Elkader

The week before last we were in my mom's hometown of Elkader, Iowa for my Aunt Joyce's funeral. We got there a few days ahead of time and I spent my mornings walking all around this tiny town of 1,200 people. Above is the Catholic church that my mom grew up in, where my parents were married, and where we held the funeral.

The church is one of the iconic sights in towns, as is the Keystone Bridge. We stayed the river with a view of the bridge from the opposite side. However, I can't take credit for this pretty picture as my sister Kathy took it.

My mom grew up in an apartment downtown with her parents and 8 siblings. This is one of the downtown streets.

The white door is the door to the stairwell to my mom's 2-bedroom apartment that she lived in for all but a couple of years of her childhood, and that my grandparents lived in for all but a couple of years of their marriage until they died. In their adulthood, my mom and her siblings always took pictures on the stoop, so we did the same. Things have changed since my mom was a kid, when the downstairs business was a funeral home. Now there's a swanky coffee shop on one side and an Aveda salon on the other. It's still a farming town, but Elkader is in such a beautiful setting that the town has figured a way to attract tourists.

This is an example of the beautiful setting.

It was great to see family at the funeral. As much as I loved seeing everybody, I don't have to tell you that the best part was having Peter and John there.

Fifteen of my aunt's nieces and nephews were there. We missed just one cousin, who was home recovering from cancer treatment. It was really nice to catch up with everybody.

It was also really nice to see my siblings and their spouses.

Me and my siblings.

The boys with their Poss aunts and uncles.

It was sad to say goodbye to Aunt Joyce. In my family, she was the last of her generation. The funeral Mass was beautiful and a perfect way to say farewell.