Fourth Annual Marshalltown Fly-in

I want to invite those that have  Saturday, September 16,2017 from 7A.M. - 11 A.M. open on your schedule...It's a come and visit for a little while and then you can take off to fulfill the rest of the schedule for the day. Maybe even come and have some breakfast if you don't want to pull out the griddle...give yourself a weekend break.

                                                       Hope to see you there!

                                                                 Have a Great Day!

Saving A Local Entertainment Venue

Remember the days when hot summer weekends were spent in the great outdoors with speakers hanging off the open windows of your car? Maybe a date...maybe a family outing. The Drive-In Theater was an event to look forward to after a week of work, or a way to let mom and dad enjoy a movie while the kids played on the swings up front, not far from the screen, as I remember it. Not to mention the snacks at the concession stand, popcorn just as tasty as you would find at the walk-in movie theater...

With a limited few theaters still remaining in the United States and the changes of the film industry to Digital  from 35mm there are expensive new cameras to be purchased. Most theaters that are still open are small venues that don't have large budgets to cover huge expenses such as a new camera, many are faced with the possibility of having to shutter their gates.

It has come to my attention on the local news, now on Facebook about the opportunity for these entertainment businesses to get the chance to win new movie projectors, the project is known as Project Drive-In.  The new equipment will be awarded to the Drive-Ins receiving the most votes. Others vying for the projector can be found here. 

I would like to be instrumental in helping to save the Valle Drive-In of  Newton, IA. one of four still operating in the State and the longest running since it opened back in 1949. The  Drive-In is located  25 miles from home; which I have visited with our daughter and her family on a couple of different occasions. A nice place for tail-gating if you can get the gang together before the movie starts.

Please vote now! Four more Winners will be announced on September 23, 2013. Let's see if we can get Valle Drive-In to be among them. Thank you for your help!

Iowa Shotgun Season One - Days Four and Five

The weather has been really nice for December. Deer hunting hasn't been as much of a challenge as in past years where snow and wind  created slippery footing, and -20 below windchills.

Other hunters say it makes the deer blend into the surroundings when we don't have snow on the ground, but I haven't had any troubles seeing where they think themselves invisible .

Day 4, of our first shotgun season found me making a road trip to southwest Iowa. My "BIG RIG" driving brother needed a little four wheeler to chauffeur him to a few business transactions where his 18 Wheeler wouldn't have been welcome.

He has babied his truck to keep him moving across the ribbons of highways,a purchase made on his return to trucking after almost calling it quits when he was placed on a heart transplant list 8 years ago.

With medication he improved enough to be taken off the list and was able to get back to doing the only thing he had done since graduating high school, driving a big rig.

My brother says that the engine has over a million miles on it, but notes it has been rebuilt once within that time.

It had been a couple years since I had been back to our hometown of Griswold.

The last time was when I took my Mom back to get things in order for the next step in her life, preparing her wishes for the time when she steps beyond the bonds of her earthly body. A wise choice to make...No second guessing by family members left behind.

While we were in town we stopped at the telephone office to get some information, visiting with two women - one who had been apart of our smaller community of Noble Center Twnshp. The other was a year ahead of us in school. However, I was apart of the same social circles, we both played flute in band, and sang in the same section in choir. It was nice to have made a brief reconnection on our stop and go day. To hear how the years had added to their families...

Mural on the side of local grocery store

I have started collecting pictures of murals painted on the sides of small town businesses.

Each one tells the story of the area residents that make- up the town and their surroundings.

The front of the semi-truck reminds me of one company in particular that I am aware of in town. I may be mistaken, but I believe it to be another one of my classmates who took over a family business when his father passed away .

The produce and fruits are representing what I knew as Glen Robins Orchard, now it is called
3 Bee Farms , owned by Mike and Donna Brahms who bought it three years ago.

Of course the tractor and cropland signifies a time honored occupation, farming. An important activity to many one way or another.

Our road trip took up the legal hunting hours, there wasn't a chance to be out waiting for the deer to pass, or out on a trail pursuing them to bring home.

