'Twas Three Weeks Before Christmas

We didn't wander too far from Rick's home this past Saturday. The occasion was the 31st annual Monches Artisans Holiday Open House. Monches is an unincorporated community in Waukesha County not even 10 miles from where Rick lives in the midst of Wisconsin's Kettle Moraine.

The Kettle Moraine is really a beautiful area in southeast Wisconsin created some 20,000 years ago when two lobes of the glacier that covered this part of our state collided depositing sediment in between. Kettles (ponds) resulted when glacial ice broke off, got entirely or partly buried in glacial sediment, and subsequently melted. Some of those kettles are now filled with lakes - Elkhart Lake, Geneva Lake, and Little Cedar Lake. Hills of glacial deposits rise between the kettles and lakes giving much variety to the area's topography.

The Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians is located at
Holy Hill - one of the largest glacial deposit hills in the Kettle Moraine.
The Basilica should be on everyone's list of must-see places in Wisconsin.
It's only a couple of miles from Rick's home.

Our first stop on the Artisan Holiday Open House tour was Monches Farm. Lots of people there, including a few free range chickens that greeted us on the way from the parking lot to the store with its many holiday items for sale.

The chickens were not in the least bit afraid of all the
people who came by.

When not outside, the chickens stay in this old barn.

Several artists were also selling handcrafted wares for the holidays at the Farm. Of course, I couldn't resist and ended up with a beautifully painted Christmas tree ornament that I gave to Rick's daughter-in-law the next day when we visited the family in Sheboygan.

On our way to our next stop, we came upon the Christmas Cookie Walk at St. Paul's United Church of Christ Church on the western edge of Richfield. (Richfield is a former township whose residents voted to become a village so the area covered by the municipality is 36 square miles of beautiful countryside.) We thought $7.50 a pound for a great selection of delicious cookies baked by members of the congregation was a bargain.

St. Paul's claim is that it's the oldest church of its denomination in Wisconsin and will celebrate its 175th anniversary next year. 

What could be more typical of a country church than
St. Paul's?

The chancel was decorated nicely for Christmas.

One of the stained glass church windows - more art
in the rural area.

We discovered that Richfield has a winery. It's attached to the Cold Spring Inn, a bed & breakfast that's been written up in Chicago Magazine. One of the winery's white wines has been named for Griffin, one of the goats that lives on the property. Jerry Munley, who owns the Inn with his wife, Kari, let the bunch of them out of their shed so I could take pictures.

Griffin is the big guy eating out of the hand of his owner.

Our friend, Greg, who lives in Highland Park, Illinois came to visit and joined us on the tour. He had never been to the Mineshaft in Hartford so we went there for lunch just so he could experience the busiest restaurant in Wisconsin. One of the features of the restaurant is an incredible game room on the second floor. A great way to keep the kids busy when a family is waiting for a table on a busy weekend. 

Our last stop of the day was to celebrate Christmas at the Mill. This yearly event, sponsored by the Richfield Historical Society, was part of the Christmas in Richfield Day. We enjoyed hot cider, cookies, and Christmas carols at the mill house.

A real treat was listening to Kelly Thundercloud as she sang Christmas carols accompanied by Clara Birkel, one of the board members of the Richfield Historical Society.

Merry Christmas wishes for the holiday season. And good cheer for all . . . 

Power (and state parks) for the People

The last week of July we wandered up to Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek. But first, a stop in Maribel on Friday and Saturday nights at Devils River Campground.

This mill was on the campground.  Sawmills of the past became grist
mills rather quickly. The lumbering industry in Wisconsin never lasted as long as promised.

The Point Beach nuclear power plant was close by so we decided to pay a visit to the Education Center. We were impressed with the quality of the "museum." Lots of hands-on activities, for both kids and big kids. And, I thought, a well-balanced exhibit that included information about other sources of energy - from coal to solar to wind. Plus we learned from the staff person at the desk  that nuclear power plants - at least the ones in the United States - would not blow up. We're not Chernobyl.

The model of the assembly that contains the nuclear
fuel rods reminded me of the Empire State Building.

All the greats in the field of electricity, including
Ben Franklin, were shown along with an explanation
of their contribution to the field. Ohm, Watt, Ampere
have been honored by having their names attached
to an electrical term.

We learned that the spent fuel rods at the plant are being stored
on site pending the outcome of the federal government establishing
a permanent storage site. Funding for the Yucca Mountain site
in Nevada has been terminated.

Our other visit in the Two Rivers area was to the Rawley Point Lighthouse. We met up with at least three photographers that were taking pictures on an overcast day.

We were glad we had our Wisconsin State Park sticker since the lighthouse is in a "fee" area - the Point Beach State Forest.
  
One attraction in Maribel - unfortunately off limits because it's on private property - is the Maribel Caves Hotel. All that remains today is the stone shell of what was purported to be a haunted hotel - at least in days gone by.

