bedsitter23: (Default)
bedsitter23 ([personal profile] bedsitter23) wrote2013-08-22 06:45 pm
Entry tags:

Day Tripper: "Well, turn it up, Man"

No trip to southwest Iowa is complete without seeing the Freedom Rock.

The Freedom Rock is a60-ton boulder that Ray "Bubba" Sorenson paints every year to honor veterans. His eventual goal is to paint a rock in all 99 Iowa counties.

You are probably thinking the same thing I was. Every day on Facebook, I see 'tributes' that are cheap, overly sappy, mawkish, even jingoistic. A rock painted by a guy named Bubba doesn't sound like much.

That said, it is actually an impressive tribute to those who served. Sorenson's detail is impressive (especially given the canvas) and quite even-handed, which means it is an inspiring patriotic tribute to all branches, all wars, and all that served.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Image and video hosting by TinyPic


We travelled to the next town over and saw a mural he painted on the side of a building. The local resident there said that the rock had been the re for years and was always the target of rival high school trash talk graffiti, until one year, Bubba, a high schooler, decided to paint it for Memorial Day.  It has turned into an annual tradition that is really inspiring.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic




Post a comment in response:

This account has disabled anonymous posting.
If you don't have an account you can create one now.
HTML doesn't work in the subject.
More info about formatting