DAY WITH GOOD FRIEND JERRY!

         Yesterday, and the first day of Spring, March 20, 2018, I drove to Urbandale, Iowa and  spent the afternoon with my old Laurel class-mate and good friend, Jerry Roberts. Of course, we started off the visit with a trip up the street from his home to Tasty Taco's. It's been a few months since I had been there and I was getting a little shaky.

          From there we headed back east and made our first "City Tour" swipe through the Drake University area. Since I am a graduate of Drake and Jerry and his wife Judy are big Drake women's basketball fans, we needed to check up on the latest construction and any other up-dates.

         From there, we drove to the down-town area and headed east on MLK just south of down-town. It is unbelievable the amount of new construction, mostly condos and apartments that dot the scene. We viewed a 75 acre area that has been cleared on the western edge of an area just south of downtown. It is a planned residential area over the next 20 years. A city within a city.

           We then drove out Grand Avenue and all the way out to "Ritzy" Napa Valley area wedged between Boneville to the south, Waukee to the north, and Van Meter to the south and all along the beautiful Racoon River Valley of rolling timbered hills. Even a few of the nearby residential lots sell for $225,000. 

         It was a great first day of Spring with a good friend, my favorite comfort food meal, and a Million Dollar tour of the Greater Des Moines area. Of the 30 plus years of living in the area, I must say I have never witnessed the change and growth of this magnificent Capital city.