Saying Goodbye to Jacksonville

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There's nothing prettier then a little Victorian church set against a deep blue sky.

A few posts back I was telling you about the wagon we rode around town in while singing Christmas carols. Well this is it minus the cover, but if you look at the picture below you can see the skeletal structure that supports the canvas.

That was our driver who was filled with interesting facts about Jacksonville and the surrounding areas. Isn't the wagon so festive with all its Christmas greenery?

Here are the Dickens carolers who accompanied us on our tour of the town. The old guy in the middle of the two women...he was funny and sang several carols that he had cleverly re-written the lyrics to. I just can't remember what they were.

Here they are again. What a dream job that must be. To the right of them was a small fire where they roasted chestnuts.

These two guys are Kurt and Tom. Aren't they gorgeous! They're Belgium Horses from where else, but Belgium. Each weighs roughly two thousand pounds and lack the heavy long hair that you see on a Clydesdale. I think they're a wee bit smaller too. They were so sweet and allowed all the children to nuzzle them and tug on their forelocks when they could be reached.
We had such a relaxing time being pulled around by these two guys and were able to see part of the town we hadn't explored yet and forgot to go back to I might add. Next time.

I felt a tinge of sadness when it came time to pack and head for home. There's just something about these little Victorian towns that tug at the strings of my heart, but I don't know if it's the beautiful architectural details of each structure or if it's the idea of being able to wear layers of petticoats beneath beautiful long gowns and attend balls in lovely mansions. Maybe it's the idea of living in a time when things were slower and simpler where men were men and women were women and each one knew their role in life. Maybe it's just that deep down I'm a hopeless romantic or maybe, just maybe, I will never know why I love these little towns so.