Cruising the River in a 1963 Corvette

Weekends in 42N country include an age old custom - cruising in your best car. This 1963 Chevrolet Corvette has had one owner and is in near mint condition. The light blue colored sweetie was seen resting along the Mississippi River at Guttenberg, Iowa this weekend. Its owner says that he usually tells women that he was born in 1963 just like the year of the car. They usually laugh and say that he is 63 years old. He laughs back. In any event he has a beautiful car that cruises every May - November to avoid winter salt. Know that.

Read More

Crop Dusting Near Amana, Iowa

July is crop dusting (or spraying) time in Iowa. Here in Amana, the grass strip airfield hosts a couple of sprayers from various parts of the country. Pilots and planes are rented by farmers to deliver bug management applications on grain crops in these latitudes. Then the pilots move on to other jobs in the area or region. The pilot's skills are airshow worthy, dangerous and fun to watch. On this particular occasion the pilot tested some fix to his plane before filling up with spray and flying to the job. Know that.

Read More

Once Upon Somebody's Home

On the road from Central City, Iowa take the road southeast to Waubeek. Here you will discover this framed farm house circa 1880s. Looks like the current landowners stay next door in a brick home but preserve this structure, although barely.

The north facing porch vaguely resembles the home that Iowa native Grant Wood painted in the American Gothic scene. That famous home is located in southeast Iowa some eighty miles away near Eldon.

Still, you can imagine that this rural Central City house was once brand new over a hundred years ago, perhaps occupied by a farm family and flourished for many generations. It was once somebody's home. Know that.

Read More

Goose Neck Corn

Last week's severe wind storm (July 11th) produced damage to buildings and crops in northern sections of Linn and Benton counties of eastern Iowa. Wind can cause corn stalks to bend close to the ground. When the stalks re-right themselves, the resultant shape looks like a goose neck. Many times this condition is found along roads or open areas where the wind can blow on unprotected stalks.

These particular stalks look to be fine. Other stands we observed last weekend were more severely deformed. Some stands were already chopped by farmers for silage. Know that.

Read More

Clydesdales Parade through Czech Village

The Budweiser Clydesdales return to Cedar Rapids, Iowa after nearly 30 years. This time the six horse team pulled the King of Beers wagon through Czech Village, across the Cedar River and finally stopping at the new restaurant, Capones. 

Hundreds of people lined the nearly 100 degree street to witness the brief parade. Hey, what else do we have to do in this hot and humid summer weather?

Bennie, an eight-month old Mountain something breed was the hit of the pre-parade. He made friends quickly and did not harass the horses.

At the end of the parade, a special clean-up vehicle made frequent stops to keep Czech Village tidy. Had the tavern owners along this street obtained permission to sell beer outside, the weather and the horses would have made the case an easy sell. Know that.

Read More

Iowa Braille School Damaged During Wind Storm

Iowa Braille School in Vinton, Iowa lost a portion of its roof and many trees during the severe wind storm on July 11, 2011. Six days later the 42N crew observed utility crews restoring power and construction teams stabilizing the structure. The entire town is in much of the same condition.

The school for students who are legally blind provides housing, skill development, educational training, and other services. Perhaps its most famous student was Mary Amelia Ingalls, sister of Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder. In her books Laura writes of Ma and Pa taking Mary by rail from De Smet to Vinton where she learned how to be productive without her sight. Know that.

Read More

Corn Crop Continues Growth at Sand Springs, Iowa

So far so good during this growing season. At Sand Springs, Iowa, hay is mowed and corn is looking pretty good at 5 - 6 feet tall to date this growing season. Blue American Harvester silos were generally put in place around the 1950s and 60s throughout the region. While the wire-bound concrete silos were built in the 1940s.

Another common sight in 42N country are seed corn signs like this one near Hopkinton, Iowa. Pioneer Hi-Bred International is one of the largest brands in the Midwest. Signs are placed along roadsides to show potential customers that this field is doing just fine by the genetics of this seed company. Although mostly made of plastic now, older versions of these seed signs were made of metal and are quite collectible, like gas or oil company signs. Know that.

Read More