Chocolate Ice Cream Rocks!!

I have to give Mommy and Daddy credit sometimes. When it comes to big moments in my life, they know how to do them right.

I got my first taste ever of chocolate ice cream, a hot fudge sundae, a raspberry sundae, a strawberry ice cream soda and a "pink lady" at the nation's oldest ice cream parlor today. We went to the Wilton Candy Kitchen, and I got to sit in the same booth that Brooke Shields did back in 1991.

This place still has the original walnut and leather booths, the original stamped tin ceiling, and old marble tabletops. The little stereo kept playing some female singer from the forties, but Daddy insisted that the guy singing along with her was Mario Lanza. I think the only reason he kept saying that was because Mommy kept looking at him like he was nuts.

The little picture in the corner shows you what the place looks like on the outside. It's been around since 1860, and the current owners have had it in the family since 1910! The man and lady running the place have been married for 58 years (the lady worked in the ice cream shop for 8 years before getting married, too.) Some of you might know their son. He's a dentist in Phoenix. Seriously!

I loved the chocolate ice cream, and the hot fudge sundae was my favorite. I wasn't too crazy about the strawberry soda or the raspberry sundae, and there was no way I was going to eat the grilled cheese sandwiches that Mommy and Daddy enjoyed.

I know what I like. It's chocolate, and lots of it, please. The nice lady running the place gave me two servings of chocolate ice cream. Being cute as a button has it's privileges.

Apparently, I provided lots of entertainment value while drinking the "pink lady"....a mixture of strawberry, cherry and vanilla syrups mixed with real soda water. I took a sip from the straw, made a face that said "yuk!", and then went back for more. I think Mommy got three whole sips of that drink.

We're gonna have to go back there someday. After all, I still gotta try things on the menu like the "hadacol" (a mix of root beer and cola....they "hadacol" it something), the "suicide" (a mix of all the different syrup flavors in one soda), the "green river", and so many more.

It's all so good it will make you kick your crib. Just like I'm doing now....

Come on up to see me sometime, and I'll see if I can get Mommy and Daddy to make the drive again!

Cedar Rapids Got Soul (Food)!!

Me, Mommy and Daddy had a little bit of an adventure today. Our mission? Barbecue, pork ribs, lots of sauce...please.

We picked up Dennis and headed over to Al and Irene's BBQ House on the north side of Cedar Rapids. Daddy wasn't too sure it was the place, since it looked like a nondescript strip mall, and the interior decor was....nonexistent.

Mommy said that was the way all good BBQ joints look. "Avoid any place that looks like fine dining if they claim to be a 'cue joint," she said. (Mommy then told me about this place she and Uncle SuperGeorge used to go to for a long time, back when it was on a sleazy corner in downtown Phoenix. She swears it lost something when it moved to a much prettier location, but it's still amazing. Next time we go to Phoenix she and Daddy might take me there.)

Anyway.....Dad got the regular sauce with an Amber Bock, and Mommy got the hot sauce with a Diet Pepsi. Dennis got a combo platter. I got some of Daddy's fries, since I'm still too little to order off of the kids' menu.

Supposedly some idiot food critic said that you could probably find a square dance in Harlem easier than you could find decent soul food in Cedar Rapids.

When's that square dance again, Windy City boy?? Because I really want to show off my sweet moves in the happy poopy dance! ;)

This Season's Hot Accessory Report

I've been to the North Liberty Community Center's playgroup twice this last week. It's fun to run around a big ol' basketball court, especially if you can push a little toy car.

Sometimes, though, I got tired, so I took a little rest right in the middle of the floor with Quackers. Mommy decided to come over and stand next to me the couple of times I did that. She said something about how the older kids on trikes racing around might not see me and might run over me, but they sure would see her and she could block them if she needed to. Which was a good thing, since I almost got clipped twice. She told me not to worry, it wasn't personal, they were just having too much of a good time and that I'd be riding trikes soon with the rest of them.

Mommy finally figured out one of the words I've been trying to tell her for a long time. (Doesn't everyone know that "beeeee" means "ball"?) I got to chase a couple of balls around, too. When the older kids made some baskets in the little hoop I got the giggles hard. So, they kept shooting hoops, and even tossed Quackers into the hoop to keep me laughing. They let me hang out with them a little. There's some nice people in North Liberty!

I'm happy that we are all getting well, so that we can go more places. Last night, I got to check out the Iowa Childrens Museum. That place is fun, and it's pretty close to our house! The last Friday of the month is free admission night. Even though I was only there about 30 minutes, I got to play with the golf balls (Daddy learned what "beeeee" meant as I tossed them around), "directed" the singers at Little Women: The Musical, and checked out Peter the painted turtle.

Mommy says that when I get older, we can enjoy more things on the monthly free night like the mall carousel and the ice skating rink.

But last night was all about what the cool kids were wearing. Yes, dahlink, all the cool kids have a monkey on their backs. Ok, maybe not all the cool kids, since my buddy back in Florida, Mikey, has a bear. There were three of us incredibly cool toddlers running around with monkeys and we were the best looking boys in the place. What can I say? Monkeys are hip in the Corridor. I like mine, because when I was wearing it Mommy and Daddy let me walk around by myself. They said since I'm not a baby any more I can spare their backs and do my own walkin'. Independence rocks!!!

My parents got me a special treat, at the end of the night. I got a giant plastic blue ball for my very own! I was so happy I kept yelling "beeeee! beeeeee!" I wore myself out and had sweet little boy dreams last night.

Life is good, you know?