Golden Weekend

Fall in the Midwest is one of the most glorious things there is. It is an actual season, not just three flips of the calendar. And, just like I try to do with everything, I've been trying to enjoy every moment of the beautiful, sun-laden, golden fall days.


This last weekend, we headed to Galena, Illinois, with is a beautiful, little touristy town by the Mississippi River. It was a gorgeous (but unexpectedly crowded) weekend. (As it turns out, other people are all about taking advantage of sun-filled autumn weekends, too.) The golden light, the fall colors, and the old brick buildings all mixed to make the entire day feel gold and red.



We spent the early afternoon wandering the streets of Galena.


We watched a blacksmith work. We explored little shops. We found a fabulous candy shop, a store that sold only popcorn, and many beautiful restaurants.



After we had exhausted the boys' ability to window shop, we drove up to a resort. By this time, any childhood ability to enjoy "scenic views" was nearly over, so an exciting ride down the alpine slide was called for (Despite the fact that Bug kept shouting at me, "We're going too fast. Slow down!!" If we went any slower, I thought we may have been at a dead stop.)


The slower ride back up the hill in the lift provided amazing views.




The light was perfect, everyone was happy, we were all together and filled with Candy Legos. The weekend could not have been any better.