Giant Squirrels

They say things grow bigger in Texas but what about these squirrels in Iowa ?

For perspective, bear in mind The Big Guy is 6'4" (That's him in the pic.)

We were in Bayliss Park in Council Bluffs to judge a BBQ contest (If you look hard, you'll see the competitors' tents set up around the edges of the park.) but I fell in love with the squirrel statues. They're all over the park. Other than size, they are very realistic looking.






I couldn't wait to get back to the house and show the pictures to our little niece. She and her parents had spent the week nursing a baby squirrel that had fallen from its nest and she was totally infatuated with squirrels for the week.




I got so wrapped up in checking out the squirrels, I never took any pictures of the contest itself !!

Seriously, it was a great contest. It marked the first time we've ever judged in Iowa and we met a lot of terrific fellow judges there. Once you are a certified KCBS judge, you can judge at any KCBS contest, anywhere.

Even 1200 miles from home, we worked with a contest rep we've been with before. All KCBS contests go by the same rules and procedures and judges all undergo the same training. We truly have a lot in common with these strangers.





I always leave a contest with the name and email of at least one new friend - and this one was no exception. My newest friend and I are exchanging recipes and ideas for using barbeque leftovers. (Yes, true bbq lovers have a lot of leftovers to use up!)

April in the Park

We tried the Picnic in the Park idea again yesterday. (Remember, last week we did this and, after a half hour, the wind picked up and the air grew cold and chased us out.)

This week, we started out a few degrees cooler but with no wind and even more sunshine. The playground area was really full and there were loads of folks simply taking a stroll. Boats were actually moving around the basin and there was even one character out there on a jet ski!!

The ice cream stand was open and folks were buying those wonderful hand-dipped cones. It was April in the park and all was well!!

We settled in at a table with our sandwiches and were quickly joined by a cute little resident of the park. They have no fear of people and are used to begging for scraps. You need to keep an eye out to be sure they don't sit on the bench right next to you or stroll across the picnic table. They don't scare easily.

It made me wonder how many of these guys actually end up down in the trash cans and are stuck there until some poor unsuspecting soul pops the lid!