Anna's Favorites - #1

UPDATE: I have made the move out of Ames. I transitioned for a few days in my own home in Indianola and now have officially moved up to Okoboji/Paradise. J This is not a very current update, but I’ve been neglecting my lovely blog…
(so sorry about that)

After WEEKS of posting nothing, I want to start a new segment called Anna’s Favorites! It’s going to be a reoccurring post whenever I think of something that anyone other than myself might be interested in.

Today’s favorite?

Driving past the windmills (wind turbines) on the drive up to the lake.

My very favorite part of what is supposed to be a four hour drive to the lake is driving through what I am going to call a “wind farm,” just south of Pocahontas. When I can just make out the tiny town of Pomeroy, its motto is “Town and Country Working Together,” I begin to see the fragile little silhouettes of hundreds of wind turbines.

The spindly little skeletons of the wind turbines from a distance.

And soon enough I’m speeding a little too fast and sitting on the edge of my seat to take it all in…the fields crops, the small farms sprinkled in between wind turbines, the chapel, the massive shadows...it’s incredible.

I’m not sure a what point exactly it is that my goosebumps show up, but I’m nearly positive it’s when I pass the first turbine that is close to the road and know that I am in the heart of something so much bigger than myself.

The Close-Up. Right alongside the road.

It’s hard to describe my relationship with the windmills. Since I was little, my mom has always had some fascination with old-time windmills making their homes on small farms. That fascination then turned into a collection of antique models of windmills that salesmen would carry with them. And now, with the recent energy movements, it only makes sense to update the interest to wind turbines. So, our family has watched this wind farm grow over the years and have seen the dozens of new wind turbines each year.

This wind farm has a magical quality to it. When I drive through I am humbled by the fact that there are hundreds of machines moving in sync with each other surrounding my little Saturn and myself. I love feeling as though I am in the midst of an alliance bigger than just me. It’s a fairytale moment every time.

But, what I have yet to mention is how often I drive through the area at night. You would think that when everything is dark there would be nothing to see, but FALSE! This is the most exciting time. All of the sudden you are being surrounded by red flashing lights for miles. On the right side of the road, they blink almost all together and on the left side they are a little less synchronized but still blink nearly all at the same time. Feels as though you’re entering an alien base of sound kind….sounds strange, but I dare you to disagree.

Although driving through the wind farm is only a short segment of my journey to the lake, it is truly a favorite time of mine. And if there is any time that I am at all excited while driving it is a small miracle. J