Our morning started as usual with coffee. Adding the knowledge this was the day we left the lake to head for home after we attended the G’parents breakfast with our G’son Lukus. The sun room at Lakeview Living on Silver Lake in Delhi, IA has become our happy place. I think we recognized that from the biginning.
Wonderful breakfast at the Cascade school this morning with Lukus. Fun book fair there as well.
Coffee and muffins with Morgan and Stella to top off a great morning.
We are home. Car unloaded. Everything unpacked. Laundry sorted. Most things put away.
Honestly, I am exhausted. This virus is kicking my butt. Time for a nap.
Coffee is perfect or perhaps I’m just drinking it in the perfect place
Feeling much better this morning. Amazing what a dose of old fashioned Vicks can do for a person.
Intermitent Fasting week 20… 20# down, 1914 hrs of fasting, better sleep. Loose skin is an issue. It is a bit depressing in fact. I don’t know why it cannot relocate to my posterior and give me back the cushion weight loss took away. I do not care for boney butt.
New Book… well old (1969) but new to me…In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden. I’m liking it. Picked it up at the Tiny House in Hopkinton for a quarter.
Today’s Ponder…Anthony Cardinal Bacci speaks on Fervour and Tepidity today. I agree with his statement, have experienced it personally. “The only choice in the life of a Christian is between fervour and sin. The teid or negligent soul cannot remain long in the grace of God, and when God’s grace is removed, it means the death of the sould. The spiritual life resembles a steep hill. A man cannot stay still. He must keep going upwards or begin to slip downwards. Whoever struggles on up the his is approaching perfection and Heaven; whoever slips backwards is approaching sin and Hell. There is no middle way. Those who are lukewarm are an object of disgust to their Creator. Who casts them away from Himself.” (Rev 3:16)
Lenten Practice… give more of yourself than you think possible.
Looking for a lazy day today. Hoping to enjoy some warming sunshine on the deck while I watch the lake ripple. Good thing the buggy blanket is along, I can wrap in it and still enjoy the lake. Should reach the 50’s today.
Left home this morning under grey skies with a stiff breeze. That didn’t change any except for the temperature dropping as we headed south. The weatherman advised we could run into snow flurries about 1 this afternoon but so far that hasn’t happened.
We stopped in PDC at the resale shop we like to frequent on main street… no treasures called to us. Our next stop was for a quick fish sandwich in Guttenburg. Fareway to pick up cooking supplies was a good stop in Dyersville along with the resale shop where we found a lecturn for our home altar.
The lake is cold and grey with choppy water but still our happy place. Not sure what calls us back time and time again except for love the the sunroom there. The stress of traveliing just faded as the door was opened and belongs put into place.
Looking for a local fish fry for tonights supper. Then a relaxing evening with nothing else in the works.
Boyden, IA in honor of Willard Boyd. The Sinclair 2.69/ gal 30 cents a gal cheaper than in Sheldon.
Sheldon, Ia, named for a railroad promoter called Isreal Sheldon.
Sibley, IA, named for General Hastings Sibley.
Minnesota welcomes us.
I90 EB home in 4 hrs.
The trip has been good. Loved checking out the Catholic churches along the way.
Interesting historical markers. Sometimes, I think history is ignored or altered to make it something other than what it was. We can not learn from our mistakes if we don’t recognize the error. We can not recognize an error if it has been altered. We can not go back and change it. We can remember and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Lovely evening with Henry & Linda. The children have gown so much. William is taking one or two steps on his own. Andrew is learn how to play matching. Sarahann can write her name and count to 20. Marty is in 5th grade, riding his horse to school. Steven is working for the Hutterites. https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Hutterite_Church_in_the_United_States#:~:text=Today%2C%20almost%20all%20Hutterites%20live,at%20home%20and%20in%20church. We plan to visit the colony today. Henry has his own construction business. At present they are renting but activly look for their own land. The community grew with the addition of 3 new families and another family is planning to move here as soon as they find land.
Remembering Kaye Krogmann who was killed in a car accident in 1999. May she rest in peace.
Ponder… can you identify individuals sent by God to act as mediators between God and your faith? Can you outline the spiritual history of your family?
We found Linda hanging the wash. She didn’t hear us drive in due to the washing machine engine. We laughed as she jumped a foot into the air at the sound of the man’s voice. Henry & Steve had left for work, Marty, for school. It was decided we’d do our exploring and comeback for supper.
