Too Bizzy to Blog

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Yup, I'm too busy to blog right now.......Haha, yeah, right.......and here's some reasons why!

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We picked up rocks in the field all afternoon today. At one point I found this rusty old piece of a fence post.........in a cross-shape.......COOL!

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Later, Husband's brother drove out to the field to discuss an issue concerning their father's estate. What a hassle. I retreated to an area of long grass and sat down for awhile, then laid back and soaked in the sight of the lovely blue sky...........intersected here and there by jets flying way up yonder. I zoomed the camera in on this one..........it was SO white..........maybe it was Air Force One!! Just kidding! It was flying from the southeast to slightly northwest........I like to try and guess where the planes might traveling from and to.........perhaps this one was Atlanta to Minneapolis.

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Despite the sun's shining brightly all day, there was a definite chill in the air.........the cool breath of October came a day early! I don't know about you, but when the temps finally drop in the fall, my gears shift with difficulty and I have to be very careful to dress warmly and get enough sleep or I end up with a nasty chest cold and a cough which often lingers long into the winter. So today out in the field I kept my ears and neck covered and wore a sweatshirt. Husband was out there in his shirt sleeves, of course.......he never gets sick, the lucky guy.

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Take GOOD care of yourself, too, as the weather changes bring stress to your body! Health sleep, here I come! Who cares about "beauty sleep"?! "Health sleep" is the way to go!

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From Top of Silo

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I got home from church yesterday and had to talk Husband down from HERE.......70 feet up, at the top of "THE MOOSE" silo! (That's what we call it.) The tractors way below look like toys, don't they!

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Actually, he took the camera up there to take pictures of the field which was tiled recently........for record-keeping purposes. (And......he normally goes to church, but this morning he stayed home to unload the last loads of silage and level it off up inside the silo.)

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Can you see him up there in this next photo? It doesn't bother him a bit to be up there, but just seeing anyone up that high makes my stomach churn! A crew of Amish guys erected that silo several years ago and they climbed around like ants up there.......I was SO glad when they were finally finished........and, SAFELY!!

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I'm making a deal with you.......to not blog again until I've caught up on reading other blogs! After that I'll let you know where I went yesterday........although some of you may have it figured out already!

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Have a great Monday! Keep your feet on the ground!

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Where Is This?

Hey, blog friends.......I haven't forgotten that many of you have blogs, too, and I've neglected visiting them the last few days. I hope you can forgive me. My excuse is its been busy around here. I should have stayed home today (Sunday) and caught up on reading blogs, but the weather was so nice and no one needed me around here, so I flew the coop!

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This video's picture is not very good, but you should be able to hear the sound. Try to guess where this video was taken. Here's a hint: An event in life which is very special has taken place something like 72,750 times at this place, including three times yesterday!

Central College Chapel

In keeping with the previous week's posts from Pella.........this one will feature the chapel on the Central College campus in Pella. This school is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America.

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The skylight windows in the chapel's ceiling form a Cross:

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You can see how the the roof tapers up to form a narrow cross-shape:

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The only stained-glass window to be found was above one of the doorways. I Googled Eendracht Maakt Macht, to find that it means "Union is Strength". Here's a coat of arms which is somewhat similar to the one(s) depicted on the window.

[Update several hours after this post was published: I clicked on this window photo to enlarge it and I see there are more words at the top.......Nisi Dominus Frustra. A quick Google of that phrase led to this blogpost by a Presbyterian pastor named Mark Roberts, which explains the meaning of those words. They are from Psalm 107:1.]

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The organ pipes:

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And, in conclusion.......the quiet, unassuming altar:

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Perhaps you will have a quiet, unassuming day of rest today!!

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(While you're resting, if you're in the mood for a fascinating read.......go here:

"Sabbath vs Sunday: The Rest of the Story". Its on a site called WorldNetDaily, which I'm not necessarily advocating.......but, the article is full of interesting info about the early Church and other things, such as the days of the week, which we never give a second thought to!)

