Climbing the walls: Enthusiasts find a foothold in Iowa and Illinois
When you think about rock climbing, your mind doesn't instantly think "Iowa." But ask area climbing enthusiasts and they'll tell you Iowa offers plenty of climbing challenges.

"We might not have 600-foot, multi-pitch walls to climb, but the stuff we do have is difficult," says Daphne Patton, 34, a realtor and mother of three who first learned to climb as a little girl living in Italy. "It requires a lot of endurance. If you can climb Iowa's slippery wet limestone in the summer when it's humid, you can climb anywhere." More »

Pears aplenty: Simple recipes show the versatility of this seasonal fruit
Is it really pear season already? I always associate pears with falling leaves and the smell of backyard bonfires. Not that we're allowed to burn leaves anymore -- I just identified myself as a child of the '80s, I think.

My sister is lucky enough to have moved into a home with a mature pear tree on the property. We are lucky enough to live four blocks away from her. Last fall, she put out the call for someone to come and get "all these... More »

School routes: Iowa, Illinois DOT program encourage cycling and biking
As a child, Mark Wyatt remembers walking to elementary school. He says he and a group of friends walked together every day, and it was a social activity as well as a way to get exercise.

Now Wyatt is executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, which offers programs to encourage kids to take up bicycling or walking to school. "The value is for the kids," Wyatt says, adding that the added physical activity can make a big... More »

Dig, grow, explore: Outdoor classroom taps into nature as a learning experience
The Nature Explore Classroom at St. Ambrose University's Children's Campus is a backyard paradise for kids.

Every part of the space is designed for play. There's a dirt barrel for kids to dig in; an easel to create outdoor-inspired art at; logs to climb on; and their very own garden, where the kids are growing sweet corn, beans, cucumbers, and mini pumpkins.

The Children's Campus offers comprehensive early childhood program for... More »

From the editor
Many years ago on a trip home from college, an abrupt halt on an off-ramp sent my two goldfish, Truth and Beauty, tumbling from their bowl. I rushed into the nearest gas station and bought a bottle of water to save them.

"Those are some fancy fish, drinking bottled water," the clerk teased as I poured the life-saving liquid into their bowl. This, of course, was before water became a popular on-the-go purchase, when it occupied a few... More »

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