Des Moines Farm Market

We attended a wedding in Des Moines, Iowa

and wandered around the downtown farmers market before the festivities.

It was a fabulous market with not only tons of fresh produce,

But beautiful fresh flowers & Fall decorations.

And you won't go hungry either - many choices of ready to eat food.

Everything from breakfast,

 

To original snacks & ethnic food.

There was also entertainment for the kids.

Isn't this perfect for a Midwestern town?

And every street corner had musicians. 

There were lots of crafts too, but I was too busy shopping to get a snapshot!

 Don't miss the farmers market if you are there on a Saturday,

it is a slice of the heartland!

 

 An Iowa Sunrise

 

 

Early Autumn at the Ranch

Bumper Crop

Lots of apples!

BIG Spider

While catching up on the mowing after our trip.

I spotted this guy hanging from a tree branch on a his web silk.

 He was a big one, about the size of a quarter!

Quebec

We spent several days in Quebec before boarding our ship.

 Quebec City has a distinct European feel with stone buildings & narrow streets.

The Upper Town of Quebec is surrounded by an old wall and sits atop a high bluff.

 Lower Town Quebec sits below the wall.

It is accessed by steep steps or using the funicular seen at the back of the photo.

Quebec's skyline is dominated by the Chateau Frontenac Hotel.

 There are many beautiful parks, fountains & statues.

Art is everywhere, even on the side of buildings.

 And there are street musicians

 And performers.

I thought Quebec was a lovely city.

Towel Critters

If you've never cruised before, 

one of the charms of cruising is the towel creature your room steward creates daily.

I thought they were cute and photographed each one that was left on our bed every night.

Here's our towel creations...

Scorpion

 

Stingray

 

 Butterfly

 Turkey

 Lobster

 Pig

 Elephant

 Dinosaur

 Monkey

Crab

Cruising New England

We just returned from a cruise of New England & the Canadian Maritime Provinces.

Unfortunately, we didn't see any beautiful leaves, we were a tad early,

but we enjoyed visiting some new places.
Some of the sights we saw were...

 Our ship in the Quebec harbor.

A giant fiddle in the port of Sydney, Nova Scotia

Peggy's Cove Lighthouse

Lovely seascapes near Prince Edward Island

 Lobster bike rack.

We also scootered around Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine,

Toured Fenway Park in Boston.

And walked the Cliff Walk in Newport, Rhode Island and ogled the millionaire mansions.

This is the Breakers, once owned by the Vanderbilts, now the most visited attraction in RI.

 Lastly we cruised into New York Harbor early in the morning right past the Statue of Liberty.

 The New York Skyline.