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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Welcome to Iowa

T


Well folks, last night I laid my head down in a small town just outside of Des Moines. We got on the road as soon as we heard that Lily got a good report from the doctor.

The clouds rolled in and we drove through a few minutes of rain here and there. Sometimes the sun broke through the clouds and the lighting was awesome. My header photo is one I shot from the truck window.

I played with the photo a little. Which one do you like best?



I used the "posterized" effect here.

Same photo, but with the "topography" effect
Some things I saw on the road:

Turbine propeller
This sign directs you to the town of What Cheer, Iowa. Who wouldn't want to live there?

Founded in 1865, it was first named Petersburg, after the settlement's founder Peter Britton. But the Post Office rejected the name! I don't know why the name was rejected, but isn't that a slap in the face? Joseph Andrews, a veteran of the Civil War, suggested the name of "What Cheer", and the town officially changed it's name in 1879. So I'm not sure if it was named Petersburg UNTIL 1879, or if it was a town with no name until that date. There are many theories behind the name of "What Cheer":

  • What cheer with you is an ancient English greeting dating back to the 15th century. Supposedly a Scottish miner exclaimed, "What cheer!" when finding a seam of coal near the town.
  • Some think that Joseph Andrews chose the name because of the connection to his hometown of Providence, Rhode Island. When Roger Williams, (a theologian who began Providence Plantation), arrived in Providence in 1636, he was greeted by the Narragansett native Americans with "What Cheer, Netop". "Netop" means "friend". The native Americans picked up What Cheer from the English Settlers.
This company does some eye-catching advertising for farm equipment!



    We got to our campground, which is situated on a farm. We had to pull into the farm to register. This is the outside of the office.


    Looks friendly, doesn't it? Inside we met the owner, and her cat, Pillsbury.


    To get to the campground, we had to leave the farm, go back out onto the road, turn down a side road, then another road, to get to the back "forty" as they say. Although it was bigger than that! We were surprised at how nice and clean the campground was; most of the sites were paved. There was a large building that had a game room, bathrooms and laundry. 

    There were huge statues all over the park.





    We walked to see the horses in the field. They wouldn't come to us, even though Jim whistled and I made kissing noises. Darn!


    A road less traveled


    And we're off again!

    10 comments:

    Furry Bottoms said...

    That turbine propeller is HUGE!!!!! And to think it is only one side of it, WOW!

    Jeannelle said...

    Great shots! I saw wind turbine blades on the road to and from Pella the other day, too. I like the "poster" effect better.

    SUGAR MOON said...

    Your posts are always so informative. Thanks for sharing I enjoyed it. I love the way you change your header and I like all three.

    Brian Miller said...

    some really cool statues...the lines in the field are really cool as well...

    Unknown said...

    All of your photos are great; my favorite is the header...the original one.

    Kathy's Klothesline said...

    So glad that Lily is recovering. You have captured Iowa .... field after field after field .....

    Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

    Hooray for the good news! Happy Road Trip! (Looks great so far -- that was a neat place to stay).

    Travel safe -- we'll be on the
    road soon too,

    Betty Manousos said...

    ah, pat, your photos are always worth the look!

    betty xx

    Ebie said...

    I wonder which State has the most colorful foliage?

    Michael William Scott said...

    Hi, Pat.

    Enjoying browsing your blog!
    Lovely pictures..........except for one thing.

    Remember when you posted the picture of all the billboards cluttering up an otherwise beautiful view along the highway...."to the next exit"?

    I find your "A View from the Edge" 'watermark' on every one of your photos to be equally intrusive/destructive of your creativity.

    Don't get me wrong: I LOVE your photos.....and I understand what you're trying to do, BUT......
    1. You OWN those photos; they're YOURS. Anyone caught stealing them is committing an offense...but do you really think you'd ever pursue and/or prosecute?
    2. Your 'signature' is located such that it could be cropped out of most pics thereby deleting your visible 'claim' to ownership.
    3. There are other digital-rights-management means of 'proving source' without having to resort to STAMPING your otherwise beautiful shots with a big, bold LABEL.

    Honey, I just think it's a shame to have to ruin your great shots, when it really serves such little purpose.

    Keep motoring, baby!
    Best,
    Michael.