Category Archives: Ruins

Shelby and Mills County Auxiliary Images – Vol. 1

A few weeks back I cruised around Shelby and Mills County (and Pottawattamie County) harvesting their town signs. Here is the first collection of auxiliary images from this trip. Including some pictures of what I think might be the prettiest church in Iowa. But no, I’m not going to make a Iowa Church Power Rankings at any point in the future.


Shelby County

Shelby County

Shelby County
I don’t know how this turned out but this person hates schools!

Shelby County - Kirkman
Kirkman

Shelby County - Kirkman

Shelby County - Kirkman

Shelby County - Kirkman

Shelby County - Kirkman

Shelby County - Kirkman

Shelby County

Shelby County - Westphalia
Westphalia

Shelby County - Westphalia

Shelby County - Westphalia

Shelby County - Westphalia

Shelby County - Westphalia

Shelby County - Westphalia

Shelby County - Westphalia

Shelby County - Westphalia

Shelby County - Westphalia

Shelby County - Panama
Panama

Shelby County - Panama

Shelby County - Panama

Shelby County - Panama

Shelby County - Panama

Shelby County - Portsmouth
Portsmouth

Shelby County - Portsmouth

Shelby County - Portsmouth

Shelby County - Harlan
Harlan

Shelby County - Harlan

Shelby County - Harlan

Shelby County - Harlan

Do you think you know which church was my favorite?

There are plenty more images from this road trip left to share.

Monona County Auxiliary Images

A few weeks back a tooled around Monona County and part of Harrison County harvesting town signs. Here is a collection of the auxiliary images I took on that trip:


Monona County - Ute
The correct color tractor.

Monona County - Whiting
Restaurant & Malt Shop. Goodtime Charlie indeed!

Monona County - Whiting
They don’t make numbers high enough to count the number of drunk people that would hit this thing if it was in Boone.

Monona County - Whiting

Lewis and Clark State Park
Lewis and Clark State Park

Monona County - Onawa
Onawa

Monona County - Onawa

Monona County - Onawa

Monona County - Onawa

Monona County - Onawa

Monona County - Onawa

Monona County - Onawa

Monona County - Onawa

Monona County - Onawa

Monona County - Onawa

Monona County - Onawa
Onawa claims to have the widest main street in America. 150 feet wide. Eskimo pie was also born here.

Monona County - Turin
Turin

Monona County - Castana
Castana

Monona County - Castana

Monona County - Castana

Monona County - Castana

Monona County - Castana

Monona County - Castana

Monona County - Turin
Turin, again.

Monona County - Turin

Monona County - Turin

Monona County - Blencoe
Blencoe

Harrison County - River Sioux
River Sioux

Harrison County - Little Sioux
Little Sioux

Harrison County - Little Sioux

Harrison County - Loess Hills

Harrison County - Pisgah
Pisgah

Harrison County - Loess Hills

Here is a little more information on the Turin Man from clio.com:

In 1955, a skeleton was discovered in a gravel pit near Turin, Iowa. Experts first proposed that these remains were about 10,000 years old, going back to the “early people” of the ice age era. As archaeologists continued to excavate, they found in succession three more human skeletons. After months of rigorous reconstruction of the remains and scientific testing, experts concluded that the skeletons were likely a family unit about 6,000 years old. The site provided evidence of prehistoric burial practices with many similarities to ancient burials found throughout the eastern United States. The skeletons found here in Turin were the oldest human remains discovered in the state until August of 2011, when archaeologists excavated a 7,000 year old village in Des Moines.

Next set of auxiliary images we will peek at are from Shelby and Mills counties.

Southwest Iowa Auxiliary Images Vol. 6

Here is the final collection of auxiliary images I took on a couple of road trips to southwest Iowa to harvest town signs. Most of these are in Page County, but a few are in Ringgold County.


Page County - Clarinda
Clarinda

Page County - Clarinda

Page County - Clarinda

Page County - Shambaugh
Shambaugh

Page County - Shambaugh
While the Facebook algorithm is destroying humanity, this robot is out there doing God’s work.

