Weekend Review: A Voyage Through Iowa

---

This weekend provided an opportunity for Taylor and I to go and visit my grandparents in Pella, Iowa, and we had a few fun extra stops along the way! Following the rules established in my previous Weekend Review, I won't exceed 100 words in each of my snippets from the weekend.

---

A Little Jazz to Start the Weekend

Every Thursday night in July, Omaha hosts a free jazz concert as part of a series "Jazz on the Green". Taylor and I made it over for the first time this summer last week. Being the JOTG novices that we were, we decided to try to find seating about 20 minutes before the concert. Bad idea. We learned Thursday that thousands of people in Omaha love themselves some jazz, and they all arrived before we did. We heard a fantastic show put on by Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble, but I still have no clue what their band looks like.

---

A Morning at Jordan Creek Town Center

Friday was the day we made our trek to Pella and we decided to spend a few hours in Des Moines on the way. A quick breakfast run to Panera (I highly recommend the Madagascar Vanilla Almond Cold Brew) and a couple stops at sporting goods stores rounded out our time in Jordan Creek. Taylor bought a cool Iowa Wrestling shirt (Go Hawks), and we saw one of the top high school basketball players in the country at Finish Line. He was looking at the same shoes that I was, by the way, so we're basically the same person.

---

More Art

In what has become a trend, Taylor and I broadened our artistic knowledge this weekend at the Des Moines Art Center. The center itself is an architectural attraction, and we were impressed with a number of actual art displays as well. Justin Favela's "Central American" exhibit, a large-scale composition of primarily paper strips, was marvelous. Taylor's favorite piece was "Animal Pyramid" (pictured above). Channeling my inner art critic, I deftly described numerous sculptures and paintings in the complex as "pretty cool", "wild", and "funny". If any art galleries need an expert curator, feel free to reach out to me.

---

Speaking of art, take a few moments to appreciate these glorious pictures from our lunch near the State Capitol.

Wow, what incredible photos. I wonder who took those. The subject material is so artistic, and now I'm hungry for some reason.

---

A Walk Through the City

Because we ate a somewhat unhealthy lunch (I won't say where), we needed to get some exercise in. Despite heat indices approaching 100 degrees, we looped our way throughout downtown Des Moines for a few hours. We stopped at the Pappajohn Sculpture Park, walked through the East Village, and stared up at 801 Grand (the tallest building). Capping off the trip was back-to-back stops at the State Historical Museum and Capitol Building for the state of Iowa. It was hot, but seeing all the sites was pretty cool.

---

Saturday in South Central Iowa

After spending the night in Pella, we all headed down to Cantril, IA to the "Dutchman's Store". To anyone looking for an exceptional deal on food items, this store is a must. While meandering around the other parts of Southern Iowa, we stopped for lunch in Ottumwa at the Riverside Restaurant. I was honestly impressed with the food and the service. As a public service, I'm attaching a bathroom review to help guide the public when it comes to making important decisions like choosing a bathroom to use.

For a restaurant that impressed me, the bathroom left much to be desired. The tile selection for the walls was poor, as the natural patterns of the tiles makes it appear that they have functionally replaced toilet paper for some bathroom users. From overflowing garbage cans to a suboptimal smell, the entire experience had an air of unprofessionalism. Additionally, leaving the toilet cleaning brushes on the handicap rail seems like a cruel, unsanitary trick. Even for Ottumwa, this was disappointing.

4.5 out of 10

---

America Stopped Being Good at Basketball

Not much to say here. While the team isn't as loaded as other U.S. Olympic teams in recent memory, the roster is far and away the most talented in the field. Murmurs had already begun during the pre-Olympic exhibition slate over the previous couple weeks, but a loss in actual Olympic competition illustrates how poorly-constructed this team truly is.

---

The Big 12 Is Dead

With the news breaking that both Texas and Oklahoma intend to leave the Big 12 conference at the conclusion of their current contracts, the only two athletic programs that carry what is arguably the worst-positioned Power 5 conference are going to leave the rest of the conference out to dry. Ultimately, most of the other programs will probably be divvied up amongst the Pac-12 and possibly the Big Ten, but this effectively spells the end of the Big 12 Conference as a major entity.