simply iowa: Happy Places.... 'Bridges... over Troubled... Waters'.

The Mighty Miss.
After The Thursday... Sale... a Beautiful... Lunch.....
I crossed The River... and did a little more Junkin'... in Coal Valley. <3

I received a message... last Wednesday, from my little Friend... Sarah. : )

{Bless her Heart! }

She wanted to make sure...I knew...

that 'Jumers Castle Lodge' was closing.

oh my.

I didn't.

: (

It's a Huge... Wonderful... Hotel and Restaurant.... near the Mighty Mississippi....

in Davenport, Iowa.

oh my.

For so many years.... THAT... was my final stop... from my Gathering Road Trips... in Illinois.

The little Purple Ford and I would come draggin' in.... on some of the Coldest... Road Slickest... Nights....

our last stop... for a Great Meal... and....Amazing Atmosphere.

It was like a Castle.

oh my.

The Food was Mouthwatering.

It was Very Formal... yet.... I'd come walkin' in.... a Frozen Mess....

Filthy... from digging in Buildings....

The Maitre D'.... would happily... seat me.... : )

{I might as well have been wearing a Ball Gown. : ) }

The Dining Room... was Exquisite.

Linen table clothes.....Linen napkins....

oh my. : )

Fabulous Service... : )

I'd sit there... and take in....

Soak In....

Bask....In...

The Beautiful... Decor.

The Oil Paintings... The European Antiques.... Gilded Mirrors....

Fountains....

oh my.

I captured these images... poor as they are... on my last trip... to Jumers...
a while back.
I know... somewhere... I have images of the Food.
oh my.
It was Over The Top!!!

My 'Happy Places'... are... like Bridges over Troubled... Waters.

oh my.

There is No Drug... on This Earth... that can Soothe....

my whirling mind....

weary...

body...

oh.... my....

like my 'Happy Places'...

oh my...

oh...

my.

I always ordered the same thing.

Prime Rib... {Rare}

with their Garlic Mashed Potatoes...

and... their Fabulous French Onion Soup!!!

oh my.

{I'd take John a piece of their Insane....'Death by Chocolate Cake'....

Holy Snikes!!!!

{My mouth is watering now. : ) I eat very little meat, but... on these trips... I did. }

The Lodge is about 70 miles from Home... so... I'd have the same Meal for John.... packed up....

just before I headed West. : )

Sometimes... it was Late... but... I always woke him up....after I plated it all up for him...: )

John always.... LOVED... the meals from there... and woke up Right Now.... to eat!!! }

I remember.... walking out to the little Purple Ford.... that was always...always.... loaded so heavy....

Inside...and out.

Mud Flaps Draggin'.... and trying to find some place... in the cab... to put John's Food....

oh my...

The Loads... that would come Home.... from those Excursions...

: )

{I don't eat at places like Jumers... and Michael's... often. Even tho... they are no more expensive than a chain steak house..... we only went out to eat... on Special Occasions.

When I Bust My Butt.... at a Show... or On The Road....

I will... Treat Myself.

Period.

: )

If a Friend, or Kids were with.... we All...Got Treated!

This Job... is Awesome... but...It's Hard Work.

It felt So Good... to be 'Waited On'... for a change. : )

and... be Surrounded by Such.... Beauty. : ) something... you'll never get....

at any 'chain' I know of. }

I didn't sleep well... the night before the tag sale.

So much was running through my mind.

It was quite an 'interesting' sale.

I have never attended anything...quite like this.

I was around number 40. They didn't hand out numbers.

{Hundreds of people came in just after I arrived... it was a Zoo }

They charged... 4.00 to get in.

With tax, there was a 20% buyers Premium...

{If you saw something for 100.00 it was 120.00 in reality}

You couldn't pull tags... or... put a Sold sticker on anything...

Only....

Write down the item number, on a receipt, they provided...

go pay.... for the item.... then.... go...put a Sold sticker on it.

oh my.

I felt like I was on a Game Show.... I was running... looking over everything....

then.... running to pay...

Hoping...the Guy... that is 10 people ahead of me...

isn't paying for the item I wanted.

oh my.

I found out... the first time I went to pay... they don't accept checks....

I have a limit... on my card, in case I should lose it.

I'd left my phone... in the Ford.... {a Long Walk...away. }

I asked the cashier... if there was a phone I could use...

to call my Awesome Bank....

to raise the limit?

No.

Well... should my card not go through... could they 'hold' the item... until I could run to the Ford...

Call the Bank...

"No".

oh my.

Thankfully... my card had a higher limit... than I had thought.

but... after I gathered and paid... for the Most Important things... to me,

I ran out...got my phone... and called my Awesome Bank!!! <3.

then.... had to stand in line... 60 people deep.... to pay for my last purchase.

oh my.

By the time I was done.... the Crowds... were Insane.

I had to carry my items through them... as people were inquiring to workers there....

if they could buy... what I had just bought....

Holy Smokes!!!

I was afraid to leave Anything.... anywhere... as I went to get the Ford... to load.

{I bought a Lovely Chandelier.... that other's were inquiring about....

as I had my hand on it.... until a 'Sold' sticker was applied.

I was pretty sure.... had I not been holding on to it... it would have walked. oh my...}

oh my.

There was a Man... checking people's receipts....where I stacked my things....

I looked at him....

pointed out my Treasures...

and directed him... to...

"GUARD THESE THINGS....WITH YOUR LIFE!!!"

He Laughed!!!

{he thought I was Joking??? : ) }

Then, I visited with the Police Officers who where letting us in to Load.

I said... "There's A MOB in there!!! I should be Packin' Heat Too!!!"

They Roared....!!!

Said... they were gonna stay...Outside! : )

oh my.

To say the Least... I was Frazzled... by the time I left.

And Starved!!!

The minute I walked inside... The Castle...

my Body... was yearning... for that Wonderful... Food.....

that I was so Thankful for... with every single... visit.

I remembered a place... where some Friends and I ate... a few years ago...

in Davenport.

'Hotel Blackhawk'.

It's on The River....

It's been recently restored.... and... is Beautiful.

The Ford and I... found our way.

: )

I sat down... ordered a Bloody Mary...

and took in the Beauty... of that Hotel.

: )

I ordered a Vegetarian Pasta.... with Grilled Shrimp.

oh my.

It was.... Incredible.

: )

It's not Jumer's.... It's not Michael's....

It's not... The Cascades.... at the Opryland.

but... it ain't bad.

: )

In fact... it's Beautiful.... in every way.

Seems... so many of my 'Happy Places'...away from Home... are no more.

: ( : ( : (

but... at least... 'The Hotel Blackhawk'... is Thriving.

Bling and Grandeur... from The Castle.

I carried these Candelabras... what seemed like a Mile... through Crowds...
One... over my shoulder... the other... tucked under my arm.
oh my....
People... kept commenting as I danced through the crowded isles.....
holy snikes.