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ORONOCO
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A little old Presbyterian church. I’d say it was built in the 1880’s or ‘90’s |
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| A lovely lawn ornament. It looks like the tire is in need of repair and they just didn’t get around to do it yet. |
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These folks have a few cars, trucks, and a school bus! |
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A sign that is advertising for Mike Meyer who is a sign painter. Clever! The style is 1940’s or 50’s but the sign isn’t very old. Notice the separate hand that sticks out of the ground. Later I found out the Mike Meyer is a very interesting fellow. Mike's philosophy is "Think of the obvious and then go OPPOSITE!" Go to Mike's site and see what the opposite of obviousity is: http://www.mikemeyersigns.com |
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| A shed where construction equipment is stored. Notice the war support. Luckily you only see a few of these signs. |
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| Behind the shed were some brightly colored snow plows. The brightest color in the whole area on this day! |
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| A nice little house tucked in the woods. I think it is cute! There is a welcoming and cozy feel about it. |
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| A house with some kind of interesting new attachment on it. It also has a war sign. It almost looks like this was two houses joined together. |
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| An open field with chopped wood for sale. There is a satellite TV dish so the people can watch 500 channels of TV. Hopefully they’ll find something good! It looks like the conveyor belt was used to unload the wood truck and pile it up. |
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| Oronoco Minnesota Houses and an antique store on the main road into town. I guess they must sell Pepsi there. |
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| A very small post office. This lady just checked for her mail. People can rent PO boxes inside that they can check any time. Standard blue mailbox is in front. |
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An interesting miniature shed in someone’s yard. There is a boat inside. There are a lot of lakes in Minnesota. It is known as “Land of 10,000 Lakes” I guess there are even more than that! A lot of people have boats for fishing and recreation. Since the Mississippi River is close by, a lot of people go “down on the river”. |
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Upon first glance, this sign is very foreboding. Then the hilarious jokes become apparent and I laugh. These crazy Minnesotans! |
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A little playground set in someone’s yard. This is a modern style so does not remind me of my youth, but definitely of my children’s early years. |
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A basic house on a hillside. The garage looks like it is almost as big as the house! Notice in the right is an oak tree. I love the way they hang on to their leaves in the winter. When it is cold and noiseless on a winter’s day, the wind makes the leaves rustle and come alive with a gentle sound. |
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Looking across the small Zumbro River. This building was built in 1912, which is very modern by European standards, but for us an old building. I love old buildings! They have such a character about them and the stories they could tell! 1912… that’s the year the Titanic sank. Such a sad tale that has haunted me all of my life. Ah, the movie! We just saw it again on TV during the Holidays. It still touches me very much!! |
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One cannot walk over a bridge with out looking over it! I always spit and watch it fall. Once joyfully moving waters are now locked up tightly in winter’s grip. |
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Looking further down the “Mighty Zumbro” |
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On the other side of the bridge is a little dam. Winter could not stop this action and the rushing noise is pleasant to hear. |
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A nice brick house but in a rather desolate setting. Where are the trees, bushes, gardens? C’mon people! Come alive! |
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I like stuff like this. I should come back over the seasons and follow it photographically. What I really like about this is the modern tire and hub in conjunction with the old fashioned wooden spokes. Not so common here! |
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Looking out over a barren field. The trees in this small stand of oaks did not hold on to their clothing—naked and cold! |
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The ruins of a barn. The wooden main structure is long gone but the foundation remains to tell the tale. |
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A very typical small Southeastern Minnesota farm. Its windmill still stands but is unused as only the vane remains. I like it when I see an old windmill that is turning and functioning with the wind. |
MAZEPPA
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Looking down the main street of Mazeppa. |
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A little bead&breakfast. It looks like this handsome old house was added onto. I like it’s color. |
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Mazeppa’s original old bridge. I admire Mazeppa for keeping it, fixing it up, and making it a pedestrian foot bridge; the old working nicely with the new, not cast off with disregard. Bravo Mazeppa! |
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A very nice old building with a mural showing a little history of Mazeppa. |
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A very bright and unusual sign for a restaurant. Hey, I’ve gotta go to Joe’s! |
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An old garage next to a cheaply built modern (but a little rusty) one. They should fix up the old one! |
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The American Legion. The “Legion” was an organization started after World War I for the veterans to get together. There were many social events. One thing is the ”Friday Night Fish Fry” which is still common today. The Legion always takes part in our patriotic parades. |
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Parting shot… what we call a trailer or mobile home. It is made in a factory and moved in by truck. Once it is set on a foundation it is not typically moved again. They have “Trailer Parks” where many are together. They are inexpensive housing and are notorious for casualties in fires and high wind storms (tornados) because they are small and have no firm attachment to the ground. |
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