The eighth wonder of the world is in Iowa. At least, that's what the advertisements say, and who am I to argue with them? Rising out of the small town of West Bend (pop. 862), a part of Iowa where the landscape is seldom disturbed by anything larger than a grain silo, lies the Grotto of the Redemption. Grottos are a phenomenon we've seen a lot of over the years, but this one is King of the Hill.

Jim Bowsher, philosopher, artist and teacher, has dedicated not only his 1-acre yard and his life to creating this weighty symbol of tolerance. The hundreds of tons of rock have been intentionally laid, creating a jaw-dropping stone wonderland. He loves local history. He loves having it come alive for people, and not just being some stuffy thing in a book. That's part of why he built what he calls the Temple of Tolerance in his backyard. Well, actually, in three backyards that he purchased to make room for the giant glacial rocks that stand at the heart of it.

Since 1935, Miss Deeble created miniature "postal card" scenes of the places she had visited or read about in books. Some of these included Mount Rushmore, Estes Park Conference Camp, and the Tetons. Florence worked the last 10 years of her life creating tributes to the Lucas City Band, founding fathers, a monument to her father and another to her brother, Burl, who served in WWII. She enjoyed visitors to her garden and carefully kept a guest book listing everyone who visited.

In 1943, Elise Quigley asked her husband to build her a new house. Because she loved nature, she designed the house with 32 glass window boxes. When he didn't act quickly enough, Mrs. Q took matters into her own hands. She moved all their belongings out to the barn - forcing him to begin the building process. Along the way, she started adding the decorative rockwork that adds to its splendor. With a Plexiglass butterfly wall inside and bottle trees and stone fences around the grounds, Mrs. Quigley's digs are undeniably memorable.