Birdies, Eagles... and a Boot

No, I just didn't become a wonderful golfer and actually get a birdie or an eagle... but I have encountered both in the last few days.  These are our good friends, Lonny and Lee.  He has started making these garden ornaments (birdies) from old golf clubs.  The angle of the club and the eyes he chooses to use makes each one unique - we may bring a few with us to sell for him on the road.  When we were with these two, we enjoyed Sequence and yes, the ladies won!

 

 

On to eagles... During our Mississippi River Trip last week, we stopped to admire several of these beautiful and graceful birds.  This one we spotted as we were heading down river.

This magnificent bronze eagle graces the shoreline in La Crosse.

And I was lucky enough to capture this one just as it was about to take flight.

When we got home from the river trip (more on that later), our friend Larry and his sister, Randa, were at the campground to greet us.  Since Randa only had one day to spend in Minnesota, we decided to head back to Wabasha - this time by car.  This is Wabasha and the river valley from the overlook.

We visited The National Eagle Center.  Although I have seen the show and enjoyed the eagles before, I always learn something new... Did you know an eagle's poop can fly eight feet...  These eagles have all been injured in one way or another and could not live in the wild so they are at the center and provide educational programs.  If you haven't been here, you need to go!  There are five eagles you can view at all times.  They are tethered and mainly just sit and stare at whatever catches their fancy - did you know an eagle can see 3 miles...

This is Was'aka- a male eagle.  His name means "strength" in Dakota.  These four pictures were taken during the presentation.  In this one you can see why he could not survive in the wild - only one wing works well.

He is still a wonder to behold - so proud.

A young child in the audience had made a sudden noise and it captured the attention of the eagle and the handler.

This is Harriet.  She is nearly 31 years old which is ancient by eagle standards.  Her claim to fame is that she has been immortalized on the Minnesota license plate and she is a frequent visitor to the Veteran's homes in Minnesota. 

After our visit to The National Eagle Center, we had lunch at Slippery's on the water's edge and it was very good... much better than our lunch the day before at a cafe uptown.  Then to drove to Red Wing with a quick stop at the apple orchard for some early season wealthies.  Of course our stop was at Red Wing Shoe Museum - this is another must if you haven't been. 

That is Mike and Larry next to the world's largest boot.  Check out some of these facts...

Larry thinks they are a little expensive but they must be worth it...

Now the boys are patiently waiting for the rains to stop so they can do some fishing.  Larry is anxious to do a repeat of his 9 lb. northern of last year and there really isn't much that can top MN highlights... after all, we went to the SPAM museum last year....

A Weekend of Discovery

Last weekend Mike and I explored an area of Wisconsin and Illinois that we had not visited.  Rich and Anita invited us to join them for a trip to Galena, Illinois with the caveat of visiting some of the areas where my mother's family settled in the 1800's.  In the past year, Rich has gotten interested in the family history and has visited Tennyson and Potosi, Wisconsin to discover more about our ancestors. 

We believe that our great great grandfather was one of the founding members of St. Andrew Church in Tennyson - that was our first stop.  Note that this parish was founded in 1846.

 
Behind the church is the cemetary and we believe the farm you see in the background may have been the farm on which our ancestors lived.

The inside of the church is absolutely beautiful!  I have never seen an altar so ornate.

This is the Last Supper that adorns the front altar.

These chalises were used in the early days of the church - perhaps our family members took communion from them.

I would like to learn the story of this statue that graces the altar.  The man is holding a plow so it must have something to do with the farmers from Germany that settled the land in the area.

Was our grandfather baptised at this fount when he was just a little baby?

 In the cemetary, we found a person on the  list of family members from the area.

 Perhaps this is what a picture would have looked like if one had been taken the day Frank was buried.

This is how it looked the day we visited.

Is this farm really the one where Grandpa grew up?

As we wandered around the cemetary and thought about those who had gone before us, we continually heard the sound of this family - they were checking us out at the same time we were looking their way.

They are on that far hill.

