An Iowa Marvel

Posted on October 10, 2013October 10, 2013 by Dusty Roads

When we covered the “I” states I wimped out on Iowa. I bumped into so many options for searching that I gave up. But today I ran into a really worthwhile attraction that I know I will put on my “Must See” list when I visit Iowa.

Located in Gladbrook, Iowa is a museum dedicated to matchbook art.

Iowa artist Patrick Acton has glued over 4 million ordinary wooden matchsticks into 65 incredibly detailed scale models of life-like sculptures, complex machines, and world renown architecture with more in the works.

http://www.matchstickmarvels.com/

Plan your visit at the right time of year and you can enjoy the simply a-maizing Corn Carnival of Gladbrook.

The Gladbrook Corn Carnival is an annual event well known for its Friday evening Grand Parade and free nightly entertainment.

As long as I’m revisiting Iowa, did you know that the Iowa State Fair was the inspiration for the 1931 Phil Stong novel State Fair that eventually caught the attention of Rogers and Hammerstein? It became a Broadway musical and 3 motion pictures and it continues to run today for 11 days in August.

Another story set in Iowa that gained fame on the big Screen is The Bridges of Madison County. The movie itself was shot on location in Winterest, Iowa. Madison County had 19 covered bridges but floods , arson and old age have taken their toll. There are just 5 left so if you have a hankering to photograph an original Madison County Covered Bridge, well you’d best not delay.

One last thing to mention are the “bear mounds” or Effigy Mounds.

It is located in Allamakee County and Clayton County, Iowa. According to the literature these mounds are best viewed from above if you want to see them as bears.

Information about the park, a National Monument is limited because of the government shutdown.

So there Iowa, I hope I have made it up to you for cutting corners on my first post. Wait until I actually get out to visit!

Ye Olde Faire

Posted on October 9, 2013October 9, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Superstitious Time of Year

Posted on October 8, 2013October 8, 2013 by Dusty Roads

It’s October and everyone knows that this is the month that imaginations run wild. Little ghosts and goblins, witches and ghouls come knocking on your door demanding a treat or suffer a trick.

I thought today I’d take a break from the state countdown and visit some of the common superstitions, this time about cats and dogs. Most everyone is familiar with the belief that black cats bring bad luck or that a howling dog signifies that someone is about to die. (If that were truly the case, people would be dropping right and left every time an ambulance goes by with its siren blaring.) I’ve looked up some of the opinions about this, and believe me there are many, and thought I’d share a few today.

Black cats bring good luck. In Britain, a bride and groom who encounter a black cat on their wedding day are ensured a happy marriage. Sailors, a notoriously superstitious lot, avoid saying the word “cat,” but having a black cat aboard ship is believed to bring good fortune. In fact, the wives of sailors used to keep black cats to ensure their husbands’ safe return.

A cat in the cradle protects babies. A well-known (and need I say unfounded) myth
is that cats will jump into a crib and suck a sleeping baby’s breath. In
Russia, however, new parents used to put a cat into a cradle to drive off evil
spirits that might harm the baby. Smart thinking! Who better than a loving and
protective cat with super night vision and an alert nature to ward off any
natural — or supernatural — meanies? (Of course, folklore notwithstanding, you
never want to leave any pet with a baby unsupervised.)

Cats won’t run away if you take certain actions. Moving? Bring your cat into the new place through the window and he won’t leave (presumably because he doesn’t know where the door is). Or rub his paws with butter. The theory behind this one is that by the time he finishes licking all the butter off his paws, he’ll be used to the new place and won’t want to leave. My opinion…feed them. I never have any trouble getting them to stay. 🙂

And in the case of our Canine friends

The lick of a dog has healing powers. Ancient Greeks and Romans had temple dogs whose licks were believed to cure disease. Maybe they were onto something — we know today that petting a dog can lower blood pressure. Some dogs can also scent out cancers and other signs of illness such as high blood sugar.

Dogs lead us to the next world. Cultures around the world associate dogs with the
path to heaven — or Hades. A three-headed dog named Cerberus guarded the
entrance to Hades, ensuring that no one went in — or out — who wasn’t supposed
to.

Meeting a dog is good luck. I always think I’m fortunate whenever I meet a dog, and plenty of superstitions support that belief. According to folklore in various parts of the world, it’s good luck to meet a Greyhound with a white spot or a Dalmatian (spotted dogs must really be something special). If a strange black dog follows you home, you’ll have good luck. Seems to me that it would be even better luck for the dog if you decide to adopt him.

Dogs and cats can predict the weather. For instance, if a dog retreats underneath your dining room table or curls up in a corner, cold weather is coming. The same is said of a cat sitting with his back to the fire: It’s a sure sign that frost is on the way.

