Shades of Normal

Squirrel stealing bird feed.

2009-10-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

Thief!!!

Mom's squirrel quickly found the bird feeder.

Almost ready for Halloween.

2009-10-29T12:14:00.001-07:00

Halloween decorations for Mom.

Cheep jack-o-lanterns cut to slip over the porch lights.

Grandma's critter feeders.

2009-10-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

Just put up some new feeders in the back yard for Mom.

First Snow

2008-11-30T09:10:00.000-08:00

Culvert

2008-11-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

Rapids City Il. Fire District Sign

2008-11-26T08:42:00.000-08:00

Seattle

2008-11-25T08:39:00.000-08:00

Seattle

2008-11-24T08:34:00.000-08:00

Rail Road Bridge

2008-11-23T08:30:00.000-08:00

Painted sign on the old rail road bridge.

Rail Road Bridge

2008-11-22T08:26:00.000-08:00

The old stone foundation of the original wooden trestle bridge that the iron bridge replaced.

Rail Road Bridge

2008-11-21T08:24:00.000-08:00

A closer look at the iron work on the rail road bridge.

Rail Road Bridge

2008-11-20T08:20:00.000-08:00

Old rail road bridge off of Route 66 near Gridley.

Old Brick Farm House

2008-11-19T08:17:00.000-08:00

Another view of the old farm house near Towanda.

Old Brick Farm House

2008-11-18T08:09:00.000-08:00

Old farm house near Towanda off of Route 66.

2008-11-17T10:57:00.000-08:00

Old Oak

2008-11-16T11:28:00.000-08:00

This is an old oak tree just down the road from where I grew up, it is well over 100 years old now and it is nice to see it still is standing. I spent a lot of time in the shade of this tree in my youth.

The Old Meade House

2008-11-15T11:20:00.000-08:00

I remember collecting Campbell's Soup labels from Mrs. Meade as a kid. Now both her and her last son are gone and the house rots in the country. It is sad to see, once this house was filled with beautiful wood work and antiques, now it lays gutted and partially burned.

The Castle

2008-11-14T11:12:00.000-08:00

This is a house on a hill we use to pass all the time on the way to my Grandparents house that we called "The Castle" because of the round turret on the front. I still think that it is a cool old house to this day.

Tree In Fog

2008-11-13T22:20:00.000-08:00

A lonely old tree in the middle of a corn field.

Brick Dome

2008-11-12T22:32:00.000-08:00

The brick dome is still on this old silo, one of the few I have seen intact. This silo is up the road a few miles from the last one.

J. Fell Postage Cancellation

2008-11-11T22:52:00.000-08:00

11-10-08 was the 200th birthday of Jesse Fell, the founder of Normal, Illinois and responsible for bringing ISU to the town.

This is the special one day postage cancellation to commemorate that event.

He also founded the towns of Clinton, Towanda, Pontiac, Lexington, LeRoy, and El Paso.

He founded Normal's first newspaper, was a key player in the railroad development in the area.

He introduced the nation to Abraham Lincoln to the nation by sharing an autobiographical sketch of Lincoln with a Philadelphia paper. He also managed Lincoln's campaign in Illinois.

Old Brick Silo

2008-11-10T22:24:00.000-08:00

An old brick silo of Route 92. When I was a kid the remains of a barn and an old farmhouse were on the property too, but they are long gone now. Someone seems to be taking care of the silo though, maybe the housing development that is going up nearby is preserving it as a landmark.

Drafting

2008-11-09T08:16:00.000-08:00

Chicken Coop

2008-11-08T18:22:00.000-08:00

Old Barn

2008-11-06T22:40:00.000-08:00

Old Barn off of Ill Route 92

I love the texture of the discolored roof.

Abandoned Farmhouse

2008-11-04T22:33:00.000-08:00

An abandoned farmhouse nearby.

Visitor Center

2008-11-02T22:20:00.000-08:00

The I-80 Illinois visitor center and scenic river view.

Red Leaves

2008-11-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

Just a quick shot of a local shrubbery.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T12:41:00.000-07:00

Since my Mom has no grand-kids or great grandkids to dress up, she has taken to dressing up the lawn ornaments.

Well, happy Halloween from Dawn, Lyndon, Bill and Dixie.

Interesting Cabin at Lake Bloomington

2008-10-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

Driving my Mom around to see the turning of the leaves this cabin caught our attention.