in a garden...

For the past ten years, a local Rotary club has sponsored a garden tour in our area...on a Saturday late in June.  A ticket allows you to enjoy ten beautiful gardens...to roam about as you please.  Two of my sisters have joined me at this event for the past many years. Here are a few photos from this year's tour.  Is it possible to feature a garden tour...and not post flower pictures?  I think so!  Though the flowers were beautiful...the gardens were about much more than flowers.

Some had antiques...

...and quaint old sheds covered in ivy.

And swings..

of course.

No garden is complete...

without somewhere to sit.

And I found lots of great places!

Around a fire...

...beside a pool

...and in a backyard tent.

Every garden had a water feature of some kind it seemed.

 Some had fish.

Then there were the birds...

 

...big and small

...strutting or sitting!

Maybe even a llama!

Dot, Mary Ellen and I.

Rotary Garden Tour 2012.

I managed to take you on a garden tour without flowers!

But let me throw in a few...

just because.

Happy Canada Day!

summertime, summertime...

School is out...

as of today!

Since two of the grands were graduating this year...

(from kindergarten...that is)

...we had a grand little celebration earlier this week.

And now the endless days of summer stretch before us.

Who knows what they will bring?

country neighbours...

 On our last day in Iowa...

we hopped into my brother's buggy Ford Expedition...

and went touring in his neighbourhood.

Not everyone in Iowa drives a Ford.

Some get around just fine in a one-horse open buggy.

I love visiting the Amish neighbourhood...

...and snooping around in their store.

Though I never came home with any furniture or pickled eggs...

I did bring back some treats for grands that will be re-sold at their candy store this summer.

(Summer...coming soon, we hope!)

From laundry on the line...

...to weed-free expansive gardens

...every scene was a calendar photo waiting to be taken.

It's a simpler way of life...

though it seems like a lot of hard work to me.

When my 10-year-old niece saw all the children working in the gardens...

she was thankful for her lot in life.

Her lot includes swim meets and computers.

Hard work...for sure.

But how picturesque!

One more stop...
while we were touring the neighbourhood...
was the Pioneer Cemetery...
complete with hitching posts at the road.

My sister-in-law's ancestors have lived in this area for ever...it seems.
Many who are buried here bear the name Brownell.
The farm that they live on...
also belonged to Brownell's a very long time ago.
Their roots run deep!

While we were touring the countryside...

Andrew was at home...

stirring the dinner on occasion...

as his mother had instructed.

Or so they thought...

...until we rounded the bend near Bill's farm and saw Andrew's vehicle out by the creek.

Swimming in the creek on a very hot day...

was much more appealing than stirring the pot..

it seems.

Megan was out of the vehicle in a flash...

and into the creek...

clothes and all.

What fun!

And that ends my tour of Iowa until next time.
I'll leave you with one last photo...

...taken when we were in Iowa in 1986.
It seems we lost our way...
and needed to stop a passerby to ask directions back then.

This time we had no trouble in finding our way around...

thanks to the amazing GPS.

country roads...

Rolling and curling their way through the countryside...



...those country roads took us north from Independence and right to my brother's home.

They also gave new meaning to the expression...

'biting the dust'!

Bill & Jeanne's house has been around for a long time...

but underwent some changes since we were last there and I never recognized it!

Megan, Kaitlyn and Andrew played ladder golf.

Andrew...

with his cell phone in hand!

There was new equipment since our last visit...

...and a farm tour was in order.

Soybeans and corn...

that's what this farm is all about.

They have their animals as well...

but just for fun!

Kiley's llamas were more than co-operative about posing for me!

Tomorrow we'll drive a little further along the country roads...

to visit the neighbours.

independence...

Independence, Iowa.

That is where we stayed while we were there.  It is situated in the northeast corner of the state...along the east bank of the Wapsipinicon River.

It was founded in 1847 and is in the center of Buchanan county.  The town is now a collection of historic buildings along with those that have been added more recently.  We quite enjoyed a glimpse into the past of this historic town.  What amazed me was that buildings were left unlocked (churches, museums, etc.)...and those antique suitcases sitting on the old wagon next to the tracks...were just begging to be taken home.  They must be an honest lot...out there in Iowa!

On Main Street, on the west bank of the Wapsipinicon, is a six-story grist mill that was built in 1867. The  Wapsipinicon Mill, was a source of electrical energy from 1915 to 1940. Some structural restoration occurred in recent years, and the mill now functions partly as an historical museum.  It was actually closed to the public while we were there (due to renovations) but the guys found a friendly local who let them in for a tour. 

A log teetered on the brink...and was still teetering when we left.  How long?

Our trip back in time at the old Independence school house brought back a few memories!  Though I don't recall ink wells and fountain pens...or dunce caps and wood stoves in the classroom...I still remember school desks that looked much like that. 

The Independence Mental Health Institute was built in 1873...in a park-like setting.   It was built at a cost of $845,000 and took 10 years to complete. The walls of the main building are made up of stone taken from the quarries nearby, while the foundation is of prairie granite. A beautiful building...with a dark and gruesome history!  It has been well-maintained and is still in use today, though part of the building now serves as a museum.

Tomorrow I'll take you for a country tour...one that includes barns and gardens and the people who live there.

Did you know that in Iowa even the barns have quilts?  That was the first I knew of barn quilts...though apparently they are an old tradition revived. 

with this ring...

Matthew and Brittney.

Joined in holy matrimony...

on June 16, 2012

Strawberry Point, Iowa.

The wedding sand ceremony...

where the two colours of sand are poured into a vase...

symbolizing the inseparable nature of marriage.

And looking rather serious...

my niece Megan as flowergirl (on the left).

And my niece Kiley as bridesmaid (right behind Megan).

And into the blazing sunlight...

in a sea of bubbles...

Mr. and Mrs.

The radiant bride!

The wedding car?

Brittney's car.

Either she was a Ford kind of girl...

or she decided it was easier to switch than fight if she was joining Matt's family.

And on to the reception...
where the groom and his men showed up in camouflage vests and caps.
Only in Iowa!

I think they were sponsored by Ford!

The table centerpieces.

And the cake...
which looked strikingly similar to the one I recall from my brother's wedding 26 years ago.
The cake topper...
brought to you by Skidoo.

The smiling guest book attendants...
my nieces, Kaitlyn and Jessica.

 My nephew Andrew...my niece Kiley.
Andrew was an usher for his bro...
and had to choose between his ball team and the wedding that day.
He may be questioning his decision...
since his team ended a nine-game winning streak while he stood by Matthew.

And the parents of the groom
Bill and Jeanne.

They were wonderful hosts both at the wedding...
and after.

I'm thinking they may have a few more weddings to host in the coming years!

Who knows...
we may be winging our way back to Iowa again one day.

Wishing Matt and Brittney a lifetime of wedded bliss.

Three things will last forever...

faith, hope, and love...

and the greatest of these is love. 

1 Cor. 13:13 NLT