Well, my dear @delishtreats ...

"I see that you have already formed your opinion about me, lol"

... not really, but happy to see my sense of humor didn't cause any problems. Hard to know, for sure, across cultural and language barriers ... 😉

"I think it's one of a few buildings in the US that are from the bricks, isn't it? :D Sorry, but we have a joke around here that you're building houses from 'paper' and then you're surprised when they're damaged because of the tornado.. bad joke, I know :)"

Glad to know you feel free to have a little fun in response. And I agree with you! We Americans probably aren’t known for building from as sturdy of materials as places in Europe, but I will say perhaps these old courthouses serve as an exception. You and I probably both share an appreciation for the craftsmanship of places built of various types of stone. The stone masonry in some of these old structures is remarkable to me.

In this era of deficit spending, ever depreciating currencies, inflation, etc. (I’ll jump down from my “soapbox,” before I get started … 😉), we rarely see work like that done anymore. On top of that, sadly, we Americans are also probably much more inclined to tear down and start over, than to preserve what has been built in past generations. Not sure what that says about us ... 😞

Well, through the storm, I safely made it to my destination. If I take the time to write a post about what I saw yesterday, you will see a few more examples of this craftsmanship – some more old county courthouses … 👍

P.S. Yes ...

"Have you chosen something for your better half? I'm sure she will be delighted with your gift."

... I did, but I have to wait a week to find out how delighted she will be. 😊