Tallitha Reese

It was mid-2015, and the contentious race for President of the United States had stirred up the emotions (and proverbial pens) of people of all political ilks across the nation. Never one to keep his leanings to himself, Jeff Abbas of Dorchester, Iowa, dove right into the fray. 

“I was absolutely on fire, writing about political concerns on Facebook every day,” he says. Before long, he had amassed a loyal following – some people loved his musings, while others most certainly did not. Yet as his body of writing (and audience) on social media grew, so too did his angst. It wasn’t a great “place” to be. 

One morning, while indulging in his daily routine of drinking his first cup of coffee outdoors while capturing a photograph, Jeff had a crystal-clear epiphany. “It dawned on me how good this simple act made me feel,” he says. “It took my mind off all the political strife, and my angst immediately started to recede – I never did any political writing again.” 

And while he ceased writing about politics, Jeff didn’t stop posting on social media. Instead, he began sharing his “morning coffee shots” and encouraging others to do the same. His newly minted Facebook group, “Morning Coffee Shots,” had one simple rule: no posting about politics. The concept quickly caught on, and today the group has more than 700 members worldwide – authors, photographers, sculptors, painters, chefs, bakers, doctors, nurses, and people of many other professions – all of whom share Jeff’s enthusiasm for kicking off each day drinking coffee, taking a photo of some aspect of the world that surrounds them, and sharing that image with others. 

“It’s an incredibly diverse community of people, of friends, really,” says Jeff. “And we all share the simple goal of capturing and sharing a beautiful part of every day and building each other up.”  

Bolstering community connection both in person and through media has been a theme throughout Jeff’s itinerant life. Born in Denver, Iowa – a small town outside of Waterloo – he spent a good portion of his adult life in California after joining the United States Navy. By the early 1980s, Jeff was working in the General Mills factory in Lodi, California, where, as he recalls it, he “sat on a tall stool and dropped sauce packets into Hamburger Helper boxes.” Jeff hated the work – “I don’t like structure,” he says simply – and decided to flip a coin to determine whether his next career stop would be studying culinary arts or broadcasting. 

Jeff would go on to enroll in culinary school, but he spent his time out of the kitchen volunteering part-time at KUOP (91.3 FM), an NPR-member radio station in Stockton, California, then owned by the University of the Pacific. When the station offered him a full-time job in 1985, he readily accepted. “It makes me wonder if I had elected to go to broadcasting school, would I have ended up being a chef?” he says with a chuckle. 

As KUOP’s classical music host, Jeff cultivated a loyal listening audience over the next decade-plus even as he started experimenting with web-design work off the air (ultimately building the station’s first website.) That work, in turn, inspired an interest in digital photography. “My first digital camera was a Sony Mavica that would record eight to 10 images on a floppy disk,” he reflects.

When KUOP abruptly switched to a news/talk format in 1998, Jeff decided it was time to move on; he packed his bags and headed back to Northeast Iowa, where he did web work for a time for Ion Exchange (a company that sells native wildflowers). In 2006, through “happenstance,” says Jeff, he became station manager of KPVL (89.1 FM), a now-defunct, non-commercial community radio station in Postville, Iowa. 

Work was as quiet as one might expect in small-town Iowa until May 2008, when the local Agriprocessors meat-packaging factory became the target of what was, at the time, the largest immigration raid in United States history. In the months that followed, Jeff created the Good Morning, Postville! show, his own mix of news, commentary, and community engagement, eventually becoming the local authority on the raid and its aftermath. “Things just kind of took on a life of their own” is how he now sums up the turmoil of that particular time in Postville.  

As fate would have it, there was a silver lining to all that turmoil – Jeff met his future wife, Mary, who was then helping to heal the Postville community through her work with Catholic Charities. 

The two would go on to found Kitchen Table Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA), which promoted “good health and social justice through sustainable agriculture” on their Dorchester-area farm. They enjoyed the work, but the physicality of the farming life eventually took its toll. Says Jeff, “Farming is hard work, and we got to a point that we just couldn’t do it anymore.”

And that’s when Jeff began gradually turning what had long been an avocation (agate hunting and photography) into a vocation. The COVID-19 pandemic afforded him the time to hone his “agatographer” skills even further. “During lockdown, I started to experiment more with the macro photography of rocks, minerals, and especially agates,” he says. “I got photo-editing software, acquired some lighting, did more research, began ‘talking’ to people online, and went on more agate-hunting trips – I got pretty intense into it.” 

