By ALICE BRANDAU
We were on a mystery tour last Wednesday. Our son Gale and his wife Ardis had been asking us to set aside a day for this excursion, so we agreed. We headed southwest, and our first stop was the Sunshine Orchards high above Gays Mills. It’s a popular place with two Greyhound busses filled with tourists in the parking lot at 10 a.m.
After tasting apple cider and buying two dozen apple cider donuts, we were on our way to ??? We took Highway 131 to Wauzeka, and then headed toward Dubuque, Iowa, following some country roads unfamiliar to us. We saw a lot of beautiful country and many fall colors.
Our mystery was solved, and we started a tour of the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. It is huge. It is very interesting, with excellent displays of times past and a look to the future with life on this great Mississippi. Like most museums, you could spend days watching the large display of turtles from all over the world, the freshwater fish and the saltwater creatures, the movies, and so much more. There is much walking, but wheelchairs are available. It was a great mystery tour with perfect weather accompanying us.
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The benefit for Jeff Martalock on Nov. 8 will be held at the Wilton Community Center and not the Wilton American Legion Hall as I stated last week.
Forty-two years ago, a couple from Chicago purchased an unkempt piece of property on South Ridge. Their road left County Highway P and went a mile or so back to this secluded area. They remodeled this charming country home. Family came for visits throughout the years, but now Mary Kay O’Brien has sold the property. I met Mary a couple weeks ago and wish I had had the opportunity to meet her a long time ago. Life is definitely too busy and going too quickly.
Manuel and Joanne Miranda took Joanne’s mom Doris Beier on an outing a week ago. They visited Doris’ sister and husband, Doug and Gloria Kendall, in Fitchburg, Wis., enjoyed the Olbrich Gardens in Madison before spending some time visiting Doris’ brother Rick. And a beautiful fall day added to their trip.
David and Cathy Brandau, sons Chad and Cade, and several family members were part of the large crowd that attended the last barbecue chicken dinner for 2014 at Rockton on Sunday.
Darlene Martalock joined Dave and Myrna Fauska and Joe and Marge Collins on Wednesday for their annual cousin’s reunion. They gathered at the home of Jerry and Anita Dahlby of Holmen with 11 first cousins and seven spouses.
On Friday evening, Frank and Darlene attended the delicious chili/soup supper at the Ontario Community Hall. Proceeds from the benefit will support the Ontario Public Library.
The St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church history book is finished, and, after the committee and council viewed a sample copy, it is on its way for the final publication. It has been a long journey for this group, with a good number of setbacks. One member, Darlene, kept track of the times we met, 52 in all, with some long hours and some short discussions following church services. The book contains 185 pages with many colored photos as well as black and white. We are confident it will be a keepsake for many.
Well, they came with rakes, power saws, cleaning clothes and lots of ambition on Saturday, and what they did in six hours would take Bob and I six months or more. My windows are shining; my bottom cupboards, which are hard for me to clean, are sorted and now provide more room. Really, how many Cool Whip/sour cream containers does one need? They are in the recycling bin. I have a spotless bathroom with new lighting. The loads of maple leaves are now mulch for the neighbor’s garden, and when son-in-law Matt comes with a chainsaw, things happen. There comes a time when age puts limits on a person, and when family comes with help, it is a total blessing!
And that’s it for Oct. 27, 2014.