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We stopped in Galena again in July, 2005

Everything is more lush and green in the summer, even though there were drought conditions.

To the left is the Ham House, in Dubuque, Iowa. The house is not that impressive but our guide, Martha, was very interesting and her descriptions were well worth the time spent on the tour. There is 1 room schoolhouse on the grounds, similar to the schoolhouse in southeast Nebraska where I spent grades 1-6. We also toured the Belevedere Mansion in Galena. There is a picture of it on the first page of this site. The owners live in the mansion and open it up for tours in the summer. They have a taste for antiques and the means to support that taste. There is a Tiffany chandelier in the dining room. Our guide said the owners found it in a house that was for sale and when they were told they could not buy just the chandelier they bought the entire house! After removing the chandelier they put the house back on the market.

The rest of the pictures are from Crystal Lake Cave, located in Iowa about 3 miles from Dubuque. It was discovered in 1868 by miners who were looking for lead. It's not large, you have to duck your head in places and some of the passages are narrow. I'd never been in a cave with things such as stalactites and stalagmites and I thought it was neat.