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Silage, Poop, Birds, Hoofs

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Well.......what could those four items possibly have in common? Silage......Poop.......Birds.........Hoofs? On this warm September Saturday, they are all FLYING around on this farm!! Add my feet to that list, too! This post serves to allay your fears that perhaps ALL I do is blog.

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First of all........corn is being chopped, by our neighbor in his weirdo GREEN tractor. The chopped corn is blown into the wagon trailing behind........sort of like "flying" into the wagon, for my post purposes, anyhow.

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There are two active fliers in this next photo: birds and cow manure; plus one potential group of fliers: heifer hoofs; plus one pair of fliers you can't see......my feet! I'm out in the pasture trying to round up the heifers, which is a bit more difficult than usual with all the noisy tractor activity going on which tends to spook them. In the background you can see my son running the manure spreader.......with cow poop flying!

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The dogs and I chased the herd to the end of the pasture, hoping a couple of them would decide to gallop the right way and lead the rest in the correct direction toward the gate. That's usually all it takes, although this morning things didn't go so smoothly. Let's just say I've had my exercise for the day, and the day is not even half done yet!

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These flocks of cowbirds that hang around the cattle herds in the fall are just fascinating to watch......and, TRY to take pictures of! Click on this next one to enlarge it and see how bizarre the birds look! Which reminds me........anyone ever watch Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds?! Sorry to put thoughts of that movie in your head!

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Caution........I think this next one's for you! This was lying out in the pasture this morning! I think it must have been attached to the back of some piece of machinery as a "caution" or "slow-moving vehicle" sign.

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Here's a video of corn silage moving from the wagon into the blower which forces the silage up the pipe and into the top of the silo. I'm happy to stay right here on the ground......thank you very much!

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Now........I must get busy and fix dinner for all these men who are roaring around in tractors!

Have a great day!

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Walkin' In Pella

Now its time to marcheren across Franklin Street and lopen around in the Pella Town Square Park. Right in the corner is this information center built in the windmill style, of course!

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Centered along the south side of the park is this towering tribute to "Tulip Time", which refers to the famous Tulip Festival held every year in May.........at "tulip time", of course! Below this Tulip Tower is a stage surrounded by a circular area of seating. The coat of arms at the top presumably represents Holland/The Netherlands.

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In the center of the town square park is this sundial:

Click the photo to enlarge it and read how the sundial works:

Throughout the park were gorgeous flower beds! Perhaps someone can enlighten me as to the name of the plant above, with its showy orange blooms and unique variegated leaves.
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From the vantage point of the park, the buildings along Franklin Street look thus:

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Ah, yes.......at last, I spy the Jaarsma Bakery! Before leaving Pella, a stop there is essential!

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And, to be fair........there is another bakery in town.......Vander Ploeg's. I once perused a Pella phone book. It is filled with names beginning with Van or Vander, along with many ending in --sma. Either of those prefixes or the suffix could be added to my last name----or YOUR last name----and our names would sound authentically Dutch! Especially, too, if we slipped our feet into some clompen......wooden shoes!

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Actually, I think I can safely claim a tiny bit of Dutch ancestry, for in my family tree is the name Van Amburg! Hooray! But, even if not..........do you know that song, "Walkin' in Memphis"? Here's one of the verses:

"Now Muriel plays piano

Every Friday at the Hollywood

And they brought me down to see her

And asked me if I would

Do a little number

And I sang with all my might

And she said

"Tell me......are you a Christian, child?"

And I said...... "Ma'am, I am tonight!"

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Yup........I was Dutch that day........"Walkin' in Pella"!!

Or lopen in Pella......or marcheren in Pella!!

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In the background of this post's final photo is the Scholte House Museum, with its brand-new Lincoln exhibit. We'll be headed there next time........

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Solomon's Seal & Friends

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Due to the title of this post, did you hope to find a biblical prophecy theme here today? Solomon was into proverbial wisdom and love songs more than prophecy. The END TIMES may or may not be upon us, but I will continue to take pictures of God's creations.........plants and flowers and whatever else looks interesting! If the Rapture roundup angels come to this area, they may have to look in the road ditch to find me.

