Tin foil hats and other things

Friday we went to Dickeyville, WI to show Michelangelo the Grotto. According to Wikipedia:

The Dickeyville Grotto is a series of grottos and shrines in Dickeyville, Grant County, Wisconsin. Most of the site's concrete structures are covered in shells, stones, tiles, wood, glass, gems and geodes donated by area parishioners. The site is visited by 40,000 to 60,000 visitors per year. The Dickeyville Grotto was built by Father Mathius Wernerus, the pastor of Dickeyville's Holy Ghost Parish, from 1920 to 1930. It was renovated between 1995 and 1997. The site includes the Grotto of the Blessed Virgin, Christ the King Shrine, Grotto of the Sacred Heart, the Eucharistic Altar, the Holy Ghost Tree, the Patriotism Shrine and the Crucifixion Group.
Although most of the site's components are religious in nature, the Patriotism Shrine includes depictions of Columbus, Washington and Lincoln. According to Anne Pryor, a cultural anthropologist, this shrine was erected to demonstrate the patriotism of Catholics; Protestant Americans of the time believed that Catholics' allegiance to the Pope conflicted with their allegiance to the United States.

I don't know what more I can add. You have to see it to grasp the reality.

Yesterday Tom and Michelangelo did more of a nature day, climbing the bluffs overlooking Devils Lake. I stayed home, did some housework and prepared a Mexican meal. Peg and Rich joined us for dinner and we had a good time.

Today (Sunday) I stayed home while Tom, Michelangelo and Rich went to House on the Rock. On our way to Dickeyville on Friday, we had passed the entrance to the House on the Rock and shown Michael the house itself from a scenic overlook. He had heard of it, of course, but had never been there.

So today he had his chance. Again, appealing to Wikipedia to describe something that is a bit beyond human description:

The "house" itself is atop Deer Shelter Rock, a column of rock approximately 60 feet (18 m), 70 feet (21 m) by 200 feet (61 m) on the top, which stands in a forest nearby. Additions were made to the original structure and other buildings added over the course of several decades. The complex now features "The Streets of Yesterday", a re-creation of an early twentieth century American town; "The Heritage of the Sea", featuring nautical exhibits and a 200-foot model (61 m) of a fanciful whale-like sea creature; "The Music of Yesterday", a huge collection of automatic music machines; and what the management bills as "the world's largest indoor carousel", among other attractions. During the winter, the attraction features a Christmas theme, with decorations and a large collection of Santa Claus figures. Many of the bathrooms are decorated with strange objects, including mannequins, flowers, and preserved animals. The earlier structures, namely the House on the Rock itself, the Gate House, and the Mill House, are reminiscent of the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, though much less coherently designed than is characteristic of Wright, given its patchwork of external structures and interior spaces. The building actually began partly to spite the master architect, who ran his Taliesin communal school near Spring Green. These early structures feature exposed stone, low ceilings, dark woodwork, and antiques on display. Jordan sold the house in 1988 to a friend who continued building on the site, adding to the collections of knick-knacks and exhibits featuring authentic pieces, reproductions, and specially-made examples of everything. The most recent addition is the "Spirit of Aviation", a collection of large model airplanes in a themed room. Another exhibit, the "Transportation Building", is under construction, but visitors can walk through and view the work in progress.

Tom thought the trip to such a crazy place called for wearing tin foil hats, but Peg convinced them not to go so far. Tom, however, had already made his and Michael had a hat he thought simply called out for being lined with tin foil. So here they are in the tin-foil-alien-mind-protective chapeaux:

 Stylish, eh wot?