Midway Village Museum

As promised, here are a few of the pictures taken on our recent visit to The Midway Village Museum featured in my Walking Squares in Rockford post. When it was only a village, Rockford was originally called Midway and the Main Museum Center, which is open year round, covers some 20,000 square feet including six large galleries filled with interesting artifacts related to Rockford and its history. The Victorian-era Village is a seasonal experience, open from June through September. Although the buildings were closed for the winter when we visited, we took a walk around the village and saw enough to make us want to visit again next year and take one of their guided tours.

Interpreters in period dress will guide you on a one hour tour through 26 historical buildings filled with artifacts from the early 1900’s. There are also eight gardens that typify Victorian-era horticulture. Although one hour isn’t anywhere near long enough to cover the entire village, it does state on its website that if you are interested in any particular building, you can request that it be included in the tour. I’m curious to see how that works.

There are several special events, programs and fundraisers held throughout the year and there are also private rental opportunities available at the Museum. At $8 or $7 for seniors, the price of admission to the Main Center Museum was well worth it and an additional $2 for the guided tour of the Village seems to be a very reasonable amount.

I also noticed on their website that they have an Historic Iris Preservation Garden that has a collection of rare irises dating from the 1500’s to 1910, with private tours during the bloom season. Interesting! And The Woodward Millhouse can be toured by appointment only so, if you’re planning on going to the Museum, make sure you visit their website to check out all hours, dates, etc.

Thursday Doors – In Oshkosh

We weren’t sure if the Apostle Clock at the Oshkosh Public Museum was fully functional so we waited very patiently for the little doors to open and sure enough, when the angel at the top tapped out 11-o-clock on the chimes, they opened and out came Jesus and the Apostles.

My contribution to Dan Antion’s Thursday Doors Photo Challenge.

Flying High

We recently spent a few days in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and our first stop was at the EAA Aviation Museum. We were there ahead of the big Air Show this weekend, so we had the place almost to ourselves and everything was looking in tip-top shape. This was rather an apt beginning to our trip as we’d just learned that our grandson had recently earned a well-deserved promotion to Technical Sergeant in the USAF. And my husband, who was also in the Air Force, received a warm welcome from greeters at the Museum with the most sincere thanks for his service.

I was glad of this opportunity to take pictures of something other than nature for a change, and this certainly was different and presented quite a challenge, the subjects being large and not always in the best place to get a clear shot of the entire thing, if you get my meaning.

There are more than 200 historic planes in this collection as well as many galleries and displays, so you can easily spend the whole day here. And there is also a section specifically for kids, with games and various amusements all related to aviation.

There is a small nature area in the grounds (you might know I couldn’t leave without photographing something to do with nature!) but by this time we were quite exhausted so we called it a day.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Reflections

This week, Miriam, our guest host over at The Showers of Blessings, is looking for Reflections for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge.  On a recent trip to Volo Auto Museum, I was so impressed by how bright and shiny all the cars are and, looking at the resulting pictures, I can see how I inadvertently captured reflections, not so much of images but the lights of the various showrooms that brought out the meticulous care and attention to detail that is lavished on these beautiful machines.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Treasure Hunt

I always enjoyed participating in scavenger hunts, from the day-long searches that involved driving from town to town in order to collect or take pictures of the items on our list, to the “what’s in your handbag?” games at bridal and baby showers, so when Tina suggested a Treasure Hunt for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, I was eager to get started, all from the comfort of my own home. Here is the list of items we must find.

Challenge Items: Sunrise and/or sunset, Something cold and/or hot, a bird, a dog, a funny sign, a bicycle, a seascape and/or mountain landscape, a rainbow, a church, a musical instrument, a boat, a plane, a waterfall

Extra Credit Items: An expressive portrait of one or more people, a very unusual place, knitting or sewing, a fish, an animal you don’t normally see, a bucket, a hammer, a street performer, a double rainbow, multiple challenge items in a single image.

