Marion Gunderson Art (and the Farmer's Daughter)

What I remember as the Standard Oil station (earlier known as something else and more recently known as Ropa’s Restaurant) in Rolfe, Iowa, was knocked down today, December 2, 2011.

I was in Rolfe this afternoon for about 90 minutes. When I drove into town, this old Standard station building was standing. When I left, it looked like this (below).

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The former Standard Oil station in Rolfe, Iowa. Looking southeast from the northeast corner at the stoplight intersection in Rolfe. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

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My earliest memory of this building is from when either my sister Peggy and/or I had an appointment with (I think?) Dr. Clark. His office used to be in the building across from the former Standard station (pictured above). After the appointment, Peggy and I crossed the street to the Standard station where we purchased candy cigarettes. When Daddy (Deane Gunderson) came along and picked us up, Peggy and I proudly displayed for him our candy cigarettes. I bet we were so proud that Peggy and I each probably had one dangling from our lips.

Up until this part of the blog post, I’m just sort of imagining the scenario. But…Oh — my — gosh. When Daddy picked us up he was so livid that we had candy cigarettes. He angrily drove straight home and went straight to the incinerator to burn them.

At the time I had no idea how addicting cigarette smoking could be, nor any other factors associated with smoking. However, because Daddy was so upset, to this day, I’ve never smoked one puff of anything.

It’s odd that his disgust had this lifelong impact as opposed to making me rebel. Maybe there needs to be a little more of that type of parenting today. Of course, sometimes it really is difficult to determine if a parent’s action will result in the intended reaction from a child, or unintended rebellion. All I know is, I’m so thankful for that put-the-fear-of-God-in-me parenting moment from my dad.

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Taken from the post office parking lot corner in Rolfe, Iowa. Looking east. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

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I’m sure there is a lot of history associated with this building. Maybe sometime I’ll do some research. However, if you remember something about it, feel free to comment at the end of this post, or email me. mariongundersonart@gmail.com

(Click here to go to Louise Gunderson Shimon’s blog’s home page.)

Today I saw steam fog over West Lake Okoboji. According to this web site, “Steam fog forms when cold air moves over warm water. When the cool air mixes with the warm moist air over the water, the moist air cools until its humidity reaches 100% and fog forms. This type of fog takes on the appearance of wisps of smoke rising off the surface of the water.”

This was a view today of Browns Bay at Lake West Okoboji. Brrrrr!

The view from Browns Bay, West Lake Okoboji, looking to the northwest. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

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(Click here to go to Louise Gunderson Shimon’s blog’s home page.)

Last weekend I was a vendor at Art On the Prairie in Perry. While “vendor” sounds so impersonal, the (in my opinion) luscious aspect of the weekend was attendees viewed nine framed watercolors of Mother’s. (Actually two were prints.) And, I sold prints of Mother’s watercolors…over $600-worth to help out the Rolfe Public Library (Trust) where Mother worked for 35 years. That means, to date, more than $4,000 has been raised for the Rolfe Public Library Trust as a result of Mother’s watercolors.

As my Great-Aunt Ruth always used to say, “Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!”

Thank you to those who are supportive of this venture. If you are interested in seeing what prints are available, you may see them (and order) at this site. As of right now, there aren’t any prints at the Rolfe Public Library or Wild Faces Gallery in Rolfe because I have all of them. I’ll get prints there within the next week or two. The library and gallery usually have one size of each image. I typically have the largest inventory, trying to have on hand one of every size of every image (watercolor).

To avoid ordering online, I can be reached via email. mariongundersonart@gmail.com

In preparation for Art On the Prairie, I neglected a bunch of to-do list items and will be playing catch-up. I’ll soon get back to posting somewhat routinely.

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(Click here to go to Louise Gunderson Shimon’s blog’s home page.)

Ever since the fall harvest of 2010, I’ve wanted to take one swoop of video of the four grain elevators visible from Section 24, Roosevelt Township, Pocahontas County in northwest Iowa.

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CLICK on this map TO ENLARGE it. This map shows the location of the combine from which the video (below) was taken and the four grain elevators: Gilmore City, Rolfe, Havelock and Pocahontas. It also shows where I was raised, where my dad was born, and where he was raised.

