Ottumwa Archives - Nine Years in Norway

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

June 11, 2015 by Cindi 12 Comments

“Planes, Trains & Automobiles!” No, not the movie … but a pretty good description of my last month!

A plane flight from Norway to Iowa (with my luggage catching up with me three days later).

A short lunch train trip in historic Boone, Iowa.

May 20, 2015 - planes, trains & automobiles

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A longer overnight Amtrak train trip through Iowa, Nebraska, and Colorado.

Ottumwa, Iowa train station

An Iowa sunset

Hello, Omaha!

Nebraska farming

Somewhere in eastern Colorado

Pulling into Denver; lots of rain has made the rivers a little treacherous!

Colorado Rockies stadium!

And many automobile trips, both local and long distance. This collection shares the highlights of my first few (cloudy) days in Colorado.

Union Station in Denver

Arriving in Colorado Springs!

The Air Force Academy

Pikes Peak

Looking back at the foothills in my daughter’s side view mirror

I love taking in the scenery around me. But the best part of this trip is, of course, the family connections — especially time spent with these three!

Hello blogosphere!

May 31, 2015 by Cindi 21 Comments

It’s been a busy month since I’ve last connected with you, with work and then travel to the middle of the U.S. to visit family.

Yes, I’m back in Ottumwa. I’ve enjoyed time with family (especially celebrating my Dad’s 85th!), seeing a few sights (including a musical in Des Moines and a day trip to Boone, Iowa to ride an historic train), a trip to Illinois to visit my younger brother and his family (Aunt Cindi was tired playing with her young nieces and nephew!), a stop at a wonderful restaurant on the trip back to Iowa that honors the American farmer (The Machine Shed), and time spent enjoying my brother and sister-in-law’s hospitality here in Iowa (including a gorgeous and intense double rainbow).

And in a few days I’ll be traveling via Amtrak to a new part of the world for me — Colorado Springs to see my daughters!

Fun, fun, fun!! Here’s a few photos of my time so far. I’m sure more images will find their way to this little part of the blogosphere eventually … until then, I hope your part of the world is peaceful and full of contentment!

May 14, 2015 – Goodbye Bergen; it was a glorious day to take off and fly over you!

May 16, 2015 – The Lion King on stage in Des Moines. Fantastic!

May 20, 2015 – Lunch aboard The Scenic Line in Boone, Iowa. History and great views!

May 21, 2015 – Not a bad place to enjoy my morning coffee before beginning the work day. (There are a lot of advantages to working from home — no matter where you call home!)

May 23, 2015 – Looking back after crossing the Mississippi River from Iowa into Illinois.

May 23, 2015 – Happy Birthday, Dad! Several days of celebration, this one in Illinois courtesy of my sister-in-law.

May 24, 2015 – Dinner out with the family, accompanied by giggles and a 4-year-old niece’s artwork.

May 25, 2015 – Gorgeous weather, flowers, and a delightful niece.

May 26, 2015 – Lunch at The Machine Shed on the way back to Ottumwa.

May 26, 2015 – This photo doesn’t do the double rainbow justice. I’ve never seen such intense color!

June 2015 – My upcoming Amtrak route to Colorado and my daughters!

Freedom Rock, Ottumwa: a salute to U.S. Veterans

March 3, 2015 by Cindi 17 Comments

While visiting my family in Ottumwa in November/December last year, my Dad took me to a new memorial. It’s called “Freedom Rock”.

An eleven-and-a-half ton boulder had been delivered to Bridge View Center in September, and over the course of a few days had been transformed by Ray “Bubba” Sorensen into a patriot mural.

Here’s part of the official press release, which includes the background on the inspiration for Ottumwa’s new Freedom Rock, finding a suitable boulder, and getting it set up and ready:

Ottumwa, Iowa – Sept. 22, 2014 – Drivers traveling Iowa Highway 25 in northern Adair County pass an enormous boulder adjacent to the highway north of Greenfield. It is impossible to miss given the rock weighs approximately 60 tons and displays impressive murals. You may know it by its official name, The Freedom Rock. The rock is located two miles south of I-80 and has become a popular tourism attraction for travelers on this stretch of the four-lane highway.In 1999, The Freedom Rock was created by a young local artist, Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II, after seeing the film “Saving Private Ryan”. Its development was fueled by Sorensen’s desire to give veterans more recognition on Memorial Day. Since then, he has painted different patriotic murals on the rock every year. This work was not commissioned by anyone but rather is made possible by the generous donations received annually.In addition to The Freedom Rock, Sorensen has painted murals across the country, and during one of those projects, he came up with the idea to pursue “The Freedom Rock Tour”. The tour is a means of spreading the message of The Freedom Rock to other Iowa communities by creating a tribute to veterans in all 99 Iowa counties with rocks bearing images unique to the immediate area that honor military service. Although the rocks may be smaller than the original, the message is equally powerful …

(L & W Quarries) donated the 11.5-ton boulder to be the Wapello County Freedom Rock. The search was more challenging than anticipated and took several months to find a boulder of sufficient size and type.

