It's not upside down!

Since The West Wing is currently off the Bravo schedule, I decided to spend my early morning hours wandering the streets of Springville.

A few years ago, I printed off a picture on eBay showing a postcard of the old post office. According to Grandma, it resided in the south side of the bank. Not sure where the printout is, but I think I've matched the image with a present day photo. We'll see.

I also made my way through the lower park areas, but on my way across the bridge, I saw this ...

No, I'm not posting it upside down! That's what I saw as I looked over the side of the bridge onto the creek below. It's the reflection of the trees on the banks. I enhanced it to boost the colors. Enjoy!

Winter in Iowa

As Spring approaches, I have to admit that Winter agrees with me for some reason. I like the crispness and freshness in the air, the stillness ... I find it invigorating. Now the cold temps don't bother me too much; I guess it all depends upon the windchill. And the ice. I do prefer snow over ice. (Well, who doesn't? Ok, Olympic skaters, but still ...) The Midwest is infamous for laying down a sheets of ice and then snow. These are from Christmas 2006, and oddly enough, not much snow or ice, just a light dusting of frost.

This walking bridge for Wapsipinicon State Park in Anamosa was flown in by the Iowa National Guard in three pieces, and the process was featured on the show Mega Movers.

There were already some geese floating down the river, and while I was focusing on those, these four scared the hell out me when they flew out from their cover off to my right. If I were so inclined, I would entitle this one Wait for me!

And then we put the two subjects together ...

These steps are in the park proper and are referenced here. I like this shot much better. You can actually see them and the curves going up the hill.

Stone City is aptly named. The quarry is still being worked. If I remember my Iowa history correctly, there was a gentleman who built a lot of civic buildings. There used to be an opera house, which is now the site of a transformer station. I'm not sure what this used to be. Had I been more awake, I would've changed my angle to block the utility pole in the upper right.

This ... I have no idea what this used to be either. It's about 50 yards from the other stone building. I know there's a term for these windows, but I've no idea what it is. I'm looking up castle references and have drawn a blank. When I find out, I'll share.

One of the more stupid things I've done is to walk into the middle of a creek in the middle of winter. Granted it wasn't very deep, but wet is wet. I was carefully balanced on rocks and concrete (don't ask me, I didn't put it there), working slowly in a circle. To me, the water looks like molten lead. This image was selected to be the Kirksville Arts Membership Poster for 2007.

 Look at that blue! This was behind the first water picture.

These steps were referenced in an earlier post. And I reiterate: a little elbow grease and general clean-up will result in an awesome park.

Summer in Wapsi State Park

There's snow on the ground and the temps are chilly, so how about some nice summer photos from Wapsipinicon State Park in Anamosa, Iowa to help distract you?

Zoinks! Is is just me or can you see a skull-like image?

It was really interesting trying to get shots of the geese. I'm sure I looked quite foolish scurrying about. Did I mention part of the river borders a cemetery? For the record, I wasn't leaping over headstones or anything like that. It was more of a park area the closer one got to the river bank.

(Above and below) It was interesting to see the weathering the stone has received over the years. In the center, between the two dots of sunlight, you can just see a series of steps curving towards the left. Looking back, it was too sunny of a day, or the wrong time of day (noonish). Winter shots would be a little better to capture the stone. You can't really tell from these photos, and one couldn't really tell at all, but the park was caught up in the Flood of 2008 which devastated much of Eastern Iowa.

Ok, this isn't in the Wapsi Park. This would be Butler Park in Springville, Iowa (and another set of stairs). There is an Upper Butler Park, and a Lower Butler Park. The high school is adjacent to the upper park. Back when kids could be trusted not to wander off, these stairs led to a foot bridge across the creek. I noticed a lot of trees and brush (and trash) that could be cleared. Some landscaping and improved grading would make for a better looking park.

Random Architecture: Iowa

The first three shots are from the state penitentiary in Anamosa, Iowa. Looks like it belongs in a Boris Karloff or Christopher Lee horror flick.
On a foggy day in Springville, Iowa. This is part of the Co-op. The train used to run where the building in the foreground stands. I vaguely remember seeing the train go through town as a kid. Used to have some of the spikes when the tracks were torn up. Not sure what happened them.

Random Architecture

Downtown Denver. Such a neat reflection on the windows.

Above and below: Denver Art Museum.

The bank corner in Springville, Iowa on a slightly foggy day.

Sepia tone of one of the fixtures in Sieren's Palace in Kirksville, Missouri.