Summer in Siouxland, Rural Plymouth County

A summer’s day in rural Plymouth County, IowaThursday, Aug.9, 2018. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Driving around Siouxland it is hard not to see a bucolic scene along the highways and byways. Part of the charm of “flyover” country is that it appears peaceful and unhurried. That is not always the case as evidenced by news stories. And for those who are on a pell-mell journey to arrive at their next destination before they left their current place, forever is a word that pops up often on the trip.

But that is the allure of such a place. Quiet, slow, peaceful and calm. And enjoying the moment that is presented here and now.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

Days are numbered in Siouxland, Rural Plymouth County

I know the days are numbered for “nice” weather in Siouxland. I recently heard different local tv weather prognosticators talking about wintry weather mixes appearing soon. Too soon for my taste. It’s just barely fall and Thanksgiving hasn’t arrived yet. So I relish these remaining days, blustery though they might be to just enjoy some nice fall light as I watch it paint the countryside in direct yet a softer glow. And with a colder than normal winter forecast I’ll miss those warm, even hot summer days.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

Summer scenic in rural Plymouth County, Iowa, Wednesday, August 19, 2015.

A summer day scenic in rural Plymouth County, Iowa, Wednesday, August 19, 2015.

Moonrise in Siouxland, Plymouth County

As I have gotten older I don’t always get up before the sun or even see it set during certain portions of the year. And that doesn’t both me in the least. But sometimes when out I enjoy varying what I photograph and occasionally I do see a moonrise. No longer working for daily newspapers my schedule is more flexible and less demanding and I can enjoy the evening at home or out photographing.

I generally don’t carry a tripod and make do trying to photograph the scene as best as I can. And while not always a stellar image compared to other nature and landscape photographers I am aware of, it personally is satisfying. And it makes me ask myself why I don’t do more photographs of this nature as I head home anticipating my cup of coffee waiting for me.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

Moon over the countryside near Le Mars, Iowa, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga)

Enjoying Fall in Siouxland, Rural Plymouth County

Coming back a short trip in north Siouxland I stopped along the roadway to admire and attempt to capture a sunset. Watching it a bit I thought the sky was going to stay washed out, but then the color started bursting  into the clouds and it made a nice day even better.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

An intense sunset off Hwy 75 South in rural Plymouth County, Iowa Friday Oct. 28, 2016 in Sioux City, Iowa. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Siouxland’s agricultural roots

As spring has arrived and Siouxland farmers are now getting out into their fields for planting, it’s easier for people living in towns and larger cities to be reminded of the state’s agricultural roots. Buying beef and pork and chicken at the supermarket doesn’t really do the trick. But when I drive some of the byways and backroads in northwest Iowa I come across scenes of abandoned or no longer active farm steads. House and barns that have fallen into disrepair. It’s sad. In the 1940’s and ’50’s, there were so many more farms and thriving smaller communities. A small farm could survive raising some livestock along with a vegetable garden and some grain crops. Those days are gone. Now, it appears that to survive, individual farmers are utilizing a couple thousand acres just to survive, and those with less, are working other jobs aas well.

So it’s sad when I find a now defunct homestead. I wonder about the family that lived there previously. Working in all kinds of weather, watching their children grow, attending events at the local schools and churches and communities.  Progress is a dual edged sword. On the one hand, life is better, but on the other, some aspects are left in the past.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

Exploring Siouxland’s back roads

With nicer weather comes the opportunity to explore some more of the backroads of the Siouxland area. During the winter months and again in early spring and sometimes summer, the weather conditions can make driving dirt and gravel roads at times almost perilous. The roads tend to shift underneath your vehicle’s wheels even if you are only driving 3o mph or less.

But it’s on the backroads where history lies for a state like Iowa. Old abandoned homesteads and equipment remain there unused. Sometimes collected, other times discarded. The history behind these places and items have their own stories that would be insightful at best and informational from a time period that no longer exists.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

Nicer weather in Siouxland

The last few days have been a bit of a roller coaster weather-wise in Siouxland. The nicer days are appearing, being replaced with rainy days, which is good, since there was limited snowfall over the winter.

But nicer days are great for getting out and looking images and exploring the area once again.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

Moonrise over Siouxland, Rural Plymouth County

Moonrise photographs are always eye-catching. And generally professional photographers and other serious photographers use a long lens and shoot when it is ideal to show the moon in all its glory. But sometimes it’s just fun to capture it when it’s there. And recently, again experimenting with a small mirrorless camera and less than telephoto lens I photographed the moonrise in Plymouth County, Iowa. Even though it is December, there is still no snow on the ground, so no light reflection bouncing off the earth and “filling” the scene with additional light. But I was happy with my results, along with a barn image I found earlier before heading home.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

Siouxland Museum ode to dolls the Blackwood Sisters, Le Mars

This past spring I visited the Plymouth County Historical museum in Le Mars, Iowa. It is a place worth visiting, and could easily take all day and more to really look at all of the exhibits, starting with a log cabin situated outside. But one exhibit caught my eye that opened then. A rural Battle Creek, Iowa farmer and artist, Robert Smith, now deceased, created “living” dolls, the Blackwood Sisters, out of walnut wood. He then learned to sew and made each of his creations clothing, applied make-up and eyelashes and whatever else was necessary to make them life-like, according to a newspaper article that is displayed in the room of his creations. There are so many different “characters” in so many different clothing attire that it takes a while to soak it all in. The dolls created represent a broad spectrum of occupations and it is sad there is no recorded conversation of the artist talking about his creating this work. Insight is always helpful to understanding, if just to broaden one’s own perspective.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

Siouxland’s lost and forgotten one-room schools, Plymouth County

The idea of attending a one-room school house to most people probably seems weird. A few students, one teacher, the building located in the country. But early in the history of the U.S. one-room schools were the norm. I attended a one-room school growing up in Illinois for my first grade. The same school my father attended and received his education. In some ways, that same tradition continues with what is now known as home-schooling. Just fewer students and all of them from one family. But these schools dotted the rural landscape, offering children of rural America a chance to become educated.

In Siouxland I came across what looks like it was a former school in Plymouth County. Sitting at the crossroads of State Highway 3 and Fir St. An empty shell now, with a storm shelter sitting nearby. Easy access to the farm families in the area. There was no indication what this former school’s name was or who it served. But I fondly remember my days in the first grade. Learning to read, write and doing simple arithmetic. Playing outside on good days, then inside in the school’s basement on bad weather days for recess. I remember more good days than bad. That school eventually became someone’s home. Definitely a different era, one to look back on simpler times, or so it seems now. But sometimes simple is good.

 

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa