Des Moines and San Francisco: a subjective view

Last month I visited family in the Bay Area of California – plenty of time to see some differences between Polk County in Central Iowa and San Mateo County just south of San Francisco. In the earlier post, more objective, quantifiable data were compared.

While some of the differences can be easily compared, it is harder to quantify other differences, such as

• food, gardening
• travel, commuting
• baseball, activities
• stress

Grocery shopping? California may have a big edge here.

• CA has New Leaf, Whole Foods, and Andronico’s, natural food stores where you can get everything you need; while the prices are a little higher on some items (especially the meat), the produce is ripe and fresh – likely because it doesn’t travel far.
• The only places like that in IA are the farmers’ markets: Des Moines Farmer’s Market, and other local markets; Iowa City’s New Pioneer Food Coop; Ames’ Wheatsfield Grocery. In contrast to CA, Des Moines-based New City Market and Campbell’s Nutrition are quite small by comparison.
• When it comes to the commercial chains (except for the produce) IA’s Hy-Vee and Dahl’s compare favorably with Safeway in CA.

Home gardening? This will get your attention! There is a wait of 4 to 7 years to get a 100 sq ft garden plot in the Fort Mason Community Garden. That is a plot about the size of a very small bedroom. We’ve had picnics at Fort Mason more than once, and it is a beautiful spot as you can see on the right; but it’s easier to find a spot to garden in Iowa.

Food, in general? My impression is that

• Iowa wins on beef and pork
• California wins on fruits and vegetables

Driving? I find it easier to drive in the Bay Area, but enough said about that.

Cars? This is a strange experience. I drove my sister’s hot rod Lincoln for 4 weeks, and you wouldn’t believe what I have seen and have not seen.

• I saw only ten 2009 Chevrolet Impalas in 20 days
• instead? Toyota, Mercedes, Lexus, Hyundai, BMW, Acura, Honda, Volvo and a few Ford cars and Chevy trucks

Public Transit? The Purple Wren and I stayed in a coastal California community about the size of Grinnell, Iowa and took lots of public transit too.

• twice to San Francisco and back (SamTrans bus and CalTrain)
• once to Oakland and part way back (walked a block to SamTrans buses then BART right to the Coliseum)
• around San Francisco (Muni)

Baseball? Definitely a lot of winners here! Whether you live in the Bay Area or Des Moines, you can see good professional baseball: San Francisco Giants; Oakland A’s; Iowa Cubs. I saw the A’s and the Tigers and my favorite Tiger Curtis Granderson (shown left), but the best part was spending the afternoon with my nephew John who rode BART from Berkeley. We had great seats, but you know, it’s hard to beat an afternoon in Principal Park right here in Des Moines!

Activities? There is more to do in both places than I can ever get to.

Stress? I am not sure that stress is the right word – intensity might be better. The pace is faster, and the crowd is larger in CA. It is a line-up kind of place, and longer lines – at the movies, banks, grocery stores, restaurants, traffic, bus/CalTrain/BART stops. It’s all exciting and intense, but it creates a little more stress. When the Purple Wren and I moved back after a year in CA 10 years ago, I said, “I could live in CA, but I wouldn’t live as long.” I’ll stand by that.

Well, you win some, you lose some, and sometimes you tie. I’m happy to be here; I was happy to be there.

The changing face of Iowa: wind turbines

It’s windy in Iowa. (I didn’t have to tell you, did I?)

It’s hard to miss Iowa’s new wind turbines. They continue to spring up in Western Iowa along Interstate 80 in areas including one called Windy Hills. The turbines are on both sides of I-80 in Adair , Cass , and Pottawattamie Counties. 

Today we find that Mid-American Energy has over 100 turbines in Pottawatamie County alone where many of the pictures above were taken at the Walnut Wind Project.

Money is blowing in the wind.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists each turbine will net the landowner $2,000 -5,000/year in royalties. That’s great news in counties where the average farm is near 440 acres and the crop value per harvested acre has been running between $205 – 225/acre.

How are we doing in terms of absolute capacity compared to the rest of the country? We’re doing well; currently we are even with California in absolute capacity. DOE puts us 3rd in the nation; citing Dirk Lammers Yahoo says 2nd, where Texas is first. 

•  Iowa has 2862 MW of capacity (with our population of 3 million that’s about 1 kW/person)
• California has 2868 MW with their population of 36 million
• In Iowa we’re producing 10% of the nation’s wind power. I’m impressed!

Resources for further information

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (US DOE)
• energy matters (Australia)
• Wind Power A to Z
• You Tube videos on wind energy

photos by James G. Lindberg

State Historical Museum of Iowa

And a good time was had by all.