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Well, the fruits in this photo below resemble blueberries or small grapes.........but, they're not, of course. They are Solomon's Seal berries and I've no idea whether or not they're edible and am not brave enough to bite into one to find out! My wildflower book states: The roots were used as medicine and food by Native Americans and pioneers, and were ground into flour or eaten boiled.

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Here's a website devoted entirely to Solomon's Seal........this quote can be found there: Common experience teacheth, that in the world there is not to be found another herbe comparable to it. ---- from Gerrard's Herbal, 1597. (I'm not necessarily promoting their product, but it is interesting to read about.)

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Here's something I know is edible........and usable for many, many purposes, from cooking oil to motor oil.........soybeans! The golden leaves of a week ago have turned brown and shriveled, revealing pods clinging up and down the bean plant stalks. Harvest-time for this field looms in the near future.

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This branch-full of wild plums hides out in a road ditch a couple miles away from here.

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And, here's another view of the wild grapevine down by Crane Creek. I adjusted the color a bit so if you click the photo to enlarge it you should be able to see the clumps of tiny grapes draped like strands of jewels around the tree branches!

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Have a wonderful day! Find some autumn beauty in your little corner of the world!

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Googling the Future

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So tonight I decided to Google prophecy stuff, due to the fact that I had been inane enough to blog on that subject yesterday. Scary websites like this came up. I won't link you to any of the MANY biblical prophecy sites, each one offering a different correct version of what the Bible predicts for the future of humanity and our planet. I will tell you, though, that Russia invading Georgia on 08/08/08 sparked much interest amongst prophecy buffs.

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And then there appeared a link to a National Geographic article which I do remember reading in the orthodontist's waiting room last spring. Here is the link to the photos that accompany the article, and they are quite amazing! From there, if you wish, you can click to the "Feature Article" about the Hadron Collider........one of the hottest, fastest things going in science right now. The Hadron Collider in Switzerland gets the most publicity, but there are two others in existence......one in Illinois, the other in California.

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If you do read the article.......I especially appreciated the explanatory analogy given in the last paragraph on page 4........about mud, boots, and shoes. It was helpful in trying to picture what these physicists are talking about.

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Unsubstantiated theories are being tossed around that the Hadron Collider will cause a black hole to form which will swallow up the Earth in the year 2012.......the date which marks the end of the world on the Mayan calendar. Why am I posting any of this? I think to help dispell my own fears and insecurities........the more I know, the less afraid I am. And, God's in charge, anyhow.

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Sunrise, Sunset in Iowa

Seven sunrises and sunsets have rolled around and here we are at another SkyWatch Friday post. Last week brought beautiful sunrises and sunsets to Iowa.

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Sunrise:

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Sunset:

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"Sunrise, sunset.....

Swiftly flow the days."

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Thank you for stopping by! Hie thee to the Skyley website to visit more of this week's SkyWatch Friday posts:

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To the Klokkenspel

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Here we are........back in Pella, Iowa........having made our way down Franklin Street after leaving the Vermeer Windmill corner:

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This tall, square brick building is the Pella Opera House. I especially liked the round window designs.

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Now we're gazing up at the Klokkenspel.

Notice the row of bells on top:

I believe the bells chimed every quarter-hour. At the top of each hour, music box songs would play, heralding the appearance of four important figures in Pella's history........this one happens to be a Dutch lady. (Read the paragraph below to find out who this lady is and why she is crying.)

