Landmark Cannon

This cannon, located in La Crosse's Riverside Park, was dedicated in July 1918 as a memorial to the USS Maine, which was destroyed in Havana Harbor in 1898 during the Spanish-American War.

As teenagers, we used to get a dozen kids to sit on the front edge of the cannon and it would rock downward, allowing all the rainwater and candy wrappers to slop out... we called it "burping the cannon!"  I wonder if that still works? ;-)

Hoo-Who?

While waiting at an intersection the other day, I had to do a double-take at the utility pole across the way.  Upon closer inspection, I realized it was merely an owl decoy placed to keep other birds from congregating in the area.  I'm not sure why there are no wires attached to the pole itself, unless it's just a throw-back to the "olden days."

Colorful Heron

I posted a picture of this heron a few years back, but here is another view of the "Pump House Heron" statue at the International Friendship Gardens in La Crosse.  I really like the painted promise of colorful summertime flowers contrasted against the bare and chilly spring background.

"Hiawatha"

Known locally as "The Big Indian" - this statue of the Native American, Hiawatha, towers over Riverside Park in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  As the sign below says, it was created by a middle school art teacher, Anthony Zimmerhakl (everyone called him Zim) back in 1962, and has been a landmark ever since for those boating up and down the Mississippi River.

Be sure to click on the statue image to see a larger version.

Giant Jesus

On the open road between Cottonwood and Sedona, Arizona, stands this larger than life statue of Jesus. It's visible for a few miles down the road, and we couldn't figure out what it was until we came upon it standing near a christian church in the middle of nowhere. A little disconcerting, but still, I suppose it's nice to have someone (literally!) watching over us.

Note that he's holding a globe, i.e. "he has the whole world in his hands," as the song goes.