The State Historical Museum of Iowa is a wonderful place. Visit frequently

• by yourself
• with your children
• with your grandchildren

Use any excuse.

They are quite pleased to tell you that they are open every day of the year except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. That’s a credit to them; they serve the public first.

The museum has permanent exhibits and changing exhibits, and they are all very well done. One exhibit that seems to be a sure hit traces the history of people in Iowa and their connections to our natural resources. That’s where the buffalo above is found, along with loons, foxes, raptors, and other Iowa creatures.

When you first enter the museum, you are greeted by a mammoth skeleton. When I was there Tuesday that prompted the question, “Was it really that big?” Mammoths ranged from 9′ to 15′ tall and roamed the Midwest during the Ice Age. Read up at the museum’s site or go see for yourself.

There are also artifacts and modern representations of Native American cultures including a walk through bark shelter. While I went through it four times in both directions, my unofficial 7 year old guide was leading a fast-paced tour, and some of the details have escaped me – a decent docent nonetheless.

If you like local history Patten’s Neighborhood is terrific.

And you can visit a few exhibits on-line.

I went to the museum on Tuesday for the Irish Fest and did something for the first time: I got a green stegosaurus spray painted on my face. I thought it matched my personality.

Keep posted about the goings-on at the State Historical Museum. Until you get there, you won’t know how good it is – so go.

• visit the museum
• visit the gift shop
• use their archives
• use their libraries and special collections
• check out the education resources
• visit their remote historic sites away from Des Moines
• check out their historic preservation program
• read their publications
• volunteer and get involved

You can even rent space!

Or you can read what I said last year.

photos by James Lindberg and the Purple Wren

Chocolate? Not always

Will it melt in your mouth or stick to the roof of your mouth?

Maybe they hoped you wouldn’t notice, but The Hershey’s Company changed the formulation for some but not all of their candy. The news broke in September, 2008. Now Hershey’s has changed the names of some of their products because they can’t call them milk chocolate. What’s that slogan again? Is it, “If it’s Hershey’s, you’d better read the label?” I am not sure I have it quite right, but it’s something like that. I’m afraid, we’ll just have to read the label carefully. With an American icon like Hershey’s, I shouldn’t have to do that. Some of it’s milk chocolate; some of it ain’t.

Chemists use the term formula to describe the mixture of particular materials (ingredients) and amounts that go into various products, especially those that are sold to the public. It might be food, paint, steel, medicine, paper, ink, glue, or plastic. The term formulation describes the process of putting it together. Every commercial product has its own formula.

By law you can’t call a product milk chocolate unless it contains cocoa butter. In 2007, according to the New York Times (and elsewhere) in spite of lobbying by U. S. manufacturers to cheapen the ingredients, the FDA held their ground on chocolate.

On Friday when I told a friend of mine about the recent changes in some chocolate-like candy, she talked about her perception of the difference between real chocolate and the chocolate-like candy that looks like chocolate but now lacks the name. She talked about the oily film that formed on the roof of her mouth with some products. We talked about some of the better chocolates including European chocolate. She asked me what brands. When I suggested Lindt’s as one, she happily showed me the Lindt chocolate her husband had given her for Valentine’s Day. Lately I have found European chocolates Lindt, Toblerone, and Ritter Sport and American chocolate Ghirardelli in a lot of local grocery stores.

Of course you can always find great chocolates at Chocolaterie Stam right here in Des Moines too.

If you see a little chocolate on the Purple Wren’s beak this week, it came from Chocolaterie Stam on Ingersoll.

Real chocolate costs a little more, but after all it’s not my lunch, it’s dessert!

photo by flickr by fensterbme and eszter

Acceptance comes with age

I’ve been traveling a bit lately, and I was talking by phone to a North Dakota boy Tuesday. Here are the three sentences that this good Republican named Stan had to say about the prospect of the election of Barack Obama:

First,

• “It looks like the young guy is going to win.”

He followed that with,

• “Well, that’s all right.”

And ended by saying,

• “We’ll just give him a chance and see what he can do.”

Acceptance comes with age.

