Picture of the Day for March 24, 2014

Just down the road from the Hyde Chapel, the Hyde Mill sits on Mill Creek. The mill was built in 1850 by William Hyde who settled in the area. The mill burned in the 1870s but was rebuilt and the Ted Sawle family has owned the mill since 1931 and it has been a working mill, even generating electricity.

Ted Sawle made the water wheel for his mill as well as other water wheels for other mills, including an 18 foot wheel for a mill in Indiana that originally was built by Daniel Boone’s younger brother, Squire Boone. But now Hyde Mill is currently for sale as Ted passed away at the age of 103.

Hyde Mill

Hyde Mill

Picture of the Day for March 23, 2014

In the rolling hills of Iowa County in Wisconsin, and originally known as the Mill Creek Church, the Hyde Chapel was built in 1862. Notes in records stated, “no place needed a church and preaching more than did the Mill Creek Valley”. Whether they needed preaching or not, the people of the valley held a meeting at which they “unanimously resolved to build a house for public worship if they in any way could” and they did build their church.

The Covenant and Confession of Faith by the Presbyterian and Congregational Churches of Wisconsin were adopted but the church was always open to people of various faiths and Congregationalists, Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists and Catholics are buried in the adjacent cemetery.

The Hyde Congregational Church continued until 1957 when it was disbanded and the church doors were thus closed except for the occasional funeral. Although it appeared the church would fall into decay, a non-profit corporation, the Hyde Community Association, was formed to preserve and maintain the Hyde Church as a historical landmark and memorial to the pioneers of the community in 1966 and  inducted into the National Registry of Historic Places on October 13, 1988.

Hyde Chapel

Hyde Chapel

Picture of the Day for March 20, 2014

Well today is the first day of spring and two years ago, this pretty little flower was blooming before the official start of spring. If it tried blooming this year, the Glory of the Snow would have to bloom under a snow bank even if it is spring.

Glory of the Snow

Glory of the Snow

But when I look from my porch, I couldn’t see any spring flowers this year so I decided to rectify that problem and ‘plant’ some flowers which I could view from my porch!

Planted Spring Flowers

Picture of the Day for March 18, 2014

After shoveling snow this morning and more snow predicted for tonight, it is time for the snow to stop since spring starts on Thursday or at least astronomical spring starts. Meteorological spring supposedly started on March 1 and even the rodent said spring should be here by now but I’m not seeing any sign of spring yet so I’m declaring an emergency!

Winter Emergency

Winter Emergency

Picture of the Day for March 17, 2014

Today is St. Patrick’s Day, and when I think of Ireland, I think of green, rocky hills.

Green Rocks

Mossy Rocks

 

Like many holidays, the actual holiday event has changed over the years and St. Patrick’s Day has little to do with the Catholic Saint and is more about partying and green beer. And it is snowing so the leprechauns would freeze and need to dress a little warmer like a bear.

St. Paddy Bear

Picture of the Day for March 16, 2014

I had been posting churches on Sunday and they have been winter scenes and I wondered if winter is hanging on because it thought I liked winter church scenes so I am posting a summer church scene instead as I am ready for spring.

In the unincorporated village of Calamine in southwestern Wisconsin, St. Michael’s Catholic Church sits beautifully on a hillside and was built in 1916.

St. Michael’s Catholic Church

St. Michael’s Catholic Church

Picture of the Day for March 15, 2014

I imagine there will be a large number of visitors at the Lake Superior ice caves this weekend since it is the last weekend they will be open this year as the ice is thinning and the ice formations are beginning to fall. Soon these big ice chunks will melt and will become part of Lake Superior waves that will etch out more sea caves.

Icy Falls

Icy Falls