Sunday, January 15, 2012

Ladora, Iowa

Ladora, Iowa on a windy, cold night in early December.  Driving back from my trip to see the David Plowden photography exhibit up in West Branch, I decided to take Highway 6 from the Amana colonies to Highway 21, which I then took south to Ottumwa.  Both highways were full of the very types of towns and objects that I enjoy photographing.  In fact, Ladora had been photographed by Plowden some 25-30 years earlier, as one of the prints in the exhibit had testified.  This is a view of the main street, with an auto repair shop in the foreground, charmingly advertised by a quaint neon sign, and an old high school building in the background, now apparently serving as a bistro.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Plevna, Missouri

Taken during my roadtrip up to Iowa in early December, this is one of the few remaining business/civic structures in Plevna, Missouri.  I stopped here to photograph once back in 2006, and I just couldn't resist coming back to see if this brick store building was still standing.  And, happily, it is.  After some investigation I found out that this used to be the bank building, many years ago.  And the name, Plevna?  Apparently it comes from the battle of Plevna, a Bulgarian city besieged during the Russo-Turkish war of the late 1870s.  The legend goes that the first postmaster of this town was nicknamed Plevna, and that is the epithet it garnered.  This building is a favorite of mine to photograph...the simplicity of the strucure is belied by the intriguing brickwork across the top, the hand-painted town name in the front window,  and the heavy patina of rust on the authentic tin canopy. 

Tuesday, January 3, 2012