NE Day 3 - How to spend Earth Day

Missouri Valley. IA.

First we headed to Missouri Valley, IA via some back roads that Jerred wanted to take. This is my first Iowa picture.








Blair. NE.

Then we crossed back over the river to Blair, NE. This unique water "tower" is really more a tank, but according to the local skate boarding kids at the park that has been built up around this water tower, it is still operating. There is also a unique native American monument erected in front of the tower. We stopped here for a picnic lunch.


Blair. NE.

The kids and folks at Burger King also explained to us that there was a new water tower outside of town. See Jerred waving? He was such a good chaffeur.




This is the other side of the new Blair water tower. Come to find out, Jay Johnson lives near this tower.







Kennard. NE.








Arlington. NE.

I think my parents used to go to this town to buy Antiques.






Our last portion of the trip was to stop in Valley and visit my Dad's tree. Couldn't think of a better way to spend Earth Day.







Valley. NE.

This is the small town west of Elkhorn that we visited regularly when my Dad was in the nursing home.








Boys Town. Omaha. NE

Last but not least we stopped at Boys Town on Dodge Street to get a picture of their water tower.

NE Day 2 - Power Puff Girls

Casey and I got in the car and had fun!








We headed to Jerred's classroom at Benson High.











While looking for the local recycling center we found a cool little purple garden center.







This recycling center had a special wheel you could spin to get extra money for your aluminum.











Did you know that the old Peony Park amusement park is now a grocery store? It looks like the amusement park has moved to Wahoo.







Then we headed to the art gallery where Casey has some of her art. After that we hung around downtown Benson, the little suburb Casey lives in.

NE Day 1 - Hanging with Billie

Billie drove me through Elkhorn. The small drug store called Bill's I used to work at is no longer at the same place next to Dick's grocery store. Dick's burned down. We did stop in at the new drug store and Pat was still working there and remembered me.





Gretna. NE.

We headed toward Gretna to then head east to Bellevue where Billie lives.









Papillion. NE.

On the way to Bellevue we stopped to take this picture in Papillion.









SAC.

Billie and I ate at La Burro near her house and the Strategic Air Command water tower.





Billie and her dogs.













Then we headed to downtown Omaha called the "Old Market". The old Brandeis building that my dad used to be the store planner for is being turned into condominiums. Anyone have a couple hundred thousand dollars for me to invest?

Easter Sunday

We spent our Easter Sunday in the car with the dogs looking for water towers.

Creedmore. NC.

We took highway 50 North to the town of Creedmore. Then turned left to go to Butner. Owen was facinated with this town. It is mostly owned by the State and Federal government.





Butner. NC.

We saw this water tower at the edge of town near a mental institution. We had the windows down since it was such a nice day and Millie fell out of the window when we pulled over to take this picture. She is such a trooper though. She came right to us after getting up off the ground and seemed fine.







Crazy girl Millie after jumping out of the car window.









Owen had read there was a federal prision in this town. These signs show there is much more than just one federal prision. See Owen pulled over to let me take the picture.







Butner. NC.

Across the street from the signs was this awesome old water tower. The door looks cracked. If only I could have gone in.









This sign is a construction sign for the new state phsyciatric hospital they are building in Butner. The current facility is in downtown Raleigh. A beautiful area next to NC State. Hopefully it will become a park.







Across the street from the old water tower was the water treatment plant. I had to take a picture since it seemed kind of scary. When I was taking this a puff of steam made a crazy noise from the building that almost made me pee my pants.






If you look closely this says "bleach".









Well we finally found the federal prision and they had a great hill with 2 water towers. I couldn't have asked for more. We now assume that we are on some FBI list since we passed by the prision a few times taking pictures from the car.






Driving back through Durham we tried to find historic Stagville and the town of Bahama. These locations didn't have water towers but this great water tower was at the Little River school.







It wasn't fensed in like so many other water towers so I was able to get right up close to it.

Pictures from my LA vacation

Can you find the lizard in this picture? He was sitting on one of Allison's lily leaves.









Easter egg hunting on Thursday.



















Ouachita Parrish. LA.













Calhoun. LA.









Choudrant. LA.











Ruston. LA.
"Home of Louisiana Tech".
30 minutes west of Allison's house.






LA Tech water tower. Ruston. LA.

This school seemed to have an agricultural focus. Paul said it is focusing on "nano" research.






We had lunch in downtown Ruston near the railroad park. I had a local sandwich called muffaletta. It has an olive relish. Very good!


















This was after a morning of fishing.




















We found Allison a paper recycling site in Ruston near the town's older water tower. This was also next to Northeastern LA Military Museum and the local pool.







Grambling State University. Grambling. LA.

We came over a hill and saw this water tower. Then a second identical one across a field and an old rusted water tower just across the street from this. We had hit the mother load.





Grambling. LA.

We went searching for the town of Grambling. We found the water tower and town hall. The only other thing the town had was a Sonic drive in.






Mount Olive. LA.

Heading back to the Interstate (I-20) we found this cute little water tower in a town smaller than Grambling.

Mississippi Water Towers

Right now I am visiting my sister in Louisiana.

A few weeks ago her family drove to Memphis and took pictures of water towers on the return trip for me. Actually Connor spotted them for her and she took the pictures.













Horn Lake. MS.















Southhaven. MS













Nissan Plant. Canton. MS

I love that this picture has the road in front of it and a blown out tire. How fitting in front of a car manufacturing plant.









Levi's Plant. Canton. MS

Canton must be a large manufacturing town because it also had a Levi plant.










Clinton. MS.










Ceres Research and Industrial Interplex. Vicksburg. MS

Allison and I spent about an hour trying to find a town in MS called Ceres. Well there isn't a town. It is a tower that belongs to the Interplex above.

According to the web page:
"The Culkin Water District provides water with a 12-inch main with static pressure of 125 psi.. A 300,000-gallon and 500,000-gallon elevated storage tank service the park."



Vicksburg. MS.










Start. LA.

How fitting that the last picture actually says Start. I guess on their way to Memphis it was the start. I wonder if the other side says "end".