Page County - College Springs
College Springs

Page County - Blanchard
Blanchard

Page County - Blanchard

Page County - Blanchard

Page County - Northboro
Northboro

Page County

Page County - Coin
Coin

Page County - Coin

Page County - Coin

Page County - Coin

Page County - Clarinda
Clarinda again

Page County

Page County

Ringgold County
Maloy

Ringgold County

Ringgold County

Ringgold County

Ringgold County - Benton
Benton

Ringgold County

Once again, those towns, I think are correct, but it has been awhile since I made these road trips. Next time we look at some auxiliary images, it will involve Monona County.

Southwest Iowa Auxiliary Images Vol. 5

It is time once again for another collection of auxiliary images I took the couple of times I went to southwest Iowa to harvest some town signs. I’m pretty sure all the towns are lines up correctly this time, but it was a long time ago. All these pictures were taken in Taylor County.


Taylor County - Sharpsburg
Sharpsburg

Taylor County - Sharpsburg

Taylor County - Sharpsburg

Taylor County - Sharpsburg

Taylor County - Sharpsburg

Taylor County - Gravity
Gravity

Taylor County - Gravity

Taylor County - Gravity

Taylor County - Gravity

Taylor County - Gravity

Taylor County - Gravity

Taylor County - Gravity

Taylor County - Gravity

Taylor County - Bedford
Bedford

Taylor County - Bedford

Taylor County - Bedford

Taylor County - Bedford

Taylor County - Bedford

Taylor County - Bedford

Taylor County - Bedford

Taylor County - Bedford

Taylor County - Bedford

Taylor County - New Market
New Market

Taylor County - New Market

I still have one more collection of images to share from this area of the state.

Southwest Iowa Auxiliary Images Vol. 4

It is time once again to share some auxiliary images from the couple of times I went to southwest Iowa to harvest some town signs. Once again, I think I have the towns lined up correctly, but this trip was awhile ago and I went to a ton of towns.


Ringgold County - Mount Ayr
This is not a Freedom Rock. But it is a rock and appears to be done by the same artist. Bonus rock.

Ringgold County - Mount Ayr
Mount Ayr

Ringgold County - Mount Ayr

Ringgold County - Mount Ayr

Ringgold County - Mount Ayr

Ringgold County - Mount Ayr

Ringgold County - Mount Ayr

Ringgold County - Mount Ayr

Ringgold County - Mount Ayr

Ringgold County - Mount Ayr

Ringgold County - Mount Ayr

Ringgold County - Mount Ayr

Ringgold County - Mount Ayr

Ringgold County - Mount Ayr

Ringgold County - Mount Ayr

Ringgold County - Mount Ayr

Ringgold County - Mount Ayr

Ringgold County - Mount Ayr
I am going to eat here at some point.

Ringgold County - Diagonal
Diagonal – This town houses the county’s Freedom Rock.

Ringgold County - Diagonal

Ringgold County - Diagonal

Ringgold County - Clearfield
Clearfield

Ringgold County - Clearfield

Ringgold County - Clearfield

Ringgold County - Clearfield

I still have at least one more collection of images from this road trip to share.

Southwest Iowa Auxiliary Images Vol. 3

The October image for the 2022 Photography 139 Calendar is of an abandoned farmhouse in rural Benton County.


2022 Calendar -October

Tomorrow I will share the November image from the 2022 Photography 139 Calendar.

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Way back on Monday I screwed a couple things up on THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. First, I incorrectly labeled the picture below as a submission from Logan Kahler, but it was Jesse Howard’s submission:


WEEK 328 - HOLIDAYS - JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard

The second mistake I made was to have a communication breakdown with Elizabeth and I forgot to include her second submission of her Christmas tree and stockings and gifts:


WEEK 328 - HOLIDAYS - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen

I had a pretty good streak going of not messing up. It is a good thing that I recently added a proofreader to the staff that I will probably never use.

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It is time once again to share some auxiliary images from the couple of times I went to southwest Iowa to harvest some town signs. Once again, I think I have the towns lined up correctly, but this trip was a while ago.


Fremont County - Farragut
Farragut

Fremont County - Farragut
I love old neon almost as much as I love working neon.

