Pictures of Iowa or The Enjoyable Part of My Trip

Spring arrived early this year in Iowa. I couldn't get over how green everything was! The air was so fragrant with the smell of wet earth and plant life. (Big difference between the Utah desert and the Midwest.) I haven't been in Iowa in the springtime for 6 years now, and after spending over 30 years of my life there, it was so natsukashii (nostalgic) to experience those familiar sights and smells again. (I swear I have the sense of smell of a dog. For whatever reason I really key into how different places smell. Most of my strongest memories are connected to my sense of smell. Is everyone like that?)

The drive to and from the nursing home every day was one photo op after another. Iowa countryside is so ridiculously picturesque. Following are my favorite shots. 

We were in Amish country, and it just about killed me in the face of some prime opportunities to abide by the Amish request of not taking their pictures. (They consider photographs to be graven images.) But I did whip out my camera to catch a few buggies from behind:

I've got a thing for old brick churches:

And crazy, bright colored houses:

This might be my fav:

My rental car had California plates, and as I was turning around in my car after taking this picture I noticed an older gentleman slowing down in his own car while reading my license plates. He stopped me, rolled down his window, and asked if I was looking for the Amish. Like he had me all figured out.

Excessive lawn ornamentation is a definite trademark of Midwest small towns:

This is the luckiest shot I've ever taken while driving. I had my eyes on the road, one hand on the steering wheel, and the other hand hoping to snap at just the right time while my camera was pointed in the general direction:

 Amish laundry day:

I figured out one of the reasons for my general discontent with otherwise nice homes in the part of Utah where we live: most of the trees are smaller than the houses. I didn't realize I had this very detailed bias until this trip, but that is my default for a beautiful home setting. The trees need to be taller than the house! Otherwise perfectly average homes are made instantly more beautiful by TREES. I love them.

I'm in love with this one. Is it just me?

I don't know if I have the emotional wherewithal to blog about the not so enjoyable, but incredibly meaningful part of my trip. And quite unfortunately (devastating to me, actually), my computer froze up last night, forcing me to restart, and causing me to lose over 6 pages I had written while in Iowa over the course of my 5 days, detailing all my thoughts, feelings, and experiences. (Things that were said, etc.) I'm just sick about it. (Sick that I didn't save it early on!!) I don't think I can recreate it now that I'm back in the middle of carpool, soccer, scouts, harp, orchestra, piano, bills, house hunting (that's another story), Deseret News posts, and getting ready for Will's upcoming birthday.

Anyone have any suggestions for retrieving unsaved documents from a Mac????