Lake Superior agates (the oldest agates on the planet) particularly piqued his interest. “There are so many different theories about how these agates were formed,” says Jeff of the ornamental stone, consisting of chalcedony and quartz. “The only thing everyone agrees upon is that Lake Superior agates were created inside the hardened bubbles of lava.” 

Today, more than a billion years later, nearly 1,000 pounds of those agates (many polished, many not) are displayed on shelves and stashed away in containers in Jeff’s Dorchester home.  (“Time spent studying Lake Superior agates and where they are found is far and away the best way to begin finding them,” he advises. “Once you know where to look, you are well on the way to building your agate collection.”) 

His own collection includes not only concentric-banded agates (the most common kind) but also many other types: sagenitic agates, water-level agates, paint agates, tube agates, and hurricane agates, among others. Each, explains Jeff, has its own unique whorl and pattern, and making those patterns visible to the naked eye is what his agate photography is all about. 

“I try to open up that world for people so they can see the actual formation of these stones down deep,” he says. “Ultimately, I want to help people understand the science behind these stones, and photos are the easiest way to do that.”

That mission drives Jeff to spend more than 10 hours a day immersed in photography and social media – he shares his photos on “Morning Coffee Shots” and other groups worldwide – as well as sorting and carefully polishing stones on the wheels he keeps in his studio. And while some might consider this level of devotion as work, Jeff views it as a labor of love. “I’ve finally reached that point in my life where I don’t have to dream about what I want to do because I’m freaking doing it,” he says. “I’m finally living the dream, and my greatest joy is sharing my work with others.”

Six miles outside the town of Lanesboro, nestled snugly into the beautiful woods and river valleys of Southeast Minnesota, you find a unique community at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center. Circles of communities, really. At the very center – helping to build, nurture and strengthen each one – is someone who never really expected to be here.

Colleen Foehrenbacher has been Executive Director at Eagle Bluff for the past three years. She grew up in Akron, Ohio, and later attended Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, where she got a degree in biology. “My minor was marine biology,” she says. “You don’t find many oceans close to Ohio so it was a great fit when I worked as an intern doing marine education at an aquarium in Savannah, Georgia. After that I wanted to pursue a career in environmental education but I didn’t know if that was even possible.”

It was possible, she discovered, and soon learned that Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, has a partnership with Eagle Bluff that allows a student to take graduate level courses in environmental education while teaching it at the same time. “My one-year plan was to come to Minnesota, deal with the cold, learn to be a quality educator, and then head back south. That was 13 years ago.” This place, with its unique landscape, coupled with Minnesota’s outdoor ethos, ultimately pulled her in, Colleen says. “I fell in love with Eagle Bluff, with teaching, and with the beauty of the Driftless region.”

Established in 1978, Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center – one of only five fully accredited residential environmental schools in Minnesota – welcomes students from a variety of cities, towns, and backgrounds located throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa (one school near Chicago also sends students each year).

“There aren’t many places like it in all the Midwest,” Colleen says.

Elementary-age students come to Eagle Bluff for three- or five-day camps, getting a taste of dorm life while combining classroom learning with outdoor exploring.

“They hike through forests, learn about local plants, animals, and insects, swim, canoe, and fish in the Root River, watch eagles soaring over the bluffs, observe the live animals and raptors we have on site – including a Great Horned Owl – get challenged on our ropes courses and climbing wall, take night hikes, and enjoy campfires,” Colleen says. “Eagle Bluff is so much more than a field trip. It’s a life-changing, human-building experience!”

Elementary school groups account for the majority of the nearly 13,000 people who come to Eagle Bluff’s 200-acre campus each year. “For many, it’s their first time out in nature,” says Colleen. “Our staff and teachers receive specialized training to help all students have a positive experience. It helps that we’ve built good relationships with many schools and teachers over the years.”

Eagle Bluff also offers year-round programs and activities for all ages, from young children (there’s a preschool program for local kids ages 3-5) through senior adults. There’s even a program geared specifically toward women called “Becoming an Outdoor Woman,” offered in partnership with Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources. Women enjoy a weekend of outdoor activities at Eagle Bluff, including hunting for mushrooms, fishing, shooting a rifle, and archery.

“I took the course myself and turkey hunting is now my favorite hobby,” says Colleen. “My husband, Tony, and I hunt together and enjoy wild game dinners all year.”

