Author Archives: Butch

Loess Hills Vacation

Tuesday, 10/15/24 We started our vacation to the Loess Hills today. Loess is pronounced asLUSS. We drove directly from Cedar Rapids to Council Bluffs with only one stop. We had heard about a quirky Iowa landmark on an Iowa Public … Continue reading

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Karen’s 2023 England Memoir

Tuesday, May 16, 2023 Just after the first of the year Butch’s cousin, Sue Willmott, invited Judy and me to come to England for a family visit. The plan was to meet with relatives there and see various gardens and … Continue reading

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Health Crisis! April/May 2022

by guest blogger Karen Thorpe Butch and I have had our health issues over the years we have been married. Both of us had knee replacements, there was a bowel resection for me, a pilonidal cyst for Butch, and minor … Continue reading

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What inventions have had the biggest impact on your day-to-day life?

What inventions have had the biggest impact on your day-to-day life? Butch I can think of 4 main inventions that have impacted me; television, telephones, transport, and computers. Television We got our first television when I was about 7 I … Continue reading

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Describe your experience with the derecho

Describe your experience with the derecho Butch On August 10, 2020, people in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, experienced a derecho. It is sometimes described as an inland hurricane and it progressed along an East/West line that extended right through the middle … Continue reading

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What has your retirement been like?

What has your retirement been like? Butch My retirement came a lot earlier than Karen’s. About the time we moved into our house on Bever Circle my major client, Omnilingua, decided to restructure their work process. That resulted in all … Continue reading

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How did becoming a parent change you?

How did becoming a parent change you? Butch When I found out that Karen was pregnant with Lance, my whole world utterly and irrevocably changed. My easy going, somewhat irresponsible, and fairly uncommitted life came to a screeching halt. To … Continue reading

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What was your Dad like when you were a child?

What was your Dad like when you were a child? Butch My dad died when I was only 25 years old. Up until we got married and Karen and I started our own family, my father functioned as a parent. … Continue reading

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What were the first years of your marriage like?

What were the first years of your marriage like? Butch When Karen and I decided to get married I was working at a low paying sign painter’s job that wouldn’t support the two of us. Karen was in college. I … Continue reading

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What were your childhood Christmases like?

What were your childhood Christmases like? Butch I remember my childhood Christmases quite fondly. They usually involved us kids getting up to open our presents, sitting around in our pajamas. Once we opened our presents we would play with them … Continue reading

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