Cedar Rapids/Anne/Mary

If the Weather Gods permit it -- I'll be day tripping to Cedar Rapids this week with Mary.  My friend Anne will, once again, by our C.R. tour guide...and there are some pretty special things to see in this little jewel of a city in the middle of the heartland...


From the Fall of 2014:

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My friend Anne suggested I come to her fair city, Cedar Rapids, to see some of the unique Grant Wood art they have there. It was, after all, his home town....

Also, before the good weather is completely GONE -- I want to spend a day with my friend Sue. A day trip to Cedar Rapids seemed like the very best idea. We need a coupla hours in the car just to catch up on each others lives...PERFECT.

So -- off we went! And, of course, Anne lined up a terrific Cedar Rapids Grant Wood tour!!

First Stop:  We started off at the Veteran's Memorial Building.

Cedar Rapids has many, many bridges -- and several rivers....this building sits in the middle of the river, and used to serve as sort of a local "Switzerland" local government building, separating the East and West sides...

The most remarkable thing about this building is the 16' tall Memorial Window, created by Grant Wood in 1928. (WHO KNEW, RIGHT??)

From the outside -- you get NO SENSE of what this window is...

The three of us sat in a row of chairs while the young guy with the local VA spent about 40 minutes telling us all about the history of the window, the 2009 flood, the restoration, the controversy when it was first installed in 1928...OMG...I cannot remember when I ever had a better time. Sue (like me) is not much of a museum person. But I think she enjoyed every minute of what felt like an up close and personal story of Grant Wood and the most incredible piece of art I've ever been that close to. It was amazing -- the story behind the making of the window, how it affected Grant Wood and his family -- the controversy in Cedar Rapids at the time....

Our handsome young docent acted like he had all the time in the world to spend with us...

The way the light came in, through the window, and hit us, sitting in our chairs. It felt like the very best kind of church...as though we were the only people in the world who were hearing this story...

There are six soldiers in the window -- one for every war America had been in up until that time...

Anne did a GREAT job of setting up our Grant Wood Tour!!

Cedar Rapids had a devastating flood in 2009 -- and at first, they thought the window had survived. But, the truth was the wood frame wicked up water -- and mold and mildew was destroying the lead that held the 9,000 pieces of glass together. It took a year and a half of arguments before they came up with a plan for restoration of the window.

IT IS BEAUTIFUL...a stunning work of art. I felt so humbled, sitting there, bathed in the light coming through the colorful glass. We learned about the struggles Grant Wood had during his life. The lack of support from his hometown. How he lived in one large room with his mother and his sister, how hard it was for him to follow his dream, make a living with his art...

Humm.  Maybe nothing worthwhile is easy.  Maybe it's the struggle that brings the value...