We left the church area after a couple of hours and returned for Mass on Sunday morning.  The next day, we visited Galena, Illinois - our first stop was the Visitor Center.  It was the former train station.  Once again, it was fun to look at the old picture and wonder if our great-grandparents had ever ridden the train from that station.

It hasn't changed much.  The depot and the hotel restaurant across the street are still there.

That is Rich and Anita in front of the Depot.

While in Galena, we learned that 9 Union Generals called Galena home in the 1860's including the most famous, Ulyses S. Grant.

His home is a museum.

On the same block, the historical society has brought in many different old buildings including this general store.  The store caught my attention since we believe our great grandfather was a merchant and would travel to Galena to buy supplies for his store in Tennyson.

This is a typical statue of Grant - hand in the pocket.  This wooden one was on a back building front porch and has definitely seen its better days.

This old home stands across the street and was more typical of the houses in the 1860's.  Grant's home was a mansion!

I think our ancestors probably had this type of simple life.

We checked out the oldest house in Galena

and another General's mansion.  The huge old beautiful homes are plentiful in this town.

We enjoyed a couple of swings through the main street area and finally found a parking spot adjacent to Durty Gurts where we enjoyed HUGE sandwiches for lunch.

We went for a drive and checked out the area.  This Mississippi River played a major role in the development of this area.  This road took us out to "The Point" where the brewery would bring beer to load on ships heading up and down river.

Now this is a truck sign that you may never see again...

The river was wide at this point, but was very shallow.

When this cow gave us the eye, Anita was sure we were on a road we should not be on.

Eventually we headed back to the camper.

The small chapel at the campground

provided us with some beautiful sunset pictures.

Wow - all this writing and all these pictures and I haven't even told you about the Potosi Brewery or the Grotto at Dickeyville. It was a jam packed fun weekend - the four of us really do travel well together. 

It seems that the two towns have been connected for many many years - now there is only a highway that separates them.  And, as so often happens, there are two Catholic Churches and each town is very proud of their church.  They share a priest now and, like the towns, seem to be very connected.

But Potosi has one thing that sets it apart - Beer!  This brewery was founded in the mid 1800's and closed in the 1970's.  A nonprofit group bought the facility and has reopened it as The National Brewers Museum as well as a microbrewery. 

You can see evidence of the old building and imagine what it was like when it was in its hayday.

Don't know for sure but I am betting some of our distant relatives may have worked at the brewery at one time.

And it is a sure bet that they road this railroad.  Perhaps this is how Grandpa got to Minnesota to work on Grandma's parents farm...

Mom always loved this picture of the girl and dog... I wonder if she knew it was in an old advertisement for Potosi Beer.

There are some unions you just forget ever existed...

 and there are some kinds of beer that I am sure no longer exist - I wonder how many breweries have called Wisconsin home...

It was a fun place to sample beers and to play...

and what could be better than to have a winery right across the street.

I really like their local - their wines not so much.

On Sunday, after church, (and a connection with real life relatives, but that is another story), we went to the Grotto in Dickeyville. 

A priest started this project in 1929 and I believe it was completed in just 6 years.  I have been to grottos before but I loved this one because of how well it is kept up and the way in which they have incorporated flowers.

A gazing ball made for a unique picture.

From the very large displays (depicting the works of mercy)

to the small floral bouquets, attention has been paid to the details.  These flowers looked real until I got closer with the camera lens.

An old broken plate showing the county seat in Lancaster was worked into the wall.

Shells were used as well as rocks.  Those are real flowers behind the heart shape.

This decorative edging stands about 30inches high.

That is a full size statue of Jesus you are looking at so you can imagine the size of the whole display.

I never knew, and neither did Anita, that hen and chicks grew flowers - look carefully at the growth...

The Grotto looks impressive from the street when you are driving by but it is only after you stop and explore that you get the full impact. 

 

The entire Weekend of Discovery was a joy!  We saw new things and connected with the past.  Even if your family roots are not German or from this area, I still recommend a visit.  And if you are camping - The Rustic Barn Campground in Kieler is a fine place to stay.

I look forward to a return trip to Potosi and Tennyson and I look forward to more discovery!