Friday, September 18, 2015

anniversary getaway

This was us in 1983 - a year before we got married. We were just babies!


And here's us now, celebrating 31 years of marriage. A little less hair and more wrinkles, but at least we're in this aging thing together.


We took an overnight getaway earlier this week to the town of Galena. Galena is a small, historic town in the northwest corner of Illinois, right near the borders of Iowa and Wisconsin. One of the many things I treasure about this little town is the rollings hills and open farmland. Most of Illinois is flat, so to see hills and valleys in our state is quite exciting. I learned from Wikipedia that the reason Galena's land is like this is because it escaped glaciation back in the Ice Ages.



We didn't get into town until the early evening, so we just had a leisurely walk around the main shopping strip. Love the beauty of the historic buildings and the church steeples reaching towards the sky in the backdrop.



I have no idea what's going on with the horse in the window, but I found it creepy-amusing.



The next morning, we hit the main street again and browsed in the many stores. I have no idea what my honey was looking at in this antique shop, but obviously something piqued his interest.


Maybe this derby hat?


This is what piqued my interest. ;-) I was a good girl and only got a few pieces. I even still have one left!


We did the wine tasting thing, too ~ and it being a weekday, we were the only ones in the place. We had a nice, leisurely chat with the two employees. And we bought a few bottles of wine, one of which is a delicious strawberry-rhubarb. A nice sipping wine while sitting out on the patio in the evening.
 

Now here's an enterprising elderly woman in town! She stood right in the street in a parking spot, selling her doggy jackets. And she smartly parked herself right outside a pet goods store. My first glance was one of pity, but then as I observed her more, I began to think that she was actually enjoying herself.


To wind down the day, we had dinner at a fun restaurant. 
This is the waiting area. Someone has a great sense of humor and knows what attracts customers!


The inside had a lively, fun vibe, too. We originally wanted to have dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant in Galena, but we were disappointed to find out it's closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
 

After dinner and before heading home, we drove around the town looking at some of the pretty houses. The architecture and beauty of these houses are just stunning.


This mansion is a B&B. I looked online for prices and it said to call and inquire. My thinking is that if it's not posted and we have to ask, we can't afford it. Like when it says "market price" on restaurant menus.
 

When we slowly drove towards this house, I spied two deer in the lawn. They were parallel to each other and standing perfectly still, so my first thought was that they were lawn ornaments. Then one began to move and I yelled to Brian to stop the car so I could take pictures. They were so sweet, taking turns washing each other. I talked to them out the car window, cooing, "Hello, pretty babies!" Please don't tell me I'm the only one that does this. ;-)



As we were heading out of Galena to return home...


Hope you enjoyed the little virtual tour of Galena. Have a fantastic weekend!


23 comments:

  1. Mel - Looks like a wonderful little town to visit for a celebration. Lots of little shops and gorgeous homes. Glad you had a great time.

    Judy

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  2. LOVE Galena!! My husband's first teaching job was in Hazel Green, WI, about 11 miles away. We used to take rides after supper some evenings just to drive through Galena! A few years ago my best friend and our adult daughters did a mother-daughter weekend there. Such fun. Whenever we go back now we still try to eat lunch at Fried Green Tomatoes. Thanks for a trip back to one of my fav places!! We need to head back there someday soon.

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  3. Happy belated anniversary, Melanie and Brian! I'm glad you had such a lovely getaway. Galena looks like a very pretty town with a lot to see. I love old houses too, thank you for sharing those. I also enjoyed your old photo together, how sweet! I think it's funny to see your outfit in that photo because you're probably around the same age as the babysitter I had at that time and I *loved* her clothes. She dressed just like you are in that photo. And she had the same hairstyle, which I also loved. :)

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  4. Happy 31 years together! Galena is a beautiful town but too commercialized. I;m sure during the week it's a great time to visit. I love Cedarburg WI, its a minnie Galena. Love those toilets, I wonder if anyone ever sits there!

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  5. Happy anniversary! Looks like you had a great getaway.

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  6. Happy Anniversary, Melanie! Your trip looks wonderful...I have always wanted to go to Galena, even more now that I've seen your photos!

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  7. Congratulations on 31 years of marriage. That is wonderful.

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  8. Happy Anniversary!! What a neat town to get away to...and you guys still look like kids!! :)

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  9. Happy Anniversary, Melanie! Wrinkles? I don't see a wrinkle between the two of you!

    Galena looks like a charming place to visit, and the rolling farmland vistas are breathtaking! I'm adding this city to our Midwest road trip destinations. Thanks for sharing!

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  10. Melanie - the photos of you and Brian are fabulous - you have both aged well by looks of it - and you are still young!! Congratulations on this anniversary - they are all special - we hit our 50th earlier this year and wonder just where did all those years go!

    Enjoyed seeing Galena and the lovely Illinois countryside.

    Here's to many more years full of happiness and good health for you both.
    Hugs - Mary

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  11. Happy Anniversary! You are a very cute couple and I love that you love so many of the same things. Thanks for allowing us to tag along on your little trip. Again congratulation!
    Connie :)

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  12. Melanie,
    I love these photos and I adore the photo of you and Brian both the one of the year before you were married and the one now! You are a good looking couple!
    I am so happy for you and that your trip was so special and gorgeous!
    xo
    Jemma

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  13. What a lovely town, just the kind of place my husband and I would love to visit! No, you aren't the only one who talks to deer:) Haha, we are kindred spirits. Happy Anniversary to you and your hubby. We celebrated 31 years in June. 1984 was a good year:)

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  14. Oh! My daughter took me to Galena once. I loved everything about it. We ate outside at an Italian restaurant. I wonder if it is the same one you tried to eat at? Happy Anniversary to you!!!

    Debbi

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  15. Happy Anniversary!!!! My daughter took me to Galena once. I loved everything about it. We ate outside at an Italian restaurant. I wonder if it is the same one you and Brian tried to eat at?

    Debbi

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  16. Happy Anniversary! I have long wanted to go to Galena also and after seeing your pictures I want to go even more. It's so funny to me that even when I travel I want to visit towns like the one I live in! Also, I TOTALLY would have been baby talking to those sweet deer. What a lovely story!

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  17. Happy Anniversary!!! Here's to many more years of happy marriage!!! xx

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  18. Happy Anniversary to the both of you! I love Galena, too. What a great place to spend your special day! Love that candy shop! What is the name of that restaurant? It looks like a fun place to eat next time I visit. Love you talking to the deer, something I would do too! Thanks again for sharing your day with your readers.

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  19. Happy anniversary! And no, you aren't the only one. We have deer on our property and whenever I see them I coo to them and tell them to stay on our land since we don't allow hunting here.

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  20. What a cute town!

    Happy Anniversary! And, by the way, you don't look like you have any wrinkles.

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  21. Happy Anniversary to two love birds. You both look great!

    What a quaint town, countryside really pretty.

    FlowerLady

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  22. A very Happy Anniversary to you both. I LOVE the waiting area in the restaurant, so novel! Have a great week xx

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  23. Happy Anniversary to you both! And you both look amazing! I remember first learning about Galena decades ago when Country Home did a feature on the town. Wished so much I could someday see it but it's a long way from home for us. So thank you for all the pictures so I could see it thru your eyes. The architecture there is beautiful and the city ought to pay that dear woman for adding such great human interest to their town.

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