1 post tagged “trip”
Okay, this is an experiment with cross-posting my Vox blog to my LJ, so any LJ readers, please let me know if this works okay for you.
So for Thanksgiving, we did what we usually do and eschewed wanktastic family gatherings for a simple meal-for-two at the Potter's Mill, a scenic Bed and Breakfast down in Bellevue, a little ways south of here.
Here's the view as we head towards downtown Dubuque (at least on the highway--it's actually faster to walk down our street to get there).
We pass Murphy's Bluff. This picture does it no justice--it looms over the grocery store (unseen on the left side) like some kind of monstrous beast.
To get to Bellevue, we take Hwy 52 (the River Road). This was once the main route linking Dubuque to the outside world. Now it's a windy old country road. Very scenic, though.
Of course we're in Iowa, so there are a lot of these around. ;-D
And these, too. There's a strange kind of beauty to the cornfields in winter.
And we arrive at the not-so-thriving metropolis of Bellevue (pop. 2,350). Lovely spot, floods occasionally. It also got hit by a big tornado last spring, but they've cleaned up the mess quite nicely.
At last! We reach the Mill!
Not supposed to take pictures inside, but here's the sign.
And the original millstone that went with the building.
It's hard to convey the real size of this place. It's huge, especially for a wooden building.
On the way back, we passed through the City of St. Donatus (pop 140). Every municipality in Iowa is called a "city" regardless of its size. St. Donatus Church is famous for its outdoor Way of the Cross, where every Easter, thousands of pilgrims converge to make their way up the hillside.
Next, it was back to Dubuque for the Festival of Trees, a fundraiser for Mercy Hospital's Children's Fund.
This is pretty much what it looked like inside, but we took some pictures of our favorite trees.
"But we've got the biggest Balls Of Them All!!" was what was running through my mind when I saw this one.
Very Glittery. Would look nice in our house, but our Xmas trees tend to be pretty pedestrian.
And the highlight of the Festival, the Harry Potter Tree. Notice Fawkes in the lower right-hand corner.
And the other side of the HP tree. I don't see much Slytherin representation, however. :-P
What's better that hot chocolate during those cold winter evenings? With whip cream and marshmellows on top!
This tree was downright fugly, but it made me laugh.
Picture doesn't do this tree justice (forgive me, I'm a bad photographer). It was quite charming.
And of course, the tree we all remember. You know the one with the tinsel that would choke the pets, the big bulbs that got so hot they'd set the tree on fire, and the glass ornaments that would shatter at every given opportunity? Oh, those good old days!
I had a hard time getting a good picture of this one, but it was one of the most interesting "trees" there.
This is the Five Flags Theatre, which sits directly across from the hotel where the Festival of Trees was. I love this building! Usually, I don't get over to this part of downtown so I thought I'd get a picture of it.
All in all, we had a fun time, and the food was delicious. Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was a good one!
