Loess Hills

The Loess Hills of western Iowa don't look like anything special from the air.  But a light dusting of snow and twilight provides a magical image. I imagine it would seem much darker on the ground because the sun has fallen way below the horizon, but from this elevated vantage point there is plenty of …

Standing By

Winter is not even half over and I'm climbing the walls.  In a couple days I'll be on Sanibel Island, Florida for a week, hoping it will snow 15" in Nebraska while I'm gone.  Right now? I'm just standing by. Thought for the Day:  A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no …

Aronia Berry Festival

Last weekend, I attended the Aronia Berry Festival in the Loess Hills north of Missouri Valley, Iowa.  In case you haven't heard, the aronia berry is the latest fad in health foods, high in vitamin C and antioxidants.  Many Iowa farmers are putting acres into aronia berry bushes and trying to promote the berry as …

Billy Bob

Deep in the Loess Hills of Iowa, I ran across an old Danish Lutheran church and cemetery, built in 1894.  Its a very idyllic setting, see photo below. As you might imagine, all of the names on the tombstones end in "s-e-n":  Madsen, Johnsen, Sorensen, Mikkelsen, Swansen, Petersen, etc.  This particular tombstone tickled my funny bone.  Jorgen …

Old Glory

The title of this photo has a double meaning;  1) Obviously, the flag's nickname is "Old Glory", and this flag looks like it has seen plenty of "glory".  2) The flag is reflected in a window of a 130+ year old country church in NW Iowa, which is still used, weathered and beaten, but still standing …

Put Out to Pasture

I found this old gal parked in the corner of a pasture where two gravel roads intersect somewhere in Northwest Iowa.  She had been retired or "put out to pasture" for quite some time.  Like an old plow horse that faithfully responds to her owner's daily commands, the plow eventually becomes too heavy for the horse's aching muscles and tired …

Eggs for Sale

This photo was taken at a friend's family farm in Northwest Iowa, but it reminds me so much of one of the many sheds my grandfather had on his farm.  My memories of Grandpa's tool shed are reignited by items in this photo. My grandparents never used an "Eggs for Sale" sign on their farm, but I remember seeing these signs along the …

Be Prepared!

Today reminds me of this abandoned car/truck left sitting in the corner of some field in the Loess Hills of western Iowa.  It looks like an old Chevy.  The back end was "customized" by removing the back seat and attaching a pick-up truck's bed, half inside the back of the car and half outside, and no sides …

Church in the Dell

This old Danish church was built in 1884, and it looks to be still in use.  Other than its about an hour drive northeast of Omaha, I couldn't begin to tell you how to find it.  But what a joy it was to photograph it on a beautiful early summer day. The cemetary was filled …