Aermotor Windmill Still Stands Over Seminole Valley Farm

Seminole Valley Farm is a preserved farm site dating from 1900. The property is located along the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa near the Ushers Ferry Historic Village. Flood waters in 2008 severely damaged the site. Progress has been made to fully recover the structures and interior furnishings however the museum remains closed. Among the structures located on the grounds is this Aermotor windmill. I don't recall if the blades were spinning at the time of the photo but it is representative of the many same-aged windmills found throughout the state. Must have had a good marketing and advertising campaign along with a sales staff to populate the midwest with these iconic windmills. Also it didn't hurt that many windmills could be mail ordered through the Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalogues and such.

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Decoding the Meaning of Birch Bark

Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose is constructed of birch. Native canoes were made of birch. And early writing paper made use of birch bark. This living section of a birch tree in Guttenberg, Iowa looks like a player piano song roll. If only the dark markings on the bark could be decoded perhaps using fibonaci numbers we could hear a new symphony or read something profound.

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C-47s Supported D-Day

On D-Day 1944, some 24,000 U.S., British, and Canadian airborne assault troops led the first phase of the Allied invasion of France, many of them jumping from C-47s like this one. About 6 hours later a massive amphibious landing involving more than 350,000 additional soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines followed. (Photo taken at the 2011 Quad Cities Airshow. This particular plane was in service through Vietnam.)

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Detail on House's Gingerbread Trimming

This Tipton, Iowa house looks like it was built in the 1890s. Lattice work on the attic area contains a floating element that I have never seen before. Perhaps there is a word for the sunburst arc themed detail that is set on the roofline pinnacle rather than the exterior side of the home. Perhaps you know.

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Auction Time is Community Time in Tipton

Auctions are often more than an occasion for the sales of goods. Gatherings of people especially at auctions conducted from a house or farm property are a chance for community gathering. It is quite common to observe a large crowd at the start of the auction engaged in talk while inspecting the goods.

Sometime shortly after the lunch hour it is also common to see these social attendees leave for the day without buying anything. Most often they are present to talk to friends and see what some things sell for during the sale, then walk away leaving the true core buyers. Its an interesting anthropological study.

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Any Tree in a Storm

Last week a number of quick moving rain events passed through eastern Iowa. During one storm this squirrel decided to hold up in our front tree. Perhaps people who know squirrel body language can decode this stance. It could be an act to cover its body from the rain or a stress configuration after being chased up a tree as the fast moving front moved through. If you know what that curled tail means, write your answer as a comment.

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A Quiet Evening in Amana

Saturday night in Amana, Iowa is pretty quiet. Some entertainment noise did come from a wedding reception at the festive hall and a live band playing outside at Millstream Brewing. However outside of the Ronneburg Restaurant there was time to relax and say 'hi' to wandering photographers.

Down the road at a flower store customers try to decide on a purchase before closing time.

Evening traffic was sparse as a rain shower moved closer. Daytime traffic in Amana is much higher on the weekends and on special occasions like Maifest and Oktoberfest.

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