We made a family trip to Colorado this past week. Six peas in the proverbial pod that motored down I-80. These types of trips have changed with Jolene and I now being empty-nesters. No more diapers, car seats or strollers. And no more minivans. Meanwhile, our SUV and the rooftop cargo carrier are packed full of stuff from us and two of our adult children and their spouse and boyfriend. Different stuff, but still stuff.

The cargo carrier is helpful with additional storage, yes, but I have come to really despise that thing — and not just the two prior ones that we smashed into the garage frame. Mounting and unmounting that giant plastic box on top of the SUV is like using an Erector Set to attach a plastic sled on top of your house. Each different vehicle we have owned requires different bars and bolts, and I don’t seem to remember this until the night before the trip. The holes don’t line up where they should, the bolts fall through my fingers, and the rooftop bars continually poke me in the sternum while balancing with one leg on a tire, but I eventually get that monster mounted. Loading it in 70-degree weather in Iowa wasn’t bad, but having it stick shut in 30-degree weather in Colorado has become an annual annoyance.

Prior to being married, Jolene and I would join other young couples for ski trips to Colorado. The priorities were different back then. Four days of skiing were painless, and we consumed many adult beverages. Maybe those two were connected. Today, I have to search for my knee compression pads to keep my ligaments in place for one day of skiing, and bottled water is the drink of choice. I am more interested in the hot tub than a hot toddy. So, life changes, but we still enjoy the serenity and fresh air of the mountains, and our adult kids do, too. We also now make time to see friends in the area on our vacations, as we have learned that time spent with those we care about is some of the best time spent.

Getting away from work is never easy, especially when you operate your own business. The work still needs to be completed, and we don’t have people standing around waiting to fill in for people on vacation. Taking time off is stressful before a vacation and after it, but it sure is enjoyable in between, especially in the mountains.

Most anyone who drives to Colorado knows that the drive through Nebraska can be mind-numbing. I used to tease my Nebraska friends about this until they reminded me that western Iowa isn’t exactly a scenic adventure. That may be true, but we don’t have tumbling tumbleweeds blowing across our roads.

We are having a great time on our family vacation. Skiing. Snowmobiling. Food. Drink. Family. Friends. And fresh mountain air. We will soon be back to reality, unloading all that “stuff” and stowing the cargo carrier away for another year, assuming we don’t smash it into the garage.

Have a marvelous Monday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com

See Shane Goodman's previous columns here.

DES MOINES FORGOTTEN
Remembering Ron ‘Busby’ Burnell

By Kristian Day

Iowa film industry lore is a niche topic that captivates my interest. If I hear anyone telling a story about the old days of film production, I stop what I am doing to join the conversation. My early Des Moines Forgotten articles included stories on the Varsity Theatre, filming a TV show inside Video Warehouse, and one that will be directly referenced here, Iowa’s era of producing religious features about the end of the world.

Whenever I am on set with some of the old guys, I often hear them mention a man named “Buz” or they refer back to the “Busby” days. Ron “Busby” Burnell is a legend among people who came before me. “Busby” was his nickname, but he preferred to go by “Buz.” He got the name because he would turn any shoot into a gigantic production like Busby Berkley from the depression era of American cinema. He would suggest big things that might be outside of the project’s scope, much like the man he was named after. Buz was born in Carroll County just after World War II and then moved to Paton where he attended Jefferson High School before moving to Des Moines in 1971.

These celebrities were born on this date: Adam Levine, Ciara Bravo, Cornelius Smith Jr., Geoffrey Owens, Jerry Cantrell, Lily Collins, Philip Sweet, Queen Latifah, Sutton Foster, Vanessa Williams

SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

The answer to yesterday's riddle:

Why do strawberries look down on blueberries? BECAUSE THEY ARE GOOD FOR MUFFIN! Thanks for the other answers: Gail Tomlinson, Carolyn Rogers, several co-workers.

Today's riddle

What do you get when you combine Blue Agave and literature?

Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

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