9/21/10

Iowa!



To any of those wondering, I moved to Decorah, Iowa almost a month ago. I got a seasonal position on the preservation garden crew at Seed Savers Exchange (SSE). I have wanted to work for SSE ever since I read about them in a text book during my last year of grad school. I am learning a lot working on the farm and having a ton of fun. I came during the harvest season, which is a great time to be on the farm, since I come home with garden leftovers almost 2-3 times a week. Every day work on the farm is different. My first day on the job, they had me out in the fields on a windy day digging up over 100 varieties of potatoes with the rest of the crew while today I was inside processing seeds in the morning, then washed pots in the afternoon and finished off the day harvesting seed out in the fields. The atmosphere at Seed Savers is definitely different from any place I’ve worked. The grounds are beautiful and covered with beautiful gardens, hiking paths and Ancient White Park cattle grazing in pastures (the cattle have an odd bellow that sounds like dinosaurs, or at least what Steven Spielberg thought dinosaurs sounded like). The people I work with are happy, friendly, and love bringing treats to share with everyone.

Decorah is a pretty neat little town in northeast Iowa. It is located in the Driftless region, which has more hills and wooded areas than is typical of the Midwest. Decorah is surrounded by limestone bluffs which have been carved out by the Upper Iowa River that meanders through town. I enjoy the outdoors and I am loving the close proximity of miles of walking, hiking and mountain biking trails. I have yet to check out the nearby campground and to take a canoeing or kayak on the river but I hope to change that soon. I have no idea what this crazy life will hold for me next but right now I am enjoying this experience while it is available to me.


Sunday Evening Stroll Down by the River (Sept 2010)

Trail at Seed Savers Exchange (Sept 2010)

While driving through Wisconsin I had to stop and snap a few shots of the view from this ridge