Fremont County - Farragut

Fremont County - Farragut

Fremont County - Farragut

Page County - Yorktown
Yorktown

Page County

Page County

Taylor County and Adams County - Lenox
Lenox

Decatur County - Van Wert
Van Wert

Decatur County - Van Wert

Decatur County - Grand River
Grand River

Ringgold County - Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield

Ringgold County - Beaconsfield

Ringgold County - Beaconsfield

Ringgold County - Beaconsfield

Ringgold County - Beaconsfield

Ringgold County - Beaconsfield

Ringgold County - Beaconsfield

Ringgold County - Beaconsfield

Ringgold County - Beaconsfield

Ringgold County - Kellerton
Kellerton

Ringgold County - Kellerton

Ringgold County - Kellerton

Ringgold County - Kellerton

Ringgold County - Kellerton

Ringgold County - Kellerton

There still are plenty of auxiliary images from southwest Iowa left to share.

NYC – Six

I should start by wishing everybody a Merry Christmas, so Merry Christmas!

The June image in the 2022 Photography 139 Calendar is of an old grain elevator (or something similar) in Pioneer, Iowa.


2022 Calendar - June

Tomorrow I will share the July image from the 2022 Photography 139 Calendar.

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This is yet another collection of images from my trip to New York City with Jesse back in 2011. Steph pops up in these images. She used to live on this cool little island called Roosevelt Island. But now she doesn’t.



By adding these pictures to the Photography 139 Gallery, I was able to restore the following historic “An Artist’s Notebook” entry to its original glory:

THE END OF RANDOM NYC

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will also involve New York City. It might be the last collection of New York City images. Or perhaps, there will be one more. You’ll have to wait and see.

Southwest Auxiliary Images Vol. 2

The May picture for the 2022 Photography 139 Calendar is a picture of an elk from Jester Park.


2022 Calendar - May

It was from the first “real” photography session I took after taking a few weeks off from photography.

Tomorrow I will reveal the June image.

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Here is another collection of images from a trip(s) to Southwest Iowa to do some serious town sign harvesting. It has been some time since I went on this trip, so I’ve matched the location of the picture with the town the best that I can.


Fremont County - Imogene
Imogene – Imogene has one of the restaurants that is on the Tenderloin Trail 2.0.

Fremont County - Randolph
Randolph

Fremont County - Randolph

Fremont County - Randolph

Fremont County
The window placement fascinates me.

Fremont County - Tabor
Tabor

Fremont County

Fremont County - Thurman
Thurman

Fremont County - Thurman

Fremont County - Thurman
Did I Photoshop out the powerlines? You’ll never know. Okay, I did. I hate powerlines so much!

Fremont  County - Sidney
Sidney

Fremont  County - Sidney
I wish I would have photographed more of these boots.

Fremont  County - Sidney

Fremont  County - Sidney
I would love to interview the artist.

Fremont County - Riverton
Riverton – One of my favorite restaurant signs ever! EVER!

Fremont County - Riverton

Fremont County - Riverton

Fremont County - Hamburg
Hamburg

Fremont County - Hamburg

Fremont County - Hamburg

Fremont County - Hamburg

Fremont County - Hamburg

Fremont County - Hamburg

Fremont County - Hamburg

Fremont County - Hamburg

Fremont County

Fremont County - Sidney

Fremont County - Sidney
I love this picture. There is a shot, I would have included it in this year’s calendar if I hadn’t edited it yesterday.

There are plenty more pictures from southwest Iowa still to come.

Southwest Iowa Auxiliary Images Vol. 1

The March image for the 2022 Photography 139 Calendar is a picture of a geranium dripping with water. This picture was taken in my yard.


2021 Calendar - March

Tomorrow I will share the April image.

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A few weeks back I prowled through several counties in southwest Iowa harvesting town signs. This is the first collection of auxiliary images I took on this trip. In all honesty, I might be getting some of the town locations for these pictures wrong. It has been a minute, as they say.


Adams County - Prescott
Prescott

Adams County - Prescott

Adams County - Corning
Corning

Adams County - Corning
I want to live in this store, just based on the name alone.

