Just returned from an awesome trip to Iowa (and Nebraska). First stop, the National Music Museum in Vermillion, SD. What an awesome place – worth every moment and every penny to get there. If you have any interest at all in the history of any kind of musical instrument, this place will blow you away. And they are expanding! It took us 3 hours to go through the collection on display, and that’s only 7% of what they own.
We love the “half-planned” vacation. We usually research a destination or two, but mostly we just head off “that-a-way”. Plenty of time to explore, get off the beaten path, and improvise as new opportunities present themselves. With the help of a GPS navigation system and wireless internet, it’s easier now than ever. Usually we experience awesome coincidences when random things from the trip seem to magically connect together (like the McCormick House below). At the end of the trip, we’re often struck by some “theme” based on what recurred. One trip to San Antonio turned into our “Masonic” trip, and other trips have had other themes.
Great trip over the weekend. The Lakeshore Symphonic Band played the world premiere of the march they commissioned last year. Grace and I flew up and spent Saturday in Cedarburg, a beautifully quaint town in the throes of fall color. Crisp and brilliant, we browsed the shops on the main drag and met friends and family for dinner before the concert. The band played wonderfully and the piece was well received. Went to the AleHouse in Grafton for an after-concert celebration. Unfortunately we forgot to take pictures of any of this… oops. However, hope you enjoy the family pics of the rest of our trip!
