Monday, September 06, 2010


CLICK-ON THIS PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT AND YOU WILL SEE
SEVERAL US FLAGS.
THEY ARE ALL OVER TOWN, THANKS TO THE MAQUOKETA OPTMIST CLUB.
THE MEMBERS PUT UP THE FLAGS AT THE START OF EACH
MAJOR HOLIDAY AND TAKE
THEM DOWN AT THE END.
THEY WILL HAVE FIVE TEAMS TAKINGD THEM DOWN LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND THERE ARE OVER 350 TO PICK UP.
RESIDENTS PAY SO MUCH A YEAR
TO HAVE A FLAG FLYING IN THEIR FRONT YARD EACH
NATIONAL HOLIDAY. IT IS A MONEY-MAKER FOR THE CLUB FOR THEIR MANY
COMMUNITY PROJECTS, BUT MORE IMPORTANT, IT MAKES MAQUOKETA THE
US FLAG CITY OF IOWA. CLICK-ON THE PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT.
THANKS OPTIMIST MEMBERS!!

THE MONDAY DAILY REPORT IS BELOW, PLUS SOME OTHER PHOTOS I TOOK TODAY.

THANKS FOR THE VISIT.

DENNIS VOY
A STRONG WINDSTORM PASSED THROUGH MAQUOKETA AROUND 1:30 THIS MORNING.
DOWNED ONE TREE THAT BLOCKED A STREET. WORKERS MOVED THE TREE AFTER THE STORM. THERE WAS RAIN, BUT NOT A LOT.
CLOUDY AND WINDY THIS MORNING. SHOULD MAKE IT INTO 80'S TODAY.

LABOR DAY 2010 AND SOME OF US HAVE TO LABOR. WAS UP TO THE CEMETERY
FOR A FEW MINUTES AND WATCHED 3 GENTLEMEN FROM MAQUOKETA DIG
FORREST TUBB'S GRAVE. THEY SAID IT IS A 2 AND 1/2 HOUR JOB. THEY CAN'T USE A MACHINE BECAUSE THE GRAVE IS BETWEEN HEADSTONES AND IMPOSSIBLE FOR EQUIPMENT TO GET TO THE SITE. HARD JOB, BUT SOMEONE HAS TO DO IT....AND
ON LABOR DAY IF NECESSARY. FORREST TUBBS FUNERAL IS TOMORROW
MORNING. I KNEW FORREST, AGE 99, PRETTY WELL. HE DID SOME CARPENTER WORK FOR ME AT THE PEARSON CENTER AND I PURCHASED APPLES FROM HIS POPULAR ORCHARD. THE APPLES ARE NOT BEING HARVESTED AGAIN THIS YEAR.
EVERYONE WONDERS WHAT EVENTUALLY WILL HAPPEN TO THE ORCHARD ON
WESTERN AVENUE.
ON THE SUBJECT OF APPLES......NANCY AND I, FRIDAY NIGHT ON THE WAY HOME
FROM MINNESOTA, STOPPED AT GAYS MILLS, WISCONSIN, THE APPLE CAPITOL
OF THE MIDWEST. THE SMALL TOWN OF 600 IS LOCATED ABOUT AN HOUR
OR MORE NORTHWEST OF DUBUQUE ON HIGHWAY 61. IT IS 6 MILES OFF OF 61,
AND DRIVING TO THE TOWN, ALL YOU SEE THE ENTIRE WAY ON BOTH SIDES OF THE
HIGHWAY IS APPLE ORCHARD AFTER APPLE ORCHARD. THERE ARE 5 OR 6 STORES
ON THE HIGHWAY AND WE STOPPED AT THE LARGEST CALLED SUNRISE ORCHARD.
AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, THEY HIRE 130 PEOPLE. ABOUT 30 DO THE PICKING, AND OTHERS THE PROCESSING, PACKAGING, AND WORK AT THE RETAIL STORE.
A GOOD PICKER CAN PICK 100 BUSHEL A DAY. THEY HAVE ALL KINDS, AND SAMPLES
OF EACH. THE TOWN HAS AN APPLE FESTIVAL THE LAST WEEKEND OF
SEPTEMBER, THE KICK-OFF OF THE SEASON. THE BIGGEST MONTH OF THE
YEAR IS OCTOBER AND THEY STAY OPEN UNTIL CHRISTMAS. AN INTERESTING PLACE. WE MAY GO BACK FOR MORE APPLES IN OCTOBER.

