Another Castle and a Chickicorn

 

Today we had another relaxed morning on the boat before packing up and heading to Dubuque. On the way we stopped at St. Donatus, where we have always admired the church on the hillside and the chapel even further up the hill. Today the church was open, and we asked a garrulous old farmer about the chapel, but he said the hill is very steep and the chapel is never open, so we didn't bother to go up it. Here are some photos. First, the church. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

So is this building next to it, which was not open.

Here is the inside of the church.

This Lutheran church is on another hill across the highway.

And here is the chapel, way up at the top of the hill.

We stopped at the Mines of Spain to see yet another castle tower, the one over the grave of Julien Dubuque. A guy from Illinois offered to take our photo in front of it.

There is a very beautiful view of downtown Dubuque from the monument.

We went to the Arboretum in Dubuque, which we had never seen before. We fed koi and explored the Japanese and English gardens, the cacti, the hostas, the irises, and the peonies.

Can you spot a Famous Hat in the background?

There was even a veterans' memorial there, so we checked it out in honor of the day.

And we saw a magnolia still blooming! Usually they bloom long before the crabapples.

Then we went back to Galena for two things: 1) someone had told me what shop might have rosaries, but they were already closed yesterday by the time we got there; and 2) we had seen a very strange stuffed animal at the sock shop that we couldn't stop thinking about. I went to the store that might have had rosaries, but they had none, while Travalon went to the sock shop. He sent me a picture of the two "chickicorns"and asked me, "Which one?"

I said, "The orange one!" Now I have seen horns on all sorts of stuffed animals, llamacorns and owlcorns and kittycorns, but a chickicorn is the strangest of all. Plus it has to glow under blacklight.

We got this beautiful, tie-dyed looking spatula in another shop in Galena, the shop Anna Banana II loves most of all.

Then we drove to Cuba City and stopped at another antiques shop that we hadn't been to before. (There are at least four of them there.) Travalon got the button and the Red Owl container, and a book. I got the St. Patrick's Day toque because it's always cold in mid-March, so why are all my green hats for warm weather?

I also got three rosaries.

Here I am wearing my shamrock toque, holding the Chickicorn, and also wearing the bracelet we got for $2 at the Dubuque Arboretum because it matches my shirt.

Travalon got the Tom Clock in Cuba City on Saturday, the John Lennon Funkopop in Galena today, and the plastic cat at the second antiques shop in Cuba City that we visited on Saturday.

I got these Archie Comics socks in Galena yesterday, but not at the sock shop.

You can get socks for any occasion at the sock shop, and for most sports teams, but when I mentioned to the proprietress that there were no sign of the zodiac socks, she seemed downright disgusted at the idea.

I got these crystals in Galena yesterday. They may not look like much, but I will take a photo of them under blacklight, and then you'll see how cool they are.

I got this moss agate crystal in Cuba City on Saturday.

Here are some of my favorite photos that Travalon took with his good camera. The pelicans in Sabula looked like they were wearing black toques themselves.

The sunset on Saturday night.

This is the marina where our houseboat was.

We saw this egret from the lookout point at Eagle Point Park.

And here is the castle tower in Eagle Point Park.

I am posting not one but two photos of the indigo bunting because he is so stunning.

Here we are at the lookout at Mississippi Palisades State Park.

This is St. John the Baptist in Savannah, where we went to Mass on Saturday.

And this is the Havencrest Castle in Savannah, very close to the church. I wonder if a lot of people have a wedding Mass and then their reception at the castle?

Here is yesterday's sunset, which was more pink.

And this is the half moon from last night.

I will try to post more photos in the days to come.

Famous Hat