Adams County - Carbon
Carbon

Montgomery County - Villisca
Villisca

Montgomery County - Villisca

Montgomery County - Villisca

Montgomery County - Villisca
It looks like a town that had more than one ax murder.

Montgomery County - Villisca

Montgomery County - Grant
Grant

Montgomery County - Grant

Montgomery County - Grant

Montgomery County - Grant

Montgomery County - Grant

Montgomery County - Grant
I want to walk through that door so bad!

Montgomery County - Elliot
Elliot

Montgomery County - Red Oak
Red Oak

Montgomery County - Red Oak
I had some high hopes for this place…*

Montgomery County - Red Oak

Montgomery County - Red Oak

Montgomery County - Red Oak

Montgomery County - Red Oak

Montgomery County - Stanton
Stanton

Montgomery County - Stanton

Montgomery County - Stanton

Page County - Essex
Essex

Fremont/Page County - Shenandoah
Shenandoah

Fremont/Page County - Shenandoah
This sign must have been amazing in its heyday.

Fremont County - Imogene
Imogene

There are plenty more pictures from southwest Iowa.

* BUT… my source on the ground (Elizabeth’s friend) say it isn’t very good. Sigh.**
** Correction, and this is a direct quote: “She didn’t say it wasn’t good. She said it wasn’t great, and it was ok
If you are going to report, you need to get the story straight.”

Cass County Auxiliary Images Vol. 2

It is time I start revealing the images that are included in the 2022 Photography 139 Calendar. Each picture was chosen for one reason or another. I might reveal the reason why those images were picked or I might not. It is a mystery. But the pieces are there, if you can put them together.

I tried to represent all the photo projects I’ve worked on or the pictures I entered into Photo Contests, but I only entered one photo contest this past year and most of those pictures were in last year’s calendar. However, THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT is represented by 3 of the images. 3 of the pictures were auxiliary images taken on THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT road trips. THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is represented by 2 images. I also included 2 drone images, even though I barely took any drone images this year. I didn’t include any pictures from THE SELFIE PROJECT, cause nobody wants to stare at this mug for 31 days. I also didn’t include any images from the abandoned POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT. None of them seemed to fit any of the prerequisites that I have inside my head for each month’s image.

Here is the image that graces the front cover:


2022 Calendar - Cover

This picture of a Banksy inspired mural was found on the side of a building in Creston, Iowa. To know me at all is to know that I love Banksy. I took this picture on the last town sign harvesting trip I took with my Mom.

Tomorrow I will reveal January’s image.

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Here is the balance of the images I took on my road trip with Logan and Brandon to harvest the town signs of Cass County:


Cass County - Cold Springs State Park
Cold Springs State Park

Cass County - Cold Springs State Park

Cass County - Cold Springs State Park

Cass County - Cold Springs State Park

Cass County - Lewis
Lewis

Cass County - Lewis

Cass County - Lewis

Cass County - Lewis

Cass County - Lewis

Cass County - Lewis

Cass County - Hitchcock House
Hitchcock House

Cass County - Hitchcock House

Cass County - Hitchcock House

Cass County - Hitchcock House

Cass County - Atlantic
Atlantic

Cass County - Atlantic

Cass County - Atlantic

Cass County - Atlantic

Cass County - Atlantic

Cass County - Atlantic

Cass County - Atlantic

Cass County - Atlantic

Cass County - Atlantic

Cass County - Atlantic

Audubon County - Tree in the Road
Tree in the Road – Audubon County

Audubon County - Tree in the Road

Audubon County - Tree in the Road

Audubon County - Tree in the Road

Audubon County - Tree in the Road

Audubon County - Tree in the Road

Audubon County - Tree in the Road

Audubon County - Tree in the Road

Audubon County - Tree in the Road

Audubon County - Tree in the Road

Audubon County - Tree in the Road

Greene County - Grand Junction
Grand Junction – Greene County

Here is the story behind the Tree in the Road from the Travel Iowa website:

This is a Cottonwood tree that has become a landmark in Audubon County. The story is when the county lines were being established the surveyor placed a green cottonwood stick into the ground at the exact point where the lines crossed and grew into the present tree.

The next set of auxiliary images will come from southwest Iowa.