Crystal Ball

"There's the grotto," my wife yelled, looking out the window. 

I had no clue what she was talking about but she asked me to pull over and stop the car.  The word grotto means an artificial cavern or cave.   We found ourselves standing motionless and staring at this odd building that appeared to be covered in sea shells.  We captured the photo above during an unplanned visit to the grotto in Dickeyville, Wisconsin last week and it happens to be my favorite shot from our mini vacation.  If you look closely inside the crystal ball, you can see the grotto behind us in the reflection.  There are multiple religious and patriotic shrines on the property where Holy Ghost church is located, all constructed without the use of blueprints.  The materials used to create the grotto are from all over the world and include colored glass, gems, antique heirlooms of pottery or porcelain, stalagmites and stalactites, sea shells, starfish, petrified sea urchins and fossils, and a variety of corals, amber glass, agate, quartz, ores, such as iron, copper and lead, fool's gold, rock crystals, onyx, amethyst and coal, petrified wood and moss.  I've never seen anything like it.  It's worth checking out, especially in late September when the Autumn leaves are showing off their vivid colors.  Have a great day.