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HERE IS AN EXPLANATION OF THE FOUR PELLA HISTORICAL FIGURES DEPICTED IN THE KLOKKENSPEL WINDOWS (found on this iExplore travel webpage):

"Klokkenspel: Anticipation mounted in our small group of onlookers in front of the brick facade and decorated neck gables of the Pella klokkenspel. Some had seen it before and assured those who hadn’t that the figures would first emerge from behind the curtained glass on the north side. Sure enough, at 1pm sharp, the Dominee (pronounced DOE-muh-nay) Scholte (the sch pronounced with one of those impossible Dutch guttural G’s that sound like you’re clearing you’re throat), Separatist founder of Pella, reverent in glasses and wisp of a smile, baptizes an infant in a long trailing Christening gown. Act two in the window to the right: dark-haired Dominee’s wife Mareah breaks down in eternal tears, grieving the loss of her fine Delft blue china broken in transit from the Netherlands. She holds a broken piece of Delft in her left hand. Luckily the hanky she holds in her right hand is a large one. After Mareah’s tears have been spent, a youthful blacksmith pounds forever on his anvil, representing the work ethic of this community. Shades of the Wild West! – it’s Wyatt Earp – this famous lawman spent some of his boyhood in Pella. He’s cleaning his Winchester rifle in the last window of the north-facing klokkenspel."

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These archways below the Klokkenspel lead into a lovely courtyard beyond:

Beautiful scenes made of Dutch tiles adorned one side of the courtyard. Notice the S-shaped bench........like the Dutch letter pastries! (The "S" stands for Sinterklaas......the Dutch Santa Claus.)

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On the opposite side of the courtyard was this shop window displaying Dutch souvenirs.

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Where are we headed after this?

Find out next time!!

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End-Times & Wild Vines

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If you think it will bother you to know what's buried within my religious psyche, then you'd better not read this post. It comes from long ago and very deep within, and I'm going to be completely honest with you.........after I show you this wild grapevine.........

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A couple miles from where I live is a bridge over Crane Creek, surrounded by a low-lying wooded area. Yesterday, I detoured through there after picking up an empty pan at church, from an egg casserole I took to a congregational brunch on Sunday.

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This dead tree trunk looked interesting, accessorized as it was with vines and reddened leaves:

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I had only my Canon PowerShot with me, so am hoping to go back today with the Nikon D40 to perhaps get a better picture. Perhaps.......perhaps not.

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Squinting closer at the top of the trunk, my eyes finally focused and these wild grapevines came into view!

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My hours of solitary driving over the weekend gave me plenty of time to think, and often the thoughts turned in the direction of the upcoming presidential election. Callie of Chezbichet blog has a post concerning prayer and the upcoming election. Though its not my desire to endorse any certain candidate in my blog writing, I do agree that prayer for the election is needful!

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Not that its here nor there, or that anyone should care, but I'm going to explain where life has put me in the spectrum of Christianity. Through no fault of my own I was born to parents who attended an American Baptist Church, of the Northern Baptist Convention. In case you aren't familiar with them, they are more on the liberal side than the Southern Baptists, Regular Baptists, and certainly, than the various very strict Baptist sects that exist. I think Bill Moyers is an American Baptist.......GASP........that awful, liberal journalist, Bill Moyers.

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There was a rather heavy dose of religious fanaticism buried within our household, though. I'm mostly at a loss to know where exactly it originated. My mom grew up Evangelical United Brethren (E.U.B., which later merged with the Methodists, to become the United Methodists). Her mother, in particular, was not vocal about her beliefs........Grandma went to a Methodist church, but was quiet about her faith, otherwise. My dad had grown up in the Baptist church we attended; his mother seemed fairly quiet about religious matters, too, although she for years taught the older peoples' Sunday School class.

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The dynamics of the household I grew up in were complicated; there was hidden alcoholism going on, thus plenty of pretense and hypocrisy permeating the family atmosphere. I, as a child, had no comprehension that this might be abnormal.......it was simply normal for our household. Kids soak up whatever is dished out to them; they aren't able to discriminate.

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For whatever reason, from time to time, my parents would go to services at other churches, mostly on Sunday evenings. Thus, I've experienced the Assembly of God/Pentecostal/Charismatic-type service. I've observed an overly dramatic pastor claiming to be doing healings before a crowd of people whose arms are raised, with unintelligible gibberish pouring from their mouths. I simply observed......I was a kid stuck with being required to accompany my parents.

