Expect the Unexpected.

Missy and I were driving down to West Branch to check out the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, which includes his birthplace and final resting place, and out of the corner of my eye... down a lonely rural dusty road... I see this gleaming white church steeple off in the distance. Something tells me this is going to be promising, so I turn around and go take a look.

Not only was it not disappointing, it was exciting. The St. Bridget Church and Cemetery near Morse, Iowa. The church is old, but well-maintained. The adjoining cemetery was also well-maintained and had markers and tombstones going back well into the 19th century. There are old pioneer cemeteries all over Iowa, and this is yet another aspect of the mid-west that I have come to find fascinating, but I digress.

Anyway, I have three shots posted in my New Additions Gallery ( http://www.iowalandscapephotography.com/new.html ), one of which is included here. We plan to go back and take some more shots once the trees grow some leaves.

I'm a history dork... the Lincoln Highway

There... I said it. I'm a dork... I mean, I'm a history dork. Prior to my moving to Iowa I did some research into the area and found the Lincoln Highway. Way back before interstate freeways, the U.S. Highway system, and even most paved roads, there was a move to create a highway system and link the country. Various associations popped up, each promoting their own routes and agendas. The Lincoln Highway was one of the first and one of the only coast-to-coast highways.

This photo, while not necessarily the sexiest photo ever done, shows the only "seedling mile" in Iowa. It is between Mt Vernon and Cedar Rapids. The various highway associations could not afford to pave these highways themselves, and private industry wasn't about to do it, so they came up with the "seedling mile" concept.

The "seedling mile" was a 1-ish mile stretch of high quality concrete highway paid for with private funds, usually placed in rural areas. The idea was that drivers would curse and grumble over the horrible mud or dry & pitted road conditions, then they would come across a gleaming new concrete roadway and fly down the road loving every minute of it. Then, hopefully, these drivers would pressure their state or local legislators to build complete concrete highways... which they eventually did.

Is It Spring Yet?

What is it about winter that makes you want to hibernate? On the one hand, I have gotten so much done in creating my new website, starting this blog, catching up on some post-processing, and so on.

On the other hand, I have done virtually zero shots this winter. I see many good opportunities. I make plans to bundle up and go out. It doesn't happen as often as I'd like.

I am so looking forward to Spring. My goal is to hit the road every chance I get... while still keeping the lawn mowed, of course... and greatly expand my Iowa and midwest selection of photos. Farm scenes, panoramas, historic, wildflowers, and on down the line. Happy shooting!

Almost too late!

So... Missy and I head out to try and catch some winter sunsets. We head out a little late, and the sun doesn't wait, so we're "flying" down the roads as fast as we dare while being careful to not slide off into a ditch. The one scene we think looks promising... isn't.

A little further down the road we see a good location, but it'd be better suited to a morning shot, so we make note of it and vow to come back.

Then, as we're heading home, resigned to a stunning lack of success, we see this barn. The backlit sunset, the barn itself, the snow, the bare trees in silhouette... looks like it'd make a very nice photograph. It's freezing, and my fingers get cold pretty quick, but I get the tripod set up, snap off a few shots, toss everything back in the car and turn up the heater! The ride home is much more satisfying knowing that we got something.