Archive for August, 2011

Naper Historic Settlement


2011
08.25

Last week, the family drove a couple of hours for a little daytrip to the Naper Historic Settlement. I already explained why we had free tickets to these places, and it was kind of a good thing in this case- the settlement is under construction right now and they tried to suggest we come back after October 2011.  I had known about the construction in advance and that a bunch of stuff was closed, so we forged ahead.Kids and tour guide

We started at the Martin Mitchell Mansion and the kids got really into the tour, led by a very knowledgeable guide dressed in period costume.  They tell the story of the house as a story of a family, and even make you do a little sleuthing “what was this item used for…” etc.

After the tour, they took us to a little chapel, and the pre-emption house, which is basically a museum.  On the whole, we spent a couple of hours there and had a really nice time.  There is a whole village there, but due to the construction the paths were inaccessible.  It worked out fine, because we were starving by that time and we headed to find some food.  Basically, we ate at the first place we found and had a very nice lunch, and on our way back, we spent some time on Naperville’s art walk on the river.   The kids loved this dandelion fountain:

Dandelion Fountain

Dandelion Fountain

And then, even though neither of them knew who Dick Tracy was, they both posed with him for a super-sweet picture:

Dick Tracy statue

Dick Tracy statue

All in all, a lovely day.

House on the Rock


2011
08.24

So, while the wheels sort of predictably fell off the wagon with 30 days of creativity, I was pleased that I made it to day 13.  And I have been being creative since then, I just haven’t been posting on the blogzors.  I have some partial drafts that I need to get going on, (spoiler alert: I have been tearing up the kitchen this summer and making Rose a ‘princess and the frog’ costume for halloween, as well as rebuilding the school’s website) but this post is just a quickie to mention that I have lived in Wisconsin my entire life, and never visited the House on the Rock before today.

At an event earlier this summer, I bid on a silent auction item that I really didn’t think I would win (and then did), that had all these tickets to historical Wisconsin and Illinois attractions.  Last week, the whole family visited the Naper Historic Settlement, but today Charles and I went to the House on the Rock sans kids.  I had, of course, read Neil Gaiman’s book, American Gods, which has a good bit about the House in it, and just listened to (and made Charles listen to) the 10th anniversary edition of the audiobook, which is fabulous.

I can’t describe the House to you.  It is just a crazy house built by an artist in the middle of nowhere on a rock.  And then he spent fifty years filling it full of stuff.  Crazy, wild, collections of stuff.  Like, carousel horses.  And a carousel that works, has 20,000 lights, and has every other imaginable creature on it besides horses.

Shadow's ride from American Gods

Shadow's steed from American Gods

 

There are beautiful things:

Glass wall in ladies' room

Glass wall in ladies' room

 

And kind of miraculous things:

Miniature cork carving

Miniature cork carving

 

And then there is stuff that is mostly disturbing (but also kind of cool):

Mannequin orchestra

Mannequin orchestra

 

Anyway, if you are in Wisconsin, I suggest you go at some point.  While we were there (playing hooky from work on a random Wednesday morning/afternoon) we saw travelers from all over the world.  It really is amazing and worth a visit.  I am glad we left the kids behind for this one, though.  It was basically five hours of walking, and the families with kids seemed to be having way less fun than we were.