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On October 5, 2011, during soybean harvest, Dan Allen let me catch that video from inside his and his brother Roger’s combine. The day was quite windy and dusty. Otherwise I might have taken the video from outside of the combine cab. The quality of the video (below) is lousy and I learned to use different camera equipment if there is a “next time.” Still, I’m pleased I got all four grain elevators in this order: Gilmore City, Rolfe, Havelock and Pocahontas. The Rolfe and Pocahontas grain elevators are easy to see…Havelock not so easy. And, you might have to watch the first 20 seconds of the video two or three times to catch the grain elevator in Gilmore City.

To catch them all (anyway if your eyesight is like mine), play the video in full-screen mode. If you pause the video at about 12 seconds from the start, you’ll see on the horizon at the far right one large grouping of trees. To the left of that grouping is another large grouping of trees. There’s a little fuzzy area of whitish mass above that second grouping of trees. That is the Gilmore City grain elevator.

At about the 1:04 point, the Havelock grain elevator is pretty faint whitish/grayish on the horizon somewhat near the right edge of the video.

I’m thankful to Dan and Roger for humoring me by allowing me this (as Roger called it) “pirouette” in the combine. Next year during corn harvest I’ll try for better footage.

Remember…full-screen mode to catch all four elevators.

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Mother painted grain elevators in three of these towns: Gilmore City, Rolfe and Pocahontas. The Gilmore City and Pocahontas grain elevators still stand. The Rolfe grain elevator in Mother’s watercolor was destroyed by fire in the fall of 1969.

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"Railway Station and Grain Elevator" at Gilmore City, Iowa, painted in 1951. 17.25" W x 13.25" H limited edition prints are available, $35.

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Pocahontas Grain Elevator II Prints are available in three sizes: Small (Limited Edition, ~10" W x ~12.3" H, $25), Grand (~ 17.9" W x 22" H, $50) and Largest ($70).

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Rolfe grain elevator watercolor by Marion Gunderson, circa 1950. In 1969 this grain elevator was destroyed by fire.

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The originals of these three grain elevator paintings will be on display at Art On the Prairie in Perry, Iowa, this weekend, November 12 and 13, 2011. Prints will also be available, with all profits going to the Rolfe Public Library.

(Click here to go to Louise Gunderson Shimon’s blog’s home page.)

Click on this postcard image to enlarge it.

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This weekend is Art On the Prairie in Perry, Iowa. At the Hotel Pattee (one of the venues), I’ll showcase several of Mother’s (Marion Gunderson) original watercolors. I’ll also have available prints of 30 of her watercolors. The pricing of the prints is very affordable: from $15 to $70.

In total there will be approximately 50 artists showcasing/selling their work in five venues; musicians and poets will provide entertainment.

On both days (Saturday and Sunday) the event starts at 10:00 AM. On Saturday it runs until 6:00 PM; on Sunday until 4:00 PM.

I will be located in the Nicollet Room on the lower level of the Hotel Pattee. This room is on the same level as the hotel’s bowling alley.

If you attend Art On the Prairie and come to the Nicollet Room, mention that you saw this blog post and you’ll receive a free note card (while supplies last).

ALL PROFITS from prints of Mother’s paintings GO to the ROLFE PUBLIC LIBRARY where Mother worked for 35 years. To date, over $3,500 has been given to the library as a result of the prints.

If you are curious as to what prints are available, you may view the images here. I will also have some matted prints available this weekend.

(Click here to go to Louise Gunderson Shimon’s blog’s home page.)

A new wind farm (or else an extension of an existing wind farm) is going up about five or six miles north of Manson, Iowa. These photos were taken today on-the-go. Nevertheless, they show the massive size of the windmills, especially when compared to the size of the trucks in the second photo.

As the first windmills were constructed in northwest Iowa, I thought they were fascinating and beautiful and I liked the concept. Now there are so many that I look forward to the expanses of horizon where no windmills exist.

Click here for the “Wind Industry Progress”  by Iowa county as of March 31, 2010.

Shown below are two separate windmills at different stages of construction. Clicking on the images will enlarge them. Twice enlarges even more.

