Yesterday, even with the threat of afternoon rain, I headed for Woodland Township's cemeteries that I hadn't visited yet -- Shields, Lentz, Beavers and Hall. I always try to be prepared with maps and directions, but there is always some kind of glitch.. I intended to go south from Hwy 2, on to Co Rd R58, to Hall and Beavers cems, but there was no such road. There were 2 gravel roads to choose from, and I didn't want to chance driving around in the woods all day... So, I headed east on Hwy 2 to Co Rd R69 and went south about 7 miles and, WA LA (pardon me - voila) there was Shields Cemetery. I should say that it was paved road until I passed "Turkey Run Farm", when it suddenly became gravel -- the warning sign said 'BUMP'... I headed on the remaining 4 miles. My map said after 7.4 miles to turn right -- no road number or name... I chanced it and turned on Tamarack Hills Road and up over the top sits Shields Cemetery. It was delightful to have lots of shade (on a 90 degree) day. Many of the stones have been repaired and put on cement pads - and a few have fallen and are laying on the ground. It is well taken care of. After chalking and taking pics of all the headstones, I just 'drank in' all the sounds and sights for a while.. wild roses, blooming black raspberries, a patch of wild asparagus and the all too familiar Mulberry trees in the fence line. Just over the fence toward the woods, there were lots of wild gooseberry plants -- and the memories of my Dad's gooseberry pies got the better of me. .......He could make a mean gooseberry pie that would pucker your mouth, but always be ready for a second piece.. He was the chief 'cook and bottle washer' when we were young girls - and he sure did a super job. I decided to try and find my way to Lentz, Beavers and Hall cemeteries, going through the back country.. My map showed that I could.. I stopped at Woodland to take a picture of the Woodland Church and looked around for Co Rd J46; couldn't find it so took a chance and turned on 240th St. west and drove a few miles, not finding anything that looked like the map. I ended up at a farmer's house to ask directions but no one came to the door.. So, I turned around to back track and came across a fellow mowing the sides of the road, from Decatur County.. I flagged him down - which means that I jumped out of my car and ran in front of him waving my arms.. Poor man!! He was really helpful and told me I was within a mile of all of the cemeteries. He talked me through the directions and then said he'd be coming back down the other side of the road mowing if I needed his help again... Now, that's good old fashioned "Iowa" nice folk.. (One of these times I'm going to find me a boyfriend, you know, a real live one...) So, I back tracked a little and headed south again on Valley Road, which was a little soft from the rain the night before.. It dead ends at Lentz Cemetery.. And what a pretty cemetery this is. It took quite a while to photograph all the stones and the temperature wasn't dropping any. It's always interesting to find people whose names you know in the cemeteries.. My first mother-in-law's folks and siblings are buried there -- Beavers. I headed back to the main road and went the way the County road fellow told me to.. He said "you go up past Hamaker's new place and over the hill, and you'll find Hall and Beavers on either side of the road." So, I marked on my map that this road is 300th St and followed it like he said.. I stopped at Beavers Cemetery and took photos and then headed on north just a scosch and there was Hall Cemetery on the left.. These Woodland Township cemeteries are all like oases in the middle of nowhere - full of pungent peonies and old fashioned iris. I left there very hot, sweaty and tired and took a chance that 300th St. would go on out to Hwy 2 somewhere north of there.. and, indeed, it did -- the street name becoming Pony Farm Road - which my map said was Co Rd R58... If I haven't confused everybody with these directions, road names and numbers, I'll be very disappointed!! Well, the cemetery gypsy is planning the next cemetery hunting trip..You know, you don't ever have to leave the State of Iowa to have a nice little vacation... smiles. My Best, Nancee

