Cemeteries hold a wealth of inspiration. They aren’t creepy. They aren’t scary. For me, cemeteries are storytellers. Each headstone tells you a bit about the person underneath, but it’s up to you to fill in the details.
The headstone I saw today speaks volumes.
Yes, he died in action during World War I. His family honored him with this amazing sculpture. He was loved and is missed. Isn’t that what we all want?
What stories do you see in a cemetery?
Named after the Sauk Chief that is buried in beautiful Rand Park, Keokuk Iowa is a town waiting to be rediscovered. Pronounced Key-O-kuk, although you’ll often hear the locals say “kill-kuk”, this once glamorous river town has some of architecture’s hidden gems resting along the bluff.
I grew up not far from Keokuk and spent a lot of time not seeing the homes for their beauty as I do now.
The antebellum homes rival those of Natchez, Mississippi in opulence and splendor. Unlike Natchez, Keokuk does not have annual pilgrimages, in which homeowners open up the houses for tours.
Unfortunately, there are too many homes that are falling down as the town moves away from the river that gave it life.
Birdwood House, a High Style Italianate mansion, is even for sale f
or a $249,900. Built in 1855, the home stands tall and proud with the high tower and two car-two story carriage house.
Grand Avenue is exactly as it is named. The most famous house sits here, built of stones stacked and with a beautiful archway leading to the front door. Also on Grand Avenue is The Grand Anne, a bed and breakfast The Grand Anne was built in 1897 in Queen Anne style.
Friendly House stands on its final legs. Gutted by a fire, the home is slated for destruction. Even in its current state, the beauty of what it once was can be seen by the naked eye. A fire may have destroyed the inside but the bricks stand firmly together.
During my childhood, I would beg my mother to take me around Keokuk to look at the churches. Keokuk has plenty of them, and like the grand old homes, many are falling into disrepair. This church still holds services in the basement but its former glory is gone.
Even though I did not appreciate the beauty of most of the houses on the bluff, there was one that I dreamt of owning. It sits on a corner lot but, unlike most homes, it does not face the street head on. It sits angular to the curb in defiance of tradition with stairs leading up to a yard surrounded by wrought iron fencing.
I don’t recall it being occupied although I believe a renovation was started a few years back. There is just something magical about this house. Every year, as I travel to visit my family, I drive by it to make sure it is still there.
One day, I’m afraid I’ll drive by and it’ll be gone. With it, a bit of my daydreaming youth will disappear. Or maybe someone else will see the beauty and restore it.
The homes of Keokuk are lovely. Give this small river town a chance and visit. You may find a home of your own to fall in love with.
http://www.bbonline.com/ia/grandanne/
A few weeks ago back I took a stroll down memory lane, as I’m apt to do. My family and I went to a local antique show which is billed as a flea market. In one of the back booths, there was a guy selling a variety of homemade yummy goodness.
There was fudge, chocolate and peanut butter, sometimes even combined. There were suckers and lollipops. Yep, they are two different things. And there was a whole section devoted to a childhood favorite of mine: Rock Candy.
Just seeing the name took me back to the little two-story farmhouse I grew up in. I transported into my eight year old self standing in front of the stove and making rock candy. It isn’t hard and doesn’t have a lot of flavor unless you add some.
But it is such a sugar rush!
My brothers and I would devour the candy then go on a sugar high rush around the pasture, chasing the horses or cows or whatever got in our way. We became fearless. We’d talk so fast that we’d finish a conversation before we really started it.
I stood in front of the table in awe. Somehow I’d forgotten about this little piece of heaven.
My fourteen year old niece watched me. She asked, “What flavor are you getting?
I shrugged. “Have you ever had it?”
“No. Get the strawberry.”
I paid for my strawberry rock candy and forced my niece to try it. She couldn’t finish her piece.
Funny, I thought it needed a tad more sugar.
Simple recipe for Rock Candy http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,187,145175-245204,00.html
A St. Louis landmark was destroyed by fire yesterday afternoon. The Robert E. Lee, a riverboat echoing days gone by, caught fire just as it was to begin a new life in St. Charles, Mo.
The Robert E. Lee holds a strong history in St. Louis. The original steamboat raced often against The Natchez on the Mississippi between New Orleans and St. Louis. In 1870, the Robert E. Lee won the race in 3 days, 18 hours, and 13 minutes. That record still stands.
While the original met its fate in 1882 in much the same way, the most recent Robert E. Lee held a different kind of history. In the 1970s, it toured the river from downtown St. Louis, offering dinner cruises. In 1993, it shuttered its doors. Since then, the Robert E. Lee has had a tough go. It moved from downtown St. Louis to the small community of Kimmswick. There is suffered and was finally sold to start a new life in St. Charles.
But it was not meant to be.
The history of the steamboat for the St. Louis area should never be forgotten. Steamboats brought this area into prominence. They were also the downfall. While the Robert E. Lee will never sail these waters again, the memory of those steamboats carrying the name will live on.
