As the sun rises this morning to brighten your day, may His glory fill your life on this wonderful Palm Sunday!  Please take time today to go to your church or synagogue.  If not, take time to thank Him for all your blessings!See what positive difference you can make in someones life today!To all my friends in Active Rain, have a Blessed Day!Lucky :) 03/31/2007

   We've been "jazzing it up" lately in the Davenport Outing Club Ballroom!                      March 8th, the meeting was held in reverse order to accommodate The Terrance Blanchard Quintet due to a scheduling conflict requiring that they be in Muscatine, Iowa by 1:30.  They presented an entertaining concert starting at noon and finishing in time to leave by 12:45.  We had numerous guests attending this annual event of our club.                 The quintet was led by Terrance Blanchard on trumpet, with Pablo Sans on piano, Derrick Hodge on Bass, Kendrick Scott on drums and Bruce Winston on sax.  The quintet was in the Quad-Cities as part of the "Visiting Artists Program" which is supported by the Davenport Kiwanis Club.  They gave a concert performance at the Capitol Theatre on Saturd... 03/31/2007

This is what Davenport, Iowa should look like this time of year.  Instead we're covered with ice and snow.  As of this morning, we still had over 50,000 people without power 3 days after the storm!  Power trucks and crews are coming to Iowa from all surrounding states to assist in the massive work at hand.  One crew from Wisconsin lost a man yesterday when he fell to his death from a malfunction of his rig.  Not only have people lost electrical power, but many of these people rely on electricity to power their pump in order to get water from their well.  With the cold temperatures, many homes are unable to keep a temperature above freezing which will cause water pipe splitting and much more damage to come.  Please keep these people in your prayers as they try to deal with these struggles. 02/27/2007

Round One of Phase Twelve (snow storms) started Saturday morning with spitting rain, turning to freezing rain, turning to sleet, turning to ice pellets by mid afternoon, turning to thunder snow (that's when it's thundering and lightning and snowing all at the same time) Saturday night.  The crews at our villa were out early Sunday with heavy equipment trying to clear it all.  They first plowed the snow which uncovered the ice.  Then they salted the heck out of everything.  Then they came in with this back hoe (top picture) and literally scraped all the ice off.  The ice was probably over an inch thick!  We usually don't get much ice here.  That is saved for Missouri and Kansas where my brother, Rob Lang lives.As I've stated before, we've been spoiled the past few years with mild tempera... 02/26/2007

 This time of year is when I really start craving a get-away to that beautiful island of Jamaica!   The views are spectacular!!! The setting for the restaurant and the food are fabulous. We even ran into an old employee of mine and his new wife! You can even buy a piece of paradise while you're there.  Real estate pricing isn't really that bad either. But alas, the time will come when it will end and it's back to reality in Davenport, Iowa.  Then I get to tell the great fish stories to my boss!Lucky :) 02/25/2007

When freezing rain, sleet, rain, snow, thunder, and lightning all occur within an hour and continue in cycles over a ten hour period, it's time to stay inside and cuddle up with the dogs in Davenport, Iowa!Not long ago, we were running around in circles in dog shows strutting our stuff (well, Reba was strutting her stuff...I was just getting winded).When I got tired, I'd have to pass her off to a "professional" handler.Her favorite part was running around with all the other Rhodesian Ridgebacks after the show.When Reba got back from the dog shows, she loved to "re-unite" with her home pals.As for now, we'll just stay indoors where it's warm!Lucky :) 02/25/2007

from New Orleans to Davenport, Iowa!!!    The Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival is celebrated each summer in LeClaire Park.  The bands play in the LeClaire Park Bandshell built by the Davenport Levee Improvement Commission and located right on Davenport's Mississippi riverfront.The RME (River Music Experience) is located in the Redstone Building located in downtown Davenport.  It celebrates music of all kinds but has a strong flavor for Jazz.There is even an area for kids to try out instruments that is very popular for school field trips. We also have the River Roots Live Music Fest!The Grand Excursion 2004was a re-enactment of the excursion up the river in the days of Bix.Why don't YOU make your excursion to Davenport, Iowa and enjoy the Jazz experience!!!Lucky :) 02/23/2007

Here we go again!  We've been spoiled the past few years with mild temperatures and minimal snowfalls so I guess we're due.  The Quad City area experienced a low temperature last night of -8 degrees with a -20+ wind chill factor and another 2.7" of fresh "powder" (funny how when you're shoveling it, it doesn't feel like powder).  The total amount of snowfall since Dec 1 is 28.3" which is 5" more than "normal".  According to the National Weather Service, here's the rest of the story:TEMPERATURE (F)                                                       YESTERDAY                                                              MAXIMUM         22   1159 PM  60    1921  36    -14       33          MINIMUM         -8    753 AM -14    1958  19    -27       20          AVERAGE          7           ... 02/17/2007

The Friendly House of the Quad Cities was started in 1896.  It is a non-profit organization that provides support of many kinds to the citizens of the Quad City area.  There are programs for the young and old that range from meals to nurturing care.  The new buildinghas been a huge asset to the organization as it is more efficient for activities as well as heating/cooling.  It even has a beautiful indoor gymnasium!  Recently, the Davenport Kiwanis Club visited the facility for their weekly program.The meeting room was spacious and the program was informative.  Vice President Alan Guard introduced Lorelei Pfautz and fellow Member, Jodi Stock, of the Friendly House, who presented the talk.  Lorelei started her presentation by thanking our club for helping the Friendly House purchase their... 02/10/2007

                             Location Characteristics: Davenport is a beautiful river town that is rich in heritage, culture, and quality of life! It is located approximately halfway between Chicago and Des Moines on I-80 at the Mississippi River and is part of Quad Cities USA. Terrain varies from flat corn fields to heavily wooded ravines and views from beautiful rolling hills to scenic river bluffs that are one of a kind! Schools are always high in national ranking as we pride ourselves in educating our children. Cost of living is relatively low primarily because of the great values in our real estate!  We are also home to the Rock Island Arsenal!  Come visit us and you'll see why Quad Cities USA is ranked at the top of many national polls as a great place to live and raise a family! ... 11/07/2006