Baker's heartbeat

  Alina and Thea Rodewald, now 14 months old.      No one would describe me as particularly maternal. I lost my mother at an impressionable age and was raised by my father. I never considered myself much good at babysitting.    That's until grandkids arrived and I had time on my hands.     Today, I find a lot of joy in being around and playing with the three  young girls, youngest of the nine wonderful grandkids we have.     I call the youngest Rodewald daughters -- who recently celebrated their first birthday -- the "Gerber babies" and they are a busy duo. These days they are taken with magnetic toys and I find I enjoy playing with them, a lot!     This approach is not a bad idea if you have a baby in your life.     According to firstthingsfirst.org , love is the most important thing grandparents can offer. That's not too surprising.  Babies and toddlers need unconditional love, regular support an...

       The Jewish Federation hosted a History Walk on Aug. 20  at Hebrew Cemetery, Rock Island.      The hot sun baked the Hebrew Cemetery in Rock Island on Sunday (Aug. 20), but that failed to deter some 150 folks who took part in a most interesting event.     Organizers from Congregation Beth Israel of the Tri-City Jewish Center said they were concerned about the toasty weather during the Living Jewish History Epitaph Walk at the Hebrew Cemetery.       Dozens and dozens of bottled water was iced in coolers, and placed around the grounds.  The Walk included several stops at tented areas, so attendees were able stand in the shade.     Fascinating materials included a description of how the Hebrew Cemetery started; it took about two years for all parties to agree to allow the Cemetery  Association to develop eight acres of land in South Rock Island Township. Approval was finally granted and the land...

       That's Kirstin Baker (yellow top), age 8, at the Junior Bix in 1998      It was the summer of 1998, and our active 8-year-old daughter, Kirstin, enjoyed running around our Scott County neighborhood.     It made sense for husband Steve and I, both employed at the Quad-City Times, to register Kirstin for the first "Junior  Bix"  event planned for the Friday night before the famous 7-mile race.     Kirstin had taken part in a children's race before and it seemed a no-brainer. We got everyone loaded into the car on Friday, July 24, and headed for the Times.       We had no idea what to expect.     That first event has been termed "organized chaos" in the 25 years since it was held.      Those who planned the Quad-City Times Bix 7 thought a special race for children was a great idea. They expected some 1,500 entries, but an additional 5,000 children, parents, grandparents, fri...

  Grandchildren include: Collin, Nathan, Mick, Brady, Bryant, with Hailey and Myla in front row     Welcome to Baker Land, where the grass is green, the flowers are blooming and the grandchildren are above average.     Earlier this month, many years of watching grandkids in local high school sports came to an end. Brady Hansen, a recent graduate of Davenport West High School, was a pitcher and starting catcher on the Falcons team.     To begin at the beginning: The eldest grandson, Bryant Campbell, was the first one to follow. He and his cousin, Mick Baker, were on a 2013 Davenport Assumption baseball team that made the state tournament but lost in a heart-breaking fashion.      Mick was on the 2014 Assumption team that did win the state tournament. That included a substate game against Central DeWitt, versus T.J. Sikkema, who now is a pitcher for the Kansas City Royals organization. Mick held his own against Sikkema in that game, in mos...

  Mick Baker of Chicago plays fast-pitch softball. He was in a Walcott tournament and is shown with his Grandpa, Steve Baker.      Men's fastpitch softball is alive and thriving, with a recent example seen in the community of Walcott, Iowa, located a few miles west of Davenport and the Quad-Cities.     Walcott (population, 1,500) has a long history with softball and in late June hosted the Larry Koberg Iowa Area Men's Fast-pitch Softball tournament -- a qualifier for the world tournament later this summer.     That's the most recent iteration of favored summer pastime.       The game of softball has a long and complicated history, according to The New Republic, a news magazine. In an article from 2016, the respected magazine explained that softball traces its roots to 1887. A group of men had gathered to watch the Harvard/Yale football game via ticker-tape. Yale won, and a happy fan picked up a boxing glove, and threw it up in the ...

       "The Starry Night" is one of Vincent Van Gogh's most famous works of art. It is now on display at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City.      In August of 1976, this blogger decided to buy some posters for her next home: A dorm room in Maple Hall at Iowa State University, Ames.     I and others at Tipton High School had been introduced to art, and the Expressionists, during an  advanced-level humanities class.  "The Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh was available as a poster and it was the first thing I purchased and put up in the dorm room.       The interest has never waned. In 1995 I saw Van Gogh's work displayed in the Louvre Museum, Paris.     This week a friend and I visited the "Beyond Van Gogh" exhibit at the RiverCenter, Davenport. I would heartily suggest this immersive experience, especially for those of you who appreciate art and the artists behind the work.     Modern art...

       The Amtrak train enters the station in Princeton, Ill.      The idea of train travel from the Quad-Cities to Chicago has been bandied about for years. It would be a valuable asset, if and when it happens.     The latest news on this topic came in the Quad-City Times newspaper, Feb. 28, 2023. In a story by Gretchen Teske and Grace Kinnicutt, it was reported that Iowa Interstate Railroad was asking for too much money to pay for needed improvements on the rail line it controls.     This line is the quickest local link to Chicago, but it must be upgraded before Amtrak can use it for passengers.     We Bakers recently took the train from Princeton, Ill., to Chicago. Princeton is about 70 minutes from our home in Eldridge.       I was determined to write a blog and to get the photo, above. That led to a bit of trouble: The woman who was working at the train station came out to ask me to move. "The tr...