Time for another collection of images from my road trip to Mitchell and Floyd County back in April. Most of the pictures were taken in Mitchell County.
Mona
Toeterville
Stacyville
Meyer
McIntire
Riceville
New Haven
Osage
I really liked Osage. It is a town I would like to explore again in the future. It goes on the list! One more collection from this road trip to go!
I headed up to Pufferbilly Days on the Friday Night to post the People’s Choice Standings. I thought I might get a funnel cake or check out the entertainment center, but I’m not even going to front. The band in there was so bad I had to check out after 1 really bad cover of Johnny Cash. Instead I walked through the car show. I’m not really a car guy, but I do like antiques and old stuff. Also, I know a few people that do the car show circuit and thought I might run into one or two of them.
Here are some pictures from my Pufferbilly Days Friday night.
The only car at the car show I could afford.
This car is made out of wood.
I still have many more Pufferbilly Days photos to share.
This is your reminder that this weeks’ THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is PATHS:
PATHS! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!
WARNING! WARNING! NEXT MONDAY I WILL NOT BE NEAR A COMPUTER DURING THE MORNING! THEREFORE, THERE WILL DEFINITELY BE NO REMINDER MESSAGES NEXT WEEK! YOU WILL BE ON YOUR OWN TO GET YOUR SUBMISSIONS IN!
But what is a PATHS image? It is simply an image where a PATH(S) is a major compositional element. Lots of things can qualify as a PATH(S). A sidewalk. A trail. A street. Railroad tracks. A PATH(S) doesn’t just show where somebody or something is going, but can also show where they have been.
Happy photo harvesting!
Have you ever wandered lonely through the woods?
And everything there feels just as it should
You’re part of the life there
You’re part of something good
If you’ve ever wandered lonely through the woods
Thursday is for flowers and this Thursday showcases a fairly diverse collection of flowers. All taken in my yard. Next year, I hope my flower collection is even better. I haven’t been great at yard work this year.
A bonus picture of Naima thrown in there at the end. Still more Flower Thursdays to come!
Way back in April, I cruised around Mitchell and Floyd County harvesting their town signs. The weather and the lighting was great for photography and I took as much advantage of it as I could. There will be three collections of auxiliary images from this road trip.
Here is the first collection:
Otranto
Fort Severson
Saint Ansgar
Fort Severson. This is a fascinating bit of history to me. For starters, it isn’t a fort. It is a barn. A cool barn. But not a fort.
Here is what the inscription says on the historical marker outside of the barn:
Built in 1867 by Nils Severson on his land with help of neighbor’s using limestone and mortar of lime & sand from Deer Creek. Severson’s design was a typical fort with small openings for rifles and larger openings for gatling guns. The Spirit Lake Massacre and uprising at New Ulm Minnesota prompted the building of forts across North Iowa. This is the only one left standing. Although Indians never came there were some scares. Settlers would come from as far as ten miles to stay here. The building was later used as a stage coach stop on a route between Northwood and St. Ansgar on the Kansas City, Rochester Minnesota stage line. As many as 20 people would sleep on the top floor, meals were served on the first floor. Immigrants would stay while looking for land to settle on. It became a farm building in the 1870’s after the railroad came through. Restored in 1972 by local people as a United States bicentennial project. Use of fort & site donated by David & Judy Goplerud. Placed on the National Register of Historic Sites in July 1976.
Seems straight forward. They were scared of the indigenous people in the area. They built a fort. Where they had gatling guns. This is the inscription that is on the historical marker. However, the Mitchell County Historical County calls BS on this marker. According to their website:
Actually, it’s just a barn but where’s the fun in that? It’s long been called Fort Severson by Mitchell and Worth County residents. Actually, the term “Fort” was a common designation on the American frontier for larger secure structures built by early pioneers. These included some churches, a remote farm house or other safe place to stay when needed. People often found themselves away from more populated areas on the prairie and needed good shelter. Sadly, it never actually acted as a “fort” for protection.
