Tonight: Last Child in the Woods Author, Richard Louv

What a great city! Author Richard Louv is speaking tonight (July 30, 2008) at 7:00 p.m. at Hoyt Sherman Place. The award winning author of the best selling book Last Child in the Woods will present a free lecture. Since seating is limited you may want to reserve your tickets just to be sure.

The book has been reviewed positively by

A New Look for AroundDesMoines.com

You might have noticed - we’re working on a facelift for AroundDesMoines.com!

We have a new look that features six tabs across the top so that we can highlight posts.

And there are four main categories just below that:

• Facing Des Moines: Putting faces on everyday people and telling some of their story
• Life is Political: What’s happening in our lives that intersects politics
• Community: Events and services around Des Moines that you might want to discover
• The City: History, architecture, museums, parks, and places

Note the featured photo and video to the right in the site. We’ll change those from time to time. Maybe bi-weekly, weekly, maybe more. We’ll see. It depends on you.

Do you have something to submit? We’d be happy to find guest writers and contributors who want to write about the city, events, politics, or their favorite cause. Write about what you love. (Submission guidelines)

It’s a great way to show off your writing or photography skills and reach a wider audience.

Contact us at 515.745.9978 or life@arounddesmoines.com

Thanks to Jesse Petersen at Perfectly Petersen for updating WordPress and tweaking our new Revolution City template. Click here to view more details

Note: If you’re keeping up with us in a feed reader you might notice that we’re republishing some of our posts so they work in our new categories. (Sorry about that. We’ll be done with our housekeeping soon.)

Home Sales in Des Moines

According to several realtors and mortgage brokers I know in the metro area, home sales are better than we hear about in the news. After all, fear sells more soap than good news.

There’s many options to sell your house. If you choose to do it yourself, there is a new website - Hawkeye FSBO - that lists real estate in Iowa that is for sale by owner. This is a free listing. Check it out! I talked to the owner of the site and he created this site because he noticed there are a lot of FSBO homes for sale around town but not a simple way to find them online.

What is involved in selling your own house? A post titled “For Sale by Owner in Iowa” by Matt Gardner on the Iowa Law Blog may answer some of those questions. It’s probably a good idea to retain the services of a good real estate attorney to help you through the legalities.

Listed below are links to Amazon for books about selling your own home. I didn’t realize so many people are choosing this option. Have you sold your own house or purchased a home that was for sale by owner? How was the experience? Would you recommend it?

Writer: Sandy Renshaw is a self-employed communications consultant. You will also find her blogging at Purple Wren.

The 2008 Des Moines Arts Festival

The 2008 Des Moines Arts Festival is underway! Standing water in the Western Gateway slowed the set up on Thursday evening but not the opening on Friday afternoon. It got a little hot but a brief squall led to a wonderfully cool evening. I felt lucky to be there.

In the afternoon I had a chance to visit with painter Ted Simmering of Byron, IL in Booth P13. Ted retired in 2002 after a 34 year teaching career in public schools in Illinois. While most of his time now is spent in his studio, he also teaches in several settings. Ted has been traveling and exhibiting for several years. He just returned from Philadelphia and is going soon to Madison and The Uptown Art Fair in Minneapolis. Ted is exhibiting for the first time in Des Moines and said it is the best organized festival he’s seen.

In the category of small world Ted’s son Jacob (shown right with his dad) is one of my chemistry research students at Grinnell College. He spent the summer of 2007 developing microwave techniques to enhance a series of chemical reactions. Jacob presented his research at The University of Chicago in November 2007 and will continue his investigations this fall. On several weekends this summer Jacob has been traveling to art festivals with his dad.

If you visit the festival this weekend you will be entertained in a variety of ways: music; films; media; painting; sculpture; kids’ programs; young Iowa artists; food and drink. Tonight the music included the Java Jews as well as Public Property.

Don’t miss the Festival! It is an event for all of Greater Des Moines.

Guest Writer: James G. Lindberg (Jim) is the Purple Wren’s sweetie and is a visiting chemistry professor at Grinnell College and retired from Drake University.

Photos by James G. Lindberg

[tags] Iowa, Des Moines, Central Iowa News, Des Moines Arts Festival, [/tags]

Restoring Photos Damaged in the Flood

Now that the flood waters are beginning to recede, people are able to get in and assess damage. One of the most heart-wrenching things is the loss of precious photos. They cannot be replaced. However, they may be able to be restored. There is an organization called Operation Photo Rescue that was started after Katrina and they are open to helping where they can in Iowa. They are a network of volunteers who can repair photographs damaged by natural disasters - at no cost to the owner.