Day 5, Wednesday, December 5th, I spent the day rendering the buck to get the meat in the refrigerator. Then the tedious job of cutting, chopping, grinding and blending began. Well worth the effort to have meat in the freezer. So, ended the first Iowa Shotgun Season for me this year.

I will be returning soon to share how the Second Shotgun fared for us here at Timber Life.Looking forward to your visit...

Oak Grove Recreation Area

After finishing our picnic at Shelter house #1,we left the Cherry Glen Recreation Area and headed up NW Polk City Dr./HWY 415 to our next stop at Oak Grove Recreation Area.

The Ranger station was closed so we headed down the hill towards our objective - the water's edge.
As we left the Ranger Station the Picnic Area was immediately off to our left. Going down the hill further we approached the camping area off to our right, approximately a 1/4 of a mile from the beach at this access point.

We had started seeing sailboats gliding swiftly across the water's surface at the first lake access...the breeze was keeping the sails furled and captains on their toes. Reaching our second access at Oak Grove we were being met by several craft that had come north as we did, following the shoreline.

This picture has two boats far enough away from one another to be comfortable, but a third boat came within feet of the closest to us, headed in the opposite direction. I would say from our vantage point that those two boats  had a "close enough" encounter as they passed, one slightly tilted with underside exposed to the camera.

One of the outstanding features of Saylorville Lake happens to be the Mile Long Bridge west of Polk City.

Most of the time the bridge is a pleasant trip, but like all situations that could crop up in a twinkling of an eye; warnings are posted on the bridge to make drivers aware of potential hazards, such as wind gusts, and of course during the winter, icy conditions.

I have lived in the area long enough to have witnessed water up to the road decking on many occasions. When  I must pass over it with high winds, and water, I keep my eyes focused on the end, and my hands on the steering wheel. Once in a while I try to get a picture without focusing.Oh,and the results usually end up in the recycle bin to be tossed away in the next delete phase.

Come on along with Hubby and me.Time to be off to the next destination,the Cottonwood Recreation Area.

Check back and see what we found as we head in to another part of the Saylorville Reservoir territory to watch and listen for mother nature's treasures...

Trip to the Berry Patch Farm

The last few years I kept making idle threats that I would go to the local "pick-your-own" strawberry patch about 16 miles from home to get some sweet June berries. However, other things always seemed to get in the way. Well, this year I wasn't going to be satisfied with my excuses of one reason, or another.

Earlier this Spring,just as the berries were blooming, central Iowa experienced a hard freeze. The farm owners used a method frequently used in Florida when frosts drop in to steal away the orange blooms. They implemented a water spray to create a layer of ice that would insulate the plants, and create heat when it melted off after sunrise.

Picking at the farm started the last week of May, unseasonably warm temperatures have matured the crop, and according to Judy the strawberries may be done for them by this coming Saturday, June 5th.

Rain dotted the radar in the vicinity of the farm as I gauged what my schedule would become. Arriving at the farm you could tell there had been a shower,but nothing excessive to detour the seekers of seasonal delights.

The Berry Patch Farm, owned by Dean, and Judy Henry, has been around since the early 1970's.

Dean, a retired horticulture teacher, found his next endeavor to explore,experiment / implement new food cropping methods to increase production. The Henrys may not be totally organic producers... However, they do use practices that reduce the need for excessive spraying of pesticides and herbicides.

They allowed parking out by the field to be harvested. There is a young lady,an employee, up by the open tailgate of the white pick-up motioning for drivers to come park right across from them. She had moved there after I came to indicate to others where the starting place would be for the new arrivals.

I had just gone back to the car ready to go back to checkout when I got these pictures.

The field was becoming busier around 11:30 when the threat of rain had diminished to nothing. A pleasant day to be picking...

The Country Store has a porch where you can stop and sit a spell. You can even find a few extra plants they have for sale lining the walkways ..

A collector's piece used in a by-gone era. Certainly a conversation starter for an older farmer from back in the day...

