They go up diddley up-up, they go down diddley down-down

I got woken up this morning by an airplane buzzing by the house.  I figured it was our friend in the Air Tractor, and he sounded even closer, so I started getting dressed.  It took him a while to do the field Saturday, so I didn't hurry or anything.  Had I known what was actually going on, I'd have just thrown on my bathrobe and raced outside.

By the time I finished dressing and changing filters on my camera, it was too late, the pilot had left the area.  Then my roommate told me the plane had been spraying the soybean field right in front of the house.  I'm really annoyed that I missed that, because it must have been an aerobatic extravaganza to rival the Blue Angels.  This particular field is rather small, only about 6 acres, and is bordered on the north and south by tall trees and there is a 3 story barn less than 10 yards from the eastern edge.  And to make things even more difficult, there are telephone wires running east-west across the middle of the field, and then north-south across the road on the western edge.  He would have had to do some awfully skillful maneuvering to cover the whole field.

I'm rather annoyed that I missed the whole thing.

Mouth of the Platt

I had some business today in Plattsmouth, and after I was done, I walked along the main street taking photos. Most of the buildings in this part of town date to the 1880s and 1890s! Plattsmouth is the county seat and the largest city in Cass County, Nebraska. Population was 6,887 in the 2000 census.



Cass County Courthouse

Unlike most courthouses I've been to, this one has almost no security. There's a couple Sheriff's officers patrolling about, but there's no metal detectors, no X-ray equipment, no pulling off your shoes to get in.



Courthouse cornerstone.

The one side is kind of hard to read because of the angle of the sun. It says "Courthouse, 1891, Wm. Gray, Arct., OJ King, Cont."



Courthouse and Law Enforcement Center



Cass County War Memorial



Historical Marker commemorating Company A of the First Nebraska Volunteer Infantry



Former site of the Farmers State Bank

Now occupied by a couple law offices.



Another former bank.

I don't know what bank it used to be, but now it's an insurance agent's office, a barber shop and several other storefronts. This town is big enough it actually has a traffic light!



The H. Boeck building

Completed in 1886. I'm not sure what used to occupy this building, but now it's law offices, a real estate company and several vacant storefronts.



Rockwood Hall, a Masonic Lodge



Former site of M.E. Smith & Co. Dry Goods



Former site of Bates Book Shop, H.M. Soennichsen Mercantile Store and the Plattsmouth Journal newspaper

The first two are long gone, but the Journal still exists, though its offices are now located across the street and are much, much smaller.



Ghost ad for Bates Book Shop

You can clearly see an ad for 7 Up painted over an ad for Coca-Cola.