Joy

We went to our daughter's place for a couple of days recently.  Saturday morning, before going to work, Hannah made us some breakfast!

This girl will be headed off to college next week!!

Leaving the nest.  How can this be?

In the picture where she is fixing us breakfast, perhaps you saw a tattoo on her arm.  She posted about it.

How sweet of her to say such kind words!  Have you ever watched cardboard testimonies?  If not, just search for it.  "Cardboard testimonies".  They are tear-jerking to say the least!    Here is one example:

If I were to do one, my testimony on one side would be written 

"Despair, Sadness"

Turning it over, it would be 

"JOY!" 

When I was a teen I was a mess; fell into real despair.  I did not want to move to America at that time.  Leaving my "home country", my friends.  What I knew.  I went through a lot of culture shock.  Even suicidal at that time.  You can see it in this picture I think.

 But I have found where to find JOY.

"You make known to me the path of life;

    In Your presence there is fullness of joy;

at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."  

                        Psalm 16:11

Spending time each morning with Jesus, reading the Bible, letting His Words speak love over me, directing me, comforting me, holding me up.  Bringing me peace.  and JOY.  He is the answer!  Some people think God is a killjoy.  They do not KNOW Him!!

Joy isn't found in other people, in having stuff, in adventure.  Those things might bring happiness, but true joy is found in Jesus!  He has rescued me from the evil one.  From despair.

What if I had listened to the enemy who wanted me to give up?  Just think what I would have missed! Not only the JOY I have in Christ, but the sweetness of having the family and friends God has given me!!  

Cave of the Mounds, Wisconsin

We have been on 151 in Wisconsin more times than I can count.  And we drive by Cave of the Mounds.  Drive by.  We had never stopped.

This day, we did not need to get to our daughter's house until late.  They would all be gone.  The 2 older girls at work and Jill and Adam watching Claire at her play, "Newsies".  We had time today to not just "drive by" but stop to see this tourist attraction.

There was about a 15 minute wait for our group.  They let in a few at a time.

If the grandkids had been with us, I'm sure we would have purchased the opportunity for them to sluice for some treasured rocks/minerals.  

They made cement paths so more people could explore.

You might want to hear/read information from the Institute of Creation Research (ICR) to hear thoughts different from the "millions of years" ideas. 

Here is an article about caves that you might enjoy!

After leaving the cave, instead of going back to highway 151, we chose to take a road we hadn't been on before. (surprised?)  

We went through the cute town of Mt. Horeb.  We've been here before for a restroom break as it is right off 151.  We just took a different road this time to get to it. 

Look!  Japanese koinobori (those carp-shaped streamers)!  Flying at a dentist's office (see the toothbrush?).  These koinobori are hung for Boys' Day in Japan.  But this is not Boys' Day, which is May 5.  Techically, the government changed it to Kodomono-hi or Children's Day.

We took the road north out of town.  We had not seen Mt. Horeb from the north before, as 151 is on the south side of town.

Next we took County road S that went northeast.

It was getting to be dinnertime.  Decided to check out this local place.

The food was excellent!!  It got very busy before we left.  It seemed that everyone knew everybody.  I'm sure they knew we were the people with the Kansas license plates in the parking lot!

Have you ever seen a turtle crossing before?

We drove north of Madison on 19 avoiding heavy traffic.  It began to rain a little.

Got back to 151 on on to Jill's house.  

The way we sometimes travel is not speedy - 

we meander in many different ways!

We are enjoying the back roads of the USA!  Visiting with people from different areas of this country.  

As a Christian, I think "meandering" in the Word, taking the time to "visit" with God and listen to Him, adventure through various books that are hard to understand, seeking His ways, is much better than taking the "easy" way of church on occasion and not taking time to read the Bible and pray.  

Open my eyes to see the wonder of Your ways!

Cedar Rock, a Frank Lloyd Wright home

Before going to Wisconsin, I was walking with my neighbor.  She remarked that she was taking her relatives to the Allen House in Wichita, a Frank Lloyd Wright home.  I told her we had gone; I had blogged about it (click above).  She asked if we'd been to the Frank Lloyd Wright home in Iowa, close to Waterloo.  I had no idea there was one there.  It wouldn't be out of the way at all to go see it!  We would do it!

We left Des Moines around 8 and got onto 330 that diagonals to highway 30.  We prefer this to I-80, which is so busy!  One thing we just discovered this time was that there is a bike trail that follows part of 330!  How had we not seen this before?  It is clear as day right by the highway!  We happened to see a biker on it and that's how we noticed it.  It goes to Marshalltown.

Highway 30 runs parallel north of 80.  It is 4 lane for all but 11 miles.  They are working hard to finish it.

At 218, we turned north.

Below is the Benton County courthouse, Vinton, Iowa.  Didn't have time to go see it this day.

There is truth to the statement above.  Firemen do deserve our respect for sure!  But when I think of those words, you could also say this of God.  I trust Him with my life!  He is my treasure!  My future!  

