Retreat

This was my first retreat experience with my sister....the whole glorious weekend! I had such a great experience....and apparently did not wear on the nerves of the others as I have been invited back for next year!....WooHoo for me!

This is a very cool bridge that we cross over from Iowa into Wisconsin. Our retreat house is high on the bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.

My digital camera is no longer working so I used one of the disposable cameras. Not the best photos!

The retreat house has been completely renovated keeping the character of the house. It was built during the Civil War era....so many very cool things about this house!


This is the front door which opens in front of the stairs. On the right is the living room and the left would have been the dining room now converted to a lovely sewing room for the ladies.

I love the door bell that is mounted in the middle of the door and gives such a cool "ring".









This rug was hand painted on the wood floors at the top of the staircase. What a great idea.....no slipping for sure!

There were three bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs. There was a half bath downstairs right next to the sewing room. The layout of this retreat house was perfect!







The kitchen was open....not too big either. Our meals were prepared by our hostess so we didn't have to worry about the prep space....it did have a dishwasher after a visitor had written in the house journal....."we would love to have a dish washer....we want him young and handsome"! Apparently the owner of the cottage takes all hints pretty seriously. After much searching for the young and handsome....it was easier to install the mechanical device!



The sitting room was so relaxing......I called it my zen room. I wrote in my journal sipping on hot tea in this room for a couple of hours in this room. The spare furnishings inspired me to get rid of unnecessary items from my own living room.









This is another view of the sitting room.



















Such a lovely front porch with awesome views!


































This is the hardware that was on our door. I absolutely love the old!




















This was my bed....such a charming room. I am looking forward to next year...DeSoto, Wisconsin....here I come! A special thank to you Denise, owner of Quilter's Window for organizing this retreat. If you are in New Hampton, Iowa.....gotta stop and shop! Worth the trip!

4 comments:

Regina said...

What a cool place for a retreat! I might have to look into setting something up with my sisters at this place.
And I had NO idea that New Hampton has such a cool quilt shop. I went to jr & sr high in that town when that building was JC Penney. I'll have to check out the shop next time I'm in town.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Sharon said...

OMG! This is too lovely and inviting. What a treat to go to a retreat here. Sounds like you enjoyed every minute.

Sharon said...

I don't think the first thing I wrote went through. Just a lovely place. What a treat to retreat here.

Allie Gower said...

It's the most fun to take a trip and enjoy the luxury of a clutter free space.
The first thing I do when I travel is put everything away. I completely unpack, so I don't have any mess to interfere with my relaxation.