Labor Day in Iowa

I spent last weekend in Blakesburg Iowa. As a child I spent many summers in Blakesburg with my grandparents. A few years ago I would go up in late September to help with the soy bean harvest. More recently, however, a trip to Iowa meant watching my grandmother die in a hospital, or burying my grandfather.

It was nice to visit my childhood home away from home for reasons of fellowship and fun with my family. One of the highlights of the trip was the Annual Blakesburg Corn Carnival. The corn carnival is a tradition that started in the 1920s. The weekend is marked with live music, good food, all kinds of activities, and a parade. To view the pictures click here.

The Deer in Iowa are amazing. Perhaps I’ve never noticed how many there were before or perhaps the population has really exploded in the last few years; in any case the amount of deer I witnessed over the course of my visit was staggering. Driving down a gravel road it was not uncommon to see a doe, and her fawn in every field.



My uncle took me on a tour of the back roads, and showed me a few fields that usually contained large bucks. Here is a picture of six in the back of a field. Click on if for the larger version…wow.



Not far from Blakesburg is Eddyville. One of their claims to fame is the Cargill corn processing facility. If you have ever consumed a soft drink sweetened with corn syrup then the chances are that the corn syrup came from Eddyville. They also produce Ethanol. Here is a night shot of the plant.



Last but not least, I also traveled to Des Moines to visit family and got some great shots of Iowa’s capital building.



I love Iowa, it’s always nice to visit the land of my forefathers and enjoy time with my family. It was a great trip, and I can’t wait to do it again next year.

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