Howitzer "Guards" Lock & Dam 10 at Guttenberg, Iowa

Guttenberg, Iowa is a scenic small town located in northeast Iowa along the Mississippi River. Among the many sites of the historic town is the relatively new veteran's memorial and cannon display. Yesterday as the 42N team took some of the scenic highways to and from Iowa's driftless area, a stop at Lock & Dam No. 10 produced an opportunity to perform a quick photo study of a Civil War era cannon. 

From the markings on the cannon I discovered this is a 24-pounder flank howitzer. The foundry that made this cannon in South Boston, Mass. produced 577 of these heavy fellows, of which some 269 survive. This particular cannon was produced in 1863.

Guttenberg's old time cannon is situated perpendicular to the river and is aimed at Wisconsin. But don't worry Badger fans. Given the altitude of the barrel there is no chance that even a fully charged cannon ball would fly past the state line located at mid-river. Since this is an inactive cannon (for display only as part of the veteran's memorial) the purpose of the hardware is to remind people of the epic struggle fought by area soldiers and sailors a hundred years ago.

Before Red Solo Cups

Way, way before Red Solo Cups catapulted as the de facto drinking container for casual get-togethers, the venerable Mason Ball Jars were all the rage. Guess what? Ball jars are still in high demand as drinking glasses. Blue tinted jars, from the height of canning days, are especially sought after for all occasions. Forty-some of these jars, sold at an Amana, Iowa flea market went to a bride-to-be for her upcoming pre-wedding festivities. What is old is something new. And what is something blue is apparently wedding appropriate - time to proceed to party.

Validation of Spring

Kids love them. Many lawn owners not so much. Dandelions, however provide visual confirmation in many parts of these mid northern latitudes that spring is really here. Mow 'em, spray 'em, pick 'em, chomp on 'em, squeeze 'em into wine or let them be. You decide but soon they will turn into white globes and spread their range closer to a lawn near you.

Barn Charm - Horse Barn with Basketball Hoop

This horse barn is located north of the Lincoln Highway between Cedar Rapids and Mount Vernon, Iowa. I photographed the barn in February as it stood out from the bleak browns of winter. Perhaps I should return and get a Spring look.

Mystery Machine spotted in Amana

Zoinks! Scooby Doo's Mystery Machine was spotted on the streets of Amana last weekend. The driver appears not to be Shaggy and would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for those meddling kids!

The Many Faces of Amana's Maifest 2013 Part 2

A tale of two days. Yesterday's opening Maifest activities in Amana, Iowa were filled with clouds and hard rain during the late afternoon. Today's fog gave way to bright sunshine which brought people out to see the celebration of May including several performances by the Maipole dancers. See photos from PART 1 here.

Traditional German music played on an accordion entertained visitors throughout Amana this weekend.

Nothing like 70 degree weather to bring out families to taste Maifest's sweets.

Linda Dolph runs Country Gentleman's Horse & Carriage Service Company. They provide horses and carriages for rides around Amana at Maifest time.

Purple is IN for these two visitors. Bus loads of people from around the area came to experience the sites, sounds and smells of Maifest. The furthest bus load of travelers arrived from Corpus Christi, Texas this morning to see several sites in the Midwest. During their trip the Texans were treated to several inches of snow in central Iowa during the past few days.

The Many Faces of Amana's Maifest 2013 Part 1

Maifest, the annual celebration of Spring was held rain or shine (we had both) in the German heritage village of Amana, Iowa today. The highlight of the two day festival is the maipole dance which is performed several times throughout the two day event. Young women dressed in traditional costume dance and sing (in German) around two maipoles as hundreds of festival goers watch. Today bus loads of tourists from Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin were on hand to watch. Many people came to Amana after some events of the annual tulip festival in Pella, Iowa was cancelled due to snow received on Friday.

If you are not watching the maipole dancers most likely you are eating German food or shopping. These two antique shoppers found a Dewars Scotch wooden box that they plan to decorate. Inside the wooden crate were four blue glass mason jars. 

Face painting is always a hit with the young. This girl's face was a canvas for an intricate design. Her younger sister had already smeared half her face paint off and refused to be photographed.

By the end of Saturday, Mr. Christmas came by to say hello. Actually his name is Dave. His white beard helps him to play Kris Kringle throughout eastern Iowa. Santa's presence helped to bring snow to western, central and northern Iowa yesterday but only rain to Maifest - this time.

Amana's Hidden Cattle Symbol Visible in Plain Sight

Idyllic Amana, Iowa is the subject for photographers. From sandstone foundations and weathered cedar sided buildings to the mill stream and woolen mill, the sites are endless for the seven village communities.

A closer look at the farms surrounding Main Amana yielded something unexpected. Its a cattle impression located on a concrete floor (sidewall) of a feedlot or livestock retaining area. The image can be easily overlooked but on a sunny day the south facing wall produced a distinctive shadow outline.

Visitors can discover this symbol (which I have never seen exhibited in Amana photos) on their own journey. This weekend is Amana's Maifest celebration. Check out fun and search for the lost symbol in Amana.

Flying to Fun Places

Allegiant Air flies from here (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) to fun domestic destinations like Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, Tampa, etc. On Sunday this jet, on final approach, flew directly overhead where I was positioned some 17 miles from the airport. Local travelers on that plane know (or should know) that here in mid-America we have fun things to see and do. Perhaps they tire of Midwest fun and long to see other sites. Its a theory.

Which Way Does the Wind Blow?

Today the prevailing winds came from the northwest. Tomorrow and the rest of the week look stormy. And one forecast model is actually predicting snow after May 2nd. Don't put away the snow gear yet.