There’s more but maybe we should save some for another time. I seem to have run out of space. 🙂 Excerpts from Lifestyle Blog and Dr. Marty Becker, Vetstreet.com

Ohio, The Buckeye State

Posted on October 7, 2013October 7, 2013 by Dusty Roads

We’ve reached the “O” states. The first of which is Ohio and another No for the count.

Ohio is called the Buckeye State after the Buckeye tree, one of the first to leaf in the spring and the official state tree. But I rather like the Buckeye Cookie, a peanut butter and chocolate delicacy.

Without even doing any research I know one place I want to go….The Columbus Zoo.

Why you ask? Well besides liking zoos I especially want to see this zoo. This is Jack Hanna’s zoo. Recognized around the country as America’s favorite zookeeper, Jack has made countless television appearances since 1983 on shows such as Good Morning America, CNN’s Larry King Live, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Talk, Fox News Programs, and the Late Show with David Letterman. Jungle Jack is Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo.

Columbus , Ohio also hosts one of the Premier Ballroom Dance Competitions, The Ohio Star Ball. This was very big when I was involved with Arthur Murray Dance Studios and although people went from the studios where I was either a student or working, I never managed to go. Sometimes it would be broadcast on PBS. This was long before “Dancing with the Stars”.

When I think of Amish Country I think of Pennsylvania but Ohio boasts a one of the largest concentration of Amish settlements in the US. Travelers can follow a 76 mile Amish Country Scenic Byway. On the eastern edge of Amish country is the picturesque village of Zoar. Many of the fine historic homes have been preserved as Zoar Village State Memorial, where visitors can take guided tours and costumed interpreters give craft and cooking demonstrations.

Not of interest to me but possibly to others is the Pro Football Hall of Fame located in Canton, Ohio. So plan to divert there for the football fans in your entourage or you’ll never hear the end of it!

Between Columbus and the Ohio River to the southeast is a scenic area that is not well known except in the Midwest. Known as Hocking Hills the area is made up of several state parks and reserves. Cliffs, gorges and caves were created here as glaciers retreated and water scoured the sandstone laid down on an ancient river delta. At the northern end is Rock House, a 300 foot tunnel along a sandstone cliff face with enormous window like openings carved out overtime by water erosion. And just outside the park is the 100 foot natural bridge at Rockbridge State Nature Reserve, a stunning 50 feet above the bottom of the gorge.

If you want to think you are seeing double, Twinsburg, Ohio is host to “Twin Days”. Started in 1976 this gathering of twins, triples and even Quads and Quints , has grown to attract the multiples from around the world. Over 3000 sets converge annually on this little town of 17,000! The festival is held the first full weekend in August.

Other notable attractions are the Lake Erie Islands in northern Ohio, an archipelago that stretches north from Marblehead Peninsula across the placid water of Lake Erie and the Serpent Mound in Peebles, Ohio; a remnant from the ancient mound -building cultures. This mound has been estimated to have been constructed around 1070.

So Ohio has a lot to offer a curious vacationer.

The score now 12 to 23

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful!

Posted on October 6, 2013October 6, 2013 by Dusty Roads

We’ve been talking about the “Dakotas” , North and South, so I couldn’t help but notice the weather out there. Wow! Have you seen the pictures? A blizzard hit the whole region!

Rapid City, where we went on vacation a couple of years ago, got 21 inches of snow. Temps are struggling to reach the 30’s when it was 85 last week! Here is a partial report from the AP.

news-national-20131005-US--Autumn.Storms

Brenda Nolting, of Rapid City, S.D., rolls her cart to her car after stocki…

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — In the span of 24 hours, the scenic Black Hills in South Dakota were coated in up to three and a half feet of wet, heavy snow, one of several Great Plains states walloped by a storm system that’s caused millions of dollars in damage.

Wind gusts of up to 70 mph were recorded in the Black Hills, National Weather Service meteorologist Katie Pojorlie said Saturday morning, but the snow was expected to end later Saturday, giving people a chance to start digging out from the unusual early fall snowstorm that set records.

But wintry weather wasn’t the only thing wrapped into the powerful cold front, as thunderstorms brought heavy rain, hail and tornadoes in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota. No one died in the tornadoes, reports said, but snow was blamed in the deaths of three people who were killed in a traffic accident on U.S. 20 in northeast Nebraska.

Forecasters said the front would eventually combine with other storms to make for a wild — and probably very wet — weekend for much of the central U.S. and Southeast.

Pojorlie said the historic mining city of Lead, S.D., in the northern Black Hills had received 43 ½ inches of snow by 7:30 p.m. Friday and more had fallen overnight. Rapid City had 21 inches, but 31 inches was recorded just a mile southwest of the city.

Farther south at the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary, the mustangs found themselves in a winter wonderland.