To start the hunt, I found a rainbow (looks like it might almost be a double) over our garden and a waterfall at Tahquamenon Falls State Park in Michigan.

Next up; a bird hood ornament perched on a car at Volo Auto Museum, a mermaid (not a creature you usually see) and a fish that were part of a Disney display also at the Auto Museum (which a cousin visiting from England this past weekend observed was a very unusual place), the massive organ in the Cathedral of St. Paul in Minnesota and a sunset over the waters of Lake Michigan.

From there we move on to a plane flying over a boat at the Air & Water Show in Chicago, a funny sign in McGovern Centennial Gardens in Houston, Texas and some remarkable sewing on display at a quilt show in Columbus, Indiana.

Next we have two street performers in Chicago one of which has a musical instrument, and a clown with an expressive face.

Lastly, a man on a bike who was competing in a marathon race among the mountains of Utah, a dog all dressed up for Christmas, a cold drink and ice cream on a hot day and a blacksmith with a hammer and bucket at the Wade House Historic Site in Greenbush, Wisconsin.  Thanks, Tina! That was fun! I’m definitely in favor of doing this challenge again on a regular basis.

Freeport Fanlight

Another entry for Becky’s January Light Square Photo Challenge.  This image was captured at the Stephenson County Historical Museum in Freeport, Illinois.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Silhouettes

This week, Patti has chosen Silhouettes as the subject for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. I should probably state at the outset that I don’t think I’ve ever taken a picture of something or someone specifically as a silhouette. They’ve just turned out that way, either due to my woeful inability to manually set the camera to cope with the stark contrasts of light and shade or the failure of my camera’s auto mode to do the same. The following ‘silhouettes’ were captured, however inadvertently, at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Volkening Heritage Farm at Spring Valley, Old World Wisconsin and the Stephenson County Historical Museum in Freeport, Illinois.

 

 

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Volo Auto Museum

Included in the topics for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge this week, Auto fitted in very nicely with a post that I had already prepared on a trip we did to Volo Auto Museum recently. Next to baseball, one of our grandson’s favorite things is cars (the Matchbox variety) so we thought he would enjoy this family-friendly museum in Volo.

One of the things that make this museum so interesting is that many of the cars on display are actually for sale. I remember once taking our older grandsons for a visit here and listening to the two of them planning how they could scrape enough money together to buy one.  It’s good to dream big!

Of course, what makes many of these autos special is the fact that they have appeared in the movies or have been owned by famous celebrities.

I have to admit, I’m not a great auto expert as evidenced by the fact that on several occasions I’ve tried to climb into someone else’s car mistaking it for mine. Perhaps if I had one like the one above I wouldn’t get so confused. However, like many of my sex, I can’t resist the lure of a bit of sparkle and shine even if it is only the engine of a fantastically expensive motor car.

 

 

They’ve added a lot to the museum in the last few years, making it much more appealing to younger children, with many larger-than-life characters from the movies and a nice outdoor play area. They’ve also added several new collections such as vintage pedal cars, bikes, scooters, snow mobiles, amusement rides and jukeboxes.

With all this, a huge antiques mall and more importantly somewhere to grab some lunch, Volo makes a great day out and one that youngest grandson thoroughly enjoyed.

For more on Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge go to Week 4 Photo

June Squares – Roofs 2

My second entry for Becky’s June Squares is the distinctive roof at the Milwaukee Art Museum in Wisconsin.

For more on June Squares go to The Lost Roof

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Waving the Flag

This week, the flags are flying for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge.  The first three images were captured in Chicago, one at the Tall Ships Festival at Navy Pier and two at Wrigley Field.

Next we travel up to the Maritime Museum at Sturgeon Bay in Wisconsin.

A little closer to home, flags add a festive air to the carnival at Melas Park in Mount Prospect, Illinois.

Two events in Skokie, where flags of many nations are prominently displayed. The first at Skokie North Shore Sculpture Park and the second at The Skokie Festival of Cultures.

For more on Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge go to Flags or Banners