Bringing it here was the next step which demonstrated county and city collaboration. The Wapello County Secondary Roads Department transported it more than 50 miles to Ottumwa. Upon arrival, the City of Ottumwa worked with the Market Street Bridge contractor, Portzen Construction of Dubuque, to unload it. Something that proved easier said than done.

At that point, the rock was power-washed and otherwise prepared to be painted. Sorensen arrived the afternoon of Monday, Sept. 22nd to begin working his magic …

On November 11, 2014 (Veterans Day in the States), Ottumwa’s new Freedom Rock was dedicated.

A month after this dedication, my Dad pulled up at Freedom Rock and I got out of the car and walked around this boulder that is taller than me. I studied the paintings and absorbed the meanings. It was a peaceful moment in the midst of a busy five week visit.

December 7, 2014 - Freedom Rock in Ottumwa, Iowa

I’m the granddaughter and daughter of veterans. My daughters’ Dad is a veteran. I am a veteran. And my oldest daughter is active duty Army; she’ll be a veteran one day. For me, America’s Veteran’s Day has always been a day of thanks and expressed appreciation … even (especially?) living out of the country. It was good to take a few moments to think about it, inspired by the incredible story behind this patriotic memorial.

Wordless Wednesday: Ottumwa Central Park sunset

January 7, 2015 by Cindi 20 Comments

Ottumwa Central Park sunset

a walk beside the Des Moines River

January 6, 2015 by Cindi 19 Comments

I’ve been to Iowa often to visit family, and as my past visits in Ottumwa have drawn to a close I’ve always been a little frustrated that, once again, I didn’t get out to take photos of the Des Moines River from the Ottumwa Trail or walk around downtown a bit to take in the history and architecture of this area.

This trip I did both for a couple hours, and this post shares a few photos of the river walk. Summertime would have provided better scenery for the river area, as it was December 12th, winter-bare, and not very colorful. But I enjoyed watching the force of the rain-and-melted-snow swollen river as it passed under the numerous bridges …

December 12, 2104 - walk beside the Des Moines River

… the winter antics of the seagulls and Canadian geese as they rested on the ice, flew through the air, and argued among themselves …

… the pigeons roosting on the roof of Bridge View Center, until one was disturbed and they all took off to fly a short loop over the river and return to roost again (a cycle that happened five or six times while I stood there) …

… and, most excitedly, I was rewarded with a bald eagle sighting, something I’ve REALLY wanted to see! My digital photos from my hand-held camera of its majestic flight hunting along the river aren’t very clear, but my minds-eye photos are ones I’ll keep with me for a long time!

Here’s that first photo, cropped; I know it’s not clear, but it was so exciting to see and gives you an idea of the majestic eagle’s flight.

December 12, 2104 - walk beside the Des Moines River

Even in winter with the cold wind blowing, I found a warm place of contentment watching the activities of the birds and seeing how they interacted with the environment on this river that cuts through the center of my country.

After my bird-and-river gazing, I drove across the bridge and captured a few photos of downtown decorated for Christmas — with a winter Iowa sunset backdrop. I’ll share those next time!

It’s 2015?!

January 1, 2015 by Cindi 54 Comments

Hello, blogging friends! It’s been seven weeks since I was an active part of the blogosphere, and I’ve missed you all.

But I haven’t been bored! I’ve savored time with my family in the US …

Thanksgiving with family is one of my favorite times of year!

… and, since getting home, I’ve also enjoyed time with my family in Norway with visits to and from Sandviken and Osterøy.

I got back to Norway just before Christmas. There was a lot of quick prep for the season mixed into the jet lag, including bringing in 2013’s live Christmas tree that we never got planted in 2014 …

Christmas with family is also one of my favorite times of year!

Our tree has shed its heavy ornaments and is back outside again. We’ll see if it survives to be planted in 2015!

With the snow …

December 28, 2014

… that then switched to rain that we’ve had these past few weeks, I enjoyed the muted painted colors of the rarely seen sun setting over the North/Norwegian Sea about an hour after that cloud-shrouded snow landscape photo was taken …

December 28, 2014

… as well as that sun peeking through the rain clouds at 2:46 pm on December 31st as it sank towards the sea. It seemed to be saying goodbye to 2014 one last time …

December 31, 2014

Although not nearly as vivid as last year’s display, the foggy/rainy New Year’s Eve fireworks at midnight from all the communities here in Lysekloster were exciting, especially the colorful bursts from two of my neighbors down the mountain …

And, add to all that family and joy and beauty and celebrating, work and building a new website were a big part of the mix. It’s been a busy, wonderful, and rewarding time of life!