But that takes away nothing from the structure itself. Solidly and skillfully constructed of local limestone and timber from surrounding woodlands, it has survived since the mid 1850s.
The website goes on:
Rumors of the structure being used for Indian protection and being a stagecoach stop have made for good stories over the years. Many will say the small openings were for defense of the “Fort” during anticipated attacks but that was not the case- No rifles or Gatling guns (as one account speculates) ever extended through those openings. The Spirit Lake Massacre in 1857 and the New Ulm Massacre in 1862 were over long before the “Fort” was built and the Indians that passed through the area, scouting along Deer Creek, were not a threat but were known to approach the settlers’ homes seeking food. These framed openings were in fact for ventilation of the barn. Not near as exciting as the rumors. The stage line to Northwood did pass by the Seversons. Tradition said that the “Fort” was used as a stop with the wagon teams staying below and the passengers stayed above on the loft space. Again, another good story. There was no chimney or heating source in the “Fort” and this was not a regular stage stop but weary travelers were likely accommodated in a nearby frame structure, now long gone, that was the actual inn and only the teams would have been sheltered in the Nels Severson Barn.
I assume the historical society is correct, but makes me wonder why the historical marker is so completely inaccurate.
More from this trip still to come.
A few months back I made two separate trips to harvest the town signs of Clayton County. It was a great trip and I truly believe that Clayton County is one of the prettiest counties in Iowa. The whole region of Iowa is spectacular!
Here are some facts about Clayton County:
+ Population is 16,998. Making it the 41st most populous county in Iowa. Below Delaware County and above Tama County.
+ The largest town is Postville. The county seat is Elkader.
+ Established in 1837.
+ Named after John M. Clayton, a Senator from Delaware and the Secretary of State under Zachary Taylor.
+ Part of the Driftless Area.
+ 5th largest county in Iowa by area.
+ Home to Effigy Mounds National Monument. (Partially)
+ Major highways are US-18, US-13, US-52, IA-128, IA-56, IA-3, and IA-76.
+ Adjacent counties are Allamakee, Dubuque, Fayette, Delaware, Winneshiek, and Buchanan.
+ Population peaked at 28,829 in 1880.
Clayton County has a decent, but not spectacular looking courthouse:
The Clayton County Freedom Rock is located in Guttenberg:
With Clayton County conquered, here is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:
88 counties completed. 88.9% of the Cyclone State conquered!
Here are the town signs of Clayton County:
Guttenberg, Iowa
Guttenberg
Historic Rivertown
Population: 1,817 (-102)
Monona, Iowa
Garden City of Iowa
MONONA
Incorporate 1897
Population: 1,471 (-78)
Elkader, Iowa
WELCOME TO ELKDAER
SHOP DINE EXPLORE & MORE
Population: 1,209 (-64)
Strawberry Point, Iowa
STRAWBERRY POINT
Population: 1,155 (-124)
Edgewood, Iowa (Partially Delaware County)
CITY OF EDGEWOOD
Population: 909 (+45)
Garnavillo, Iowa
Welcome To GARNAVILLO
Gem of the Prairie
Population: 763 (+18)
McGregor, Iowa
Est. 1837
WELCOME TO HISTORIC McGREGOR
Home of Pikes Peak
Population: 742 (-130)
Marquette, Iowa
MARQUETTE
WELCOMES YOU
Population: 429 (+54)
Luana, Iowa
Welcome to LUANA
Population: 301 (+32)
Farmersburg, Iowa
Farmersburg
THE SMALL TOWN IN THE COUNTRY
Population: 271 (-31)
Volga City, Iowa
VOLGA CITY
Population: 203 (-5)
North Buena Vista, Iowa
Welcome to:
North Buena Vista
GROTTO
BOATING FISHING
Population: 109 (-12)
St. Olaf, Iowa
St. Olaf Civic Center
Population: 106 (-2)
Garber & Elkport, Iowa
Welcome to the Elkport-Garber Community
Where The Rivers Run Wild
Garber Population: 76 (-12)
Elkport Population: 29 (-8)
Clayton, Iowa
CLAYTON
Est. 1849
Population: 45 (+2)
Osterdock, Iowa
Welcome to Osterdock
God’s Country
Population: 43 (-16)
Hardin, Iowa – Ghost Town
VILLAGE OF HARDIN
That is a pretty solid set of town signs. I think the worst one is pretty obvious though. It is St. Olaf. It isn’t really a town sign, just a sign marking their Civic Center.
