Christmas Walk In LeClaire.

Met Old Lady Gimm and Caretaker Jane for the annual Christmas walk in Leclaire. We started out meeting at the local business Pelo's run by the eccentric Gregory Pelo. We walked up Main St and looked in all the little shops at the crafts and over priced stuff. Got some home made treats at the church mmmm good.

Jane making a point. Really I have one...somewhere.
Feel right at home...do your own dishes.
Kathy in the Halloween room at one place...something to strive for Kathy
Modern transport...
Why does the theme from Emmerdale keep running through my head?
Hand painted, Hand made.....$3700......look don't touch...

No pictures of the home made treats...we ate them to quck.

Riley Reunion 2008

It's that time of year again. The Riley Family reunion. This year I didn't take many pictures of the family they really haven't changed that much since last year so find that if you want to see what the group looks like.
We went for a walk down to the canel that runs next to the park. It took us to the river and it looks like the park district here came up with a great idea. They have built a foot bridge over the rock river between the two cities. It uses the old hydro dam as part of it. It nice and take you into a footpath area in Sterling by the historic Dillon home. Wonder how long before its gang land.


Savannah and the slide, her favorite
The power of the river
the locks for the old canel.
the merry band. Mary,Savannah,Chevla,Constance,Dianne,Zion and off to the side Lena
Lena not wanting to get involved with those people
Constance making sure that we don't go where we aren't supposed to. A new bridge over Dixon Ave
Looking west off the foot bridge to Rock Falls on the left and Sterling on the right.


the little rest area on the Sterling side.

or...if you can read this its to late...






A nice picture of Jennifer ,What's his name, and Danny

A Day Out Shopping

Miss Leanne and I did a shopping run to Coral Ridge Mall and the Tanger outlet in Williamsburg.
This was the day after the Iowa vs Iowa State football game. Iowa won. We went to eat at the Hu Hot a make your own grill place...You'd have to see it to understand..Lot of very quiet Iowa State fans there and some loud Iowa fans...and a lot of hungover people...
Any way Miss Leanne got herself some jeans and I just got stuff. The only dumb clerk we ran into was at Barnes and Noble. No not picking on her...That's a bargain book don't charge me the full price...already did...and you can't fix it. got to call someone else...ok
So it was a cloudy day with the tale end of hurrican Ike leaving us with rain.
The walk around Tanger was brisk. Got some more stuff out there and the exciting pictures.



We figure its been 8-10 years since I was last there and the gate is something new.

The other big places to hit while in Iowa. Really

Up To Dubuque

Everytime I have time off I ask anybody I know what would be a nice place to go to...Leanne always tells me I need to go to the river museum in Dubuque. So without Leanne ....



Di,Kathy and I went to the National Mississippi
River Museum & Aquarium. It has a lot about the steamboats that used to go up and down the river. But it also has about the wildlife that lives in on along it...and how we are messing that up.

Some of the other names the Mississippi is called...I like the bottom one of Mr. Sippi's wife
'
A place with a sense of humour.

Pig-eyed Parrat the first citizen of St Paul MN. Yeah his eyes did look odd...1834 I think the date.
Kathy and one of her school mates. She's pointing out what she thinks is an error.
Mr. Twain flirting with Di.
Kathy and the fish tank


Di and one of the boats on display. This was a family run boat. the conditions basic on it. the deck hands got $27 a week during the depression.
A shark.

What the inside design of one of the River boats looked like.

Kathy reliving her youth.this was a nice little cafe that we stopped at after the museum. Its in the Cable Car Square a nice area of old homes turned into shops.It time for dinner and I said this place closes soon so why don't we go to Galena....So off we went....but the pie at this place...mmmmmmmmm

Highland Games 2008

The 2008 Highland Games were held today at the Mississippi Valley Fair grounds. Crowd was ok seeing as Locust Street in front of the grounds is all torn up with road destruction. I don't remember what the names of each of the five games are but you can go to their website and it will explain.Celtic Highland Games


Throwing what looked like a sledge hammer

Throwing a weight on a chain...
Gwen thinking that hiding behind a giant cross will keep her safe from me
The row of the clans
The Bonnie Knee Contest
Tossing the Caber...or putting up a telephone pole
One of the Highland Cows
OK I got it this far now what.


The village of Andorra. Its a good place to stay down wind from...they take the recreation of the 15-16th century to the max. The great unbathed...
Some of the toys from the Highland Games
Can't be at the Fair grounds without seeing Moova....the Giant forgotten Bull
Young Ones doing hand to hand combat
In case you can't read them...I found Jesus, he was behind the couch the whole time.....Earth First then we'll strip the rest of the planets,.....Sometimes I think I understand everything,then I regain consciousness....I'd like to really meet this person

Bikes of LeClaire

LeClaire throws out the welcome mat. Its made of stone so be careful it doesn't hit you.


Old Lady Gimm's first bike.

Two Leclairens.

LeClaire is the host town for the finish of this years Ragbrai. Its a bike ride across the state. Some one in town came up with a wonderful idea to have decorated bikes along the Main St (Cody Rd). This is most of them. They had names but I don't remember them...cute I know.