Geese at Pine Lake

This fall my family and I went biking in the Pine Lake/Iowa River area and enjoyed watching the geese on the lake.  

Many seemed to have characters all their own.  A dear old friend of mine used to say "We're not all made from the same cookie-cutter!"  Wouldn't the world be a boring place if we were?  Apparently geese don't all come from the same cookie-cutter either.

The Field of Dreams

The Field of Dreams movie site is a quiet spot outside of Dyersville, Iowa.  The blacktop road leading to it is in poor repair, possibly last paved in 1989 for the movie stars and filming crews.   It's a typical-looking Iowa farm which seems it would be more at home on a gravel road.  

Ackley Publishing Co.: Part 2

Behind the main Ackley Publishing building is another building filled with antique printing equipment.  Mayor Daggs welcomes students/classes from Iowa State University who come here to see first-hand how printing used to be done.

The building houses 1500-1600 fonts, some of which are shown above.  Changing fonts hasn't always been a one-click experience!  Until the 1890s, type was set by hand.  The linotype machine was invented by Ottmar Mergenthaler in 1884 and was commonly used until the end of the 1970s.  

Ackley Publishing Co. Part 1

Walk down Main Street in Ackley, IA.  Across from the Pizza Ranch you'll see one of the oldest buildings in town, built in the 1870s as a Chinese laundry for railroad workers.  Today the exterior looks relatively new, and no one would ever guess the intriguing history of the building that has been home to Ackley Publishing Co since 1895.

Ackley Publishing is owned and run by Ackley's popular and well-liked mayor, Jim Daggs, and his wife Pat, a cheerful, energetic lady who is also a nurse.  Mayor Daggs' mother has said that he was born with printer's ink in his veins.  That might not be so far from the truth.  

A Miniature World

Another model train hobbyist I met at the Dubuque Model Railroad Show was Les Kline.  He has been interested in model trains all his life.  In fact, a love of trains runs in his family.  Mr. Kline's grandfather and great grandfather had 100 years between them working on the Milwaukee Road.   

The Peppercorn Pantry

One place I've passed several times and wondered about is the Peppercorn Pantry in Aplington, Iowa.  This summer I finally walked in, took a look, and decided it would be a great place to review.  So when my family was invited to sing at a Gideons dinner and meeting at the Peppercorn, I seized the opportunity to take some photos.

Dubuque Model Railroad Show

Sunday, November 2nd, my grandparents, Charity, and I left for Dubuque at 4:30 A.M.  We stopped at McDonalds on the way for breakfast, and arrived at the fairgrounds where the railroad show was held with plenty of time to set up.

This time there were no cinnamon rolls available to eat while we waited for the show to open, so we settled for donuts instead.  There was a line waiting to come in when the doors opened at 10 A.M., and throughout the day the building was bustling with people.