This statue is in an area of very heavy traffic, yet I had forgotten about it entirely. I stumbled upon it by accident while running errands Saturday. Can you identify it?
Identify That Statue #5
Reply
Monthly Archives: January 2007
Thursday night sunset
Go ahead…I dare ya
In the summer I take frequent trips down this road to the river bottoms, and I’m not alone. Sometimes I’ll take the truck, sometimes my dirt bike. It’s fun and there are plenty of photo opportunities down there. But when those ruts fill with snow? No way! I’m no stranger to offroading in deep, crusty snow, but this is a recipe for a chilly walk home.
The driver of the Jeep you see down the road a ways was having a grand old time, and even did something I’d never seen before: he hung a hard right and ventured off into the wilderness. I don’t know if he ever drove out of it, but to me that seemed like the craziest idea in recent off-roading memory. The fields on either side are full of fallen trees and soft, sandy soil…the perfect combination for even a big 4×4 to become hopelessly stuck. I hope they made it out okay.
Once the snow’s gone and the ground dries out I’ll be out on this road again. If you’re gutsy and have a truck, you may want to try it! But do so at your own risk.
Cannon on the hill
No, this is not a piece of war history. Yes, it does fire. It’s a homebuilt novelty capable of launching tennis ball sized projectiles for entertainment purposes. It would not be useful in holding back the British; however, it’s a great example of what a guy can do with an idea in his head and a welding stick in his hand.
The owners are two very nice folks who I’m glad I’ve met. The guy who built this device reminds me a lot of my dad and his brothers, who also would simply weld whatever they needed (and overbuild it as well). He graciously allowed me onto the property to look at his masterpiece and gave me a history of how it came to be. I love North Dakota hospitality…thanks for allowing me into your home.
As an aside, I’d like to point something out to my readers. I take a lot of photos from places that a guy wouldn’t normally be, and in doing so I make every effort to have permission first. My Fallen Farm series of photos are either taken from outside the fence lines of these dilapidated farms, or up close after tracking down the owners and receiving permission. I value my privacy and property rights so I must repect that of others.
If you see something really cool on this website and want to go check it out yourself, please contact me by email using the link at the top right of this page. I can let you know how to get permission to visit a particular site or let you know who to contact. It’s a simple matter of respect, something I think our society needs more of these days.
Sunday sunrise
Separate ways
I did some extensive poking around inside almost every single powerplant in North Dakota during the summer of 2006, including standing atop one of the 23-story boilers at the Coal Creek Station. You could fit the state capitol, the tallest building in North Dakota, inside that boiler. Crazy, huh? One thing I saw that hadn’t occurred to me before was the volume of steam generated by these plants, something that many people assume is smoke. After all, that’s what a power plant does: generate steam. The steam powers the big generators, sure, but everything upstream of the generators exists solely to produce steam.
While I still think that ethanol is a waste and the numbers show it to be a thermodynamic loser, I have to give credit to the guys who came up with the idea of using steam generated by the Coal Creek Station to power an ethanol plant. At least they’re not adding to the amount of energy it takes to produce ethanol, only to get a product with 70-80% of the energy output of an equivalent amount of gasoline. And one thing that nobody’s making a big deal out of is that E85 can actually be sold as E65 in this state without running afoul of state regulations!
None of these thoughts really crossed my mind when I snapped this photo, they just popped into my head as I started typing. After a long day in the garage, I guess it was just time for a big ol’ word dump accompanied by a reasonably neat picture.
They’ll need a crane
That big coccoon under the Memorial Bridge
This area is where a large retaining wall will be constructed, and the pilings running down the length of this tent will be underground by the time things are finished. The sidewalk will eventually be poured on the left side of that concrete line. There’s a lot more steel work yet to be done, too!
The bed of this area is some of the nicest sandy soil I’ve seen since I did the concrete work around my house and garage (yeah, I’m a do-it-yourself type of guy). They’re busy getting ready for a big cement retaining wall to make sure that the land adjacent to the new bridge will be stable. This isn’t just a bunch of guys with loaders moving dirt; this is a careful and intricate process.
I’ve only mentioned a few of the really cool details about the work these guys are doing. I really appreciate the tour and answers to all my geeky questions. I sure can’t wait to see how the bridge work progresses over the next couple of months! Once this part is done, they’ll be off to the Mandan side to get that going. Hmmm…I wonder if they’re going to reuse that plastic?
Glen Schmidt Family
There are a couple of particular songs they perform that are stirring to the soul, but my favorite has to be “I’ll Fly Away.” When they wrap up the show with this hymn, I’m powerless to fight the waterworks as it always moves me to tears. Sometimes I last until the point where they invite everyone to join in, but the thought of everyone in heaven singing like that someday is overpowering. Tuesday night I actually made it all the way to the truck, but that’s as far as I got. Their music is simply lovely.
They’ve got a CD for sale too – you can listen to the songs and place an order on their website at www.glenschmidtfamily.com. They play at Buckstop Junction during the summer, as well as a variety of other events in Bismarck-Mandan and surrounding communities. I invite you to listen and buy a CD – you’ll be moved by the music and will be supporting a really special ministry.
Sliver of sunset