Stan is in his late 80s and he has lived a lot of American history, gained a lot from living in America, and given a lot back. He has known

• hard work on a Great Plains farm
• the Great Depression
• service in WWII as a technical trainer at Chanute Air Base
• marriage
• a long career as a government accountant and his wife as a teacher
• a modest income and sound judgment in how it was spent
• homes (one at a time, not multiple homes)
• retirement in Arizona and
• declining health

Now in his sunset years he and his wife were having difficulty keeping up with the physical demands of their home, so they moved into an assisted living facility, and they put their house in Arizona on the market. You guessed it. A full year later their house is still on the market with little hope for a sale. There is no bailout in sight for these loyal Americans – veterans of the Great Depression and World War II. Why haven’t we heard these Americans mentioned by John McCain in the same sentence as Joe the Plumber? Why we haven’t heard them mentioned by Sarah Palin in the same sentence as the parts of the country she calls pro-America? Couldn’t those “maverick” Republicans at least refer in passing to the aging Americans who have started with nothing and are seeing 60 years of hard work and careful living disappear either slowly or quickly? To add insult to neglect, if McCain were elected these uncomplaining, aging, loyal Americans would be saddled with McCain’s proposed cuts to Medicare.

Celebrate, Stan. It looks like the young guy is going to win.

photo by flickr by rileyroxx

It’s all about food

Four items you need to know about food in Des Moines.

• The World Food Festival runs from Friday October 10 – Sunday October 12 in the East Village in Des Moines. The Cultural Cafes feature a wonderful variety of foods: American (including BBQ and Louisiana Creole), Bosnian, Ecuadorian, Ethiopian, Filipino, Greek, Indian, Laotian, Mexican, Salvadorian, Thai, Venezuelan, and Vietnamese. You will also be entertained. Better not miss it. This list is just scratching the surface of the U.S. Cellular World Food Festival.

• Don’t lose sight of the fact that the Food Festival (history) is held in conjunction with the World Food Prize headquartered in Des Moines and founded by Nobel laureate and Cresco Iowa native, Dr. Norman Borlaug. The winners of the 2008 World Prize are Bob Dole and George McGovern. Read up on why Dole and McGovern were chosen. They will hold a free public forum on Wednesday October 15 at 6:30 pm in the Iowa State Historical Museum.

• Food is also on the mind of those who will be part of the Des Moines Hunger Hike. Widely supported by local religious groups the annual event (since 1969) will be held on Sunday, October 12 beginning at 1:30 pm on the West steps of the Iowa State Capitol. The Des Moines Hunger Hike supports a variety of nonprofit agencies who provide free food to the hungry in the US and the rest of the world.

• Angel Food Ministries (one of the helping hands around Des Moines) is still going strong. Angel Food Ministries is a Georgia based food ministry dedicated to relief of hunger throughout the United States. The local group works from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and is available to everyone, not just those in need. They provide excellent food at low cost. Check the menu for this month. Order by mail or in person by Monday October 13 for delivery on Saturday October 25. I live in the neighborhood and I can tell you that they do a land-office business.

photo by flickr by bill.streeter, khalampre, and spacing magazine

What do I do with this?!

We’re all aware that compact fluorescent bulbs save energy and save money. It is less widely known that they should be recycled.

The Home Depot has established a national recycling program for compact fluorescent bulbs, cell phones, and old batteries. I checked it out this afternoon at The Home Depot at 3700 University in West Des Moines, and they make it easy. Just inside the main entrance they keep a cardboard box at the return desk. Place the worn out bulbs in the box, and you’re on your way. The alternative is to drive out to the Metro Waste Authority Regional Collection Center; it’s near Bondurant. See my earlier post. It’s very likely that you will find The Home Depot stores a lot closer to home. They are located all over the Metro. You’ll find some of the the local Home Depots at

• 2335 SE Deleware in Ankeny
• 4900 SE 14th Street in Des Moines
• 5222 NW 62nd in Johnston
• 10850 Plum Drive in Urbandale
• 3700 University Avenue in West Des Moines

The reason that the bulbs should be recycled is that compact fluorescent bulbs sometimes called CFLs contain a small amount of mercury (4 to 5 mg). It would take about 1000 CFLs for enough mercury to weigh as much as a nickel. While that is not a lot of mercury, mercury is toxic and capable of significant environmental harm. As a nation we have been pretty successful in having the money saving, energy efficient CFLs widely used but less successful in recycling them.

A chemist or toxicologist might tell you that mercury (whose chemical symbol is Hg) is a neurotoxin and that the damage accumulates. Mercury is a liquid metal. (Yes, it’s the same stuff that many of us played with when we found it as kids, and that turns out to be not such a good idea.) If the CFLs are discarded in the trash, the mercury will accumulate in the landfill with the potential to enter the air, land, the rivers, and the water supply. It is a lot easier and cheaper to recycle the bulbs now than to clean up the mess in the landfill later. Recycle ‘em.

photos by Jim Lindberg

Apples: Take Your Pick

If you’re looking for something to do this Saturday – and the weather is supposed to be wonderful – head on over to Woodbine, Iowa, for the 20th Annual Applefest. We had the pleasure of meeting three Woodbine residents who were staffing the Main Street Iowa Program booth at the Iowa State Fair. That’s how we found out about this event.

