Visiting the Christmas exhibit

Yesterday, my best friend Pat and I went up to Davenport, IA, to play. First, we visited the Hobby Lobby there (her first time -- what an informational overload for her!), where I spent madly, buying four erasers and a magazine.

Then, to lunch at a nice family place, where I had my first phosphate in over 25 years... I could have another. yum!

Then, to the German American Heritage Center, for a look at the Christmas display they had on loan from a private collector a few miles to the north.

In one large display case stood a village

(I guess it takes one, huh?)

with all the people doing all the traditional work expected to be done in a typical German village in, say, 1890-ish

(Pat is in the left background, studying the little ornaments)

Then there were cases of ornaments (the ones Pat was studying)

normally to be placed on the trees

but there were insufficient trees to support the many different pieces on display -- there were four or five "feather trees"bearing ornaments from 18th through the early 20th century, and one twelve-foot monster of a modern artificial spruce laden with ornaments from the mid-20th century, complete with tinsel and big colored lights.

The museum was, for a new operation, quite nice, and extremely casual. I hope they can continue to grow and bring more of the history of the German settlers to life for the people around here.

We had a pretty spiffy day, yesterday. It plum wore me out -- I was at home & asleep by 9 p.m.