Fritz Chaple.

 Friday evening with temps still in the upper 80's, I stopped by Roli to take a dip in the pond.  After the social I took off cross country past the local you pick strawberry patch, then up wolf hollow past the Pecosh farm, on to sieverding ridge and down the next hollow past Fritz chaple on my way over to the cabin.










When i noticed a new sign opening up some land to public hunting.  I'll have to do some research and see what's all open.

 About 20 yards down the road was a gypsy moth trap
Last spring 7,344 gypsy moth traps were placed throughout Iowa by the “Gypsy Moth Slow the Spread Foundation”. The traps were picked up in the fall with a total of 347 traps capturing 478 male moths.
For about 12 summers i worked for the Iowa Department of Agriculture  placing  the triangular traps through out eastern iowa.
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 When Susie and I first moved into the area we would walk down the gravel road north of  us.  After about a three mile walk we would make it to Fritz Chapel.







 



Fritz Chapel 1852
Matthais Fritz, a stone mason, erected the Fritz Chapel in thanksgiving for the safe arrival of his family of eight after a terrifying sea and land voyage from Luxemborg











 He carved the Crucifix and hewed the walnut arch from a single piece of wood. Fritz Chapel continues to be maintained by Matthais Fritz Chapel Fund, Incorporated.








 As a man who's laid a few stone in my day I've always appreciated the stone work and the spirit in which it was built.

God grant that I may live to fish, until my dying day. And when it comes to my last cast, I then most humbly pray, when in the Lords safe landing net, I'm peacefully asleep, that in his mercy I be judged, as big enough to keep. Rest in peace Big Jim, you will be greatly missed.