Our next stop was Door County and Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek where we met up with Rick's son, daughter-in-law, and the two grandsons. Peninsula is one of the most popular of our state's parks. Not very crowded on Sunday when we arrived - the rain probably caused people to cancel or leave early. But a little rain didn't bother us. In fact, listening to the rain on the roof of the trailer is most pleasant.

We've added two more lights (at either end of the awning) to our rig.
Rick says that we can never have too many lights!

We were lucky because the next day was one of the most beautiful summer days we've had in a long time. A perfect day for picking cherries and touring Washington Island. But first, breakfast at Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay.

It was a mechanical goat up on the roof this morning to cut the grass.

Next stop - Falcon Orchard where we picked a few buckets of cherries. I was glad the proprietor didn't weigh me before and after we picked cherries to charge me for the all the cherries I ate without putting them in the bucket!

I was told that the best way to pit the cherries was with a paper clip. It worked. 

We ferried across Death's Door from Gills Rock and landed on Washington Island to sunshine and blue skies where we took a tram tour of the island. 

The Stavkirke (stav, or mast, church) was one of the stops on our tour.
Rick's son and daughter-in-law had seen these types of churches when
they were visiting Norway a few years ago. According to Kari,
there were no lights in the Norwegian churches; this one had a few fluorescents!

Our four days were capped off with breakfast at Pelletier's in Fish Creek on Tuesday morning. We couldn't resist the cherry stuffed French toast - a specialty of the restaurant.

Calories don't count when one is on vacation!

Next time we travel to Door County, we'll do a traditional fish boil. Maybe next summer.

On the Road with "Frolie"

Last week we wandered around central and east central Wisconsin during some pretty hot days. Fortunately, with plenty of shade at the campsites and a couple of fans in the trailer, we were comfortable.
   
Even though we've used Rick's '65 Frolic for weekend campouts, this was our first week-long trip that we took with the trailer we've nicknamed "Frolie." The name comes from the way the guy who sold the trailer to Rick advertised it on Craig's List last summer. 

Note the "noodles" that cover the lines that secure the awning poles. Rick's idea.

Our first stop was Green Lake. Hattie Sherwood Campground was a city park as near as we could figure. No one on duty. I felt sorry for the camper who answered everyone's questions much like a camp host would have done.  Dinner was at Adam's Rib across from the Green Lake dam.

Adams is the last name of the family that owns the restaurant. Good food.

The next two nights were spent at Big Eau Pleine Park, in Marathon County, not too far from Mosinee. Only one other family was camping at our location.  

New meaning for "deer camp." We came upon this couple in another section of the park.

We ventured up Rib Mountain while we were in central Wisconsin. Camping is no longer available at this state park. Apparently it was underused so the park is just for day use now.

One of the rock formations on Rib Mountain.
What we see is quartzite, not granite. So why
is the ski area called Granite Peak?    

This may be the highest point on the "mountain"
but the highest point in Wisconsin is Timm's Hill
in Ogema (north of Wausau) at 1915.5 feet.

We headed east at the middle of week ending up in Waupaca. We met friends for dinner - at Rick's favorite place, Weasel's. This night he didn't have his usual lamb shish kabob but tried a steak that was recommended by our neighbors at the Waupaca Camping Park. He was satisfied.
   
The next day we spent a few hours at the Iola Old Car Show. This year we didn't "exhibit" so didn't have a place for respite like we've had in past years.

I can't tell a Ford from a Chevy so it was fun to see how various models compared in the theme tent.

Ford and Chevy vans side by side.

I prefer the older models of the Ford and Chevy sports cars. More elegant.

How can you go wrong with this T-bird?

The Corvettes of the 1950s had nice lines.

Not too many foreign cars in evidence at the Iola Show.

Still have a soft spot in my heart for a VW camper. Rick had one that remains
 in the family now that his son owns it. 

Cars of today just don't have the detail of the classics. 

What an elegant hood ornament!

When one is getting money from an ATM, it's probably a good idea that one has privacy. This outhouse design at the show gave us all a chuckle.

The next two nights were spent on the east side of Lake Winnebago at the Calumet County Park. Our campsite was right on the lake. We couldn't have asked for more beautiful sunsets each night. 

A placid lake in the evening. . .

both evenings we were there.

Again, very few campers in the park until Friday night. I joked with one of our neighbors that Rick uses the light on the top of the trailer to signal the "mother ship." 

And wouldn't you know, his signal worked and attracted an alien visitor!

One attraction in Hilbert, near our campground, that we didn't want to miss was the Corner Cupboard.

The owner of the Hilbert store also has the Gibbsville General Store.

Supper clubs are so Wisconsin and we like to stop in for dinner whenever we find one near where we are vacationing. 

The food at Roepke's did not disappoint. The salad bar was especially delicious.

