Rainy Day Road Trip

I would just like to note, since I forgot to mention it on yesterday's post, that everyone survived both shipwrecks we saw on Friday evening. They both happened in shallow water, which is why we were able to see them. Our guide said shipwrecks were basically the car accidents of the 19th century.

Also, for anyone who is curious, here is the "rosary" that is just a necklace. It has six starting beads and 71 beads in the main part, so 77 altogether. Maybe I can just pray the Jesus prayer 77 times...

After I blogged yesterday, Travalon and I went to Door County Coffee, which is very much like Berres Brothers Coffee, with lots of flavored coffee for sale. Then we went to a huge antiques mall outside of Egg Harbor, where I found two purple rosaries (the one on the left is specifically an Easter rosary) and an odd necklace with a huge crystal that has a tiny image of Mary and Jesus on it. I would probably never wear it, but it was $2 and maybe I can use it for something else.

Egg Harbor has a beautiful church called Stella Maris. The church in Fish Creek is also called Stella Maris, but it is not beautiful, so we didn't take a picture of it.

We went back up to Fish Creek to go to an Irish store, where I bought earrings and Travalon bought a rugby shirt. Then we went south and stopped at Potawatomi State Park for a hike in the rain. We were in pretty deep woods, so we didn't get very wet. The Nature Trail went over some interesting glacial formations.

We were so happy to be in the woods, even if it was raining.

We drove out to the boat launch and saw this little island with a house on it.

On the road to the boat launch, there were interesting rock formations on both sides.

On the road back out of the park, I spotted this huge mushroom.

I wanted to explore a peninsula called Idlewild, and we found it was inhabited by very rich people. Parts of it were private so you couldn't go on them, and another part had a canal where all the people kept their boats. I should have taken a picture, but I didn't.

We drove down to Algoma and found an antiques store that was supposed to be open for another five minutes, but they closed just as we got there. Next door there was this old-fashioned gas station.

We found another, much larger antiques store, and I got two very old wooden rosaries and this intriguing thing I couldn't resist made of marble and sterling silver. It has an image of the Sacred Heart on it, and the owner said it was very old and came from France.

We stopped in Kewaunee, which has a very pretty harbor area with houses right on a breakwater. Can you imagine how cool that would be? Except that the lighthouse makes a constant noise, so you'd have to put up with that. We saw this cute tugboat.

Here is the lighthouse that makes the constant sound, kind of like a foghorn.

Here is the regular lighthouse, across the channel from it.

Between Kewaunee and Two Rivers there is a nuclear power plant. Travalon used to fish there as a kid with his father and brother, because the water stayed warmer so the fish were always biting. He says now they don't allow you to get near it.

In Two Rivers we went to the restaurant at the Lighthouse Inn for dinner. I forgot to take a picture of the stunning view of Lake Michigan, but I did take a picture of this lamp because we have one EXACTLY like it at home.

The Manitowoc County Courthouse has a dome nearly as beautiful as the one in Rhinelander.

We saw a glorious sunset as we drove south, and it was on my side of the car, so I kept trying to take pictures of it. A few of them turned out.

Here you can see it over Lake Winnebago.

We stopped at Calumet County Park outside of Fond du Lac to try to take pictures of what remained of the sunset. Here is their lighthouse thing.

This is Travalon taking a picture of the sunset.

And here is the picture that he took.

Today we dressed up kind of Celtic for Mass.

The restaurant where we went to brunch has a mural on the plywood protecting their windows. I don't know why someone added "black bum" at the bottom - seems racist and rude.

Across the street on a kiosk, someone put up this sign. It makes me laugh because how does one make a joyful noise ONTO the Lord? Do you hold Him down and blow a noisemaker into His ear?

Kathbert, Travalon, and I went for a hike in the Arboretum, and Richard Bonomo joined us partway through. We saw some flowers, like this foxglove beardtongue.

And this Japanese lilac tree. (Kathbert did not like the smell.)

And this wild rose. I remember one grew near the creek in our backyard when I was a kid, and I thought it was the most wonderful thing ever, after the wild plum that bloomed every May.

Now Travalon and I are having a quiet evening in preparation for our return to the workaday world, at least for me. He joked that he needed a vacation from his furlough.

Famous Hat