Moon in Tree

Pekin, IL

Madonna on Ice

Quincy, IL

This picture of my aunt and uncle's pet goats is entirely outside of the scope of the project, but they are so cute that I put them up anyway.

View from Dad's back porch

Pekin, IL

Colorful Tunnel at Detroit Airport

Detroit, MI

Fog in the Marsh

West Boxford, MA

Millstone

West Boxford, MA

Sergio's Grove

Andover, MA

I find this place interesting because it challenges my ideas about land use.  The town of Andover has put up a sign here at a little parking area and posted a trail map which includes campsites.  This is a small area which is bordered by an interstate and industrial development.  In addition to the trail map, there is a very detailed sign about the dangers of ticks here, and a warning about bow hunting.   I can’t imagine who would camp here.  When I saw the camping sign, I started to consider camping here as part of this project in local exploration.  Patrick suggested that it looks like a place homeless people would camp and has advised that I am not to camp there alone.

To wrap this up, I googled Serio’s Grove – and found this article of the exact type of bad behavior which Patrick speculated was going on back there.  Which leads me to conclude that instead of challenging my ideas about land use I now will let this news article feed my stereotypes.

http://www.eagletribune.com/latestnews/x585464505/Bad-trip

IOWA VALVE CO OSKALOOSA IOWA

 

North Andover, MA

 Good example today of how this photo journal project brings me to see details I have overlooked.  This mailbox of the Water Treatment Plant is on my commute and I have never paused to look at it.  Today I  noticed the word Iowa on the red valve.  Given my open mindset of the morning, I came to find a number of personal connections with the valves.

I spent 6 semesters and one summer of my undergraduate time in Iowa.  I'm very familiar with the stretch of I-80 north of Oskaloosa.

My first job after college was working as a jr engineer on the design of a water distribution system.

My favorite aspect of working on industrial utilities is colored piping.

I have driven through Oskaloosa once. Perhaps I would recognize a stretch of road if I were to visit again.  Hard to say for sure, but I think I remember the industrial area which I presume birthed this valve.  What I do clearly recall from the trip was taking a wrong turn and buying sack of kettlecorn from a man that popped corn in a large kettle at an intersection in open country. 

I read somewhere that Iowa has more small towns than any other state.  According to the internet, Oskaloosa has about 10,000 people - which is decent size for a town in Iowa.  In our economy of global supply chains, this marking of a product with a hometown name seems old fashion.  I checked the internet and found that some people in Oskaloosa are still working in the valve company  - now under the name of Clow Valve.

http://www.clowvalve.com/about-us/company-history/

Pink Waterslide and Brooding Sky

Littleton, MA

Pie Sign and Wagons at Smolak Farms

North Andover, MA

Need to get faster.  I stopped to take this picture and never caught back up to my running group.  Slick, sloppy, and foggy here this morning.