I've looked for a place to live numerous times in my adult life -- but where was I to find listings in an area where there is no "69" or Craig's list? Small town Iowa doesn't have such things, even in the Okoboji area. I did find a couple of web sites and began a list of places that might be appropriate. The first place I visited felt like an apartment in the hood. Nobody had bothered to do any cleaning and there was an air-conditioner-sized hole in the wall. That one was easy to cross off the list. It also made the next place look a lot better. The new flooring and remodeled bathroom made it seem far more livable. The next day I drove back over to the area to see an apartment in a new building. The quality of the construction was evident but I didn't really want to pay the price especially because the garage was extra. Friday morning I headed to the area for a third time to see a condo. This place was ideal in many ways -- an open floor plan, two bedrooms and two baths (come visit!), and a garage. It was also clean. I went home and filled out the application and emailed it in and received the lease in the mail today. It will be a new experience to move into an apartment with all the appliances and light fixtures in place and plenty of closet space.
I also spent several days last week looking for a place to meet a friend who now lives in central South Dakota. We wanted to spend a weekend together and she has been putting in some long hours at work so I volunteered to find a place for us to stay. With the late notice, several places were already full. Others catered to hunters. We ended up staying at an old feed mill in Herrick. It was definitely unique but also comfortable. We enjoyed some good conversation, laughter, and a nap every day. Saturday afternoon we took a long walk which took us through Herrick, which had no paved streets, a bar, a church, and plenty of dogs who advertised our presence.