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When I look from the road at operating windmills, the blades seem so small and fluid. In this second photo, compared to the size of the trucks, the blades look ENORMOUS.

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On Saturday and Sunday, November 12 and 13, I will be exhibiting originals of Mother’s (Marion Gunderson) watercolors, and selling prints of them at Art On the Prairie in Perry, Iowa. My location will be on the lower level of the Historic Hotel Pattee. Even if you are not interested in prints, if you are at the event, I hope you’ll come to my location. I will be by myself on the lower level (near the bowling alley in the “basement” of the hotel) and really, really, really hope there will be people coming in at least to chat.

In addition to about 50 art vendors, there will be musicians, poets and storytellers for youth (of all ages?!). I attended last year as a patron. It really is a classy event to kick off the holiday season.

So far over $3,500 (from sales of prints of Mother’s work) has been given to the Rolfe Public Library where Mother worked for 35 years.

From now until the event I’ll be posting mostly regarding the Nov. 11, 12 and 13 event.

(Click here to go to Louise Gunderson Shimon’s blog’s home page.)

Many people have wondered when the Taco House at Okoboji*, Iowa, will close for the 2011 season. The last day of the Taco House’s 2011 season will be Sunday, October 23.

*Technically the Taco House has an Arnolds Park address.

Sunrise, October 20, 2011; Section 13, Roosevelt Township, Pocahontas County, Iowa; looking south/southeast. I hope you can see the wagons in the foreground and the headlights in the distance. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

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In a December 2010 post I included this 1970s photo (at left). It is of a Christmas tree my dad secured to the top of the brick corn crib (shown above and below) at Gunderland, the farm where I was raised. In that post I also included video of the process my dad and Johnny Zeman followed annually to get a tree hoisted to the top of the crib. That little video is v-e-r-y interesting! The tree hoisting/top-of-crib concept is absurd…but fun.

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More than thirty years later, it is still here! Shown in this 10-20-11 photo is the coiled tree stand that held secure those Christmas trees hoisted to the top of this crib in the 1970s. The ladder is still on the dome, too. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

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(Click here to go to Louise Gunderson Shimon’s blog’s home page.)

To prevent dirt flow through the hole in this pot, I flattened this coffee filter and placed it over the hole. For one pot that had four holes in the bottom, I used two coffee filters to cover the four holes. (Click on image to enlarge.)

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Maybe this is something everyone and his/her dog already knows. However, I didn’t know it. Last week I stopped at Ferguson’s Garden Center at Okoboji (technically on Hwy 71 in Spirit Lake, Iowa) to get supplies for repotting plants. Two ladies there generously spent about twenty minutes helping me with pot sizes and my potting questions. One thing I learned was, to keep dirt from leaving the pot via the hole in the bottom, put a coffee filter over the hole. What a common sense thing to do.

This weekend I repotted four plants and have two yet to go. I used the coffee filter idea for each plant. I also followed the advice of one of the ladies to “rough up” the roots of the plants a fair amount. Of Bill’s and my plants, her exception was the Norfolk pine. With the pine, she advised me to “rough up” the roots just a tad but not much.

The “rough up” idea was, I think, to prevent the roots (in rootbound plants) from continuing their circular growth, and, therefore, to make the roots branch out more into the added/new potting mix.

If all the plants die, I’ll post about it later. I hope that won’t be the case!

When I took this plant out of the pot, the roots hadn't developed into too much of a circular pattern. Even so, I followed the Ferguson Garden Center lady's advice and "roughed up" the roots before repotting this plant. The only plant I didn't do this with very much was the Norfolk pine. With the Norfolk pine, I did just a little. (Click on image to enlarge.)

(Click here to go to Louise Gunderson Shimon’s blog’s home page.)

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I have no idea whose wagon this is or what caused it to tip over spilling grain into the ditch. Nor do I know what happened to this wagon’s wheels. What I do know is that it has been windy and extremely dry in northwest Iowa. There have been many spontaneous fires burning fields, and concern of even more if there isn’t rainfall soon.

(Click here to go to Louise Gunderson Shimon’s blog’s home page.)