SAW THE HAWKEYES BEAT EASTERN ILLINOIS SATURDAY. THE HAWKS LOOKED GOOD. IOWA STATE ALSO WON LAST WEEK AND THE TWO FACE EACH OTHER
THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON. ALWAYS A GOOD GAME.

HAVE A NICE LABOR DAY AND GOOD WEEK AHEAD.

DENNIS VOY

THE 90TH BIRTHDAY PARTY
FOR RED HENTON WAS A BIG
SUCCESS FRIDAY NIGHT.
GUESTS WERE TAKEN FROM THEIR CAR TO THE DOOR IN
A GOLF CART AND TAKEN BACK
TO THEIR CAR AFTER. RED
GREETED EVERYONE AT DOOR AND ALL ENJOYED CAKE AND ICECREAM. SHOWN HERE WITH RED, HIS DAUGHTER
JUDY AND HUSBAND FROM
CLINTON AND TO THE RIGHT,
SUE BRIMEYER, OF MAQUOKETA,
MANAGER OF MCDONALDS.
DAUGHTER NANCY AND HUSBAND FROM GEORGIA MADE THE TRIP TO MAQUOKETA FOR
THE PARTY. CLICK-ON PHOTO
TO ENLARGE IT.
DENNIS VOY
LABOR DAY MORNING! NOW, TURNING TO FOOTBALL. THIS IS MAQUOKETA'S FOOTBALL FIELD, GOODENOW FIELD. GRUBS IN THE GRASS. YOU CAN'T SEE
IT, BUT A GRASS SPRINKLER WAS GOING AS I TOOK THIS PICTURE. THE FIELD
WAS BAD FOR THE OPENING GAMES A WEEK AGO AND SINCE THEN THEY HAVE
BEEN WORKING HARD TO IMPROVE THE TURF. THE NEXT GAME IS STILL
NEARLY 2 WEEKS AWAY, SO HOPEFULLY, IT WILL BE BETTER BY THEN. WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS PROBABLY THE WORST PART OF THE FIELD. THE UNDER-GRADE
GAMES ARE NOT BEING PLAYED HERE BUT AT THE HIGH SCHOOL PRACTICE FIELD
INSTEAD.
AND...MAQUOKETA WON FRIDAY NIGHT, DEFEATING MT. VERNON, 23 TO 17, IN A
NON-DISTRICT GAME. THE CARDINALS ARE NOW 2 AND 0 AND NEXT WEEK WILL TRAVEL TO VINTON-SHELLSBURG. THEN, BACK HOME THE WEEK AFTER TO
HOST CENTER POINT-URBANA.
CLICK-ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT.
DENNIS VOY
LABOR DAY MORNING! THIS PHOTO I TOOK DOWNTOWN AT THE SITE OF THE
BURNED OUT BUILDINGS. I SUPPOSE IT HAS BEEN TWO MONTHS SINCE THE
CLEAN-UP WAS FINISHED, AND THE SEEDING OF GRASS WAS DONE. FOR SOME
REASON, THE GRASS HAS BEEN VERY SLOW IN COMING UP, AS YOU CAN SEE.
IT WAS GOOD BLACK DIRT THAT WAS PUT IN THE HUGE HOLE AND THEY HAVE
BEEN WATERING THE NEW GRASS WEEKLY AND WE HAVE HAD THE 2ND WETTEST
SUMMER IN HISTORY......BUT STILL NOT DESCENT GRASS. IN IOWA , WE GROW THE BEST CORN AND SOYBEANS AND HAY, BUT WE HAVE TROUBLE GROWING GRASS.
DON'T TELL ANYBODY. CLICK-ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT.
ON THE OTHER HAND, MY LAWN WAS MOWED WEEKLY BY DARON FUGLSANG AND
COULD HAVE BEEN DONE EVEN MORE OFTEN. THERE WAS A LOT OF LAWN
MOWING DONE THIS SUMMER IN MAQUOKETA.
DENNIS VOY