Thứ Sáu, 3 tháng 12, 2010

Second installment of why I love the midwest...

For the 'Favorite Plant Carnival', scroll down a couple of posts.

As I continue to share a few photos from my little corner of the world, I am reminded that beauty exists in all places if one only has the intent and desire to observe it. I don't think there is any point in comparing and arguing the merits of one location over another... one needs only to be alert  to one's surroundings. I have a taste for natural beauty... the sights and wonders that God has created. I believe this to have come to me from my father. While not a teacher, he did bequeath by virtue of example. He spent his entire life in the mountains of Vermont and I don't recall accompanying him any place without him observing some creature on a mountainside that no one else could possibly have caught sight of... he was in tune with his natural surroundings. My mother, on the other hand, loved the architecture of New England, visual art, and poetry in addition to the natural world,  and I soon learned an appreciation for the the creativity of man as well. I recall during college, traveling on choir tour into the hills of Appalachia to sing at the Red Bird Mission and being amazed at all my contemporaries who never took their eyes off the game of cards they were playing to observe the glorious scenery that surrounded them. I really believe that one of the greatest gifts my parents gave me was the power of observation. I know many who measure the success of their travels by what amusement they come across, or the restaurants they've had the opportunity to enjoy. That's just not who I am... my wife and I have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in the past forty years just looking... at the hills, the trees, the flowers and streams... the animals and birds... the architecture and history, the rocks... and we feel very fulfilled by these sights along the way.

It took me a few years to learn to appreciate the openness of the state of Iowa. As a child I remember distinctly the feeling of 'will this stretch of road never end' after  highway Interstate 89 was completed in Vermont... there was one stretch in particular that had to be a couple miles without a curve and it drove me nuts with a sense of 'the road goes on and on'. After leaving Boston University and attending college in western Iowa, I soon began to appreciate what Iowa had to offer in terms of the lay of the land and the scenic towns and villages... after all, all these things tie in with the people I was developing relationships with and caring for.

The next several photos are from the Pella, Iowa area where our son and family live... the first is Red Rock Dam... a manmade lake with 20,000 surface acres, give or take, depending on the season...


The town of Pella celebrates a Dutch heritage and values as observed in much of its architecture and annual tulip festival...


The large amount of recreational area around Red Rock Dam affords great opportunities for hiking and enjoying nature...


Pelicans at the base of Red Rock Dam... this is also a prime area for viewing American bald eagles...


Just a few of the 75,000 tulips displayed in Pella every spring...


Here are two of the most precious reasons to visit Pella...



One of the really special garden destinations in Wisconsin is Olbrecht Gardens in Madison. My two favorite parts of the gardens include the rock gardens and the Thai pavilion, or sala, which is a common structure in Thailand generally used as a shelter from rain and heat. I garnered the following information from Olbrecht's web site. The pavilion is more ornate than most roadside salas in Thailand and represents those found at a temple or on a palace grounds. However, Olbrich's pavilion is not a religious structure. This  pavilion was a gift to the University of Wisconsin-Madison from the Thai Government and the Thai Chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association. UW-Madison has one of the largest Thai student populations of any U.S. college or university. The pavilion is able to withstand the winter weather of Wisconsin with no protection because it is constructed of plantation-grown teak and weather-resistant ceramic roof tiles. The gold leaf, however, is delicate and not able to withstand the oils of the human hand.

Here is a view from the rock garden as well as photos of the pavilion that I've taken when visiting Olbrecht.





Wisconsin has its own little chunk of New England and we love to visit as often as possible... it's called Door county and is basically a penninsula (the thumb of Wisconsin), with Lake Michigan on the east and
the Bay of Green Bay on the west... here are a few photos of the Cana Island lighthouse and the area around it... we used to have to wade to the island, but they've recently built up the rock causeway so one's feet can remain dry... (I liked it better before... a bit more character!)








When we travel about, we try to explore as many back roads and byways as possible. I'll never forget the time when our oldest son and his wife were to come home for a weekend and were much later than we were expecting. When my wife called to ask where they were, he said that they were taking back roads... "I'm becoming my Dad". I can't tell you how much that pleased me! 


We came across this little 19th century mill in Linville, Iowa while exploring  some time ago...




I'll close today's post with a few pictures at and around the little lake where my brother-in-law and sister-in-law have a second home in the 'sand country' of central Wisconsin. We enjoy many relaxing family get togethers here and there are scads of little country roads that can be traveled to these gatherings which accommodates my will to explore nicely...






Imagine the memories that surround this old fishing boat and the evenings around a camp fire as the sun settles... Indeed there is much to appreciate wherever one ventures in this world... until next time when I share more of this part of the midwest... take care, Larry




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