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A Missouri Pacific Lines caboose is on display at the 1905 train depot in Lee's Summit, Missouri. The caboose is the only rail car on display at the Historical Society Depot Museum. No sign of paranormal activity. Know that.Monday, 18 May 2009
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
Two summers ago I stopped at Traverse City, Michigan's Grand Traverse Commons to see how this sweeping complex was being transformed. Built in 1885 the Northern Michigan Asylum operated as a psychiatric hospital treating the mentally needy for decades. Part of the then cutting edge therapy was introducing patients to farming and livestock production. This experiment gained critical acclaim in professional circles for the advancement in patients' self esteem and self-worth. After many years of use the grounds fell into disrepair as the state built more modern facilities in other cities. In 2000, a group of private investors bought sections of the run down property to transform it into condos, restaurants, and shops - today known as the Village at Grand Traverse Commons. In 2007 portions of the facility had been restored while other building wings remained untouched.
Check out the gate's iron works located in the rear of the main building complex. Any symbolist will tell you that the mirrored fleur-de-lis image represents the struggle of the Trinity with those of evil forces - somehow appropriate to the battle within the mind. Know that.Monday, 4 May 2009
(photo courtesy of sitfu.blogspot.com)42N country has its own UFO crash story. Apparently in 1882 near Ely Station in Marion County, Iowa (close to Des Moines) an "arrowhead"-shaped object smacked into a passenger train destroying the locomotive and two passenger cars. A U.S. government follow-up by the 12th U.S. Engineers two years later indicated that something was still pulsating deep under the debris crater. Credible? Visit the 1277 web site and inform yourself. Know that.
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Living in 42N country means coexisting with seasonal threats of tornadoes. This F1 rated tornado ripped the landscape between Center Point and Central City, Iowa on April 26, 2009 (photo courtesy of kcrg.com.) Part of the warning system for the county is the blaring of outdoor sirens placed in cities and rural areas. These sirens are activated by county officials and coordinated with the National Weather Service (generally from the Quad Cities) for the immediate 42N area.If you live outside the Midwest here is what these sirens sound like once activated. This three minute recording was done in conjunction with the storm system that produced the tornado above last Sunday afternoon. While the pitch of the siren seems to change, it is due to the rotating horns that travel 360 degrees around the Y axis. A cool audio feature of the siren is the power down phase around 2:18 in the recording. Another more beneficial feature of the siren power down is an audible confirmation that the immediate threat is over.
5/6/2009 Update: In Linn County the sirens are controlled by risk managers associated with the Duane Arnold Power Plant (nuclear). The activation of the sirens can signal a variety of emergencies such as tornadoes, blizzards, nuclear, chemical, biological, or other severe weather. Once heard the listener should connect to local radio or television media to get the latest warning advice. Know that.
Sunday, 26 April 2009
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Bisecting much of 42N country is the nation's first continental highway - the Lincoln Highway. The road is remembered in Linn County, Iowa with a series of roadside displays plus many tri-colored red-white-blue painted telephone poles with the characteristic "L" in the white field. This exhibit is located near the Mt. Vernon Road SE and Wilder Drive SE intersection in the eastern part of Cedar Rapids. Its here where the original Lincoln Highway veers to the northwest from the more straightened path of today's Mt. Vernon Road. Why? because the grade up the hill was deemed too steep for early autos to easily ascend. So a winding path on this hill (near the Lincoln Heights neighborhood) was constructed.The 2004 dedicated display offers sections of original 1919 concrete bridge walls and mentions a four-tenths mile portion of the original Seedling Mile road in the state of Iowa. The Seedling Mile consisted of a concrete section of the Lincoln Highway as a demonstration to local governments and auto travellers that it was possible to pave rural sections of Iowa for economic gain. And even better yet, no one had to drive through axle deep clay mud anymore. The Seedling Mile section in Linn County is located just west of Mt.Vernon on the old Lincoln Highway.
In the above photos a portion of the original 16-foot wide pavement is still visible along with high curb walls designed to keep the Model Ts on the road and out of the ditches. I took a closeup shot of the pavement (above) to provide a glimpse of the 90-year old historic roadway. Double click on the photos to open a larger version. Know that.
Saturday, 25 April 2009
When television was young, stations often signed-off for the day after so many hours of programming. Sometimes stations broadcast variations of this test pattern, other times they showed TV snow (video noise.) When technical difficulties would sometime knock the signal off air, the local station would run test patterns like this too. Apparently these test patterns are actual copper based cards found in old TV station equipment and are quite collectible. Know that.Monday, 20 April 2009
On Saturday, April 18 Sykora Bakery reopened after a three year hiatus. The Czech Village bakery site was crowded with many well wishers including Iowa governor Chet Culver and Cedar Rapids mayor Kay Halloran. Sykora joins a number of businesses welcomed back to the community following last June's record flood of the nearby Cedar River. The Cedar Rapids Gazette has a story about the opening. Hurry down for your kolache soon. Bakery owner John Rocarek promises to use the original bakery recipe for the popular Czech pastry. Know that.
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