TMBC does WIT

Here is the first W.I.T. report I wrote -- to the SNOWBIRD members of the TMBC:

Well, the first leg of our Winter Iowa Tour was a rousing success!! We left at 9:00, and arrived at the Muscatine Musser Art Gallery at exactly 10:00. It is an amazing little jewel -- and it's always shocking to me to find a place like this...being maintained by the little river city of Muscatine for decades...and it's a "free" museum.  (donations accepted, of course).  The Musser owns incredible works of art -- including Picasso's, and Renoirs...it is outfitted with the most luxurious Tiffany (style?) chandeliers...cut crystal, elaborate wood trim...and fancy furniture in every room.  Which you can see -- up close and personal.

Mr. Musser made his fortune in lumber -- and floated the logs down the Mississippi to his big factory in Muscatine -- where the wood was milled into ornate wood trim. Which was evident everywhere in this mansion on the hill that he built for his daughter, Laura, as a wedding gift.

YOU ALL WOULD HAVE LOVED IT -- and if you want to read more about it, and see some pictures -- here's the link to their history page: http://muscatineartcenter.org/Our-History

For me, the most amazing thing about the Musser Art Museum is that this mansion was a home, lived in and owned by one family from the day it was built until the day it was gifted to the City of Muscatine.

So, all the furniture, fixtures, rugs, etc. -- were actually OWNED by the Musser family.

So, this is the ACTUAL furniture the family used...and you get to see THEIR china, and THEIR cut glass goblets...Oh, yeah --it was good to be a rich person in America at the turn of the century....

Think about it.  When you go to see Monticello, for example -- Thomas Jefferson lost that house and all his belongings were sold at auction.  So the historical society people in Virginia have spent years trying to "recreate" what the rooms "may have looked like".  Without Instagram, it's impossible to actually KNOW what Thomas Jefferson's furniture looked like...

The HIGHLIGHT of our day was gonna be lunch at Salvatore's. So imagine our disappointment when we found a great parking spot -- only to discover that they are closed on Tuesdays. At that point, we were in an emergency had-to-eat situation because LK was HANGRY...and she HAD TO EAT SOMETHING RIGHT NOW...

After a little drive around their mostly empty-storefronts-and-it-is-depressing-downtown -- we decided to try the "Mama Mia" restaurant. You have to take the elevator up to the first floor (this building has been completely renovated -- it used to be a hotel, and is now offices on the first 3 floors -- with apartments above).

LUNCH WAS FABULOUS. Oh, my god...garlic knot rolls...hot, fresh and delicious...$8-9 lunch specials...included soup and salad. Sandy and LK got the lasagna -- and the portions were huge. I got an Italian sausage with penne in a velvety orange sauce (mix of marinara and cream?) which WAS AMAZING. I packed half of mine up to take home...so I could order their Tiramasu. WHICH WAS PERFECTION.

The best part of this place was the incredible view of the Mississippi River. I'd recommend it to anybody -- and I'm sure they're giving Salvatore's a run for their money.

After lunch, we walked up to a funky resale/junk store on the main drag -- The Wild Thing. It was fun to walk through...but the actual Button Museum was closed (only open on Fri and Sat. during the winter).

Dear Santa, I am writing to tell you that I have been naughty.  And it was WORTH IT, you fat, judgmental bastard...

Of course, we stopped at the Goodwill store on our way home... We got back to Bettendorf about 3:30, so I went to the pool... OH MY -- THE PERFECT DAY.

We miss you, LP....but we are trying to soldier on here in the Iowa Winter. A cold front has moved in...and after a week of near 50 degree temps, today the wind chill is making it feel like 2 below...

ENJOY BELIZE...!!