvoo, Nauvoo, Illinois

We were excited to visit my brother Dan and his wife, Linda, in Burlington Iowa this week.  We have been staying at Geode State Park which is the nicest campground closest to their place.  Today we all decided to do a road trip.  We  took off for Nauvoo, Illinois and specifically the Hotel Nauvoo for their brunch. Needless to say, there was tons of food and it was all good.

Linda and Dan in front of the Hotel Nauvoo

 

The Hotel Nauvoo main building dates from 1841 when it was erected as a residence, in part by J. J. Brendt, a Latter Day Saint, and completed by Adam Swartz, a German immigrant. It was one of the outstanding structures of the area with its spacious rooms, porch and upper verandah, and its unique cupola, all typical of Pioneer Mormon architecture. 

Lee and Mary (us)

Dan and Linda

See www.hotelnauvoo.com for more information.

After lunch we took a short hike around town.

Day with Dan and Linda in Burlington, Iowa

We drove the truck over to Dan and Linda's house in Burlington this morning for breakfast.  Linda fixed crockpot oatmeal for us this morning.  She had it and all the trimmings.  It was really good.  

We sat around and caught up on things and then went for lunch at the West Gate Food Court.  After lunch we went to the movies and saw a movie called "Admission".  It was a Tina Fey and Paul Rudd movie and it was pretty good.

Then later on we went to dinner at Applebee's.  Then we went to the Community College Production of Bye Bye Birdie.  It was soooo bad that at intermission Linda and I started laughing and we agreed that it was time to leave.  It was not, we hope, their finest hour!

Arrived at Geode State Park

We spent the two nights in Walmarts in Moore, Oklahoma and Cameron, Missouri.  We arrived at Geode State Park today and got the fifth wheel set up.  Later on Dan and Linda came over and picked us up.  We went out for tenderloins at Gator's in Burlington.

Italian Restaurant, Canyon Lake, Texas

Then it was time for dinner. The Kirkman's had heard that the Italian Restaurant in Canyon City was excellent and it was. We visited the Italian Garden Cafe at 18220 Highwy 306 in Canyon Lake, Texas.  I had the best Chicken Marsala that I've ever had. Lee's Veal Parmesan was wonderful too. They had the most wonderful bread that you can imagine. We would highly recommend the place to anyone who travels in the area.

The Italian Restaurant in Canyon Lake

Lee had Veal Parmesan

Janet and Dick

I had the Chicken Marsala

Oldest Tavern in the United States - Gruene, Texas

Yesterday we found out that Dick and Janet Kirkman were also camped at Potter's Creek. They are a couple that we know from Winter Ranch. They asked if we wanted to tour Gruene, Texas with them and then have dinner at the Italian restaurant in Canyon City.

We were a little disappointed that the oldest tavern in the United States in Gruene wasn't open until evening. We were walking around taking pictures of the outside when the janitor came out and asked if we would like to see the inside. So, we were able to get some pictures of the inside of the place. The janitor told us that he pretty much stays away from the place on weekend nights because the crowds get really rowdy and the cowboys almost always start fights. It doesn't sound like a place to visit on the weekends.

The building in which Tavern in the Gruene is located dates back to the 1940′s when it was a Texas pole barn used to store farm equipment and as housing for sheep and hogs that were being raised by Edwin Hanz and his family.  In 1992, Ed and Billie Miles purchased the 8 acres on Gruene Road in New Braunfels with plans to develop Gruene Homestead Inn.  The building was renovated, enclosed, and turned into an upscale restaurant in 1998.  By early 2001, the restaurant had closed and the building was then used as an event center called Hanz Hall.  About a year later, in May of 2002, the Tavern opened and it will be here for years to come.

After we visited the tavern, we did some walking around the shops in Gruen.

Janet and Dick