But who gets the purple ribbon for Clayton County? I love the signs for Osterdock and Marquette and Guttenberg and Elkport-Garber and Garnavillo and Monona and Postville. Volage City’s town sign is a fountain! A FOUNTAIN! I don’t imagine there is another town sign in Iowa that is a fountain. But only one town has a town sign that is also the world’s largest strawberry. I have to give the prize to Strawberry Point.
There are quite a few alternate town signs in Clayton County:
Guttenberg – Alternate
Volga City – Alternate
Strawberry Point – Alternate
Monona – Alternate
Here is the current list of Best in Shows:
Best in Show – Adams County
Best in Show – Allamakee County
Best in Show – Appanoose County
Best in Show – Audubon County
Best in Show – Benton County
Best in Show – Black Hawk County
Best in Show – Boone County
Best in Show – Bremer County
Best in Show – Buchanan County
Best in Show – Buena Vista County
Best in Show – Butler County
Best in Show – Calhoun County
Best in Show – Carroll County
Best in Show – Cass County
Best in Show – Cedar County
Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County
Best in Show – Cherokee County
Best in Show – Chickasaw County
Best in Show – Clarke County
Best in Show – Clay County
Best in Show – Clayton County
Best in Show – Clinton County
Best in Show – Crawford County
Best in Show – Dallas County
Best in Show – Decatur County
Best in Show – Delaware County
Terril – Best in Show – Dickinson County
Best in Show – Dickinson County
Best in Show – Emmet County
Best in Show – Fayette County
Best in Show – Floyd County
Best in Show – Franklin County
Best in Show – Fremont County
Best in Show – Greene County
Best in Show – Grundy County
Best in Show – Guthrie County
Best in Show – Hamilton County
Best in Show – Hancock County
Best in Show – Hardin County
Best in Sow – Harrison County
Best in Show – Howard County
Best in Show – Humboldt County
Best in Show – Ida County
Best in Show – Iowa County
Best in Show – Jackson County
Best in Show – Jasper County
Best in Show – Johnson County
Best in Show – Jones County
Best in Show – Keokuk County
Best in Show – Kossuth County
Best in Show – Linn County
Best in Show – Lucas County
Best in Show – Lyon County
Best in Show – Madison County
Best in Show – Mahaska County
Best in Show – Marion County
Best in Show – Marshall County
Best in Show – Mills County
Best in Show – Mitchell County
Best in Show – Monona County
Best in Show – Monroe County
Best in Show – Montgomery County
Best in Show – O’Brien County
Best in Show – Osceola County
Best in Show – Page County
Best in Show – Palo Alto County
Best in Show – Plymouth County
Best in Show – Pocahontas County
Best in Show – Polk County
Best in Show – Pottawattamie County
Best in Show – Poweshiek County
Best in Show – Ringgold County
Best in Show – Sac County
Best in Show – Shelby County
Best in Show – Sioux County
Best in Show – Story County
Best in Show – Tama County
Best in Show – Taylor County
Best in Show – Union County
Best in Show – Warren County
Best in Show – Washington County
Best in Show – Wayne County
Best in Show – Webster County
Best in Show – Winnebago County
Best in Show – Winneshiek County
Best in Show – Woodbury County
Best in Show – Worth County
Best in Show – Wright County
The next time we hit the open road for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT we will visit Wapello County.
I’m not sure GREEN is going to be a popular theme. I’m not sure it won’t be. You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out.