Another community circle at Eagle Bluff is its staff. Nearly 40 people live and work there year-round, developing curriculum, maintaining properties and facilities, cooking, teaching classes (many are enrolled in the same Hamline University program that Colleen did years ago), meals, administrative tasks, building relationships with current schools, and recruiting new ones. “We build staff community by working and playing together,” says Colleen. “We make sure we get outdoors ourselves and visit other nature centers for new ideas and fresh inspiration.”

Eagle Bluff staff also connects with regional communities, including the nearby towns of Lanesboro, Fountain, and Whalan. “We want staff to enjoy where we live and encourage them to get involved locally,” Colleen says. “That might be volunteering at a local nonprofit, participating in projects like the Root River Cleanup on Earth Day, or enjoying trivia night at a local pub. Our maintenance person is the mayor of Whalan. Our marketing manager chairs the Lanesboro Chamber of Commerce. Those connections make all our communities stronger.”

Eagle Bluff also hosts events that bring people to its campus other times during the year. “Dinner on the Bluff” gatherings pair learning about the environment with good food and friend-making each winter.

Of course, the COVID pandemic challenged all communities, including those at Eagle Bluff – “Schools shutting down had a huge impact on our programs and finances,” Colleen says – but they’re on the road back, with new programs paving the way for a bright future.

“We’re working with a legislative effort called ‘Outdoor School for All’ that would provide every Minnesota public and private school student in grades 4 through 8 a three-day, two-night experience at an environmental learning center,” Colleen says. “States like Oregon and Washington already do this. There are 64,000 fifth-graders across Minnesota; this would help so many kids and be huge for Eagle Bluff. Bills introduced this year gained bipartisan support and will hopefully be voted on in May, 2024.”

A long way from Ohio, far from any ocean, Colleen Foehrenbacher is doing work she loves in a place she loves. “So many good things are happening here,” she says. “It’s a great time to be at Eagle Bluff!”

Learn More…

To learn more about the Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center, visit eaglebluffmn.org, call 
(507) 467-2437, or find Eagle Bluff on Facebook.

Bonus: You can listen to Inspire(d)’s Benji Nichols’ “Rhymes With…” podcast interview with Colleen Foehrenbacher at decorah.fun

The prairies of the Midwestern United States have long occupied the imaginations of artists, writers, and lovers. 

For Elkader-area painter and photographer Jillian Webb Herrmann, the prairie symbolizes new life and the possibility of connection.

She first encountered the tallgrass prairie on Wold Farm near St. Olaf, Iowa, 15 years ago with her then-boyfriend – now-husband – Zach. They had traveled to the family farm to “meet the grandparents.” On that first visit, Zach’s Grandpa Don tucked them into the tractor and gave Jillian the full tour of the farm property. She fell in love. 

She was struck by the beauty and tranquility of the near-170-year-old farm: the rolling hills, the undulating prairie grasses and wildflowers, the endless sky, and the feeling of belonging – amidst seemingly boundless nature. 

But what caught her attention and her artist’s imagination were the grain bins. 

“Those would make the cutest cabins!” Jillian remembers saying to Zach’s mom. 

“And then his mom was like ‘that is actually something people do’ and so she started sending me pictures and I’m like ‘we can do this one day!’ and I started drawing.”

And she started dreaming. She hoped to welcome guests to experience the same feelings of serenity, belonging, and connection that she had every time she went to the farm. 

“I feel like the people who will value this space are the people who really value their time together. There is no TV in here. That was a choice. I kind of want it to be a place where you really have to connect…you get to,” she says, laughing. 

This passion project, which started during the first year of COVID, was not without challenges. However, with the unwavering support of her husband, her mom, Zach’s mom, and dedicated local contractors and vendors, the first renovation – the largest grain bin – was completed in the summer of 2022.

“The whole process was like a couple years of growth for me. I had to learn how to trust myself and trust that what I was doing was going to work out. I had to have a lot of faith, honestly,” Jillian recalls. “I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t had people that believed in me. Anybody that’s doing something big, or little, if you have the support of somebody who believes in you and will back you…That’s why this is here. If I hadn’t had that, this would not be here. I’m grateful that I get to share it now.”

They officially opened the Grain Bin to the public to rent in July of 2022, and in October, they invited friends and the community out to celebrate Jillian’s birthday with a “Barn Party” at Wold Farm. Folks toured the grain bin cabin and gathered together in the barn to eat, drink, and enjoy time together. 

“I think my favorite part of it was the birthday card my husband wrote me,” Jillian says. “He said in the card, ‘Don and Bernice [his grandparents] would not believe that you have people coming from all over to stay at Wold Farm.’ And it makes me teary to say that because it was like, his grandma had a lot of big ideas, too. And she would love it. I think they would be really proud of this space.” 

