Day 4 Sunday

Come, come, come, come. Come to the church in the wildwood . . .

Do you know that song?  The story is that in 1856. . .

"A young music teacher named William Pitts was traveling by stagecoach from Wisconsin to Iowa to visit his future wife. While waiting for the stagecoach horses to be changed, he walked down Cedar Street and saw the empty lot where the church now stands. Being a romantic young man, the thought came to him of what a charming setting the spot would make for a church. Returning home, he wrote the poem “Church in the Wildwood,” and later set it to music. He put it away in a drawer and forgot it."

People of the town grew tired of meeting in business locations for Sunday services and work to build a church began in 1860. All through donations of materials, little by little the church was built. When it came time to paint it the cheapest paint was this "unhappy brown".

"Mr. Pitts had married and was living in Wisconsin. In 1862 the couple moved to Fredericksburg to be near her elderly parents and Mr. Pitts was hired to teach singing class at the Bradford Academy. Imagine his surprise when he saw a little brown church nestled in the very trees where he had stood some years before. He went home and found the song and taught it to his class who sang it at the dedication service of the church. Pitts had written a song for a church that wasn’t there. The congregation had painted their little church brown without ever hearing of the song."

The B&B that I am staying at is about 8 miles from the Little Brown Church so I went to worship with Sunday morning. 

The ceiling has an a lovely pattern

Because I was a visitor, they asked me to ring the church bell.  I felt so blessed to do so.

The bell pull rope

Today was their "Weed and Feed" day.  They had a potluck lunch in the basement and then went out to weed the garden.  They twisted my arm so I stayed for the potluck. While there I met a woman who was in charge of the Historical Society (the one that is closed until May 1st)  She kindly offered to open the building for me tomorrow morning to see if they had any material that I might be interested in.

Wind, wind and more wind today.  Gusts up to 46 mph.

r

Day 3 - Saturday -- Now with photos

I moved south to a little town named Nashua.  That name reminds me how Holly got transferred to Nashua because she was having an affair with Michael. (The Office)  Of course, that was a different Nashua.

I wandered up and down the streets and photographed the wonderful scroll work on the gables of the homes.

Cute sculpture

A roofer's nightmare

I kept seeing quilt block artwork on barns.  I was told that there are a great many quilters in Iowa. They started a project of seeing how many blocks they could display on barns, sheds or even some homes have them.

There was only one motel in the town.  When I went to register I was met by a sign saying that the motel was closed until 4:00.

So I went to a museum next door instead.

But they don't open until May 1st.  However, I walked around the sign that said "STOP" and photographed all the old buildings behind the museum.

This has seen a lot of dirty clothes

Then I stopped by the banks of the Cedar River.  It was so calm, sunny and warm.

Does this bridge look safe?

Before I left a nice couple told me of a B&B eight miles down the road -- so I hunted it down and fortunately they had a vacant room.  I'll be staying here for two days while I do some research in Newhampton at the County Courthouse (on Court Street, of course).

I found two quilt supplies shops in Newhampton and bought fabric at each.  Thought it would be a fun project to buy fabric along the way and make a memory quilt later.
r

Day 2

When I went to bed last night it was calm and the sky was full of stars. Six hours later there were low clouds from horizon to horizon, the wind was blowing, it was cold and raining.

I enjoyed a nice complimentary continental breakfast of banana, raisin bagel and watery orange juice.

It stopped raining and barely sprinkled the rest of the day -- I was grateful. 

Yesterday, a few minutes after I had gotten onto the freeway from the airport an amazing odor assaulted my brain.  It was ten times worse than 'flu' poo.  I thought I was going to have to take this car back and ask for another one -- I couldn't drive around in that smell for the next 10 days. 

Then I realized -- I was in Chicago.  Everything everybody says about the stinky smell of that city is true.  I will never again complain about the aroma from the mushroom farm in Lacey.

I drove past a B&B yesterday named Snoop Sisters Inn.  The name alone made me want to stop there. Today I went to their website and learned that the house was built in 1858.  The reviews from those who had stayed there said that the hospitality couldn't be beat for their willingness to accommodate any needs to make your stay there the very best.

