NASCAR: Atlanta

Finally! My team scored enough points to beat half of the other teams in the league... and I was racing one of them! Back on the winning track!

Johnson, Jimmie Qualifying Points : 33
Sprint Cup Points : 124

Mears, Casey Qualifying Points : 5
Sprint Cup Points : 112

Montoya, Juan Qualifying Points : 25
Sprint Cup Points : 115

Riggs, Scott Qualifying Points : 16
Sprint Cup Points : 109

JLT Racing 701 513 Team of Tomorrow
League of Tomorrow 642 470 DUI Racing
Tenth Frame 539 527 Hatethe8
Tri-Oval Grover 514 458 Left Side Rubber

NASCAR: Las Vegas

This week, the schedule didn't save me. Once again, my team only produced enough points to beat one team in the league; this time, I wasn't racing them.

Johnson, Jimmie Qualifying Points : 11
Sprint Cup Points : 76

Mears, Casey Qualifying Points : 33
Sprint Cup Points : 124

Montoya, Juan Qualifying Points : 13
Sprint Cup Points : 106

Smith, Regan Qualifying Points : 16
Sprint Cup Points : 61

Team of Tomorrow 655 490 Left Side Rubber
DUI Racing 554 427 Hatethe8
League of Tomorrow 548 440 Tenth Frame
Tri-Oval Grover 485 471 JLT Racing

NASCAR: California

This year is starting with my team producing just enough points to beat one other team and the schedule has be facing them. I'm a nervous 2-0.

Johnson, Jimmie Qualifying Points : 43
Sprint Cup Points : 180

Mears, Casey Qualifying Points : 39
Sprint Cup Points : 37

Montoya, Juan Qualifying Points : 23
Sprint Cup Points : 103

Smith, Regan Qualifying Points : 27
Sprint Cup Points : 70


Team (Code) Score Score Team (Code)
League of Tomorrow 617 590 Left Side Rubber
Hatethe8 573 567 JLT Racing
Tri-Oval Grover 565 538 DUI Racing
Tenth Frame 522 456 Team of Tomorrow

Shooting the Keokuk County Courthouse

Sigourney is the county seat of Keokuk County and this is their courthouse.

Keokuk County is unusual in that it has two county fairs. The Keokuk County Fair is held in What Cheer and immediately followed by the Keokuk County Expo which is held in Sigourney. - Wikipedia

Hmmm... possible future road trip!

Shooting the Washington County Courthouse

Washington is the county seat of Washington County and this is their courthouse. A good looking building near the center of town, this courthouse appears to have had a little work done. If you look closely, the roof on the clock tower has a nice pattern incorporated. The entry way appears to have been modified and one of the statues appears to have been painted. It's also uncommon in that it's set so close to the street.

Washington was the location of the first county hospital built west of the Mississippi River. Founded in 1912 and originally named Washington County Hospital,but changed to Washington County Hospitals & Clinics (WCHC) in 1998. - Wikipedia

Enjoying the Tuscan Tomato Soup at the Bread Garden Bakery & Cafe

While in Iowa City, Linda and I hit another of the 100 Things You Must Eat. Being an Iowa winter day, a nice bowl of soup with "Tuscan" in the name sounded in order. We were far from disappointed. First, it was available and delicious; we've gone looking for into a number of soups that were just not offered on the day we were there. Second, we ordered the soup and bread and were treated to pieces of bread with flavor and crust, two of my favorite things in bread. Third, the setting was a great, sun drenched bakery; the smells were terrific. Last, the university crowd was interesting people watching. This was a great stop!

Looking for a Pollock

Linda and I recently watched a movie, Pollock, about the life and career of the American painter, Jackson Pollock. Challenged on various levels, Jackson Pollock did put a new twist on the art of painting, so much so that some don't even really consider it painting. That said, Linda found that one of his paintings had found a home at the Museum of Art at the University of Iowa, close enough for a road trip.

We loaded up and drove to Iowa City and found that the Voom Portraits display had displaced the Pollock and we were not going to get to see the painting. We did take a look at the work but really would have preferred to have seen the painting we'd set out to see. Oh well... another day!

NASCAR: Daytona

Well... we're under way! My team won... but only because we were racing the one team we could beat. This isn't a great way to start the year.

Johnson, Jimmie Qualifying Points : 43
Sprint Cup Points : 87

Mears, Casey Qualifying Points : 35
Sprint Cup Points : 52

Montoya, Juan Qualifying Points : 29
Sprint Cup Points : 67

Smith, Regan Qualifying Points : 15
Sprint Cup Points : 55


Team (Code) Score Score Team (Code)
JLT Racing 675 509 DUI Racing
Tri-Oval Grover 659 497 Hatethe8
League of Tomorrow 602 587 Team of Tomorrow
Tenth Frame 383 356 Left Side Rubber

NASCAR Fantasy Draft

NASCAR.COM changed the rules for the fantasy league so some changes had to be made.

