We stopped to photograph a pasture full of newly born colts. There was four or five little cuties.

Wagon teamsters in Blanchardville, WI.

Wisconsin state capital building in Madison. This is the third capital building for the state, built between 1906 and 1917 at a cost of 7.25 million. Very impressive building and beautiful inside.

New born baby goats at a small zoo beside a roadside produce stand. They were so new, the umbilical cord was still attached. Adorable! There was also a llama, and emu, domestic poultry of all kinds and dozens more goats.

Our tornado shelter last Thursday night. This rock house is primitive but has walls more than a foot thick and is tucked into a hollow protected from the wind. Fortunately, it was not tested! People actually rent it for a weekend in the woods. The potty is down the hill and the drinking water comes from gallon jugs but there is a fireplace and a bed.

We visited the famous Mustard Museum in Mt. Horeb, WI. We learned that they are moving to Middleton, WI in December and this little town will surely suffer as a result as it has been a tourist draw for many years. The saleslady here and down the street at the used book store blamed the greed of landlords as part of the cause.

All you parents out there ... you have been warned :)

OUR LUCKY STARS ... AT WORK AGAIN!

Here is the reason for the above title along with the latest on our refrigerator repair. Just as we were planning to move north into Wisconsin, we developed a leak in the newly installed renovated cooling unit. Phil called Mark, the frig repairman in Drakesville and he said bring it in immediately. We turned south (fortunately we were only 90 miles away) and drove back to Mark’s Amish farm where his shop is located. He had us repaired and we were back on the road in less than two hours. This time, we decided to stick around for a week so we drove to Lakeside RV Park near Bloomfield to wait it out. Once we were set up, we began noticing serious hail damage on the mobiles that are permanent residents in this park. In town, the destruction was everywhere on the buildings facing west including the beautiful old courthouse. As it turned out, had we stayed here last week after the first repair we would have been subjected to a horrendous hail storm (some as big as grapefruit) and most likely sustained some severe damage. I’ll put a few pictures of destruction that covered several miles west to east below. Our decision to move north on June 3rd saved our Penny the Pace and we are very grateful!

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While we were in Kellogg, we drove to Kalona, IA and took a guided tour of the Kalona Historical Village. What a delight that turned out to be! Our tour director was on her last tour of the day and locking up behind us so we felt a bit rushed but I still managed to get quite a few pictures and I'll share just a few. If you are ever in this part of the country, it is well worth a stop.

Several years ago I gave up my much-loved diet soda and started drinking caffeine free soda. Then, I changed to carbonated, flavored water. Then, I gave that up for Crystal Lite added to bottled water. A month or so ago I started drinking diet cola again and as usual, with my addictive personality it went from one—once in a awhile to a daily mega drink! All the while, I continued to drink my coffee every morning. Well, guess what? Very quickly, I have had consequences (heart palpitations and chest pain) that I remember well from 20 years ago when they caused me to give up caffeine completely for a long time. So, I’m back on the wagon and down to one cup of coffee in the morning even contemplating herbal tea as an alternative. I am definitely super suceptable to the affects of caffeine on the body.

When we leave here (so far so good for the recent warranty re-repair on the fridge) we are taking Penny the Pace to the HWH factory in Moscow, Iowa to have her hydraulic jacks checked and repaired. We have had a small leak for years and since we are this close, decided to make an appointment. It wasn’t on the agenda but luckily, Phil and I both remembered where the factory is located about the same time and it is only approximately 100 miles. Where do we go from there? We really haven’t decided yet but it will be somewhere in Wisconsin. Hopefully, we will find some good weather!

Speaking of the weather, the blue skies of Iowa have been few and far between. The cloudy, overcast days we have endured have been reminiscent of our former home state of Washington except that it is warm. The website, The National Weather Service Enhanced Radar Image has been our constant companion … we both check it a couple times a day here in “Tornado Alley”. Summer is only a week away but so far there is no sign of it here in the heartland. The corn that didn’t get trampled by the hail is growing (almost a foot since we arrived) and the soybeans are up and going strong. I suppose the cloud cover is a blessing to the locals and they are happy that the summer heat hasn’t arrived yet as the temperature is staying in the 70s and low 80s.

I want to thank all my readers from the bottom of my heart and tell you how much I appreciate your following along with our adventure. Your comments keep me coming back to the computer each week even when I feel I don’t have much to say. Many of you have commented that you like all the pictures so as long as Blogger cooperates, I’ll continue to post as many as possible. Be sure to sign up as a follower even if you do not have a blog of your own so I know you are checking in on us. Phil and I really enjoy seeing a new reader listing.