Here’s just a few of the activities, starting with a pancake breakfast at 6:30 a.m. in the REC building.

• Classic Car Show
• Quilt Show
• Tractor Show
• Doll Show
• Merry Brook School & Geneological Society Tours
• Depot & Caboose Tours
• Flea Market
• Craft Show
• Archery 3-D & Fun Shoot
• Children’s Activities
• Apple Bake-Off
• Entertainment

If you like to eat, how about apple pie, cider slush, chicken noodle dinner, onion blossoms, grilled ribeye sandwiches, homemade ice cream, and caramel apples? There will be apple vendors there, too. And there’s NO admission fee. (Flier)

Just for fun, here’s an apple picking guide for Woodbine.

Call 712-647-3434 for more information.

$700B, Fleece, Herd, and Stampede

Who elected these boys (1, 2) anyway? And why did we do it? Because we were afraid of “liberals” and “big government” and “high taxes?” Are we supposed to think that bailing out the nation’s two largest banks and its largest insurance company is conservative, is little government, and won’t raise your taxes? 

 Well, let’s see here. Tonight we were asked to fund another $700 billion dollar bailout. Your share of this latest one comes to $2,333. That’s also your son’s share, and your daughter’s share, and your grandchild’s share – everyone of them. Ante up, and tell those little kids to do the same. Empty their piggy banks if you have to.

Oh, wait a minute! What are we stampeding to buy this time? Bad debt!? What a great idea. This idea has John McCain so confused that he is returning to Washington to help, and no wonder he is confused. He has been a long-time champion of deregulation. Now he has to leap to another horse as his first steed flies off the cliff. John McCain is so anxious to share his plans with America that he wants to cancel the Friday Presidential debate. Let’s find out how McCain and Obama think under stress.

As of today convincing the public, the Congress, and some wise pundits is not progressing well. The political scene looks more like herding cats; the public is not going along quietly. Wise people are looking at the alternatives.

• Jim Jubak suggests that we slow down long enough to avoid a bigger problem, catch the crooks, and keep the same old foxes out of the henhouse.
• Forbes.com suggests there are better ways to spend $700 billion.
• New York Times suggests a more carefully designed plan.

Still having fun? No? Then vote more carefully next time.

photos by flickr by Mark Sardella, stuckincustoms and mag3737

Why McCain chose Palin

It’s fair to say that everyone is speculating on why John McCain, the Senior Senator from Arizona chose as his potential running mate Sarah Palin, the incumbent Governor of Alaska.

I don’t know for sure, but I can think of a few reasons. Remembering the phrase tongue-in-cheek, see what you think.

1. Alaska is far from Florida so he’s hoping voters won’t be reminded of hanging chads, Katherine Harris, and Jeb Bush.

2. Choosing an Alaskan is a good hedge in case bears win the right to vote by November.

3. Even if bears don’t win the right to vote, it’s still a good hedge because Alaskan bears can be sent to Florida to help count ballots in case the vote gets close.

4. The time will come when Senator McCain is looking for a few more retirement properties. Governor Palin can help him locate (and keep track of) good beachfront resort properties in Alaska (just in case this global warming business gets out of hand).

5. Her experience as Council Member and Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska dovetails nicely with McCain’s plans to allow her to ramp up U. S. participation in the Sister City, International program while toning down his own Bomb, Bomb Iran image.

6. Senator McCain was protecting Republicans from accidental injury. He knew that Sarah Palin, a lifetime member of the NRA, is a better shot than Dick Cheney, and thus fellow Republicans were less likely to be injured.

7. McCain also knew that Alaska’s reputation for pork barrel spending will appeal to pork producers in Iowa, and should help land the farm vote. (On a legitimate note, if you want to compare the McCain and Obama positions, check this rural voter guide.)

8. Hoping that clear understanding of the impact of the George Bush Presidency had not yet reached all of the voters, McCain was hoping some would associate the word Bush with Alaskan Bush.

9. Even if Sarah Palin and John McCain lose the debates, the basketball player formerly known as Sarah Barracuda will catapult them to a win at HORSE.

10. And finally, Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin may not have his experience but all reports are that she is cuter than Joe Lieberman.

photo by flickr by GISuser, er3465, and Wigwam Jones

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