As of 12:01 PM on Monday, September 5, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):
+ Derrick Gorshe – 1 week
+ Evie Gorshe – 1 week
+ Sarah Karber – 1 week
+ Steve Martin – 1 week (2)
+ Suzie Brannen – 2 weeks
+ Jesse Howard – 3 weeks
+ Willy McAlpine – 3 weeks
+ Brandon Kahler – 4 weeks
+ Linda Bennett – 6 weeks (3)
+ Sarah Toot – 7 weeks (2)
+ Sabas Hernandez – 9 weeks
+ Monica Jennings – 9 weeks
+ Mary Green – 11 weeks
+ Angie DeWaard – 12 weeks (2)
+ Dawn Krause – 15 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 21 weeks
+ Joe Duff – 23 weeks
+ Logan Kahler – 24 weeks (2)
+ Teresa Kahler – 33 weeks
+ Tamara Peterson – 33 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 33 weeks (2)
+ Michelle Haupt – 34 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 35 weeks (2)
+ Andy Sharp – 36 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 37 weeks
+ Cathie Morton – 41 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 42 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 44 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 47 weeks (5)
But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:
Andy Sharp
Kim Barker – 22 weeks
Angie DeWaard – 13 weeks
Angie DeWaard
Teresa Kahler – 34 weeks
Teresa Kahler
Teresa Kahler
Elizabeth Nordeen – 43 weeks
Joe Duff – 24 weeks
Micky Augustin – 36 weeks
Bill Wentworth – 38 weeks
Carla Stensland – 34 weeks
Carla Stensland
Kio Dettman – 48 weeks
Kio Dettman
Kio Dettman
Linda Bennett – 7 weeks
Linda Bennett
Mary Green – 12 weeks
Mary Green
Mary Green
Shannon Bardole-Foley – 45 weeks
Tamara Peterson – 34 weeks
Christopher D. Bennett
Sarah Toot – 8 weeks
Sarah Toot
Michelle Haupt – 35 weeks
Dawn Krause – 16 weeks
Dawn Krause
Sabas Hernandez – 10 weeks
Suzie Brannen – 3 weeks
Logan Kahler – 25 weeks
Brandon Kahler – 5 weeks
Jesse Howard – 4 weeks
Sara Lockner – 1 week
Willy McAlpine – 4 weeks
Cathie Morton – 42 weeks
Mike Vest – 1 week
Monica Jennings – 10 weeks
Becky Parmelee – 1 week
28 participants this week! That is a great week! A slight dip from the last couple weeks, but that is okay. The ebb and flows.
Sabas and Monica both joined the double digit streak club! WooHoo! Congrats!
There were submissions from all over the globe this week. Submissions came from France, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, Texas, Nebraska, Kansas, California and Alaska. I believe the picture from Alaska is the farthest north I’ve ever had a submission come from. France is pretty far east, but I think I’ve had submissions from Italy before. I don’t know what is the farthest west or farthest south off the top of my head. I think there might have been some Caribbean island pictures in the past that are the farthest south. Possibly the Alaska picture is also the farthest west too. I know people that have been in Hawai’i, but I don’t think they have submitted from there. Then you get to a point where, what is east and what is west. Some of those states are assumptions based on where people live.
I took my picture about 1 mile from my front door.
The Alaska picture, if you are wondering, is Shannon’s. I better you can figure out the pictures from France on your own.
But it wasn’t all sunshine and flowers and Iowa State beating Iowa in soccer. AND volleyball. AND football. There was some bad news. Derrick, Evie, Sarah Karber, and Steve couldn’t extend their streak past 1 week.
But enough dwelling on the past. Time to look to the future. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future! This week’s theme:
PATHS! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!
WARNING! WARNING! NEXT MONDAY I WILL NOT BE NEAR A COMPUTER DURING THE MORNING! THEREFORE, THERE WILL DEFINITELY BE NO REMINDER MESSAGES NEXT WEEK! YOU WILL BE ON YOUR OWN TO GET YOUR SUBMISSIONS IN!
