Molly's Cupcakes, Iowa City

Last week, I traveled to Iowa City for work.  I didn't realize it until I reached my destination, but I ended up on the University of Iowa campus.

Across the street from the old Iowa capitol, I discovered Molly's Cupcakes.  I'm not an University of Iowa fan, but I couldn't resist buying the "Game Day" cupcake picture above.  It was so cute!  I'm really loving the cupcake shop trend here in Iowa.  It seems like I keep finding a new cupcake shop every time I'm on a road trip. Do you have a favorite cupcake shop?  So far, my favorite is still the Ames Cupcake Emporium.  But like I said, I'm an Iowa State Cyclone fan :)

Garden update: October 2012

The first freeze of the fall arrived two weeks ago.  I took a few photos of my garden before the freeze.  The garden looks a little shaggy because of the dry weather, but it was still a pretty successful growing season.

I picked lots of green tomatoes to save them from the frost.  They are ripening pretty quick in my kitchen right now.  We've been slicing the ripe tomatoes and drying them in our food dehydrator to use in pastas, soups and casseroles.

How did your garden do this year?  Did the drought impact the garden yields?  I didn't end up with as many tomatoes as I would have liked, but as you can see, I still had quite a few to work with.

Autumn leaves on the High Trestle Trail

I took a few days off work and spent an afternoon on the High Trestle Trail in central Iowa.  The leaves were just starting to change color, and the milkweed seeds were out. They look like little cotton balls.

I passed a couple of corn fields as the combines were harvesting the crop.  They were kicking up a lot of dust in this dry weather.  This farmer waved at me when I rode by on my bike.

I love the contrast of blue sky and golden fall colors.  It was a gorgeous day, and I'm glad I took some time off from work to enjoy it.

Did you take a road trip to see the fall leaves?  What's your favorite place to see the autumn colors?