Pets in Pella (3/26/25-2/28/25)

So on the evening of the same day we left our Ankeny housesit (Wednesday), and after a brief visit with Bob’s sister and brother-in-law, we made the short drive (just over an hour) to meet our new homeowners in Pella. We met them at the Liberty Street Kitchen in downtown Pella for dinner before following them to their house, which is about 6 miles out. (Side note, if you ever find yourself in Pella, Iowa, we highly recommend Liberty Street Kitchen, which is located inside the Amsterdam Hotel.)

Our homeowners were so lovely, and we had a thorough walk through at the house before we turned in. The homeowners are now in Paris taking a French language immersion course. It sounds a bit intimidating, but they’ve taken other courses before and really enjoy it. In the meantime, we are in the lovely town of Pella, caring for Nala and Bijou, 2 female Golden Retrievers (as was our dog in Ankeny). As they have a large yard to run around in, they are mostly outdoor dogs and sleep in crates in the garage. They are very sweet natured.

Pella is a city of about 10,000 about 40 miles southeast of Des Moines. It was founded by immigrants from the Netherlands, a fact of which they are very proud. The city is also home to the Pella Corporation (maker of windows and doors) and Vermeer Manufacturing (maker of industrial and agricultural equipment). A famous former resident of Pella is Wyatt Earp, who lived in Pella as a child, long before he became a lawman in the Wild West.

This morning we walked around the main city square as well as a bit off the square, and their pride in their heritage was evident.

There is also a still working windmill downtown that we hope to visit tomorrow.