Our vacation week ended in Sheboygan where we once again driveway camped at Rick's son and daughter-in-law's home. It was the occasion of grandson #2's first birthday. Always a joy to see the boys and a fun way to end our vacation.

Close to Home - Washington County

It's June Dairy Month. One of the events that we encouraged participants in our "Birds & Bovines" vintage trailer rally last weekend (June 7-9) to take advantage of was Washington County's Breakfast on the Farm near Allenton. The farm was only about 11 miles from Ledge Park, overlooking the Horicon Marsh, where our rally was held. The breakfast was an opportunity to show Rick's son, daughter-in-law, and grandsons, who had joined us for the weekend,  something of my past. (I grew up on a dairy farm in northern Wisconsin.)

Sunset Farms has hosted the June Dairy Breakfast in the past.
To host, a farm needs LOTS of parking.

Kari, Rick's daughter-in-law, remarked that there were enough people at the
Dairy Breakfast for a mini county fair!

And speaking of county fairs, Washington County's Fairest
of the Fair was at the Breakfast promoting the upcoming
Washington County Fair that is scheduled for the end of July.

I'm not sure now many thousands of pancakes were served, but the cooks know how to keep a hungry crowd fed.

It takes a strong and steady hand to keep flipping
so many pancakes. (photo courtesy of Jon Vrzal)

Of course we had to look at the cows. These were of special interest to Rick's grandson, Kellen.

Breakfast on the Farm wouldn't be complete without a few vintage tractors on display.

A variety of groups throughout Washington County, including the Richfield Historical Society, had exhibits in one of the farm's buildings.

Nothing says America's Dairyland like a cow to relieve one's stress!

Breakfast on the Farm is one of those events that occur in just about every county in Wisconsin during the month of June. Check the schedule of breakfasts for the rest of the month and maybe you'll find one close to you. Many communities also host June Dairy breakfasts but not necessarily on the farm. In my hometown of Sheldon, a dairy breakfast was part of the community fair that was the same weekend as our rally.

This past Saturday Rick and I checked out the Farmer's Market in downtown West Bend, the county seat of Washington County. The downtown merchants are particular about the vendors filling Main Street so the market is only open from 7:30 - 11:00 a.m. However, as we later learned from Ron who was selling, among other things, garlic plants, there's another market in West Allis on Saturday afternoons that many of the West Bend vendors move to. We picked up snap peas, spinach, smoked salmon, several packages of brats, and tomato and pepper plants at the market.

Flowering plants were abundant at the West Bend Farmers' Market.

We met a couple from LaClare Farms in Pipe, WI (on the east side of Lake Winnebago). They were selling varieties of goat cheese made with the milk produced by the 450 goats on the farm. We plan to visit the retail shop and farm when we are on vacation in that part of Wisconsin in early July.

While the West Bend market isn't nearly the size of Madison's Dane County Farmers' Market on the Capitol Square, it does have a lot of variety - and Madison prices!

The Wisconsin Soup Company is located in Wauwatosa.

This piece of "living art" was offered by Upland Springs
Floral from Adell WI.

Oftentimes we don't have to wander far from home to find something interesting to do on the weekend. We'll miss the best activities right in our own backyards if we don't look for them.

Miscellaneous Musings While Winter Lingers

We're getting antsy to get on the road again. Especially when winter will not loose its chilly grip on us here in Wisconsin. Rain at the beginning of the week. The next day - snow. The day after - below zero wind chills. Weather-related warnings for our vacation destination - high surf and rip tide. We just won't go swimming.

For this last post before vacation, I was perusing pictures I’d taken over the years that represented some of the unusual.

The Airstream Ranch consists of eight full-sized vintage Airstream camper trailers buried in line off I-4 near Tampa, Florida. The owner, Frank Bates, maintained that his creation, which represents the history of the Airstream line of campers, was art. The county disagreed and took Bates to court. Eventually appellate judges heard the case. While they did not state that the campers were art, the judges did say that Bates' creation wasn’t junk, wasn’t a sign, nor illegal storage of RVs.

Art or something else?

“White Collar Woods” was an installation near Woodruff in the north woods of Wisconsin a few years ago. It was part of “Forest Art Wisconsin,” a project that tapped into a cutting-edge trend in the art community. The forest was the source of artistic inspiration and the trail area functioned as the gallery, a display area for works of art that normally would not be found there. The artist was commenting on the gentrification of the north woods. The French cuffs symbolized an invasive species which also brings jobs and livelihood through tourism. But the artist was asserting that at some point, making a trip to the woods similar to a trip to the opera could be as absurd as the cuffs of the installation.

We were on our way to the Amana Colonies in Iowa two years ago when this "horse" caught my eye. Perhaps it was an advertisement for a museum, maybe it was folk art out there for the public's enjoyment. I can't remember. Nonetheless, something unusual and fun.

We’re looking forward to finding more of the interesting and unusual as we wander south. Stay tuned.