Judy the co-owner,behind the counter in the yellow blouse, was getting ready to count out some strawberry plants I purchased for my own garden.

After ordering strawberry plants a couple of years in a row from a catalog, and having them arrive too early, not being able to keep them alive until the weather cooperated -  led me to another solution. Buying the starts locally became my logical alternative; ready when the weather was just right for the planting.

Strawberries weren't the only plants available; I found some blueberry plants too. Two of the three blueberry bushes had bloomed and carry some little blueberries. Now, if I can only get them to maintain through the heat that is forecast for this weekend. Time will tell. 

Hubby tasted a strawberry as I processed them and commented "now that's a strawberry."

Other crops that the Henrys grow -Apples, Asparagus, Rhubarb, Blackberries,Blueberries, Currants, Gooseberries,Pumpkins, Raspberries, Rhubarb and Strawberries. They definitely offer an abundance of fruits and other foods that most of us don't have the room, or time to grow.

I had the honor of sharing conjoining market space at a local Farmer's Market with Judy, and Mike, the Henry's son, when I attempted a start at growing vegetables for others back in 2001. I still start plants, and grow vegetables; other things have influenced the time I spend pursuing those interests.

Thanks to the Strawberry Patch Farm for the extra effort this Spring  to provide the opportunity to get some very good Strawberries!

Alcoa Eagle Cam - Davenport,IA

The Alcoa Company in Davenport,IA, is helping the to promote a safe environment for our a nesting couple of our national birds, south of the more familiar Decorah Eagle cam. 

In finding out more about the second Eagle couple they have been nesting together at the Alcoa plant for the last three years, but have only become nest cam stars in the last two. 

The Company is asking public assistance to name the three eaglets for this season...joining their parents Liberty and Justice. 

Stop over to watch the little eaglets too and add your suggestion for names...

Crayfish or Crawdad?

Parked on a city street in a suburb of Des Moines, IA , yesterday. I discovered a little crustacean with a  purpose making its way along the warm concrete.

I can't say I have ever seen one of these creatures in the great outdoors up until this point. 

So, I got camera lens to antenna for a close-up. Of course it took that to be an aggressive action so it raised its pinchers and  proceeded , determined to get wherever the natural instinct was drawing him/her.

Time wasn't being wasted in going from side to side...A straight line was the fastest way to achieve the objective. Get off the pavement before he/she got cooked.The day was heating up with the sun high in the sky -  it was close to noon.

    

I am left to wonder if this multi-legged ,two clawed, speedster had made a trip around the block, because it thought there was something better on the other side?

I have a feeling this is where the crawdad was going to make his/her walk-a-bout come to an end. Back in the safety of the urban pond bank...

Jesus Christ Superstar Musical Review

How many of you grew up in the era of Ted Neeley, portraying Jesus in the movie"Jesus Christ Superstar?" For those of you who think nostalgically of this cinematic production, I am with you... Ok, I will put a year on it, 1973 if you'd like to know. A very controversial movie when it came out because of the artistic license taken in the depiction of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I don't have a problem with it, because I know what the Bible says on the issues. It came to the attention of our daughter's that the musical would be making a stop in central Iowa. So, for a Christmas present, they provided 2 tickets to Ted Neeley's farewell tour of Jesus Christ Superstar. The weather seemed to cooperate , no difficult commutes to attend the venue. Everything went off without a hitch - We really enjoyed the musical talents of all the actors, but of course there were those that seemed to standout. Ted Neeley, a very talented artist at age 64, still able to hit the high notes... Corey Glover, gave a wonderful performance as "Judas Iscariot". Aaron Fuksa, aka "King Herod" created some comical interactions with the audience upon arrival of his character, continuing to connect the crowd to the stage. Craig Sculli used his talent in the convincing portrayal of "Pontius Pilate." I was able to feel his pain of indecision and the ultimate choice he made. Want to know if it will be playing close to your neighborhood, click here.

It is my opinion that if you like musicals you would like this one. The choreographic expertise has all the individuals working seamlessly to present a well rehearsed production.