Wednesday, July 26, 2006
A Nice Castle Anyone?
.Well, here I am at the Center Point Travel Plaza again. I was getting gas when I took this picture. Premium, our car drinks that, has gone up another nickel to $3.04. Yesterday it was $2.99.
It is $3.13 over in Cedar Rapids at the same type stations. I wonder if this new truck stop/travel plaza is trying a WalMart thing with the locals? The free wireless is nice, and the only one in town.
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. Yesterday was a nice tour of the Cedar Rapids area of Iowa. Bro-in-law, Jim, did the driving.
Our first stop was Stone City. They had two large quarries with a lot of cut out rectangular stones laying around. All of them were a darkish brownish beige color.
Originally most of the houses were made of these stones also, but now mostly just the older homes were stone. A few trendy new ones were too.
Next stop was Anamosa. Lois wanted to show us the castle. She has always like houses with turrets at the corners, so this was what I had envisioned. This one looked pretty elegant.
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Not so. Here is a quick look. Doesn't it look grand! Upon a drive-by inspection, it seemed like a fun place to live. The stones were all from Stone City.
Some of you might know, but this really is a prison; the Anamosa State Prison. Lois didn't know how it might be for escapes, but it looked pretty solid to me. Not a place I would like to be in for keeps.
Those stones? All were hand set by prison labor back in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
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This pretty building was once the woman's residence. They have since moved to other quarters here in the compound. Looks like a stately sorority house, doesn't it?
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.Next was the state park adjoining Anamosa. It was all very pretty, sort of rustic. Like the little mouse who only saw the mouse under the queen's chair, I was seeing this pretty Wapsipinicon River bottom corn field. Texas corn doesn't get much taller than this.
Tonight will be the Jim Bunch Eats Again. Jim (bro-in-law) is grilling hamburgers and nephew and greats are coming over. I think Mrs. Nephew won't be able to make it. Perhaps I'll take a picture for us.
That's the blog you ought to do--a travel blog.
Where's Megan's picture?
: Tue Jul 25, 08:38:00 PM 2006I keep my word.
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I've been missing your midwest tour. I'll have to read all your recent entries. That's a fine looking prison.
: Tue Jul 25, 11:18:00 PM 2006<< Home
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