Godt Nyttår! Happy New Year! My wish is that 2015 is one of health and happiness for each of you. Virtual hugs from Norway — and I’ll “see” you soon on your corner of the Internet!

only in America!

October 16, 2013 by Cindi 6 Comments

My Dad and I went out for dinner several times during my visit; this post is about one of them.

The parking lot was empty when we pulled up to a local restaurant, and we were the first dinner customers for that evening’s buffet (which included fried chicken – something I can’t easily get in Norway, and my main reason for wanting to go there).

EDIT: My Norwegian hubby reminded me that yes, we *can* get fried chicken in Norway. So I should elaborate – “Southern Fried Chicken.” The fact there were also Southern Green Beans in the buffet, with too much salt and too much ham fat included, only added to the pleasure factor for this expat. 😉

As we walked in I saw a “Family Night/Kids Eat Free” poster for that night … and within 15 minutes our quiet place had been turned into a loud, crawling swarm of kids and families. And a few minutes later, an entire girls softball team and their parents arrived to clean up tables and earn tips for their team.

It was a loud, raucous time, and is an experience I’ve had before when raising my girls in the U.S. but have never experienced anywhere else in the world. I’m so glad to have had that moment to remember those long-ago family memories … and so glad Dad and I finished and were out of there fairly quickly! 😉

For Family Night the restaurant had a clown wandering in the dining area. He was entertaining – for one family, he blew up balloons to make a balloon bow and arrow for a little guy, and I found watching him, his interaction with the kids, and the little guy’s reaction a lot of fun to observe! He made a big show of “what to do with the extra balloons?” and decided to use static electricity and store them on the wall mural. The juxtaposition of the southwest-colored, western-themed cowboy painting and the bright colored balloons and wild outfit and colors of the clown was too much to resist … and my little iPod camera snuck out for a quick shot.

clown and balloons

Only in America. I loved it! 🙂

a special night: dinner-with-a-view plus a pops concert

October 10, 2013 by Cindi 4 Comments

I’ve blogged about Ottumwa a lot. I’ve never lived there, but my brother has for years, his wife has all her life, and my parents moved there in 2005 … so I’ve visited many times, and gotten to know the area (and many of her people) fairly well.

From Wikipedia: “Ottumwa is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa … (t)he population was 25,023 at the 2010 census. Located in southeastern Iowa, the city is split into northern and southern halves by the Des Moines River.”

It’s called “The City of Bridges” because of the many bridge crossings over the Des Moines River, but, as my Dad commented when we were driving – and as I observed with my semi-photographic and -traveler eye – it could also be called “The City of Churches.” According to this site, there are over eighty churches in the city – many of them are older historic buildings, and those are the ones I respond to as a visitor/tourist. I intend to take a photography tour during a future visit! (Hmmmm … can that be classified as “blog foreshadowing”??!)

But this trip I *did* get to a place I’d wanted to visit since it opened in 2007. According to their website, “The Bridge View Center … is nestled on the banks of the Des Moines River and is the crown jewel for the City of Ottumwa. This 92,000 square foot complex features an Expo Hall, adjoining conference/meeting space, a state-of the art Theater and a Grand Lobby that welcomes you in! It is fast becoming the premier destination in SE Iowa for concerts, theatrical events and conventions.”

photo from Bridge View Center’s official website

Bald eagles are frequent visitors to Ottumwa; they are represented in this huge floor mosaic

My Dad invited his lady friend, my brother and sister-in-law, and me to the Dinner and Pops Concert by the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra, featuring Michael Philipsen performing Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.”

We joined many other Ottumwa residents for a catered dinner; the tables were set up in the area with huge windows overlooking the Ottumwa Trail Walk along the Des Moines River and a few of the sculptures. It was a beautiful evening outside; bicyclists and walkers passed by. Before dinner I stood at a window and tried to get photos of a couple of the outside sculptures in the approaching-dusk sky … not too successfully.

sculptures outside Bridge View Center

The dinner and concert were enjoyable, the soloist was fantastic … but spending the time with family was the highlight!

family

Bridge View Center Centerpiece

Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra
Michael Philipsen, piano soloist

It was a special evening – it was my 55th birthday, I connected electronically with my husband and my daughters, I immersed myself in an experience, building, and event I hadn’t had the opportunity to enjoy before, and I spent time laughing with family and listening to live music. After the concert I joined my Dad (and Chloe, of course!) for a nightcap in his apartment. What better way to celebrate the day?!