Preserving Windmills from Iowa's Past

For more than 100 years the Aermotor Company has been manufacturing windmills which are used primarily for pumping water to livestock. These icons of farms and ranches can be seen all over the country especially here in the Midwest. This non-working specimen is located at the Vinton Railroad Depot in Vinton, Iowa. The sails on the wheel are chained in place as to restrict movement and to help prevent long-term damage. The tail shows at least two bullet holes which qualifies it as an authentic and time-tested Aermotor windmill.

Seek American Legion Poppies from Jackson G Nyitrai

On most Labor Day weekends, American Legion Post 305 member Jackson G. Nyitrai positions himself underneath the Mississippi River bridge at Marquette, Iowa. His mission is to offer red paper poppies for a donation to those gathered at the annual flea market. An event that attracts hundreds of people.

This year rain fell for most of the day, making the flea market crowd run for shelter below the overhead structure. Jackson, a retired US Navy service member who worked on ship boilers for many years, collects monetary donations to help fuel the Legion's local scholarships and honor flights to Washington D.C. 

NE Iowa Beauty in the Valleys

This is not the image of Iowa that most people have of the Hawkeye state. NE Iowa was spared from the advancement of glaciers some 12,000 to 14,000 winters ago. Last Sunday following an early evening rain storm, the valleys west of Elkader filled with clouds. True to Iowa form, the 2018 corn crop can be seen in the foreground.

Foxtail in Late Summer

Beauty is all around. Example, here are a few stands of foxtail grass reaching for the late summer sun along the nearby rising Indian Creek. The grasses are quite common around this portion of eastern Iowa. Generally at this time of year the grasses are yellow and brown from lack of moisture. Not this year.

T-6 Awaits for AirVenture 2018 Landing Slot

At the Dubuque, Iowa airport (DBQ) a vintage T-6 waits for the landing slot at AirVenture Oshkosh 2018 on July 22nd. Annually, the North American Trainer Association (NATA), made up of T-6 pilots and owners, gather in Dubuque for association business and to practice takeoffs/landings and formation flying for EAA's Airventure in nearby Wisconsin. WWII-era T-6 planes from around the world come to Dubuque for the meeting and are occasionally accompanied by a few P-51 Mustangs and F-4U Corsairs. Watching and listening to the planes as they roar to life, circle overhead and trail smoke in various formations is well worth the trip to Dubuque. The event inside the hangers and on the tarmac is not open to the public except for viewing behind fences. Be sure to stick around after the T-6s takeoff for Airventure - a few minutes later the planes will be in formation, trail smoke and give Dubuque an aerial salute before traveling east over the Mississippi River.