Oh Nancee, we had mulberry trees on our farm what memories you bring back with your travels. Jo Achee P.S. Cemetery Gypsy would be a great name for your book. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nancee Seifert" <iggy29@grm.net> To: <IADECATU@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 2:45 PM Subject: [IADECATU] CEMETERY 'GYPSY' HERE..... > Yesterday, even with the threat of afternoon rain, I headed for Woodland > Township's cemeteries that I hadn't visited yet -- Shields, Lentz, Beavers > and Hall. I always try to be prepared with maps and directions, but there > is always some kind of glitch.. I intended to go south from Hwy 2, on to > Co > Rd R58, to Hall and Beavers cems, but there was no such road. There were > 2 > gravel roads to choose from, and I didn't want to chance driving around in > the woods all day... So, I headed east on Hwy 2 to Co Rd R69 and went > south > about 7 miles and, WA LA (pardon me - voila) there was Shields Cemetery. > I > should say that it was paved road until I passed "Turkey Run Farm", when > it > suddenly became gravel -- the warning sign said 'BUMP'... I headed on the > remaining 4 miles. My map said after 7.4 miles to turn right -- no road > number or name... I chanced it and turned on Tamarack Hills Road and up > over > the top sits Shields Cemetery. > > It was delightful to have lots of shade (on a 90 degree) day. Many of the > stones have been repaired and put on cement pads - and a few have fallen > and are laying on the ground. It is well taken care of. After chalking > and > taking pics of all the headstones, I just 'drank in' all the sounds and > sights for a while.. wild roses, blooming black raspberries, a patch of > wild asparagus and the all too familiar Mulberry trees in the fence line. > Just over the fence toward the woods, there were lots of wild gooseberry > plants -- and the memories of my Dad's gooseberry pies got the better of > me. > .......He could make a mean gooseberry pie that would pucker your mouth, > but > always be ready for a second piece.. He was the chief 'cook and bottle > washer' when we were young girls - and he sure did a super job. > > I decided to try and find my way to Lentz, Beavers and Hall cemeteries, > going through the back country.. My map showed that I could.. I stopped at > Woodland to take a picture of the Woodland Church and looked around for Co > Rd J46; couldn't find it so took a chance and turned on 240th St. west and > drove a few miles, not finding anything that looked like the map. I ended > up > at a farmer's house to ask directions but no one came to the door.. So, I > turned around to back track and came across a fellow mowing the sides of > the > road, from Decatur County.. I flagged him down - which means that I jumped > out of my car and ran in front of him waving my arms.. Poor man!! He was > really helpful and told me I was within a mile of all of the cemeteries. > He > talked me through the directions and then said he'd be coming back down > the > other side of the road mowing if I needed his help again... Now, that's > good > old fashioned "Iowa" nice folk.. (One of these times I'm going to find me > a > boyfriend, you know, a real live one...) > > So, I back tracked a little and headed south again on Valley Road, which > was > a little soft from the rain the night before.. It dead ends at Lentz > Cemetery.. And what a pretty cemetery this is. It took quite a while to > photograph all the stones and the temperature wasn't dropping any. It's > always interesting to find people whose names you know in the cemeteries.. > My first mother-in-law's folks and siblings are buried there -- Beavers. > > I headed back to the main road and went the way the County road fellow > told > me to.. He said "you go up past Hamaker's new place and over the hill, and > you'll find Hall and Beavers on either side of the road." So, I marked on > my map that this road is 300th St and followed it like he said.. I stopped > at Beavers Cemetery and took photos and then headed on north just a scosch > and there was Hall Cemetery on the left.. These Woodland Township > cemeteries > are all like oases in the middle of nowhere - full of pungent peonies and > old fashioned iris. > > I left there very hot, sweaty and tired and took a chance that 300th St. > would go on out to Hwy 2 somewhere north of there.. and, indeed, it did -- > the street name becoming Pony Farm Road - which my map said was Co Rd > R58... > If I haven't confused everybody with these directions, road names and > numbers, I'll be very disappointed!! > > Well, the cemetery gypsy is planning the next cemetery hunting trip..You > know, you don't ever have to leave the State of Iowa to have a nice little > vacation... smiles. My Best, Nancee > > www.iagenweb.org/decatur > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > IADECATU-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.437 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2899 - Release Date: 05/27/10 06:25:00