These photos come from my recent trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to attend the Mathematical Association of America's summer conference: Mathfest. Above is a view from the car, as we drove south.
A light in the very ritzy William Penn Hotel, where the conference was held.
Signs at the, uh, strip mall next door to our hotel. What a strange combination...
Rusty corners at a service plaza on I-80.
Giant rolls of shredded wheat! ... or, harvested straw in a field near my parents house, on our way back north.
2 comments:
Actually, those are bales of straw. A combine cuts the stalks of wheat at the level of the stubble you see still standing in the field, the wheat kernels go in the grain tank and the straw goes out the back of the combine and falls back on the ground. If you're not going to bale the straw, there's a chopper on the back of the combine that shreds and spreads it so that it decomposes easier. The straw is later baled and used for livestock bedding. Straw can come from wheat, oats, barley, or any upright grain.
Hay, on the other hand, is usually clover and other plants that are cut very low to the ground while still green. It needs to lay in the field and dry to a point where it's safe to bale, then it's used as livestock feed. If the hay hasn't dried properly before being baled, the heat from natural decay can actually start a fire. Many barns have been lost that way.
Thanks anon -- I always get that backwards. Of course, "shredded wheat" is a joke... :P
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