While Jillian was already making use of the gorgeous lighting in the bin and the farm’s landscape for photo shoots – including engagement and wedding photos – she began to think of other ways she could utilize the unique spaces. 

“I had someone come as just a solo retreat, and it was life changing for her,” Jillian says. “I want to be able to help people have that space to connect and just be.”

After a close friend stayed in the grain bin for an artist’s “sabbatical” over the winter, Jillian began thinking outside the typical vacation rental box. 

“I’ve already been thinking about how I can make this space more of a retreat, more of an experience. My yoga crew came out here one night and we practiced in the yard and then we had a gathering in the grain bin after,” Jillian says.  “But I could see it being a space for healing/health and wellbeing workshops, elopements, micro-teeny events. Even a rural experience package where they could come and go on the river. I just have all of these ideas!”

But the idea of creating a space for people to elope is what eventually took root. 

What could be more fun than jumping in the car with your beloved, leaving the frenetic energy of the city behind, and escaping to a renovated grain bin in the middle of a tallgrass prairie in Northeast Iowa to elope? 

At least that’s what Jillian hoped when she posted an “Elopement Giveaway” on the Wold Farm website and promoted it through her social media network. 

“I love love. I feel like we’re put on the planet to learn how to love unconditionally. That may not be everybody’s thing, but for me I feel like we are and that is a reason for being here and going through the hardships that we go through. And learning to love ourselves in the same way we love others,” Jillian reflects. “Everything comes back to love for me. The elopement thing really pulls it all together because, I don’t know, it’s like when you dedicate your life to somebody it’s the most obvious form of love.” 

The giveaway itself is a substantial package worth almost $5000, and includes one night in the Grain Bin, dinner provided by a restaurant in Elkader, the officiant for the wedding, and a photo album of the event. 

“It’s a really big giveaway, actually. I felt like I needed to make it super over the top,” Jillian explains. “I mean, a) to ask someone to elope, and then b), to elope at my house, and then pick me as your photographer. It’s pretty specific! I felt like it was worth a shot!”

To her delight, several couples applied.

Jillian selected a few finalists and began making phone calls to interview each couple.

As soon as she got Sara Chappell-Dick and Mickey Price on the phone, she knew she had found her winners.

“They feel like they could pack up and move here,” Jillian explains. “They feel like Northeast Iowa people. They were so outgoing and easygoing, and it’s just the two of them. I instantly felt comfortable with these two.”

Sara (26) and Mickey (27) live in Chicago with their dog Gingko. Both are outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers. 

“We met in 2016, on Tinder,” Sara recalls via email. “Mickey had said that he was really into tea in his bio, so I messaged him that I drink several cups of tea a day – definitely an exaggeration. I had said that I love the poet Mary Oliver, which he responded to by quoting one of her poems (he told me later he had never heard of Mary Oliver before, he just googled it, lol). For our first date, Mickey cooked me a beautiful pheasant dinner. The rest is history.”

When Sara saw the Elopement Giveaway ad on Instagram, she thought it was meant for them.

“We’ve been talking about a courthouse wedding for a while now, with plans to have a party with family and friends later on. When I saw the ad for the giveaway, and saw that it’s held on a beautiful farm in the prairie – a landscape that we both love and feel at home in, growing up in the Midwest – we felt like it was exactly what we were looking for and fit us perfectly.” 

To their surprise, they won!

“We felt that the traditional wedding setup didn’t fit us very well. We both strongly value simple living,” Mickey and Sara explain. “We also share what feels like a really close, really personal bond between the two of us that we would love to represent by celebrating privately. We think a private ceremony in a landscape that means a lot to both of us feels really special.”

For Sara, the elopement is extra special because it ties her family past to her present life with Mickey and to their dreams of the future. 

“I am so excited to wear my mom’s dress! It was sewn and hand-embroidered by my grandma. There are these little flowers she embroidered on it that will look beautiful in the setting,” Sara says. “We’re also both really excited to see what Jillian and Zach have going on at their farm, because we dream of having our own farm one day and love to chat with people who are living it!”

Jillian is hopeful that Sara and Mickey’s elopement is the first of many in the future.

“I love my life, and I love that I do painting and festivals and photography and all these things, but this elopement ties all of them together and brings all of my creative energy right here, and creates connection in the most intimate kind of way,” Jillian says. “In a world where there is so much pain and suffering and sorrow, there is still so much joy and love, and that’s what we need to focus on. Because it’s always there.”