This is the Cherokee County Freedom Rock. Completing the Freedom Rock tour of all 99 Iowa counties…read moreis something my girlfriend and I have been working on for the past few years. We are four rocks away from the end of our journey at this time. Not only do we learn about the military involvement and the contributions of veterans in each county... A lot of times we stumble on other hidden gems, that we had no idea even existed, as we venture further into our own backyard. As happy as I am going to be when hit 99 and finish our Freedom Rock Tour...a little part of me is going to really miss these trips. We'll just have to find another "tour" to pick up! When you are checking out each Freedom Rock make sure you explore the surrounding area for other points of interest. And please remember to support local businesses...! Visit https://www.thefreedomrock.com/ for more information on Iowa's Freedom Rocks and the tour!

These sculptures are all over the place if you are just walking up and down in the downtown area. I…read morelove public art like this. I had to view many of them from the comfort of the car with air conditioning because the downtown area of the Sioux Falls smells terrible. I did make sure to see the ark of dreams; but I think it actually looks better from further away. I also really enjoyed some of the more colorful and intricate statues along the street. This is a great way to bring in people to enjoy the culture of a city and expose everyone to art. If the city really wants to do something to boost tourism, I would suggest dealing with the smell. Had the odor not been so bad, I would have happily walked the entirety of the sculpture walk and most likely patronize many of the stores and restaurants in the area.

If you are in downtown Sioux Falls you can't miss ALL the sculptures. They are EVERYWHERE!…read more From understandable items to weird and obscure- Sioux Falls has them and is showcasing them. It was a pleasure to explore downtown Sioux Falls and keep stumbling on all different types of sculptures.

Le Mars is the closet what I would call a city to where I'm living at present. The entire city…read morewould probably fit in the downtown area of Modesto, Ca. I remember this city back in the day when the college was going strong and the city was always buzzing with something going on. They still have activities and there are several new business which have sprung up over the last several years. All in all it's still a very nice place to live and bring up a family.

This is the O'Brien County Freedom Rock. Completing the Freedom Rock tour of all 99 Iowa counties…read moreis something my girlfriend and I have been working on for the past few years. We are four rocks away from the end of our journey at this time. Not only do we learn about the military involvement and the contributions of veterans in each county... A lot of times we stumble on other hidden gems, that we had no idea even existed, as we venture further into our own backyard. As happy as I am going to be when hit 99 and finish our Freedom Rock Tour...a little part of me is going to really miss these trips. We'll just have to find another "tour" to pick up! When you are checking out each Freedom Rock make sure you explore the surrounding area for other points of interest. And please remember to support local businesses...! Visit https://www.thefreedomrock.com/ for more information on Iowa's Freedom Rocks and the tour!

Having spent quite a lot of time cruising along narrow two lane country highways, enjoying the…read morebucolic fields of green crops, counting "Red Barn, White House" and "Red House, White Barn" and "White Barn, White House" to myself... I have to say that I found such travels much improved when I got to Hamilton and Sac County Iowa - I was not prepared for the gorgeous artwork applied to the barns in conspicuous locations, highly visible from the road. You see - I love quilts. I like making them but I find other people always do it so much better than I - and I was sorely disappointed to realize that I missed out on shopping in "quilt country' because it was a SUNDAY and all the quilt shops advertised on big billboards were CLOSED! Foiled! I also like big old barns. They are cool. Barn Quilts - combines both of these interesting things to enhance the scenery on my drive through Iowa. Most Barn Quilts are about 8' x 8' - and easily visible from the road, with signs indicating the name of the quilt block pattern near the end of the driveway. I saw so many gorgeous works of art on barns here and stupidly failed to photograph every single one of them! Fortunately - the Barn Quilts of Sac County website has a fantastic catalog of all the murals - and it's very easy to access by location or to just do a slide show. There's even an excellent Google map and a downloadable PDF for ease of use for the casual day tripper. Great way to spend a summer afternoon - this was my favorite part of the Midwest "flyover" states - and I might even consider going back to see more barn quilts sometime!

Sometime since my last update, Lissa bought out her partner and became the sole owner/operator of…read moreher joint Art on 16th/Kurio Kastle business. When I make my annual pilgrimage to the family cabin on Big Spirit Lake, Lissa is always one of the first that I make a point to see. That included last year when we talked through the door, both wearing our masks. Even though a lot of Lissa's space is occupied by the Kurio Kastle side, there's always some great art displayed throughout the Art on 16th space. That includes includes the works of Hank Hall, Perry Polson, Lissa Potter, and others. I love looking around, while catching up. Lissa has also been known to contact me during the off season to offer me a deal, even if I had to hide it from Gayle. In that situation regarding Hank Hall's "Haying" piece, she loved it. But I do take my Wife's point that although there can never be enough good Hank Hall Art to own and cherish, there are space limitations at home.

This is a beautiful work of art, and it's right next to the river! It's reminiscent of the St…read more Louis' iconic Gateway Arch, but smaller and more visually interesting. It's also lit up at night. You can't go on this arch, so you can only enjoy it from ground level or if you go in one of the buildings nearby. There was parking lot parking right next to the sculpture, but you can also travel on the riverwalk. I really liked the meaning of the arch too; at the center of the Arc of Dreams is a 15-foot gap, 80 feet above the river, representing the leap of faith dreamers take to see their dreams come true.

If your looking to retire some place where there is little or no crime, where your social security…read morechecks will pay the rent, where you can relax then this is the place. If you want to raise a family, send your kids to good schools, a place where your kids can play outside or walk to the post office or the grocery store without being molested, kidnapped or worse then this is the place. The people here are friendly, helpful and care about each other. This is a town where everybody knows everybody. It's a nice place, I used to live here.

Do I recommend DSF? Not on a Sunday evening before a show at the Wa Pavilion. Restaurants within…read morewalking distance of the theater could make good money on a Sunday evening if they were open. Our little trip to the city to see a show reminded us that SF is a sleepy little Midwest town. It has its charm and appeal when it wants to, but when it doesn't want to it's doors locked and lights out folks. I'd rate this particular experience disappointing.

There's a fair amount of great local shops along the Phillips strip and the river is well utilized…read morefor walking/biking.