Taking a Walk Around Winterset

Okay, so I am going to take you on a tour around southeast Winterset. These are just some of the interesting things I have seen when Petey and I are taking walks. Now, do not get too excited; none of these images are going to blow your mind. However, I selected them because they are the kinds of sights that I don't remember ever seeing in Reno.

I came across this old, rusty tractor in someone's backyard in the middle of town. Large antiques are not just for country yards! It makes walking so much more interesting.

This suit of armor is sitting (or standing, I guess) on a porch. I thought it was quite charming, and it stands almost three feet high. If I ever see a for-sale sign, I will try to buy it. Who doesn't want a knight guarding their front door?

Welcome to Winterset's Middle School! Here, we have an elementary school, a middle school, a junior high, and a high school. It sounds confusing, but it's not, and it's all apparently due to some overcrowding and building-rearranging that went on at some point. 

The buildings you see here are some of the shops that are on the outskirts of the square in Winterset. They are all some type of brick or stone and are all connected, and most have apartments above (although not all the apartments are actually in use). But I took this picture because you can see the courthouse tower rising above, and you can see the courthouse spire from a lot of places, including several miles away as you approach town on the highway (just a testament to how flat this area can be).

And here is the town square itself, with the courthouse in the middle. Everything else in Winterset spreads out from the middle here, which, I have discovered, most people refer to as "uptown." Since this is the center of the town and the most commercial and touristy area in town (excepting John Wayne's birthplace a few blocks away), I am not sure what Winterset's "downtown" is.

Now, I was quite excited when I discovered this signpost in this front yard. I have no idea how long it's been there or what struck someone to put it up, but I thought it was interesting...

Notice that you can gauge the distance to various destinations away from Winterset. It would appear that San Francisco is approximately 1,785 miles west, while Ft. Lauderdale is 1,514 miles south. Good to know.

This is a sight that amused me quite a lot, which may actually belong on one of those "FAIL" blogs. Notice the second-story door, and the lack of something onto which you can actually step out. They must have had a deck, or been planning on a deck, at some point.

So, that is all for the first installment. I may include more pictures as I walk around different areas of town.