Baker's heartbeat

       Astral Weeks, by Van Morrison, may be regarded as a masterpiece.      A favorite album was first released 54 years ago. It has never aged and I can unreservedly suggest Astral Weeks as a music masterpiece.    The second album recorded in 1968 by Irish singer Van Morrison has become a cult favorite. Its melodies and words are magic in some real ways.      The album was aptly described by famed rock critic Lester Bangs as this: "Astral Weeks, insofar as it can be pinned down, is a record about people stunned by life, completely overwhelmed, stalled in their skins, their ages and selves,  paralyzed by the enormity of what in one moment of vision they can comprehend."    This work of art has attracted much attention including on its 50th anniversary in 2018. Astral Weeks has also been remastered a few times -- my copy is a CD from many years ago.     I love great singers and Van Morrison, n...

This leads to a path that crosses the Mississippi River in Keokuk, Iowa.  It runs along the Keokuk & Hamilton Bridge.      Many of us in the Quad-Cities are excited that the new bike path and pedestrian trial on the I-74 bridge is to open in the next few months.     According to I-74 Corridor Manager George Ryan, the opening of the path connected to the Illinois-bound span will come after a few bells and whistles are added. These include seating, decorative sculptures and lights below the circular oculus in the middle of the path, Ryan said in a Quad-City Times story written April 5, by Barb Ickes.     The new path is a modern version of  pedestrian trails that now cross the Mississippi River. Another one is the Keokuk & Hamilton Bridge, which runs from Keokuk, Iowa to Hamilton, Illinois.     I caught a look at this path while spending a recent night in Keokuk.     Fun fact: Ralph Modjeski was the original enginee...

       Myla at the bottom of a tall slide at the Playground for Kids, Ankeny, Iowa. The three-year-old at the Science Center of Iowa, downtown Des Moines The Disney princesses visited Des Moines!      We have had a granddaughter in Central Iowa the past three years.      Hence, we now are pretty good about finding things to do with Miss Myla Rodewald and thought to share some ideas. College kids in the Quad-Cities often graduate and move to other places such as Des Moines. This is probably a situation faced by many grandparents.     We've been able to branch out as she grows. In early January we met Myla's parents at the Science Center of Iowa, ( https://www.sciowa.org ) and had a blast watching the three-year-old discover so many new activities. The "Bring Learning to Life" theme on the website is so true, especially in the case of the toddler set.     The Blank Park Zoo ( https://www.blankparkzoo.com ) was a r...

       At top: Steve and I on the Ship Island Excursions ferry boat; Middle: Dolphins follow the boat; Above: The ferry is a good-sized boat found in the Gulfport marina.      Visitors to southern  Mississippi might notice an island off the coast of Gulfport; It's 12 miles in the distance, off Highway 90, but still visible to the naked eye.      This is Ship Island -- part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and overseen by the U.S. National Park Service.       Ship Island, we were told on a tour, features white beaches, marshes, and history dating to initial explorations of the area and including the Civil War.     It is accessible only by boat, from late March to October. These days, the island itself is closed to most visitors because Hurricane Zeta caused extensive damage to the pier and other parts of the area.     That did not stop Gulf Coast visitors from taking the boat tour, "Ship I...

       That's me, center, biting my finger nails and greeting my friend, Jean Pelzer, while her sister, Diane, is at left. Diane Pelzer was president of the GRA at Tipton High School in 1974. An explanation of GRA activities from the 1974 Tipton High School yearbook.      About a week ago, the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Association sanctioned girls' wrestling for the first time in state history.     It was approved because 58 high schools have committed to sponsoring the programs. There are 1,018 girls  participating in grappling programs from more than 185 high schools. This is the 11th girls' sport sanctioned in the state, and the first since bowling was okayed 15 years ago. (Source: ighsau.org)     Before those 11  sports became sanctioned, there was the Girls' Recreation Association, or GRA.     I attended school in Tipton, Iowa, from 1969 to 1976. In that time period our district started several gi...

The photo at top shows the patio before it was shoveled on Jan. 2; the shoveled version is above. It was a good cardio workout!      A week ago I wrote about derechos, and how we Iowans had become experts in dealing with this. What would 2022 bring?     It didn't take long to find out. We in Eastern Iowa endured a bunch of new snow, wind and the like. Winter clearly has arrived.     About snow: I happen to like snow. What is a burden to many does have an "up" side, so to speak.       To wit:     1. It's pretty. A lot of snow will cover the countryside in a sparkly, white blanket.     2. Birds are easier to spot. You will understand this if you feed wild birds. Those cardinals, Blue Jays, juncos (a personal favorite) and finches have colorful feathers that contrast nicely with winter white.     3. It provides a good work-out. Shoveling snow is good aerobic exercise for healthy individuals.    ...

       That's the big bird feeder whipping in the wind on Dec. 15. I eventually took it down and put it back up the next day.      Last Wednesday I was at a grocery store in Davenport to buy food and a couple of gifts.     I was in a hurry as the oncoming Dec. 15 windstorm had been predicted and was the main topic of news. This forecast meant I needed to return home to take down all sorts of items that could fly off, such as Christmas decorations, bird feeders and the like.     As I exited the store a gust of wind came, and several items flew off the cart. Two Good Samaritans --  including an elderly woman and a young man -- managed to capture the items that included an extra shopping bag and three of those big, padded, beige mail envelopes.     I apologized to the kind folks and made my way to the SUV and home. It took some time to take down and store all the items that would seem to be at risk in a big wind. ...