"In that day He will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the LORD will be your treasure."  Isaiah 33:6

Does grass growing on the highway indicate that there is not much traffic here?

We took a county road east past Rowley and then north to a town called Quasqueton, also sometimes called Quasky by locals.  If you like to read about towns, you can read about that here.

We had made an appointment for a tour of the Cedar Rock house (recommended, they run on the hour) and we arrived a few minutes before.  A couple from Ames, Iowa and a man from Texas were joining us.

The tour guide drove us down to the house on a tram.

Here it is!  

We were told that Lowell and Agnes Walters had commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to build their Usonion style home.  They gave him a budget of $50,000 but he ended up building it for $150,000!  In those days, most homes cost around $6-8,000.  Today this home would be worth $100,000,000.

There are 2 doors into the home.  The one to the right side takes you into the hallway and into the bedrooms.  The one to the left takes you into the living area of the home.

We took the one into the living area.  This is the entry.  Many of the FLW homes have stained glass.  There aren't any in this home, but these glass stones were placed here to reflect the colors that were used for stain glass.

 

Looking back toward the entryway.

I HAD to sit at the piano and play a little!  The Walters did not want this piano, but according to the contract they signed with Frank Lloyd Wright, they had to do whatever he said and he insisted that this was the perfect spot for a piano.  

And not just a plain piano.

Most of Frank Lloyd Wright's fireplaces are not functional.  He went to the University of Wisconsin in Madison for a few terms in 1885-1886, but he took no instruction in architecture.  He did take engineering, but he mostly was an artist.  He is famous for his designs, not for his construction abilities.

One story the guide told us is that FLW often used flat roofs and that they often leaked.  One man complained and FLW told him to get a bucket to put under the leak and just go around it!!  Can you imagine if our contractor told us that?

Many of the corner windows were fused together.  I love that look!

"Wright designed the furniture, selected the carpets, chose the draperies and even picked out the accessories."

He even picked out the dinnerware - which I really do like!  But I don't think I'd like it if my contractor picked out everything in my home, including all the trinkets and pretties!  I like the things I have picked in my home!

See this blue glass water pitcher (or vase?)  Once when FLW was visiting, he noticed that Mrs. Walter had moved it and he promptly moved it back to where it belonged and told her to leave it there.

He also picked out her china.  She wasn't keen on it, but that was the way it was.

The kitchen - there is a Tom and Jerry cookie jar (or pitcher) that Mr. Walter purchased for their anniversary on the top shelf.  It had been on the counter, but when FLW saw it, he wanted it removed.  An argument ensued and finally he gave in and said it would at least need to go on the top shelf.

We all decided that we would not have chosen to have this famous architect design our home if he had that kind of say in what we did once it was built!

The fridge still works!  Allen's parents purchased a fridge for their wedding in 1946 and it still works too!  

This hose is to water all those plants in the living room!

There is access to the electrical and laundry from the kitchen.

Then we went into the hallway which is also a library.

There is an exit door there, as I said earlier.

Guest bathroom

Guest rooms

This is the Walter's bedroom.

No chest of drawers.  Only these.

Their bathroom

Quite unique.  Wierd.

Outside there was an outdoor pit - a place for visiting with guests.

This is looking back at the house.  On the left is maid's quarter.  They never did have a maid though.

The maid would have also had this unique bathroom feature.

We took a walk to the boat house.

There was a bedroom in the boathouse too.  Maybe if Mr. Walter had a disagreement with Mrs. Walter, he could come sleep here!  

Bathroom with a view of the Wapsipinicon River!

Hopefully no one is canoeing by!

That's quite a name:  "It is from the Ojibwe language "waabiziipiniikaan-ziibi" which means "river abundant in swan-potatoes" or wild artichokes."

One of the people on our tour had heard that the name came from the combination

of  the names of 2 sisters from that tribe.  

Boat ramp

Mr. Walter wanted a fountain.  FLW asked "Does it have a purpose?  Does it have a function?"  He refused to do it unless it did.  Mr. Walter said he would put koi in it and so it was allowed.

Time to go back.  We had gone over the hour long tour.

You can read more about the Cedar Rock house here.

* * * *

As we were leaving Quasqueton, we came upon a cemetery.  Al accomodated me and let me explore!  It was quite interesting!

This fella served in the civil war.  Perhaps died in it?  There were several here.

Glad to see they had fixed up broken ones.

We never know when it will be our time.  I believe that God knows the number of our days from the moment He formed us in the womb.  And that we won't die one second before He determines or one second later than the number that was assigned to us right from the start!

We left Quasqueton, taking Highway 20 into Dubuque.

On the way, we saw a helicopter circling and it was landing as we passed it.  At a hotel.  Someone's life in danger perhaps.  Are we ready for that day when He may call our name?

Hebrews 9: 27-28  "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him."