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Another church experience we had was attending summer tent meetings of the local Gospel Hall. These people were and are very upstanding, kind people, and definitely not charismatic, but were and are very conservative; back then they didn't have TV's and the women kept their hair long and up in buns, and wore hats to church services. We, of course, didn't wear hats, and sat there feeling idiotic and conspicuous with our uncovered heads. This group also didn't believe in organs or pianos in church, so congregational singing was a cappella. They didn't have pastors, either.......men of the congregation would preach, though at the tent gatherings the speaker was an evangelist guy from somewhere else, usually Canada. The one I particularly recall was from Toronto and had a German name and quite an interesting brogue when he preached.

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In the summer, the Gospel Hall special speakers would travel around the community in pairs, calling on people to discuss the Christian faith. My sisters and I called them "the tent guys". One summer afternoon when I was maybe thirteen or so, I was home alone mowing lawn and the tent guys drove in. I was embarrassed that they were seeing me in shorts, but I shut off the mower and talked to them for a few minutes. They came right out and asked me if I thought my parents were saved! I answered that I was quite sure one was but wasn't sure about the other one! I didn't go into any other details. Can you even imagine people going around asking kids that? Is that a good idea? A few years later, shortly after I had gotten married, I was mowing lawn at the acreage where Husband and I lived........dressed in normal hot-weather lawn-mowing attire, short shorts and a skimpy tank top. It was way out in the country and I was not expecting company, so who cared, anyhow..... right? Well, wouldn't you know it, all of a sudden two of the tent guys drove in. They had seen me out in the yard pushing the mower; otherwise I would have just hid until they left. I tried to position myself behind a weedy fenceline as I spoke with them so they wouldn't see my short-shorts-clad legs. They knew me as this supposedly good Christian girl and here they were witness to the fact that I was dressed very immodestly! They gave me some tracts and invited me to the upcoming tent meetings. I was uncomfortably embarrassed........and, very happy when they left!

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In my junior high and early high school years, I attended a Gospel Hall Bible study with my parents.........mostly because I had a minor crush on one of the boys from that group. (Oh, thank the good Lord he never took an interest in me!) The Bible study was about the book of Revelation and all sorts of End-Times speculations. Yes, my parents were really into that stuff. Well.....let's see......at that time it was thought that perhaps Henry Kissinger might be the Antichrist, because he was a politically influential Jew. Hmm.......bar codes and Master Card might be part of the End Time scenario.......precursors to "the mark of the Beast", when people would be required to have "666" tatooed on our foreheads in order to buy and sell. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse might symbolize races of people......white, black, yellow, red. Babylon, the Great Whore.......well, that might be the Catholic Church or the United States. The ten-headed beast might be the Common Market, a revived Roman Empire with ten member countries. The Antichrist would amazingly recover from some sort of seemingly mortal wound, the healing coming via his sidekick, the False Prophet, AND everyone around the world would see this happen (live TV or internet?). Preceding it all would be the renewal of some abominable sacrifice in Jerusalem......something to do with a red heifer.

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And, then there was the Millenium.......the 1000-year reign of Christ and His people.........those Christians who persevere and prevail, I guess. (For sure, it would be the Christians who don't fall prey to becoming opinionated bloggers.) After that, the devil will be released from his shackles below and wreak havoc amongst the nations again. Armageddon will occur after that, perhaps, or maybe it is before......I can't recall for sure. Gog and Magog will rise up against Israel. The image from the dream in the biblical book of Daniel comes into play somewhere along the way, too. Quite a collection of scenarios can be fit together from biblical prophecy.

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Here are some penciled notes in my old Bible next to Revelation Chapter 6: "We are all gone (Raptured). Tribulation = 7 years. Great Tribulation = 3 1/2 years. " I have an arrow pointing to "white horse" in verse 2 from the penciled words: "The Beast/False Prophet." "Horse = power and speed. White = clean. Antichrist = religious power. Beast = political power. No arrow = conquers with peace. " (We are to be suspicious of anyone promoting peace!)

