Iowa Hawkeye Women Move to Sweet 16 Round at NCAA 2015

 

Just a few photos from this afternoon's NCAA's second round action from Iowa City. Host team Iowa played the Miami Hurricanes before 7,220 fans at Carver Hawkeye Arena. Iowa won after being up by 5 points at halftime.



 

 

While the weather was good, the UI men's team didn't play until evening against Gonzaga, which meant there was opportunity for Hawk fans to come Iowa City and cheer on the team plus say goodbye to four senior players. The UI men lost to Gonzaga later in the evening.

 

 

Each team was allowed to bring a pep band to the match. Iowa's band played some classic Iowa songs including the perennial Iowa win favorite, "In Heaven There Ain't No Beer."

 

 

While the Hawkeyes are a team, senior guard Samantha Logic put on another tremendous balanced game. That's why she is a second team All-American as named by ESPN. Sam established many other records and received several honors this season.

 

 

Since this was Sam's last home court game before continuing to Oklahoma City for the Sweet 16 round, I thought to focus a bit more on her than the other members. During a free throw, Sam listens to Coach Lisa Bluder. The win puts the Hawkeyes in the third round of the NCAA, the first time in the Lisa Bluder era of 15 years.

105 Years and Still Lighting the World

Some things last a long time. This light bulb still kicks out the rays despite being over a 105 years old. The bulb is located in the former Burlington, Iowa library which is now the Des Moines County Historical Society building. Electrical lighting was relatively new in 1898 when this building opened. A sign says this bulb was one of four found that were still in their sockets in the Grand Gallery balcony. Upon investigation these bulbs were determined to be made before 1910 because of their Thomson-Houston type bases and the tip of the glass drawn envelope. The glowing filament is also a flat tungsten ribbon instead of a coiled wire. According to bulbs.com the average life for incandescent bulbs is 750-2,000 hours. The Burlington based bulb has been burning on and off for 919,800 hours-so far. Shine on.

Microwave Radio Transmission Relays in Iowa

Hello? Can you hear me? Chances are that the cellular phone that you use to talk to your blogger buddies are supported by traditional land lines, cellular towers and microwave relay towers like this one in eastern Iowa. These towers are placed on hills and generally aimed at other towers located in line of sight. This particular tower is newer than most and placed in a partly wooded area by the Maquoketa Caves State Park. Hopefully the hibernating bats don't get mixed up signals as they take to the skies after their winter nap.

Iowa's Last Grasp of Winter

Today's temperatures soared into the upper 30s. Snow started melting a few days ago and is expected to disappear by the end of this week. No problems here. At the Hurstville Lime Kilns near Maquoketa I found this field corn that someone left for the area wildlife. Corn is an icon of Iowa. I thought the juxtaposition of colors made an interesting photo.

Canadas on the Wapsipinicon River

A sunny 16F day in Anamosa, Iowa brought out a flotilla of Canada geese on the ice free Wapsipinicon River. The extreme record setting cold this week seems to not adversely phase these beautiful creatures as they gather for food and protection just below the dam.

Keys to Something in the Past

Keys for sale. Four keys for a dollar the sign reads. But to what? Unless these are universal keys, they don't open anything any more. Still these metal objects seem to sell - albeit slowly. To me they are more of an interesting photo study than anything else.

Behind the Fifty Shades of Red Door

Valentine's Day is about romance and love. Those emotions are generally equated to the red shades of the color palette. There is an opportunity in Dyersville, Iowa to seek the fifty shades of red beyond the red door.

Winter Wonderland in Eastern Iowa

 

On February 1st winter came back after a very mild December and moderate January. The Feb 1 snow started as rain, then turned to wet snow and finally powdery snow backed by wind. In all I shoveled three times to seek the concrete driveway under a storm total of 11 inches. The photo above was between shovel one and two periods. Thanks to the Toro snow blower for doing the job. The weight of the snow sent branches curling over. Two weeks later some of that snow has melted and the limbs have rebounded. Spring is five weeks away and can't come soon enough.

Scarecrow or Beetlejuice?

A door urchin begging for candy treats last fall afforded an opportunity to learn some Photoshop skills. Outside of the image brightening, cropping and font placement, this image had canvas extensions added. My question to her was if she was Scarecrow or Beetlejuice. Patrick McGoohan of Romney Marsh would be disappointed in the answer. I know I was.

Nile Kinnick's Outlook

For an Iowan, one way to look forward to a great year is to draw inspiration from University of Iowa athlete and student Nile Kinnick. As many Iowans know Nile is the only Heisman trophy winner from the UI. Iowa Stadium, the location where he played football was renamed Kinnick Stadium in the 1970s and this bronze statue was created and dedicated to him in 2006.

While he died just a month short of his 25th birthday on a naval training mission in 1943, his legacy seems to grow each year as new Iowa football fans learn about his on and off field accomplishments. He was a grandson of an Iowa governor and many people feel that Nile's interest in politics and persuasiveness could have taken him to higher office. His words at the Heisman acceptance ceremony in 1939 are considered the most eloquent of any of the trophy's acceptance speeches. Read them here or watch here at the 6:39 mark.

"I thank you very, very much, Mr. Holcomb. It seems to me that everyone is letting his superlatives run away from him tonight. "Every football player in these United States dreams of winning this trophy. The fact that I am actually receiving it overwhelms me, and I feel what those who have received the Heisman award before me must have felt. "From my personal viewpoint, I consider this a tribute to the coaching staff at the University of Iowa, headed by Dr. Eddie Anderson, and to my teammates sitting back in Iowa City. A finer man and a better coach never hit these United States and a finer team never performed on any gridiron than the Iowa team of 1939. I wish they might all be with me tonight to receive this trophy. "I want to take this grand opportunity to thank the sports writers all over the country who saw fit, saw their way clear to cast their votes for me. I also want to thank Mr. Pierce and all those connected with the Downtown Athletic Club for making this trophy available to the football players of the nation. "And I would like, if I may, to make a comment which I think is appropriate at this time. "I thank God that I was born to the gridirons of the middle west and not to the battlefields of Europe. I can speak confidently and positively that the football players of this country would rather fight for the Heisman trophy than for the Croix de Guerre."

SE Iowa Barn Charm With No Snow for the Moment

This barn sits on the way to Wildcat Den State Park in SE Iowa near Muscatine. It is located a few hundred yards from the Mississippi River with this exposure facing the river to the east. While we have escaped snow so far this season, except for November, it sounds like the accumulation will be a possibility this weekend. It was nice while it lasted.

Early Fall Loon

A trip to Leech Lake, Minnesota at the end of September into the first few days of October experienced both summer- and winter-like conditions. While the fishing on sunny days was slow, the chance to snap a photo of wildlife was quite good. This is a adolescent loon swimming along the shore of Bear Island looking for minnows - something the walleyes failed to do.

A Visit to a 1937 American Airlines DC-3

Ok one more photo from the 1937 DC-3 at the Iowa City airport last August. The shiny aluminum skin with the vintage American Airlines logo help give the almost 80 year old plane a modern look with a retro twist. If the aircraft makes a stop near you, go see it and experience something from another era but as cool as anything flying today. (The object above the aircraft, seen above the M in American, is the airport's spotlight in the background.)

Aft View of a Vintage DC-3

Another shot of the vintage DC-3 at the Iowa City Airport in August. The tail section has been replaced with more modern materials but it doesn't take away from the plane's beauty. Somehow my photo doesn't compare to Iowa City photographer, Juan Carlos Herrera's view of the same aft section. See his version at this link.