#west branch

[unteriors]

N Third Street, West Branch, Michigan.

[found-in-nomadland]

West Branch, Iowa ✨

[usnatarchives]

HOOVERITE (rail) ROAD TRIP to DC “Hoover Birthplace Special”

Herbert Hoover's 1928 Presidential win put West Branch, IA on the map. Nearly 300 excited Iowans boarded the "Hoover Birthplace Special" (rail) road trip to DC to join their native son for his 1929 Inauguration. Read Hoover Library archivist Lynn Smith's Hoover Heads blog, Inaugural Train Trip from West Branch to DC to learn:

Who were the self-proclaimed "Hooverites" who filled 14 Pullman coaches?

Which Iowa college band played the Iowa Corn Song repeatedly? “The Iowa Corn song seemed to rate very highly on the trip.”

Did VIPs really include one of Hoover's grade school teachers?

Who boarded in Wilton, IA, with a calliope for musical entertainment?

How much did this road trip cost the Hooverites?

Were fellow road trippers really given "a genuine Iowa corn cane" when they boarded?

Was the epic road trip bipartisan?

What sort of festivities and tours awaited this VIP group in DC?.

Did it rain on his (Inaugural) Parade?

What did some of those VIPs really think about this road trip? Find out from their diary entries!

A 1928 Tall Corn Girl sign on Iowa farm also measured the height of the corn! Online.

Here's the New York Times coverage 3/3/1929:

IOWA CORN SONG LYRICS:

We’re from I-O-way, I-O-way. State of all the land, Joy on ev-‘ry hand. We’re from I-O-way, I-O-way. That’s where the tall corn grows

The best known and most popular song of the state is the famous "Iowa Corn Song," which every loyal son and daughter of the Hawkeye State sings lustily on any and all occasions, reaching their hands as high toward Heaven as they possibly can when the words roar forth "That's where the tall corn grows." (from here).

ICYMI: archivist Lynn Smith closes President Hoover's lifecycle loop with this presentation: Herbert Hoover's 1964 Funeral, C-SPAN.

[ursine-sister]

Up north, MI

[zagsortiz2]

[gregorygalloway]

Herbert Hoover (born West Branch, IA, 10 August 1874 – 20 October 1964)

[sterling-silvers]

BURN THE WITCH, LIMITED SERIES: CHAPTER 2 - Then Along Came Bruno!!!!

Burn Witch – Chapter 2: Ghillie Suit, improved upon that last chapter by providing consistent story progression, strong promise and execution of forward momentum, and distinct yet welcomed world building; for that it has garnered an 8 out of 10.

Narrative-wise, Kubo did a smart thing of having two storylines seemingly converge and operate at the same time. Even if it still seems like he’s still using the training wheels of Bleach by essentially retooling the “Rescue Rukia” arc at least he’s having that past narrative happen concurrently with this new one between Ninny and her ex- bandmate Macy Baljure. 

In addition, it seems like Macy might have been more than just a bandmate to Ninny; time will tell if the feelings were mutually requited. 

Moreover, Bruno Bangnyfe seems like he’s going to be a welcomed addition to the story (he’s basically an amalgam of Renji Abarai and Bazz B); I just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Renji and Bazz B. Nonetheless, he knows how to make a bombastic entrance and captivate the scenery. Don’t let me down Kubo; give him some good character development and a decent win-loss ratio - you OWE me that!

In terms of the realm, I like the fact that Kubo is still building the world that is Reverse London. At first, I was under the impression that the citizens of Reverse London were completely forbidden with interacting with dragons of any kind but, this chapter refutes and cleans up that sentiment rather nicely. If anything, it seems as if dragons, “humans”, and witches/wizards share a symbiotic relationship with one another; the depiction of this was like the Flinstones except replace dinosaurs with dragons. 

I like the fact that they going into detail between light dragons and dark dragons. I also would be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that Macy – a human (at least so far, that’s what we know her as) – is able to control a dragon; I don’t recall a human being able to control hollows in Bleach so, there’s another distinction to give to the West Branch.

Moreover, there has been a new hard rule introduced to the world; any damage that happens in Reverse London will be reflected and felt in Front London. This actually works both in story and in the meta-sense as I was a bit perplexed why Reverse London and Front London looked so similar. Likewise, this is a staunch differentiation from the Soul Society as it was clear when we were in the material world and when we happened upon Soul Society based on the fact that one domain was modern looking and the other looked more rural/feudal Japan in terms of architecture and aesthetic. Here, the Londons look the same because they are more connected and there are grave consequences if one gets detrimentally damaged.

What I’m hoping they’ll dive more into is how exactly the ranking system of the Wind Bind works. As stated in the chapter, the Pipers are in charge of rearing and conversing the dragons and as so illegal rearing falls into their jurisdiction and responsibilities as well; hence why Ninny, Noel, and Balgo were on that particular mission. However, from the one shot it seemed as if the Pipers were below the Sabres; yet, Billy Banx Jr. was/is the commanding officer of Noel and Ninny and last chapter established that there are at least eight divisions, with a man named Tronbone Takkinen being the overall head of the Pipers. Based on that, my best guess would be that Billy is basically the lieutenant of the Pipers but, still based on the promotion there still some speculation as to the actual inner workings.

Nonetheless, the narrative momentum, emergence of appealing story threads and defining distinctions, along with a and gripping cliffhanger is why this week’s Burn the Witch earned an 8 out of 10.

[zoeflake]

06.30.20  Early morning bike ride along the Susquehanna River, west branch