One of my favorite places to spend time when visiting my family in Iowa is Oakland Mills Park. It was my outdoor office while waiting for fall color. The park is adjacent to the Skunk River and is quite beautiful in the fall.
I scouted the park for days watching the trees turn from green to yellow and orange. Having grown up in the area, I knew a few places that I definitely wanted to photograph (The Road To Color). Fortunately the park is only a few miles from town and it was easy to keep track of the changing color.
Once fall color arrived, I hiked one of the trails a few times. Each time seeing something different. One afternoon as I was hiking, there was this oak leaf dancing in the Autumn Breeze. Working quickly, I was able to capture this impressionistic image.
Prints available for purchase at TBecker Photos.
He had seen my family tree online. My first thought was he would be a distant relative. The Kirkpatricks I knew were either William or Andrew. I looked through the family history and sure enough he was my great-great-great-great grandfather. I replied that yes I was a direct descendant and would be happy to scan and email the information. A few weeks later I received an email with a link to an article in the Cedar Rapids Gazette. The article mentioned me and how I had provided the information on this war veteran (War of 1812).
In fact John Kirkpatrick and his wife Anna were buried in a pasture on their farm. The original headstones have fallen over and broken. The pieces remain at the gravesite. A new headstone has been put in place as John Kirkpatrick is a war veteran.
. There is a park bench beneath a very tall cherry tree. I sat for a few minutes looking around at the nearby countryside, wondering what the farm would have looked like. Was the house a log cabin? Did John Kirkpatrick plant crops or have livestock or maybe both?
Different Isn't Wrong, It's Just Different 