"Give a Piece a Chance." — Books. Blog. Pie Classes. And a Pinch of Activism.
You’ve seen the shots of people posing with the pitchfork with the American Gothic House in the background, but here’s a new perspective. This is what I see when I look out my kitchen window. Three couples, dressed in the free costumes provided by the American Gothic House Center, lined up to have their photos … Read more
No sooner did I complain about how hard it’s been to clean this house (again, my apologies for venting) help arrived!Carrie Teninity (pictured above left) is many things. She is City Clerk for the City of Eldon. She is caretaker of the American Gothic House grounds, where she can be seen weekly maneuvering her John … Read more
My apologies for my absence here but I have been busy cleaning my new house. The American Gothic House hasn’t been lived in for two years and given that the place doesn’t require a cleaning deposit it appears the last tenant took advantage of this little loophole. She packed up her belongings but didn’t scrub … Read more
Sometimes you come to a fork in the road where you are forced to make a decision about which way to go, and the direction you choose can forever change your life. When I met Marcus in 2001 I was on a road trip from California to Oregon and saw a sign for Crater Lake … Read more
I know I’m supposed to be on a Pie Tour of Iowa, but I couldn’t come to my home state without revisiting all the places I lived. Believe me, I will get to the pie but first, here’s a look at where it all started…. I’m torn about how to describe my roots. I am … Read more
On Saturday I was in the shower and looked down at my chest where I saw what looked like a small-but-dead black bug. After a second glance I realized, no, it was not an insect. It was a false eyelash that had come unglued from my eyelid. The sight made me laugh, in a disbelieving … Read more
Pie was not the only thing being judged at the Iowa State Fair. In between rounds of pie tasting I wandered over to the cattle barn, a place I clearly had a fascination with since I went there three times and always had a hard time extracting myself from the place. Inside the barn the … Read more
How does it work to be a pie judge at the Iowa State Fair? Let me walk you through the process from becoming a judge, to tasting the pie, to receiving a blue ribbon. First, you get “hired” by the Iowa State Fair Food Coordinator, Arlette Hollister. Arlette has held this position for 20-some years … Read more
August 19, 2010. The sun was shining, the humidity high, the heat penetrated the growing corn as I laid in bed in Des Moines, Iowa. I woke up at 8:03 and with my head still on the pillow I watched the digital clock as the numbers ticked by until they reached 8:36, which is 6:36 … Read more
(Photo: Pork Chop On a Stick, an Iowa favorite. Mine too!) You may have noticed I haven’t updated my blog in a week. That’s because since the moment I arrived in Iowa last week I’ve been very busy…eating, at the Iowa State Fair. My days as a pie judge here have been so full I … Read more