Techies

When we go to Mo (which isn't often yet, this spring) we go. We go straight to Mo.

We do not pass GO.

We do not look back.

We get there and we get there ASAP.

When we come home, we wander.

We take the back roads. We take the side roads.

We take the dirt roads and the ridge roads.

The river bottom roads and the by ways.

We do.

But we are never alone. Not when we have the trusty old highway map. Not when the GPS is mounted firmly to the dash.

We are secure in our technicolor. Oh no. Not that. Technology!

We are techies . . . is that a real word?

Low profile bridge

This bridge is between Too and the Ioway line. Somewhere. May never find it again and I knew that, so I took a picture. This is Missouri's way of maintaining low usage roads. Lay a few 2" planks down over the original trusses. Bet you can't guess that when you cross these bridges, you do want to stay on the planks!

One year I was out trying to find a garage sale so with that goal in mind, you know I was by myself. Himself wasn't there for moral support. I came to one of these bridges with only one wide plank for each tire and as it was drizzling I imagined those planks as being slick. Very slick! I was going to back up that little winding road and find a turn around and hightail it out of there. When I checked my rear view mirror, there was a car behind me! I couldn't believe it!

I couldn't go back. I had to go forward and I did. With my heart pounding out of my chest and the adrenaline flooding my head and closing off my vision. But I did it, by golly, I gotherdone!

Unfortunately as I couldn't find the garage sale or another way out, I had to turn around and cross over that bridge again! But at least I didn't have another car on my bumper!

Apartment Complex

Well it could be a house for many birds but I think what it really is is a practice field for young woodpeckers. The tree is hollow. It was probably full of bugs or worms. A goldmine for woodpeckers of all ages.

III, Three, Trinity

Land of Goshen. Halfway betwen Too and III. This little country church is Goshen Church and there used to be a little community here.
Three church windows.
Three historical signs.
Threes.
It put me in mind of The Trinity.


The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.


Amen

The mice will play

okay, not Mice . . . but the deer will play while we are away. And man. Man will play and wreck havoc and do damage.

Last visit to III, Himself and I took a salt block down to encourage the deer to pose in front of the game cam. And it worked. This time we had 60+ pictures and a good 12 or so, had evidence of deer -- a better percentage than normal. However, our salt block has disappeared. We both know from our youth that a salt block will not be all used up in a month or two. Even with several cows and my cousin Bill getting down to lick the block, a salt block would stay in the pasture next to our house all summer. Our salt block is gone. We might have given it up and assumed animals dumped it in the pond or dragged it off except for the fact that the 2X4s that Himself sat the salt block on had been picked up and set on top of a pile of cement blocks about 3’ off the ground and 20 yards away. We know no critters did that. Someone was on our property and someone took our salt block. And I don't like that.

See, see that salt block? Now you see it, now we don't!

PS: seems like we just have female deer at III.
(Doe, a deer, a female deer, ra, a pocket full of sun!)
No bucks.

Blast from the Past

A new feature, perhaps.

A Blast from the Past!

Look! Traci and Kyna and Ty

Kristy, Morghan Grace and Erica

Sweet memories.

PS: a barefoot Erica!

Morghan, I still have that jacket!

Answer to the riddle: "The ceiling at Too"

The question, of course, is where can you see praire grass, a big mouth bass and an airplane all in one small space?

Himself so bravely climbed the ladder and strung fishing line and tied it with one hand and so suspended the little whirlygig airplane in the air space at the top of the cabin. (I would have tried it, if Himself did not, but I am quite sure I could not have "gotherdone". That is way too high!)

The big mouth bass is the one and the same that Gramps caught one summer from the pontoon boat. Little girl, Sheila, watching the commotion and seeing the creature that Gramps reeled in said of the Big Mouth Bass -- "that is not a fish!". She thought it was a crocodile or some other monster because of the size of the mouth.

The grass is prairie grass. There are still small patches here and there.

And the "Twin Lake"

"Private Road"

sign is one that Gramps made. We have 3 or 4 of his signs that used to Grace the park. And they are hanging on the walls at Too.

Next riddle please . . .

Remains

This archeologist went on a dig, last weekend down. Brother Gary had given me a probe to use in my new career.

I knew the general vicinity. I had the energy and the motivation and the time and now I had the means. So I hiked down and I probed. I dug. I found. Yes! I found . . . well, I found rocks! Rocks! I found rocks! Are you all amazed?

I probed all around the area but until I checked between these two scrawny, trees, I didn't find one rock. After I found the first rock, I found a pile of rocks.

I was looking for the remains of a log cabin. I have the limestone well. Now I just need to know where the cabin was. If someone took the time to build this fine turn of the century well, someone built a little cabin. And I want to know more about that.

















Now, are the rocks just left over from building this fine well? Or are they the foundation or chimney from our little ol' log cabin? Hopefully I'll be able to answer that question some day.

Missouri Weekend

Driving one of these is a new experience. We are used to round steering wheels where you turn the wheel in the direction you want to go. On this and mowers like this, you push a joy stick forward or pull it towards you to tell it where to go. It does take some practice; some getting used to. And here, Himself, is getting experienced.

headin' out

We'll be heading to Mo, soon. Come Friday after work. It has been so long, maybe we should get off work early and head out.

Last visit down, I turned rocks. Turning rocks is a spring cleaning chore, one I have to do every spring -- and the earlier the better. Things just aren't right in my Missouri world until I turn rocks . . .

Can you tell the difference? After they are turned, the rocks present a much neater, crisper appearance! You can see that, can't you? Can't you?

The Trees are Alive with the Sounds of Discord

Every evening all week long about dusk, the blackbirds start looking for a a roosting place. They settle in the tall trees of the neighborhood to debate it. They dart here and there and back again as the discussion continues.

It is loud and strident -- and they vote raucously on where this night's lodging will be . . .

Himself and I just hope they are in migration mode -- that they end up far, far away.
This isn't even in the timber; not in Missouri. This is small town Iowa! And this town ain't big enough for the likes of them!