We head S on 183 towards Monowi, NE. Will find our lodging for tonight and then go exploring.
Driving the Outlaw Trail on Hwy 12 in NE. Interesting history in this area. We’re in cattle country.
Butte, NE named for the surrounding land formations.
Spencer, NE, 1891 named for an Army Captain or a US Senator George E Spencer.
Bristow, NE, 1902 named for Benjamin Bristow Secretary of the Treasury under US Grant.
Lynch, NE, 1892 named after John Lynch a pioneer settler.
Just passed page 31… smiling
Monowi, NE having 🧀 & crackers and 🍵 in the parking lot of the closed post office. Feeding scraps to the 4 feral 🐈. I’m a titch disappointed, but I am glad we came. Just a shame someone who worked so hard may see it all gone.
Just as we are ready to leave, a car arrives. It may just be the mayor of Monowi. Her plate says “Monowi1”.
Found our lodging for the night in Butte,NE Another mom & pop, inexpensive, decent beds, very clean, lots of plug-ins, even a small desk with discrete lighting for those late night/early morning work times. Rm#2 for us. Sacred Heart church within walking distance.
Today I remember my grandfather, Clair Packer who would have marked his 110 birthday. May he rest in peace.
Today’s Saint is Conrad of Piacenza know for “The Miracle of the Bread”
Today’s ponder: “Can ordinary man hate the world enough to change it and yet love it enough to think it worth changing.”
Today we see our amish friends Henry & Linda. They moved here last fall. Henry now and again called and said stop in today and say hi. We would laugh and comment on the 10 hr drive to do that. Today we will, and hopefully they will be home for us to do that. We will then travel on to Monowi, NE which I have wanted to see for years now. It is a small town with a population of 1 just over the border. From there we will wander around till we find another mom & pop motel to spend the night in. I am enjoying our great adventure. The man and I haven’t taken the time these past 50 yrs to vacation. Perhaps more truthfully we were too busy working to make time for one. Sometimes in life making a living interfers with enjoying each others company. Our intent this month was to spend time with each other as we spent time wandering the countryside seeing people and places. Thus far we have taken in Wisconsin’, Iowa’, Missouri’, Kansas*’, Oklahoma*+, Texas*+, Minnesota’, South Dakota*’, and Nebraska*’. * denotes it is a plains state, ‘ denotes midwest states, + denotes southern states. I’ve always found interest in knowing things like geography and history. This trip has allow us the time to find things out we other wise wouldn’t have bothered to think about. Hopefully you are enjoying the information as well.
Took off around 9 am. to begin leg # 3 of the great adventure. We start with 3690 miles (what we have traveled thus far). We are headed to SD first and will work our way back.
Did you know Sparta, WI was named after the Greek city/state, and that it was known for its healing springs? Anyone know where they were/are located?
As we depart, the temp is 31⁰, there is snow on the ground, the sun is shining, and the skies are blue.
There is no snow in LaCrosse. The Mississippi River ice is almost gone. What is left is not safe to walk on.”Zebulon Pike mounted an expedition up the Mississippi River for the United States. Pike recorded the name “Prairie La Crosse.” The name originated from the game with sticks that resembled a bishop’s crozier or la crosse in French, which was played by Native Americans there.
Minnesota welcomes us. There is no snow there either, and no ice on the river.
Nodine,MN, formerly Rose Hill, had its name changed by an early survey crew to Nodine because there were no places to eat. Light skiff of snow with a temp of 29⁰.
Rushford, MN, was first known as Rushford Twnshp beginning in 1858 when it was named after Rush Creek, which was named after the rush plants that lined its banks.
Lewiston, MN, was named after pioneer settler Jonathan Smith Lewis in 1873.
Chatfield, MN, was named after Judge Andrew G Chatfield and sits on land claimed by Thomas Twiford in 1853.
St. Charles, MN, was named after St Charles of Italy. Settlers came for the fertile valley, the Whitewater River, and the beauty of the limestone bluffs.
Dover, MN, was named after Dover, NH, because that is where the settlers came from.
Elgin, MN, was laid out in 1878 after the railroad got there and was named after Elgin, Scotland.
