Iowa posting

Well I am sorry for the radio silence for the past month. I moved to Iowa and have started a new position that I am very excited about.

Iowa is really quite nice. Bubba and I have a great house in an older neighborhood. Two stories and a full basement also - so much space! Linus is quite happy with his large and completely fenced-in backyard. Additionally he has a buddy next door named Gus who he chats with from time to time.

We had our Des Moines debut last week in the gay bars on Friday and were invited to a BBQ the next night by the DJ. We met a group of about 15 gay and lesbians that are running buddies with the DJ. Very enjoyable evening - we left the BBQ and then closed down the bar. Sunday morning Bubba and I were a bit slow getting up.

Bubba seems to be enjoying himself as well. We have joined a gym around the corner from the house and the manager is STUNNING. I took one look at him and joined on the spot.

One of the really nice aspects of our neighborhood is the proximity of everything. Linus' pet store is around the corner and run by nice lesbians. We've sampled the area restaraunts and found them to be good. The grocery store chain called Dahl's has a store a few blocks away and it is called the "Dahl's Beaver". Bubba just loved that. And one of the local gas stations is called the "Kum and Go". The neighborhood is called Beaverdale and people have given it a funny nickname: "The Beaverhood". I think that there is definitely a sexual undercurrent here in Des Moines.

I am happy to have a larger chunk of my day back because my work is only 15 minutes away during "rush hour" and the campus for work is extremely nice.

Bubba and I are off to see the DJ again tonight and listen to his eclectic mix - he plays Patti Labelle, Michael Jackson, Donna Summer, etc. Its a great way to spend Friday evening unwinding. Plus the bar's motto is: "Where you never have to ask for a double".

I have attached a photo of the skyline below. Des Moines sits at the intersection of the Des Moines and Racoon rivers. This view is looking north from the Des Moines river. Tomorrow we are off to check out the Farmer's Market downtown which is apparently THE thing to do on Saturday morning.

I'll report on that in short order!