|
Each spring we go see parts of the Mississippi River shore near our home to check out the water levels. This year has been exceptional. All of the local city parks along the river and the related boating ramps are deep under water. Tons of sticks, logs, and debris have washed up on the grassy picnic areas, and many of the picnic tables are barely peeking out of the water. Some of the retaining walls are completely under water. It is amazing to see this rise and fall because the river is so big, that to raise it one inch requires a vast amount of water, but to raise it several feet baffles the imagination. Here are two photos showing high water.  
0 Comments
I just received an email letting me know that my next book, Historic Bridges in Southeast Minnesota, will be released on 9/11/23. It will be published by The History Press, the same company that published my last book Historic Disasters in Southeast Minnesota. I'm very excited to see the new book when I arrives.
Big River Magazine just published my article about the reopening of the National Eagle Center in Wabasha. They have added four buildings to their campus which includes the beautiful Riverfront Center. They have expanded their program center, avian care facility, and their exhibit space which will include items from the Preston Cook Collection. Cook has donated his entire collection of 40,000 pieces related to eagles to the National Eagle Center. The article is in the March/April issue of Big River Magazine.  I have been working on a book for the past year about bridges in southeast Minnesota. It will be published later this year by The History Press, the same publisher that published my book Historic Disasters in Southeast Minnesota. The book will have 140 photos of bridges in the region and a history of those bridges and the impact they have on the lives of people who use them. I just submitted the manuscript and photos, so they now move on to the production phase. I'll be excited to see that book in print.
When Peggy and I were traveling in South America in 1983, we saw a McDonalds restaurant in Rio de Janeiro. We hadn't seen a McDonalds in a year, so we stopped, went in, and the experience we had there is a vivid memory today. Here is an article about that day that appeared in this week's Home Forum section of the Christian Science Monitor in Boston.
I was on assignment from Big River Magazine to do a story about the reopening of the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota. While talking with the Eagle Center people, I heard about their winter golden eagle tours and decided to sign up for one. Peggy and I went with them today and had an amazing experience. We saw several golden eagles which are much more reclusive and camouflaged than bald eagles. Scott Mehus, the tour guide, spoke for more than three hours based on his twenty-five years of studying golden eagles. It was an incredible day.
On the way home from a family wedding, I stopped in my old hometown in Kansas. One place I wanted to see was a hill where my friends and I rode down on our bikes. It was scary at the time, and when I returned, I could understand why. Here is an essay about that event. It is published in the Home Forum section of this week's Christian Science Monitor in Boston. See it here.
Wednesday I spoke at the Goodhue County Historical Center in Red Wing about my book Historic Disasters in Southeast Minnesota. It was a very good audience with excellent questions. The Red Wing Republican Eagle ran this article about the book talk and signing.
In their November issue, Rochester Magazine ran an excerpt from my book Historic Disasters in Southeast Minnesota. It includes part of the section on the Armistice Day Blizzard in 1940 with a few photos.
Last week I gave a talk about my book Historic Disasters in Southeast Minnesota to the Lake City Storytellers. Lots of good questions and a fun conversation. I am scheduled for other talks in the area soon. Coming up:
Wednesday, November 9, Noon, Lake City Kiwanis Thursday, November 10, 6:30, Lake City Public Library Wednesday, November 16, Noon, Goodhue County Historical Society, Red Wing |
Photo by John Jancik
AuthorDr. Steve Gardiner is the author of eight books and over 1,000 articles. |