But what is a PATHS image? It is simply an image where a PATH(S) is a major compositional element. Lots of things can qualify as a PATH(S). A sidewalk. A trail. A street. Railroad tracks. A PATH(S) doesn’t just show where somebody or something is going, but can also show where they have been.
While considering possible subjects for your image, mediate on the following quote:
If the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads.
-Anatole France
I look forwarding to seeing your interpretation.
The picture has to be taken between 12:01 PM today and 11 AM next Monday. This isn’t a curate your photos project. This is a get your butt off the couch (unless you are taking your picture from the couch) and take pictures challenge.
You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.
That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of PATHS in this place that is my trail through the wilderness of life next Monday.
It is once again time for a Formal Portrait Sunday. This time we are checking back in with Jayton’s Summer Senior Picture Photo Shoot. After this, there will be only one collection of Jayton photos left to share. I know you will miss him as much as me.
Next Formal Portrait Sunday will concentrate on the Baugher 2022 Family Photo Shoot.
This is the second and final collection of auxiliary images I took while harvesting the town signs of Dickinson and Emmet County. A few are taken in Humboldt County and the final picture is taken in Greene County. Some of the trips to harvest town signs are very long and sometimes I don’t eat or barely eat on these trips. While I was harvesting town signs out west and northwest, I would consistently hit up the A&W drive-thru in Jefferson. So delicious! I would gladly trade Boone’s Evil Clown Empire Outpost AND the Burger King that is allegedly opening back up in a couple months for an A&W. No regrets. The last picture is from that Jefferson A&W drive-thru. Miss you! I will come see you again soon.
Here is the final collection of images from Dickinson and Emmet County:
I can only imagine putting 32 quarters in the slot to get my 1000 gallons of water.
Estherville
Little known fact – Meteors aim for Iowa.
Actual chunk of the meteorite.
Wallingford – He-s looking to see where the rest of his hat went.
Gruver
Armstrong
Bradgate
Mmmmmm… Fried Cheese Curds (Not available at B-Bop’s, for the record)
The next time we hit the open road to view some of the auxiliary images I took while harvesting town signs for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will visit Mitchell and Floyd County.
Last Saturday was the first Iowa State football game of the season. Signifying the beginning of fall and the end of summer. Iowa State bested their FCS opponent 42-10. But I didn’t actually take any pictures of the game. I’m a littlestitious when it comes to taking a camera into the game, so this year I don’t know that I will at all. Perhaps for the Oklahoma game since, they will never sully the confines of Jack Trice Stadium again.
Instead, this year, I’m going to try to take more pre-game pictures. Our parking spot moved again this year. We are now in lot D-1. Last year we were in G-7. That lot is now the RV lot and it is completely unique. No other college football stadium has a lot like it in the entire country. It is setup like campsites with electricity ran to each spot. I don’t have an RV, but you combine that with the fact that the RV lot has easy access to the new pedestrian bridge. Makes me wish I had an RV. Other than, I have no place to park it, they get horrible gas mileage, and I don’t want to drive one. But other than that, sign me up for the RV lifestyle!
The plus about the new parking situation is that we are close to most of the pre-game festivities. The Spirit Walk and The Steps Concert. I didn’t get to either one to get a prime spot to take pictures, but I still took quite a few.
Here are some of my favorites from the day:
Too look at the rest of the pictures from the day, click on the link below:
I hope to get there a little earlier for the Ohio game in a couple weeks, but my arrival time is somewhat at the mercy of Derrick’s work schedule. So we’ll see how that goes.
Go State!
This is your reminder that this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is GREEN:
GREEN! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!
But what is a GREEN image? Are you seriously asking that question? It is an image of something that is GREEN or GREEN plays a major part of the composition. That is it.
Of course, there is more than one definition of the word GREEN.
Happy photo harvesting!
Thursdays are for flowers and this collection is a collection of gazania (African daisies) from the flower pots of my yard. I might have gone overboard photographing them this year because I didn’t have any in 2021. Just kidding! There is no going overboard in the world of flowertography!
I’m sure I have more flower pictures to share in the future. If not, I’ll go take some more.
