Seeing the Capitol from Blue Mound

 

This morning Travalon and I actually went to the church where we are parishioners for Mass, and it might be the last time if we don't make it there next week. The priest announced that they were going to remove sacred images and bring them over to St. James after Mass next weekend, and I felt so glum thinking of all the beautiful sacred artwork stripped out of our church, but Rich said it was just a picture of the Divine Mercy that I don't remember always being there and have no attachment to, so they can have it.

The weather was good again today, so Travalon and I went to Blue Mound State Park. I have wanted to go ever since looking at it from a distance on the Ice Age Trail, and also hearing that you might be able to see Dubuque from it on a good day. One of the Night Prayer regulars said you can for sure see the State Capitol from there, so we went to the East Tower and climbed up it. We were joined by several people, including a school-aged boy who wanted to borrow my binoculars, and his grandfather (?) who is also a bird watcher. We did indeed see the State Capitol on the horizon, but Travalon said his camera couldn't focus that far away to get a photo. He did take some other photos, which I will post soon. I did like this one he took when I was already down from the tower and he was looking down at me.

We hiked on a trail called Indian Marker Tree that was supposed to be half a mile long but felt much longer; however, my FitBit said it was about that long. Here is a photo of the marker tree. It's not a very good photo, since I took it. You can see the branch bent at a crazy angle. It pointed at a spring which was where the swimming pool now is.

There are lots of photos of the views we saw and the rocks by the side of the trail which I will try to post soon, maybe tomorrow. We listened to the Packer game as we drove to and from the park, and can you believe they won?? So both Wisconsin football teams actually won this weekend!! 

This evening Travalon and I went to see Saving Private Ryan, which is now a quarter-century old, so they were showing it on the big screen again for this momentous occasion. I've heard that veterans who were at D-Day said it was the most accurate depiction of it that they'd ever seen. Niko watched the movie with us, and when Travalon asked for his review of the movie, it was just that war is hell. What a terrible waste of human life, and wanton destruction of nature and edifices. Why would anyone glorify that? I think the people who do are not the same ones who have experienced it.

Famous Hat