On Channeling John Denver - Part 1

****************

Look at that gorgeous picture.
Gravel roads and wire fences.
Telephone lines and brush.
Blue skies and harvested fields.

Put all this talk about Poweshiek County, Iowa over on my friend Chris Hagenow's blog together with that incredible picture and the John Denver music oozing out of iTunes on my office computer, and you've got a recipe for reflectiveness. Look at that picture. Click on it so it expands to its full glory. Revel in it. Talk about evoking nostalgic feelings. Talk about going home again. The sky. The fields. The feeling of distance. Very special. Very moving.

*****************************
Almost heaven, Wyoming, Iowa,

Take me home, down country roads.

I get a feeling that I should be going home.
Take me home, down country roads.

*****************************

P.S.
John Denver's original name was Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr.

P.S.S.

Did you know that according to a coroner's report filed in Monterey County, California, John Denver had more than twice the legal limit of sunshine on his shoulders at the time of his fatal plane crash into Monterey Bay?

P.S.S.S.
Say what you will about the rustic backwoods charm and hillbilly sensibilities of southern Iowa, but for pure scenic loveliness you just can't do better - within the geographical confines of the great State of Iowa, that is - than the natural splendor that is Poweshiek County, Iowa. Our Chief Poweshiek knew what he was doing, at least in terms of choosing a place to live.

P.S.S.S.S.

Please give a big shout out to everybody's favorite longshoreman, The Velvet Fog, for creating that gorgeous picture that inspired this missive. It was taken, rumour has it, just outside of Wyoming, Iowa. Not the place I'd expect to find a sailor, but hey.