Until next time,

This sunset was seen from our Kellogg, IA RV Park. Phil ran outside and got this shot.

How sweet the sound must have been!

We've come a long, long way ...

Look at all this Vaseline glass! Just spectacular1

A cabinet full of Brush McCoy Pottery. Eye candy for collectors that is for sure!

An impressive padlock collection!

An exquisite Hoosier/baker's cabinet.

Oh ... I remember it well!

Recognize the ticket agent in the railroad depot?

Simple "do it yourself" instructions. Believe it or not, I worked in a restaurant in the late 1950s that made its own soap. I had to learn how to do it to work there.

And, here is the pot for making the soap.

A windmill with "hurricane" blades that fold into the wind. I wonder if that really worked when the tornado came through?

Now this is a hanging basket! Just beautiful!

Gorgeously intricate antique wicker chair.

Because she needed a reweld (a factory weld failed, not one of Mark's) Penny's refrigerator had to come out into the shop. Now, that was a tight fit through the door but Phil and Mark squeezed it through with room to spare!

West facing exterior of the mobile home across from us in the RV Park. None escaped damage, some receiving more than others.

The vinyl siding cracked and shattered but the wood and metal siding only dented. Everyone had broken windows and skylites so my first thought was "shutters" if I lived here ... but who listens to me?

West facing damage on the Davis County Courthouse in the town square of Bloomfield, IA. Built in 1877 it is a beautifully ornate structure and other than broken windows, sustained little damage.

More boarded up windows on this historic building. We were surprised that although the clock tower took some hits, the clock is still working! (must be a Timex :)

Buggys and two-wheel carts of all sizes and shapes are everywhere on the roads in Iowa. Most Amish wear dark colors so this family is a surprisingly colorful group.

We stopped at an Amish "Bake Sale" beside the road and bought these goodies. A blackberry pie (still warm from the oven), oatmeal raisin cookies, two hot house tomatoes and a "marble towel holder" as a souvenier of our time in IA Amish country. The food is delicious and the towel holder is very clever!

Taking pictures of the Amish is a covert operation so it is difficult to get up close.

Here are two teams of beautiful Belgium work horses that crossed our path along IA hiway 2.

Magestic old Chestnut tree in glorious bloom along the main street in the tiny town of Blakesburg, Iowa.

HAPPENINGS IN THE HEARTLAND

Well, we have had an interesting week, so what else is new? We have burned up the road visiting family, doing genealogy research and seeing the sights of Missouri and Iowa and I have to tell you I love these two states. The freeways and secondary roads in Missouri are smooth and well marked but unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Iowa where signage is sparse, the back roads are rough and even the interstates need work. We have also decided that Iowans have learned to drive on long straight roads, as they are all speed demons. Our slow pace has drawn a few honks and dirty looks.

We do so love the green rolling hills; acres upon acres of dark rich soil planted with corn and soybeans complete with personal ponds (or watering holes I guess you would say); sleek horses and fat cattle grazing in grass up to their bellies. Did I mention the peaceful, well-groomed old farmhouses surrounded with gorgeous flowerbeds and the barns in a variety of conditions that are a feast for the eyes. I couldn’t help but feel what I tagged “Silo Envy” from one farm to the next. The small farmer with only one silo must surely envy his neighbor who has three or four tall shiny new silos, right? Maybe it is just me! How can we ever tire of visiting small towns, most with a glorious town square, many with a magnificent and picture-perfect courthouse smack in the middle? I will never understand why the easterners gave up that concept of the town square when they moved west. It just makes the town so welcoming, not to mention practical for the local merchants.

However, that said, for the most part, the weather sucks. Cold, wet and snowy in the winter, hot and humid in the summer and tornados, hail, thunder and lightning in the spring. I don’t know about fall … maybe that is the time to visit. But, if you can overlook that part of the equation—this is truly a beautiful part of our big wide wonderful country to live in and explore. I am so pleased to have finally traveled my way to these states and if I am struck by lightning or sucked up into a tornado before we get out of here … well, just remember I was doing what made me enormously happy at the time! We have been lucky; only enduring a few rainy, thunder and lightning storms with a bit of tiny hail. But like they say, “It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings.”

