This barn that I came across in North Central Iowa made me think of the episode of the old Green Acres TV series where Oliver tried painting the barn…only to see the paint soak right into the wood and disappear. … Continue reading
In addition to being Labor Day (although I’ll be at the office as usual) it is also moving day for me. I’ll be changing hotels and will be going to one closer to the office. Everyone be safe and enjoy … Continue reading
Watching CNN reports on the approach of Hurricane Gustav to Louisiana and dreading what will follow. Regular readers know that I was in Louisiana from November of last year until May of this year, with the last 3 months being … Continue reading
Friday morning I was driving in Iowa at 11am when Senator McCain was scheduled to make his choice for a VP running mate known during a rally in Dayton, Ohio. I tuned to NPR to officially hear what had previously … Continue reading
It’s almost impossible to drive a mile in any direction here in Iowa without coming across a silo. Nothing unusual about that; there’s enough corn alone to fill them all a few times over. Most of the silos I’ve seen … Continue reading
Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson pleaded guilty August 11th to using a marker and liquid white-out to correct a sign in the Grand Canyon National Park that was filled with grammatical and spelling errors. They were fined $3,035 for repair … Continue reading
Earlier this month I signed up to receive a text message on my cellphone when Barack Obama announced his choice of a running mate. A friend of mine has signed up to be notified when John McCain makes his choice … Continue reading
Just in case you hadn’t noticed by looking at my Flickr badge over on the right, I’ve finally uploaded photos from the Des Moines, Iowa Art Festival from back on June 29, 2008 (they are all blown out looking because … Continue reading
Way back in 1972, when I was just a young man of 17, Loudon Wainwright III became famous for his novelty song “Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road” with its (in my opinion) hilarious lyrics. The first time … Continue reading
Have you ever had certain songs remind you of people or a time in your life because, for whatever reason, the song is so closely associated with that person and/or time in your mind? Ok, maybe I’m the only weirdo, … Continue reading
I was reading this article about tension between Obama and Clinton supporters at the Democratic Convention in Denver. This paragraph in particular caught my attention and made me do a double-take: Some senior Obama supporters are irritated at how they … Continue reading
“Schlitz returns, drums up nostalgic drinkers” That’s the headline I read a few weeks ago in an article about the return of Schlitz beer and it DID bring back memories for me. My late dad, when he was a drinker, … Continue reading
In my travels around the state of Iowa I have noticed that 99 percent of the cities, towns and communities have a water tower, and few of them have the same design. I thought I would start taking photographs of … Continue reading
Well, no one has gotten the correct answer yet so I’ll give this another week before I reveal the answer, unless someone comes up with the right answer before then. Here’s a hint: “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” is … Continue reading
In May of 2007, when I knew I was going to be away from home a lot on business, Cindy and I decided we needed to buy her a GPS unit. Our first experience with one was while we were … Continue reading
I watched the “event” Saturday night that brought Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama and Republican Presidential candidate John McCain to the altar of Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church. Other than considering the possibility that Senator McCain may have somehow pierced the … Continue reading
I was driving down the corn-lined roads of Iowa last week when the local radio station DJ played the theme from the first (although it was actually episode 4) Star Wars movie. While flashing back 30 years, I began thinking … Continue reading
I walked into our conference room this morning for a manager’s meeting and was able to start my day off with a laugh. During an earlier meeting by another group, the whiteboard had been utilized to communicate a series of … Continue reading
I got a on a writing jag last night and since I had today off I ended up not going to bed until 6am this morning. “Not a problem”, I thought, “I can sleep in today.” Except that SOMEBODY called … Continue reading
Sitting in a conference call the other day and I heard someone giving a report from the field. That in itself is not unusual, but one of his statements was when, without a hint that he was anything but serious, … Continue reading