And, there is a local photographer who is involved - Kevin Barber of Barber Photography. He is gathering other volunteers who may be able to help.

Contact him today if you can help, or if you have damaged photos and need help.

Here’s tips for salvaging flood and water damaged photos. It’s important to take immediate action - and the right steps.

Writer: Sandy Renshaw is a self-employed communications consultant. You will also find her blogging at Purple Wren.

Photos from the Flood in Des Moines

Brenda Friedrich took time today to get some photos around Des Moines. There’s more flood photos on the city’s website. The City of Des Moines website has a lot of flood information.

Guest Writer: Brenda Friedrich is an Iowa-based writer and business communications consultant. You can also find her blogging at Enroute365.

Technorati Tags: Iowa, Des Moines, Des Moines News

View to a Spill

It’s like “deja vu all over again” as Yogi Berra is purported to have said. But
this year I have a bird’s eye view of the flooding occurring at the confluence
of Beaver Creek and the Des Moines River east of Johnston. My home is perched
atop a hill just south of the I-80 bridge spanning the river.

(Click to enlarge photos.)

For the past week, my husband and I have continued to meet on our north-facing deck to eye river levels. We’ve watched as the water has crept steadily higher on the bridge’s supports. And each day we’ve reported to our friends, “This is the highest its ever been.”

In past years we’ve seen sandbars appear when water levels dropped. We’ve
watched families gather there for swimming, fishing and shell collecting. We’ve
even witnessed pickup trucks ford Beaver Creek to reach these sandy islands. Not this year, however. In 2008 a greater number of speed boats and jet skis have taken their place. But now, as Saylorville Lake prepares to unleash its excess, even the boats are gone.

As I look back over my photos from 2002 and compare them to today’s view, I
realize I’m not dreaming. “This isn’t how I wanted to obtain lakeside property,”
my spouse says as the water inches closer to the new bike trail at the foot of
our property. He knows that while we’re high and dry, others are not.

In the coming days, we know there will be plenty of opportunities for us to help
out. Still, I have high hopes that the safeguards put in place since 1993 will
keep the majority of Des Moines residents safe. And keep the water supply safe
as well.

Guest Writer: Brenda Friedrich is an Iowa-based writer and business communications consultant. You can also find her blogging at Enroute365.

Technorati Tags: Iowa, Des Moines, Des Moines News

Angela’s Raw Adventure

I’m teaming up with Angela Clark of enrgPATH. She is embarking on a raw journey for the next 90 days.

Are you interested in healing your body with food?
What’s the big deal with raw food?

Join Angela’s Raw Adventure via her blog at www.blog.enrgPATH.com to see how she is using local resources to eat a 90% raw food diet for 90 days.

• See Angela’s “before” pictures
• See pics of Raw Food
• Get Information on Raw Food Demonstrations
• Find out where you can join Angela for a meal
• Find links to raw food web sites, blogs, and recipes
• Find the local connections to raw food

Writer: Sandy Renshaw is a self-employed communications consultant. You will also find her blogging at Purple Wren.

[tags] Iowa, Des Moines, Central Iowa News, enrgpath, RAW food[/tags]

Barack Obama Returns to Iowa

A few of us gathered at E. 6th and Locust on Tuesday the 20th.

We waited in line politely. We were entertained well by Faculty Lounge, a very talented and energetic group of local teachers.

It was a chance to see friends while well-protected.

But the highlight of course was the stirring return to Iowa of Barack Obama.

You can see and hear excerpts.

Related posts: Are we too divided?

What great fun it is to live in Iowa! Guest Writer: James G. Lindberg (Jim) is the Purple Wren’s sweetie and is a visiting chemistry professor at Grinnell College and retired from Drake University.[tags] Iowa, Des Moines, Central Iowa News, Barack Obama[/tags]

Big Dream Gathering Tonight in Des Moines

It’s here!
The Big Dream Gathering
Tonight from 6:30 - 10 p.m.
Polk County Convention Center
501 Grand Avenue, Des Moines

Stop by and say “hi” - I’ll be live-blogging the event. It’s free. Kids are welcome.

Writer: Sandy Renshaw is a self-employed communications consultant. You will also find her blogging at Purple Wren.

[tags] Iowa, Des Moines, Central Iowa News, Big Dream Gathering[/tags]

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