After I finished the blog last Sunday, we drove south to LaPlata, MO to visit with my cousin, Bill, his wife Jackie and their daughter, Delma. It was a very pleasant afternoon and after several hours of catching up, they drove us to a very nice, local eatery in their town. We finished our visit with a meal and more great conversation. It was so good to see them and learn all is well in their branch of the family as it has been 12 years since our family got together at the reunion in Lake Tahoe, NV.

I told you I would report on our refrigerator repair … so far, so good. Mark Bontrager (he is Amish) of Fox River Fridges, four miles west of Drakesville, IA did a great job rebuilding a cooling unit for our model and when we arrived this past Wednesday he was ready for us and two hours later we were put back together and working like a new unit. The repair cost us $661.00 total as compared to our first quote of $900 plus labor OR $1,700 for a new refrigerator. Needless to say, we were very pleased and continue to be as our unit keeps on cooling as promised.

Never let it be said that we can go a week or so without a hitch in our git-a-long. Since the trip to Fox River Fridges was only 40 miles I drove the truck rather than hooking up as we usually do before we pull out. Consequently, I failed to do a last minute walk-around and add a second set of eyes to pulling out so when Phil started to drive our Penny the Pace out of her spot, a scraping noise stopped him in his tracks. Of course, because I didn’t check on them, for whatever reason, our electric steps had failed to retract and gotten snagged by the cement sidewalk around our site. Phil stopped immediately and with sheer muscle and a little help from Penny he straightened them enough to get them to fold up but they need a bit more TLC in order to be useable again. Poor Phil … this is the second set of stairs to be damaged but like I always say: “If money can fix it, it is not a problem!” Terminal cancer, life-threatening illness or a death in the family is a problem. Anything that can be fixed is only an inconvenience!

Lots of pictures again this week! If Blogger was faster there would be more but it takes me so long to load them, I’d be here until Monday if I showed them all!

Until next time …

Oh no! Is he stuck in the pond?

We whistled and called and he started to move!

Nope, just getting cooled off in the pond!

On a day trip into Illinois across the Mississippi we came upon this delightful way to get back across the river.

We had the ferry to ourselves and it was at most a five minute ride.

Only $5.00 for the Red Ranger and the two of us.

Here comes our ride across the Mississippi River back to Canton, Missouri.

Phil enjoying the river breezes at the front of the ferry.

Joy with her cousin, Bill and his wife Jackie in LaPlata, MO.

Mark's wife dressing fresh killed chickens. She cleaned ten chickens in less than an hour! She told me she usually butchers 20 or so a year and her oldest boy is the executioner. He was very good at dispatching the hens by breaking their necks.

New (refurbished) cooling unit being installed on our refrigerator.

Built between 1871 and 1886, the capital building in Des Moines is a beautiful example of 19th century architecture. The 23 Karat gold leaf dome has been recently refurbished and shines in the bright Iowa sun.

Absolutely, the most extraordinary building!

There it is ... the famous Roseman covered bridge from the movie, "The Bridges of Madison County" with Merle Streep and Clint Eastwood.

No longer in use, it was fun to see it in person. Now I want to watch the movie again!

Phil having a heart to heart with the Duke in the Madison County Chamber of Commerce office.

We visited the birthplace of movie hero, John "Duke" Wayne in Winterset, IA. His father was a pharmacists but the house is only four rooms and tiny. They moved when he was three years old.

It was an interesting guided tour and there was a small gift shop in the house next door. Tickets were $5.00 each.

Outside the small town of Anamosa, Iowa in Fairview Township, I found two more of my ALGER ancestor's in Forest Hill Cemetery.

Wow! What a wonderful surprise to find this beautiful headstone to mark the graves of my ancestors!

I am a bit confused however because I was under the impression the family was nearly destitute because of the father's illness. I can't help but wonder who paid for this special monument. We will probably never know.

I screwed up this picture. The name across the top is James I. and of course, last name is Alger.

This is my great, great grandfather. A Civil War Veteran and husband of the great, great grandmother we found in Marshfield, MO.

Inscription on the left side. Remember the grgrgrandmother we found in Marshfield, MO? This is her daughter.

Under cloudy Iowa skys we drove 50 miles to near Alleman, where fellow datastorm users #98 and bloggers, Ron and Terry are parked for a month or so on Terry's sister's farm.

Camera shy, Terry and Ron showing us some changes on Hitchitch. They are full time Rvers who host the Hitchitch website.

We had a great visit.