Author Archives: Jeff

Jan 07

Where to see 2021 fall tournament brackets

I didn’t do reverse-engineered brackets for the 2021 Iowa high school football playoffs this year, for a variety of reasons. However, they exist elsewhere on the Internet. MaxPreps has brackets and scores in all six classes (now that football has … Continue reading

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Jan 05

A missed tourism opportunity

Council: Can’t build pig in Marengo city square (Cedar Rapids Gazette, January 4, 1966) MARENGO — Marengo isn’t going to have a pig in the city square park. In unanimous action, the city council Monday night favored construction of the … Continue reading

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on A missed tourism opportunity
Jan 03

Street View has visited Tama County

Far too many times I have looked at images on Google Maps Street View and wished that, instead of covering the same roads multiple times, the vehicles would go out and capture either the roads that are only in low … Continue reading

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Dec 31

My photo for the year: 2021

August 25, 2021 In Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell has a small building dedicated to it across the street from Independence Hall. Through at least June 2019, visitors were able to walk all the way around the bell, but now you can’t. … Continue reading

Posted in Trip Reports | Comments Off on My photo for the year: 2021
Dec 29

Today’s to-do list

Futurama’s premiere is closer to Elvis’ death* than the present day. *”Elvis is not dead, he just went home!” UPDATE: Iowa State did not wake up feeling the cheesiest.

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Dec 28

‘Nothing of much interest occurred to day’

via Library of Congress It is true that President James K. Polk’s diary on December 28, 1846, ended with “Nothing of much interest occurred to day”. However, through the Library of Congress, we know that wasn’t the entire entry. Polk, … Continue reading

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on ‘Nothing of much interest occurred to day’
Dec 27

Visit939Iowa+

I have both noted and ragged on the two guys from Nebraska who visited every incorporated place in Iowa this year and turned their travels into a book, “Visit 939 Iowa”. I am pleased and obligated to report that my … Continue reading

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Visit939Iowa+
Dec 24

Season’s greetings from ISU’s LAS

A suitably silly short film from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University. Observe: Meteorologists in their natural habitat. Please do not tap on the glass. It frightens the meteorologists. Its is okay to feed them.

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Dec 20

IA 136 to be truncated after all

July 16, 2020: US 52 was signed along IA 136 between US 20 and Luxemburg even before the Southwest Arterial opened. This duplex will turn out to be short-lived. Remember when I said that US 52’s reroute through Dyersville should … Continue reading

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on IA 136 to be truncated after all
Dec 17

Geneseo school’s 100th anniversary

September 23, 2011: The 1920 Geneseo Township school building was featured in a Des Moines Register article on Barb and Dave Else’s book, For All The Small Schools, cataloging Iowa’s abandoned schools. It’s in the small percentage built alone on … Continue reading

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