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Anyhow, the great and wonderful thing was, of course, that all of us Christians would have been "Raptured" by the time the terrible Tribulation stuff started to happen. And, the Rapture was expected to happen any day. Remember, I'm like 14 to 16-years-old during this time. I figured I'd never live to experience sex......yes, that's right.......sex.......let me say it again.......SEX.......marriage and children, too. Forget about considering college, how pointless that would be when the world is about to end! Plus, my parents told us that college was where people went to become atheists.......or, worse yet......HIPPIES!

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If you didn't grow up with this mindset permeating your household, I'm ecstatically happy for you. I've read that the Palin family possibly espouses these beliefs. If so, I might have some understanding of the deeper reason why Bristol decided to have premarital sex despite her Christian upbringing. It was a temptation for me, too, back then, just so I could experience it before the Rapture......though I was too fearful to do such a thing. I don't know what my dad would have done if any of his daughters had ended up pregnant out-of-wedlock. I shudder to contemplate such a scenario. To my dad, a girl who had premarital sex was "ruined". (That "ruined" description didn't apply to the boy, of course.)

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I also had fears that the Rapture would occur and I would, for some reason (probably because I wanted to have sex), be left behind to experience the Tribulation. If that happened, if I clung to Christian beliefs, I would end up being martyred, of course, perhaps being one of the 144,ooo from the Tribulation period. I used to panic when I suddenly couldn't find any of my family out on our farm.......I thought they had been Raptured! I would quickly look across the road to the neighbor's place to see if I could spot any of their family out in the yard.......they were Gospel Hall people and they for sure would be Raptured. If I could see any of them then I breathed easier, knowing the Rapture had not taken place, and I had not been Left Behind! We did see a movie at our Baptist church about such a thing once; it ended up with the Christians all lined up in white robes waiting to be executed! I went home terrified. I mentioned this to my mom just the other day........she said, "Oh, honey, I don't remember that." Well......she was probably at home with my younger siblings that Sunday evening. I do recall that my dad was in attendance when the film was shown.

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After I married Husband-----one month after my 20th birthday-----I joined his Missouri Synod Lutheran church. One of the first things I noticed was that this church NEVER, ever spoke of the End-Times, the Rapture, the Tribulation, etc. At first I wondered what on earth was the matter with them.......why were they ignoring these crucial issues? As time went on, I realized that faith is about living in the now, living out your faith day by day.......NOT obsessing over obscure scriptures and futuristic speculations. I could see what a huge effect those End-Times beliefs had had on my life. When I started having kids, I vowed to myself to NEVER speak to them of the End-Times or of biblical prophecy. They grew up going to Lutheran parochial grade school, giving them a firm Christian foundation without fanatical leanings.

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By the way, it has taken serious depression, and a nervous breakdown with time spent in a psychiatric unit to get this questionable religious baggage completely out of my system. I don't wish that on anyone, so be careful how you teach your kids, folks!!! I think in order to expell an entrenched glob of beliefs and associated parental bonds, your ego has to dissolve for a time........I'm fortunate that during my ego-meltdown I didn't do anything more bizarre than what I did. It did land me in the psych unit, but at least I didn't hurt anyone else or commit suicide. The Gospel Hall guy I had a crush on.......remember him.......well, he had a nervous breakdown, too, several years ago, and spent time in a psychiatric unit. Hmm.......I wonder why. Reality finally comes crashing in, people! Jesus hasn't returned in the eastern sky during these past 30 to 40 years.......perhaps He won't return during your lifetime! Perhaps, we were misled just a little bit. You can't be preoccupied with the Second Coming of Christ and live a normal, sane life, in my opinion. Any of you are free to agree or disagree with me or go away and never return to this blog if you wish........whatever works for you.