After examining a map very closely to get a feel for where I am and where I want to be, I found the Beckwith cemetery tucked off of a gravel road surrounded by farm land.  I found the stone that marks my great grandfather's final resting place.  However, the weather has not been kind to the engraving and it is no longer legible.

I walked up and down the gentle slopes taking photos of the stones that are still readable.  Sadly, many are not.

I could tell you that the wind was blowing but that statement just isn't strong enough to describe it.  The gusts had to be at least 40 miles an hour.  Small twigs and dried leaves would strike and sting my legs.  I had to go back to the car several times to warm up before I had gone through the older section of the cemetery.

It didn't surprise me when later I saw these in many of the farming fields.

The terrain is similar to eastern Oregon and Washington but just a little greener.  The locals tell me that the wind is a common occurrence.  I remember my daughter telling about the wind in Pullman, Washington.  This is similar.

The artwork on some of these old stones is so lovely.  Here are just a few that I thought were special.  You can double click on any photo to enlarge it.

For an old stone this is in remarkable condition.

This man live 100 years . . .

And right next to him was this . . .

Dear Madeline survived 14 days.

This was made to look like a stack of wood logs with a scroll draping out of it. Rather unique.

I went to the Floyd County Museum, but they don't allow photos to be taken of their displays.  Here in Charles City they brag of being the birthplace of the gasoline-run tractor.  It was developed 4 years too late for my g grandfather to enjoy.

I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow.  The National Weather Bureau has issued a storm warning from Texas to Minnesota.  It may be exciting here, but it definitely sounds dangerous further west.

rita

Day One

Our sweet kitty, Entertainment, hates for anything to be out of place or different in his environment.

This morning he spied the packed suitcase and decided that he was NOT going to calmly sit by and allow the inevitable to happen without putting in his 2 cents.  This morning as I was going from room to room with last minute preparations, he followed my every step.  Finally, as a last ditch effort he did this . . .

"I don't remember you asking permission to leave!"

As I was leaving for the airport I saw him sitting in the kitchen window looking so disgusted.

The weather was beautiful in Chicago, sunny and in the 60's, as I set off driving west toward Iowa.  Now if you can remember your US map studies from the 5th grade you may be asking . . . why didn't she fly to Iowa first instead of backtracking so far?  It's because after I made the plane reservations I changed my mind about my itinerary. 

Sadie, the nice lady (my GPS system) got me as far as a few miles from Waterloo, Iowa and then had a nervous break down.  (maybe she is a descendant of Napoleon and getting so close to a city named Waterloo knocked her for a loop) She warned me several times of heavy congestion ahead -- that wasn't there -- and then she left me.  No cell service north of I-20.  The last thing I heard her say before she abandoned me to my own natural sense of direction was that I needed to go north.

Unfortunately, that 'sense of direction' gene fell off of the chromosome before I was born.  I wandered around Cedar Falls for about 5 minutes before I saw a small white sign pointing north.  After driving another 10 minutes I saw another sign confirming that I was on the right road.  I totally amazed myself.

So now I'm happily in Charles City, Iowa in a nice Super 8 Motel.  My great grandparents, Chauncey and Mary, farmed and raised their family here.  Tomorrow I'll see what else I can learn about them.
r

I'm on my way

I'm excited about the adventure ahead of me.  I have never been on my own for this length of time in 43 years.  The Cottage Master takes such good care of me, reminding me of important dates and times and items that need taking or doing.  I'm not sure my brain can still do all those things for myself.  We'll see.

I'm confident about leaving our home with the Cottage Master in charge. I know he'll take good care of everything.

My Christmas cactus that blooms every Thanksgiving and Easter -- never at Christmas.

 The first fuchsia I managed to keep alive over the winter -- after many tries.

 A pack of flower seeds that I expected to see popping their little heads up by now.

And our sweet kitty are all under the Cottage Master's capable care.

I plan to arrive in Chicago at 5:00 pm their time, pick up a car and drive for 5 hours to Charles City Iowa.  Hopefully that will have happened the next time I'm here.

Kisses

rita