Baker's heartbeat

A small girl looks at herself in a water-filled pond, part of a famed sculpture garden. A bricklayer named Kenny Hill headed for southern Louisiana in the late 1980s. Maybe there would be work in the construction industry? Hill settled on a small plot of land on Bayou Petit Callou in Chauvin, La., located southwest of New Orleans. The land was provided by a kindly neighbor who took an interest in Hill. The bricklayer pitched a tent, and in time, built a small home. He also showed an artistic bent on adjoining property along the bayou. Over the years Hill created what is now known as one of the "25 Most Amazing Sculpture Gardens in the World." A cross-section of individual pieces shows Hill's empathy, and respect for religion. He is said to have created it as a story of salvation for Chauvin residents. Dennis Sipiorski, an art professor at Nicholls State University (a Thibodaux, La., institution which eventually saved the site) asked Hill to expand on the site...

The Bakers in Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, hear Houma, La. The Terrebonne Water Museum, above; and also a wildflower and an Ibis in the water refuge. It was first heard on the television news one night, during the weather report: "We in Acadiana can expect highs in the 70's tomorrow," the forecaster said. "Acadiana?" What was this guy talking about? We were on vacation to explore Louisiana: Turns out, the name "Acadiana" describes both a region and the people living there, "Acadians." We'd been to Louisiana before, mainly to New Orleans. This trip was to focus on the southern and western areas of this beautiful part of America. Acadiana was founded by Acadians who had roots in France and settled in Canada but were expelled in the 1700s. Part of the population was invited to live in Louisiana by the Spanish government, in control at that time. These folks and the native population intermarried. They are called ...

Opinion: Bettendorf is right to close the oldest school in the district and open a new school with more spacious classrooms to benefit the students. It is inappropriate  to make such decisions in secrecy. Recent actions of the Bettendorf School Board to build a new elementary school and close the oldest school in the district landed on the front page of the Sunday newspaper. Bettendorf has decided to move about 200 students, for four months, to the Ross College building on Kimberly Road. This is until the new Mark Twain Elementary School is built, according to a report in the March 3 Quad-City Times. The story explains that the school board came to its decisions in some secrecy, avoiding public input. (Full disclosure: The newspaper is my former employer. That career ended a year ago so I'll offer opinions from a certain vantage point.) To start, our daughter is an elementary school teacher in Ankeny, Iowa. She's in one of the oldest buildings in that fast-growing...

Cinemark is the local theater complex in eastern Davenport, Iowa This is the second year I've seen each of the "Best Picture" Academy Award nominations, and it is also the second time I've noticed trends among the films nominated. Before my journalism career ended, I'd watch the Oscars in February after having seen a few of the films nominated. The last couple of years, however, have been different as I've made a point to both see the films and blog about my reactions.    Two of the movies nominated this year concern race relations in the United States but approach the topic in different directions. "Green Book," which I argue had the best story of all eight films nominated, won the top Oscar.    The other, "BlacKkKlansman," was a superb film directed by Spike Lee, and it was understandable that he was upset not to win the category. This film concerns race relations and the Ku Klux Klan.    Both films are about real peopl...

The local movie theater is operated by Cinemark The first movie on Feb. 18 started at 12:35 p.m. but I was at the ticket office hours earlier, schedules in hand. The Academy Awards are this Sunday and I was determined to see all the "Best Picture" nominees. I thought I was in really good shape this awards season as I had already seen several top movies including "Black Panther," "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Roma," the first nominee from Netflix. As it turns out there were five I had not seen, and that's why I was so anxious to get to the Cinemark Theatre, about 15 minutes from home in Scott County, Iowa. I saw three at Cinemark ("Green Book," "The Favourite" and "Vice") on Monday and Tuesday, and rented two through Redbox ("Blackklansman" and "A Star is Born.") Best picture? That's "Bohemian Rhapsody," hands down. Runners up? "Black Panther" and "Gree...

This two-day class was led by teacher Stephanie Lindmark at the Missississipi Bend Area Education Agency and is part of the licensing procedure to become a substitute teacher in Iowa. The class was large, teacher Stephanie Lindmark said. There were 27 students, or six tables of 4, and one table of 3 adults, all of whom had four-year college academic degrees. The "substitute teacher" training spread over two days and about 18 hours at the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency, which is located in the former Bettendorf High School, believe it or not. It's on 23rd Street near downtown Bettendorf, and if you hang around there long enough, you can tell it used to be a high school. (Down the hill from the structure is what was a football field at one time.) The 27 students included yours truly. We got a crash course in what we were to do when leading a class of students. In the end, we'll receive our license, which allows us to teach children in pre-kindergarte...

Myla Adelyn Rodewald was born a month ago, in Des Moines. Dear Myla Adelyn: You are now a month old, and I wanted to introduce myself. I am your grandmother Baker, and I'd like you to call me "Nana." (Research shows that 'Nana' has been used as a word for "grandmother" since the early 20th century. When I grew up in Edina, Minnesota, my sister's best friend lived up the street with her Nana. The Minnesota Nana was very kind to me as a little girl and that's how I want to be to you, little Myla.) My husband, Grandpa Steve, and I, are the parents of your mother, Kirstin. We were present in the hospital lobby when you entered the world on Jan. 6, and we first met you when you were just a couple hours old. Now we enjoy seeing you, mostly via a funny thing called FaceTime, which happens on your mommy's cell phone. That happens about once a week. When we speak to you on FaceTime, you seem to be interested in where our voices are com...