Today is the anniversary of the publication of one of the great literary works of the 20th century. Today is the anniversary of the publication of Gone with the Wind. But as interesting as the story of the great villain Scarlett O’Hara is, the story of how Gone with the… Read More »Capital Punishment
It is often, most likely, mistaught to the children of America that George Washington chopped down a cherry tree. The story is used as an example of George Washington’s veracity. I’ve heard the story, but what is most intriguing about the story to me is why he would chop down… Read More »I Can Not Tell A Lie
Today is Bloomsday. There is a good chance that if you aren’t Irish or a Lit Major, that you have never heard of Bloomsday. To be frankly honest, until today I did not know about the existence of Bloomsday. But you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be… Read More »Happy Bloomsday
Day 7 in Arizona consisted of my getting up early in the morning to wander around the premises of the resort one last time. The highlight of this walk was checking out a statue that had been erected by the tribe that owned the casino to tribute an incident where… Read More »Arizona Day 8
There was an article about an old family friend retiring in the Boone News Republican the other day. Bob Person is a local and the best photographer in the area and he is officially retiring. Freeze Frame by Blair Schilling Bob Person’s impact on the community can be seen on… Read More »Post No. 500 – End of an Era
About a year ago I posted a comment on Shannon’s MySpace page where I was apologizing in advance for what Iowa State was going to do to her UNI Panthers IF Wesley Johnson played in the game. Wesley Johnson did indeed play in the game and he played well, but… Read More »Plus Five
Happy Birthday to Elainie! Of course today is also Election Day. I’m not the type that tells people how to think or vote politically. I think everybody knows who I’m supporting. However, I’ve never felt it necessary to try and convince people to think like me. I trust that everybody… Read More »Happy Birthday and or Election Day
On Wednesday I looked at about 10 houses. I kind of liked 1 house, so I might have a bit of direction as to what kind of house I want. Here are some pictures. I think I want to build something like this at some point. This house had a… Read More »House Search
Here are some pictures from the suffrage march on Saturday. My favorite sign is from the march is the sign about “Idiots” having the right to vote, but not women. For some reason that sign reminds me of Buck vs. Bell. The 1927 Supreme Court where The Supreme Court concluded… Read More »Suffrage March
If you are looking for something interesting to do in Boone this weekend, check out this article from the Des Moines Register. It is about a historical re-enactment of the only Suffrage March to occur in Iowa. It occurred in Boone almost 100 years ago. It is interesting to think… Read More »Boone and Women’s Voting History
I thought I would celebrate my Mom’s birthday by posting some pictures of her from the 1970s. I think that might be our old milk truck in the background! With the best child. With the middle child. Out at McHose Park. Out at the old house on W. 15th Street.… Read More »Happy Birthday Mom!
I recently became the Webmaster for the Ames Jaycee websites. Perhaps it is because at times of have been correctly labeled a history nerd (although if you are over the age of 16 and you still feel comfortable using the nerd concept, I feel really bad for you) and improperly… Read More »Nonvoting Position
As many of you know, there are many times that I like to fancy myself a wordsmith. However, it is a rare day when I actually practice this skill that I like to believe that I possess. I often hear the advice that you should write what you know. I… Read More »Unhappy in Its Own Way or Happy Alike?
After we left the Field of Dreams on Sunday, we visited the St. Francis Xavier Basilica. It is one of only 53 Basilicas in the United States. Random Flower Spires Spires The Church Altar Stained Glass Window Sanctuary Spire Willy Jay Dessert in Jesup Traditional Road Trip Photo The height… Read More »St. Francis Xavier Basilica
It is time to answer the most common questions I have received about my trip to Kentucky: What in Heaven would ever possess somebody to go to Kentucky, even for a visit? Teresa’s significant other Ernie lives in Kuttawa, Kentucky. He is a good guy and I wanted to visit… Read More »Kentucky FAQ
After desecrating the Lincoln statue, I had to make amends by visiting the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Lincoln’s Tomb. This we did on our return trip to civilization. Traditional Road Trip Photo Ernie Waffle House Turtle Springfield The Lincoln Family Booth Lincoln Portrait Generals Douglass White House “War is… Read More »Back to Civilization
Friday was day 1 of my odyssey to the South. I took a few pictures. Here are some of them. Lunch Superman II Astronaut Costume Superman Museum Teresa Classic Family Portrait Metropolis, Illinois Superman Statue Superman Statue and Teresa Superman Statue Superman Reflection Metropolis I like big statues. Small Baptist… Read More »The South – Day 1
Blogger has been flaky at best. If you subscribe to the Journal, you should get an e-mail immediately, but the entry might not be found on the website for a small amount of time. I apologize for the low quality of these scans. I was working with a low end… Read More »1982ish
I’ve been thinking on a topic lately and I’ve come to the conclusion that I just need to write about it and then be done with it. I’ve been thinking about junk in art. Not refuse or garbage, but the male productive organ or the penis. I will refer to… Read More »Too Hot for Photobucket
On May 18, 1980 three things happened. 1. Mt. St. Helens erupted. 2. Stephanie Kasper was born. 3. I turned 5. 5 years earlier I was born. A cousin of mine once gave my two sisters and I the very backhanded compliment that we turned out pretty well considering the… Read More »Mt. St. Helens Anniversary
On May 10, 2008, I loaded up into the famous Rideshare Van with Baier and we headed to Fort Dodge to tour the Fort Dodge Museum and see the “Real” Cardiff Giant. I already knew that there would be a certain amount of controversy surrounding the trip and the Cardiff… Read More »Lessons Learned in a Giant’s Town