We now have eight in the league, up from six in prior years. Along with that, two teams merged so we needed three new participants. Fortunately, we were able to fill those spots.

We also were to expand our teams from four drivers to six; that's a lot of drivers! Six drivers on eight teams is forty-eight drivers on teams. Only forty-three start any given race. Fortunately(?), we only start four of the six so all teams SHOULD be able to have a full team start each week.

We learned that qualifying was also going to contribute points. Now, a good finisher that qualifies poorly might not be as valuable as they were last year. Lots to think about.

The draft ALSO changed to a real-time chat room type draft. We no longer could do our picks in advance and enter them into their system as we saw fit. Things were gonna change!

When the draft was complete, my team, Tenth Frame, had Jimmie Johnson, Casey Mears, Juan Montoya, Regan Smith, Sam Hornish Jr., and Scott Riggs; should be a nice team.

Sampling the tropics

Linda and I visited the Des Moines Botanical Center and got a break from the Iowa winter for an hour or so. As usual, we took our cameras and captured some nice images. We also got to visit a couple of displays in areas we'd not been to before. There was a very nice collection of photos and related flower arrangements. We also got to visit what appeared to be a greenhouse that had a nice variety of plants and structure. It's nice to have such a pretty place to escape the chill for a little while.

Playing with my beard

I recently let my beard grow out again. And, like all good things, the time came again for it to end. Before I shaved it all off, I thought I'd try out the Abraham Lincoln look. I kinda liked the look and thought I'd better record it for those fortunate enough to not have actually seen it live. As you may have guessed, it was more popular with some than others. Yes, I did finish the job and remain (fairly) clean shaven.

Of course, with the image processing technology available, I had to try the daguerreotype effect; again, I liked it! It is a bit (lot) darker and I didn't smile but it's kinda fun for me.

Swinging by the Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratories

Linda and I continue working on the list of 100 Place in Iowa. This time, the Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratories caught our eye... not an uncommon effect of many buildings designed by Frank O. Gehry. Not as controversial as some of his buildings, the IAT labs are a striking riverside feature. Covered in matte-finished stainless steel, the irregular lines make for interesting photographic opportunities. We took our shots but had to move along.

Trying the Brie Beast Sandwich

The Des Moines Register list of 100 things to eat in Iowa listed the Brie Beast Sandwich at the New Pioneer Co-op. For those not familiar with the Brie Beast, it's Niman Ranch roast beef, brie cheese, roasted sweet peppers, lettuce and tomato on farm bread and, having had one, it's a pretty tasty sandwich. As with many items on the list, Linda and I enjoyed looking around the store, admiring their baked good, and generally soaking up the co-op scene. Another tasty stop!

Shooting the Iowa City Carnegie Library

At the east end of the pedestrian mall in Iowa City, Linda and I found Iowa City's Carnegie library building. Still in use, this handsome building still has its place in the community.

Shooting the Johnson County Courthouse

Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and this is their courthouse. Located a few blocks south of the town center, this impressive building is unfortunately easy to miss. The walls on each side of the entrance have ornate carved stone figures. It's another fine example of the value the community put on their court house.

The county has a nice page about their courthouse. The following came from that page:

The present building - begun in 1899 and completed in 1901 - is Johnson County’s fourth courthouse. The first was a 2 story log cabin built in 1838 in the town of Napoleon, two miles south of Iowa City, off of Sand Road. Napoleon, was located in a flood plain, however, and the second courthouse was built on the hills north of Napoleon in the area that became Iowa City. Completed in 1842, this second wooden courthouse on the southeast corner of Harrison and Clinton Streets (presently a county parking lot leased from the School Board), was known as the "Old Smokehouse" because its chimneys never worked properly. It caught fire and burned to the ground on election night in 1856, when officials were counting votes. The third courthouse was built of brick and finished in 1857. It was declared unsafe in 1899. This two story building stood exactly where the present courthouse stands, and where the old jail stood behind the courthouse, on the northwest corner).

Shooting the Marengo Carnegie Library

Linda and I found the updated library in Marengo. Looking at the lines of the building, it looks like the main entrance likely used to be on the shaded, left end of this photo. To us, it looked like the building used to end just before the white stone entry to the right in this shot. That's about the size of most of the libraries we've been seeing. Also, as in many that we've seen, the community has done a nice job of extending the library with an addition. It's nice to see when these communities valued the original building enough to build on.

Shooting the Iowa County Courthouse

Marengo is the county seat of Iowa County and this is their courthouse. Though located off the town square, this courthouse was not hard to find.

Marengo is the birthplace of a highly decorated member of the United States Marine Corps. Bradley Kasal recently was decorated for actions he took to protect his fellow marines during time in Iraq. He's now achieved the rank of Sergeant Major.