Castle Maps

Castles were always one of my favorite subjects growing up.
My father was stationed in Germany during my grade school years, so we got to see Neuschwanstein, fortresses overlooking the Rhine River and strongholds scattered across Europe as well as as some lesser-known bastions.

So I was delighted when I stumbled across this entry  on the MyReadingMapped blog. The author pinpointed a number of famous castles on Google maps. Most of the locations have photos, and the really cool thing is zooming in close for a bird's-eye view thanks to satellite photos of the areas.

Halloween Hikes in October

Every year, guests at Hartman Nature Reserve in Waterloo enjoy a Halloween hike through the woods with non-scary characters in a fun performance. This year's theme is "Hartman Idol" and the event will take place on Oct. 12, 13 & 14.

Designed for the whole family, Halloween Hikes are complete with lighted trails and nature-related stories. Following the hike, warm-up with hot cocoa, cider, and treats while you vote for your favorite pumpkin in the annual pumpkin contest. Costumes are welcome! For more information, contact Laura at (319) 277-2187 or laura.hrnc@gmail.com.

Tickets are available at the door but hikes are limited. Advanced tickets go on sale Sept. 12 and can be purchased by calling (319) 277-2187 or at Hartman Reserve Nature Center. Tickets are $5 each (ages 2 and under free).

Hartman Reserve Nature Center is a 300 acre wooded isle located in the heart of metropolitan Black Hawk County. Hartman lies in the center of the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area. It offers many activities and experiences to all its visitors. Hartman Reserve Nature Center is an entity of the Black Hawk County Conservation Board.

Air Show

Jet owned by the State of Iowa on display at the air show.
I don't know how to fly a plane and don't really have any intention of learning. But I've ridden on planes off and on since I was little, and the subject of aviation creeps into my work from time to time.
So when the air show popped up at the local airport last weekend, I decided to take a peek for nostalgia reasons. And because we had free tickets. Mostly because we had free tickets.
While the kids (did I mention ages 12 and under were free)  were drawn to the bouncy rides on the edge of the field and the half-hour long lines for lemonade, I decided to try out tail spotting.
Stay with me here. It's not what one might think.
Airplanes have a license plate-like number, usually starting with the letter "N,"  on the back fin. You can jot down the tail numbers and later go online --- to sites like FlightAware.com --- to trade tips and post photos of the planes your spotted to share with other enthusiasts.
I snapped off about a half a dozen photos of aircraft that were on display on the tarmac with my daily carry camera. I didn't bring by work camera with the more powerful lens to get the in-air shots, but I was happy with what I got. The trick is to be creative with what you have.
The good thing about shooting air shows: You can get up close to the aircraft. The biggest challenge: Lining up a good shot while dodging and cropping out the yahoos standing around.