We've been on the road again. We love to travel in the autumn months so we can enjoy the colors of the season. Of course, the weather can prove to be challenging too. This was a chilly trip with temps dipping into the teens and snow the first day out. We travel the small highways so we can take in all the beauty around us, using interstates only when there is no other route. Our country is so beautiful.
Can you help but sing.....OH BEAUTIFUL FOR SPACIOUS SKIES
..........FOR PURPLE MOUNTAINS MAJESTIES
Our final destination was my cousin's farm in Iowa, but we stopped in Kansas along the way to pick up three of our granddaughters to join us for their fall break.
One of the days in Iowa we headed to Dubuque and had a brisk walk on the Riverwalk.
We took the girls out to the Field of Dreams baseball field. We should have taken our ball and mitts!
My cousin's farm happens to be in the middle of Amish country so a visit to their shops is always a must. I always pick up my spices, nuts, pectins, grains and candies there. Out of respect for the community, I will not include pictures, but it is great to see transactions made WITHOUT computers. People can actually count out the change!
Harvesting of beans and corn was in full swing while we were there. The farming techniques of the Amish are quite different from the large machinery used on my cousin's farm.
This is a photo of my grandparents home in town. It is still a stunning looking home with the original leaded glass windows, wrap around porch and lovely bay windowed rooms. My grandmother always had big pots of brilliant red geraniums on the pillars by the front entrances when the
weather allowed. I wish I could pack the house up and move it to California.
My grandparent's farm had a wooded area in it with the Wapsipinicon River running through it. When my uncle took it over, he eliminated the farming land and planted various species of trees. Each year he would plant 3-4,000 little sapplings. I wish he could see how beautiful it has become.
He made sure to plant food for the wildlife too. We saw turkey, deer and all sorts of birds when we visited.
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| This photo was taken just as the branch snapped. Much laughter followed! |
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| Look at these clouds over the farm! |
Coming home we headed across Nebraska and up into Wyoming. While we did not encounter many cars, we did have to stop for these guys. I wonder if they know Thanksgiving is quickly approaching.
While we traveled in a comfortable car, I could not help but think of the early settlers crossing in buggies. We followed the Lewis and Clark trail for many miles and enjoyed seeing the spots we have read about.....Chimney Rock being one of them.
We stopped to visit Ft. Laramie and the Old Iron Bridge. It proved to be a good spot for a photoshoot of my Seeing Stars quilt. Guess I will have to name it Stars Over the Platte River.
I will be linking this post up with Soma's Wandering Camera series. This was truly a wandering camera!
Gorgeous photos! This is such a beautiful country, and I love the midwest just as much as the mountains and ocean. You are wise to have traveled the 'slower' highways rather than interstates. I would enjoy our adventures much more if we did so. Platte River Stars is a beautiful quilt, and looks perfectly at home in its setting!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lovely road trip. We don't take nearly enough of those. Reading about your trip makes me think of home and the farms my parents grew up on. I love that your uncle planted all those trees. What a wonderful legacy to leave a forest for future generations.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful trip! The photos are so beautiful! What a treat to enjoy some time with your grand daughters too. We really have a beautiful country!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds and looks like a fabulous trip. Thank you for sharing your photos.
ReplyDeleteOh love your photos and your trip. Looks like fun. I have kind of let one of our large fields go back to nature. Bees, butterflies abound and in the past year there have been deer in it a couple of times.
ReplyDeleteThis was just what I needed this afternoon.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking me on your trip to the MidWest, to see the colors, the terrain, the territory. Your grandparents' house is wonderful, and is it still in the family? What fun to hang out with your granddaughters, and to enjoy time with them.
I can cope, now, with all my little headaches, having seen these glories, especially your Stars over the River Platte. Wonderful!
What a wonderful trip!
ReplyDeleteYour grandfather sounds like he was ahead of his time, planting all those trees. That's a fantastic legacy to leave.
I enjoyed going along with you on your trip.
ReplyDeleteYour grandparents house is beautiful and it's wonderful all the trees were planted ....
Fabulous Star Quilt shot.
Thank you for all the wonderful photos! I am an Iowa girl by birth but hardly lived there. My dad grew up on a small farm in Underwood outside of Des Moines. I loved to visit the farm as a child. Such happy memories. Thanks for reminding me. :)
ReplyDeleteLove all the pics, esp the old house! How nice to see your grand-daughters attend Benedictine--I have visited quite a few times (about a 4hr drive). It's a beautiful campus and the college is really growing into a great school.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed following along through your photos on what looks like a wonderful trip. My husband and I plan to retire soon and do a bit more traveling that we have been able to do in the past. Your quilt is beautiful and looks great with the river in the background.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful trip you had, beautiful countryside and a great mix of old and new. I really enjoyed your photos.
ReplyDeleteYour wandering camera captured the most beautiful of majestic scenes. Your grandmother's house is lovely. I can just picture red geraniums hanging in little window boxes. Love your "Stars Over the Platte River" quilt. That vista was made for your beautiful quilt. It sounds as if you, your husband and grand daughters had the best trip.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful trip you had. And so nice to share it with your lovely granddaughters. Thankyou for letting us come along. You really have a beautiful country. Your seeing stars quilt is just gorgeous. I so enjoyed your wandering camera.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful trip! And how lucky that you got to take such sweet faces with you on the adventure! I often think about the hardships of living in the early frontier days and before. We don't always appreciate how wonderfully easy we have it, huh? Although there are times when I wonder if the simplistic living of the Amish isn't the way to go! :)
ReplyDeleteYour photos capture so much beauty...wow! I love the old family house and all the sweetness of planting trees and plants for animals. Your quilt is gorgeous in that setting! Thanks for this post. It was such a treat to journey along with you.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous scenery. Sounds like a dream trip and how special that three of your granddaughters was able to join you. Your Seeing Stars quilt is so pretty and photographed very well on the bridge.
ReplyDeleteHappy memories for you and your granddaughters. Your pictures are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are wonderful, Mary..great family and scenery.
ReplyDeleteGreat travelogue. Thanks for sharing your photos.
ReplyDeleteI love your road trip photos. So gorgeous! We travel the small highways too! The best places are to be found there. Our country is really quite beautiful. The smiles in the photos are so lovely. You were having a wonderful time, no doubt there. I love the photo of your grandparent's house and the woodland behind it. The quilt photo is stunning! I better stop here before this comment turns into a tome :)
ReplyDeleteThank You so much for linking up on Wandering Camera, Mary!
-Soma
Fabulous post - great photos and story telling...thank you for taking us along with you :-)
ReplyDeleteYour grandmother's house is lovely and adorable as are your grand daughters. I have visited Amish country and love the atmosphere there. My dad goes back every year to buy draft horses.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the lovely drive across America.