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There is a somewhat related issue which I'd also like to mention........homeschooling. I don't begrudge anyone the freedom to choose to homeschool, and I know that in some cases it is done because people live too far from towns. My brother and his wife homeschool because they believe the public schools would corrupt their children. In the past, I have suggested to him that he and his family could be a wonderful Christian influence in the local school (which, by the way, is a fine, small-town school), but he is deaf to talk like that.

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Husband has a relative who is similarly raising his children, only in an even stricter environment. The wife and daughters wear long skirts ALL the time. They homeschool, of course. They watch no TV except for old Western movies. Gunfights don't seem to bother the dad, but whenever a part comes in the movie where there might be a dance scene, the dad stops the tape and fast- forwards it so the kids won't see any dancing. Like I said......the gunfights are permissible to view, however. In the past, this relative would write letters to his grandpa, Husband's dad, a life-long LCMS Lutheran, telling him that he needed to accept Christ and be saved. My father-in-law would shake his head in perplexity and voice concern for his grandson. My father-in-law was baptized as a baby, confirmed as a teenager, and attended his Lutheran church faithfully ALL of his life........but, according to his fanatical Baptist daughter-in-law and grandson, was not saved. Before I married Husband, her mother worriedly warned me that Lutherans are not saved and I should think twice about joining that church!

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Let me repeat it........I don't believe its possible to be preoccupied with thoughts of the Second Coming and live a normal, contented, peaceful.......SANE......life. That conviction of mine is never going to change. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU TEACH TO YOUR KIDS! They soak it right up. Teach them to inquire and test the validity of anything. Do YOUR homework, too, concerning the upcoming election. I DON'T CARE WHO YOU VOTE FOR, but be sure you make up your own mind. Get views from all angles! Don't confine yourself in a narrow, one-sided mindset! And, do keep the election in your prayers! I'm going to keep trying to do my homework on the candidates. IF I learn that a candidate is caught up in End-Times beliefs, I will not be voting for them.

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Thus ends my rant for today! I need to cool my mind now by going out and taking some photos! Truly, I welcome your views, even if they are in disagreement with mine.

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Tomorrow.......back to Pella!

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Pella Historical Village

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A fitting place to begin a tour of Pella.........at the landmark Vermeer Windmill one block east of the town square. It was around 1 p.m. last Saturday when I took these photos; obviously,the sun was bright, and high in the sky. Temperatures were in the 70's.......it was an absolutely perfect day!

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This replica windmill was erected about five years ago, around the time my daughter graduated from Central College here in Pella.

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I chose not to tour the windmill since time was at a premium, but it was fun to take photos from various angles.
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The windmill anchors the Pella Historical Village Museum. Click the photos to enlarge, so you can read the signs.

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Wyatt Earp's family once lived in this house below:

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Beautiful flower beds adorned the area between the sidewalk and the street. During the famous Tulip Festival in May each year, these same flower beds are filled with bright, eye-catching tulips!

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Anchoring this corner is the Scholte Church, named for Dominie Henry Scholte, founder of Pella.

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This next photo was taken from the alley running behind the village. If you click the photo you will see the pretzel-shaped "Bakkerii" sign on the right. No Dutch village would be complete without a bakery!

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Another view from the alley, looking into the area behind the windmill building:

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I thought I was alone in the alley, but as I crouched awkwardly to take this next photo, a man suddenly spoke up behind me: "Hi, I'm the miller. I used to think that one had to have a good camera in order to take a good picture, but I now know that one needs a good picture in order to take a good picture." I knew what he meant, and there's probably some truth in what he said.

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Soon I had completed the historical village circle and was back at the windmill, with its attached Dutch-style town buildings.

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Next time, we'll clompen up the street to the Klokkenspel and the town square. Clompen means "walk" in Dutch! [I'm in error about the meaning of the Dutch word, clompen. A commenter (dairymary) pointed this out. Clompen means "shoe". "Walk" in Dutch is marcheren, tippelen, or lopen. Thus, we'll continue to do one of those around Pella! Thanks, dairymary!]

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