Stewartville, MN was founded in 1857 as a small praire village by Charles Stewart and was named after him. It only had 3 streets. People of note from this town… Richard Warren Sears, founder of Sears & Roebucks Company; Jason Hammel half of the Indie- Pop duo of Mates of State; John Paul Goode geographer and cartographer.
Interstate 90, County 1, mile marker 197 thru 189 has windmills and powerlines stretched out as far as the eye can see.
Dexter, MN platted in 1874 named after Dexter Parrit.
Grand Meadow, MN, as the story goes on a bright sunny day, a gentleman’s gaze saw a beautiful landscape and declared, “What a grand praire!”
Elkton, MN, was platted in 1857 by W.E.Richardson and Frank A. Day. Notable people, Alvin Baldus.
Rose Creek, MN, was named for nearby Rose Creek in 1868 when the railroad was extended to that point.
Brownsdale, MN, was named for Andrew D Brown, a businessman in the lumber industry in 1856.
Austin, MN, was settled in 1853 and laid out in 1856, being named for its 1st settler Austin R Nichols originally from NY state.
Albert Lea, MN, a small settlement on a lake named Albert Lea after a topographer, Lt Albert Miller Lea, who was part of the United States Dragoons and had sketched the lake naming it Fox Lake. Joseph Nicollet later renamed it Albert Lea lake.
Manchester, MN, was named after Manchster Township, IL, which used to be the home of an early settler.
Snow-cover growing deeper. Beautiful bald eagle soaring the sky.
Wells,MN, named for JW Wells father-in-law of Clark W Thompson WW I & II Veteran, who served 11 terms in the House of Representatives.
Kiester, MN, was named for Jacob Armel Kiester, a lawyer known as a historian for Blue Earth County, but before that, a legislator, county attorney, and county surveyor, among other roles.
Frost, MN, 1899, was named for Charles Sumner Frost, an architect.
Irrigation equipment dots the landscape for Blue Valley Sod company.
Blue Earth, MN, is named for the Dakota word Mahkato, meaning greenish blue earth.
Communication towers rise in the sky over Blue Earth. More windmills dot the landscape.
Guckeen, MN, originally called Derby in 1899 but changed to Guckeen after an early settler in 1901.
East Chain, MN was named after the East Cain of Lakes.
Fairmont, MN, “the county seat was given the name Fair Mount, which referred to the way it was situated above and beside the Central Chain of lakes, giving it a fine outlook across the lakes and adjoining countryside. The name was later shortened to Fairmont.
Just saw the news regarding the fatal shootings of 2 law enforcement officers and an EMS worker in Burnsville, MN. May they rest in peace. Domestic violence calls are one of the most dangerous to respond to.
Sherburne, MN “It was named Sherburne, to recognize Moses Sherburne (1808-1868), a prominent area attorney, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Minnesota Territory (1853-1857), who retired to the county and spent his final year of life there (in Orono).”
St. James, MN, named by the railroad for James Purington, an early settler,the new city was incorporated in 1871. It was the hometown of Minnesota Governor Winfield Scott Hammond
Alpha, MN, was first known as Wisconsin in 1878, later becoming Earl, then Irwin until finally it was named Alpha by the post office.
More windmills dot the country side. Flat land here with farms scattered about amidst large powerlines and communication towers. Scattered clumps of trees and rock piles. Looks like corn and bean land. Lots of grain elevators. Fuel averaging 2.94.
Round Lake, MN named after the beautiful lake nearby.
Adrian, MN, Had my breath taken away here. We saw a church steeple from the interstate and decided to check it out.
South Dakota welcomes us. Fuel 2.75, very few snow piles.
DeSmet, SD, home of Laura Ingels Wilder where her last 5 books took place.
Rosebud Reservation is close to our turnoff. Resting place of my stepmother Susie and half sister Charity. I should have thought ahead and looked up the information before we left home.
Southbound on Hwy 45 to 271st St. We’re in pheasant country. Now in deer country westbound on 44.
Missouri River
Last stop for the day. Parkside Motel Gregory, SD. Clean mom & pop at a good price.
Our morning began in Dallas with an awesome breakfast at Rafe & Rachel’s.
Next, stop Tulsa to meet Sessi and give hugs.
We made our way to KC, where we met Joe & Donna at Whataburger. Fun time catching up and laughing so hard. I’m certain the staff thought we’d escaped from somewhere
In the "Wilds of Wisconsin & Cornfields of Iowa" 