Maps and Legends: Tree in the Middle of the Road

Every area has its peculiar landmarks.  I always enjoy finding or hearing about a new one.

Adair, Iowa for example has got a lot of publicity for its water tower with a happy face.



Which I never thought was that particularly odd, but then again there are a few including one in Makanda, Illinois that I was already familiar with.

I was always more impressed with the Hot and Cold water towers.  Now that's funny.

So, you can probably see where I am going with this.

Which is that I heard someone say they were going to see the famous tree in the middle of the road.

Every area has their quirky places and this fits nicely into local folklore and you can read about it in places like Roadside America.





The county's website offers this explanation:
The story of "THE TREE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD”.  A surveyor was marking the line between Audubon and Cass counties and used a slender cottonwood branch as he walked. When the line was established, he pushed it in the soft earth at the exact point where the lines crossed and where the present crossroad was to be in later years.



Might not make it out that way, but it was worth sharing, and reminds me that it's not the most famous tree in Iowa.  That belongs to the one in Exira that will occasionally show up in media coverage with a story that is hard to beat.

The Plow in the Oak




Once again, the Roadside America guys have the popular folklore covered, so I will let them tell it.

The popular legend is that a young farmer, Frank Leffingwell, was out plowing his field when a group of Union soldiers passed by. Overwhelmed by patriotism, Frank leaned his plow against a young oak tree and left to join the Civil War -- and never returned. Time and an unforgiving tree did the rest.

The story is likely less exciting than that.  RA says it was probably a farm hand and a plow that wouldn't work; and time forgotten.

Anyway, great tale to share and a must for suckers of the likes of Weird America and Roadsideamerica.com

On the Shelf 091: David Bowie

As you may know, David Bowie has a new album out.

It's got a ot of buzz, probably because many assumed Bowie had retired, while certainly the album cover (which recalls "Heroes") showed that the ambition was there.



Personally, I found the cover to be a grand statement and am glad the record strived for it.

This also means the recent Bowie discography (as per usual) gets re-evaluated.

"Next Day" got a lot of comparisons to Lodger right out of the gate and a lot of positive reviews (CBS News, the most grandiose, calling it the best Bowie album 'to date'.)

Which scared me a bit. As a teenager, Lodger was where I dropped off. On one hand, it actually does contain some of my favorite Bowie songs ("DJ", "Boys Keep Swinging") but the rest of the album just isn't for me.

That said, I can't place a finger on Day. There are Lodger moments but also Scary Monsters moments and certainly, despite the mix of sounds, it isn't much of a departure from other 21st Century Bowie.

And come to think of it... I like 21st Century Bowie. While, this album means every reviewer is also re-evaluating his recent art, and it generally has fared well; I say it's better than it gets.

Heathen was particularly good and to dip into the 90s, Earthling and Hours.. are pretty solid albums taken away from the inevitable comparison to the previous discography.

So, I will come out and say Day is as good as they say, in that it bests the last 30 years of work, but I will also say that work was better than you remember and Day isn't perfect either. It does have some standout singles (in an alternate world, "The Stars Are Out Tonight" would be a smash hit (it did do well in Adult-alternative outlets) and stands well as a whole.

Equally worth noting are Bowie's videos. I will suspect everyone has seen the video for "The Stars" in either it's explicit or safe version which features Tilda Swindon. If not, i know In have some Swindon fans here, and would recommend googling it.

The new video is for the title track, and is currently raising ire among The Catholic League. It features a Catholic Priest played by Gary Oldman, and features religious imagery, scantily clad women, S&M images, stigmata, and a possible Bowie-as-Christ metaphor.

Anyway, check it out. there is an explicit version and a version that isn't explicit but would still anger the right people, so watch carefully.

David Bowie - The Next Day from Gluver on Vimeo.