Wisconsin
Travel Photography Class
I love to travel. I love to take photos. I love to take photos when I travel. So this year, before I go on another trip, I thought it would be a good idea to take a Travel Photography class. The continuing education arm of the local university has a wonderful program and I finally found the time for this class. So this past weekend, we had our first photo shoot. We were supposed to see the city as if we’re travelers here and discover something new or different. Of course, like any class, we had a specific set of things we needed to capture. Here are a few photos from that photo shoot. I love the early spring, when the trees are just coming into...
Read MoreCedarburg Strawberry Festival
Don’t these look like they’d be the most delicious, most perfect strawberries you’ve ever tasted? Can’t you just imagine the sweet juice running down your chin? No? You must be more coordinated than I am. This weekend was the 26th Annual Cedarburg Strawberry Festival and the weather was perfect; not a cloud in the sky and a gentle breeze helped relieve the heat of the sun. This family-friendly event had lots of bands, food vendors, crafts vendors, and artists. Lots of interesting things, like hand-made wooden toys. Great for developing kids’ imaginations, and definitely a throwback to a simpler time. They also had hay rides,...
Read MoreWinter Scenes
It’s snowing here again. It’s been snowing the whole day. I was so happy last week when spring peeked in and showed us that decent weather is possible and hasn’t forgotten us. And when I awoke today, I saw this out my window. Look at how huge the snowflakes are. They’re more like snow chunks than flakes! But thankfully, it wasn’t too cold out so I decided to take some pictures around the neighborhood and saw a neighbor walking her dog. Maggie, the dog, seemed to enjoy the snow and posing for pictures. She’s a beautiful dog and it was good to see a creature frolicking in the snow. I mean, just look at how much snow there...
Read MoreLittle Norway, Mount Horeb, WI
If you’re in Mount Horeb,WI, you have plenty of things to do. Cave of the Mounds is one attraction, and Little Norway is about a two-minute drive away. So it only makes sense to see both on the same day, or on the same trip. Don’t think that Little Norway is second fiddle to any other attraction in the area, it’s a treat in its own right. But as you might have guessed, I did visit Little Norway on the same day as Cave of the Mounds. By the time I got here, it was a little later in the afternoon and the beautiful area provided plenty of shade.There is a creek running through the property and a fairly extensive lawn (which hosts the Mid-Summer...
Read MoreCave of the Mounds, Mount Horeb, WI
I’ve heard about Cave of the Mounds many years ago but have never been there until this particular July weekend. The drive was quite lovely and once I got to the Cave of the Mounds park, I decided I should have lunch before I go on exploring.There were picnic tables everywhere and I picked one in the shade. The breeze was quite welcome, the birds provided entertainment and scenery was most relaxing so my lunch was very enjoyable. Especially since it’s one I made myself.After the lunch respite I decided to explore the grounds, while waiting for the tour of the cave. Nestled snugly in the Driftless region of Southern Wisconsin, the park allows visitors to...
Read MoreRenaissance Fair, Kenosha, WI
One of my goals has been to travel around locally, as in day trips during the weekend, so nothing too far away. Someplace I can pack a lunch, pack my camera, GPS, and start exploring the area around me. I joked with some friends from CA that we pack about twelve months worth of activities into about five. And it’s true; there are about three major events on any given weekend from May to end of October. One of these activities one could do is to go back in time. And this past weekend I stepped into another world yet again. It’s been about five years since my last visit to the Renaissance Fair in Kenosha, WI. Yet again, I’m so glad I live in...
Read MoreTwo Rivers, Manitowoc, Algoma – Wisconsin
For many years I have wanted to see more of Wisconsin. With an occasional trip to Door County or a rare trip to Wisconsin Dells, my exploration of this beautiful state has been rather limited. So this year I finally decided to do something about it. This was the inaugural trip of my “Discover Wisconsin” goal. On this particular Saturday in July, I packed up my camera, a lunch, a travel guide I picked up at a rest stop, a GPS and a full tank of gas, and set off on my first adventure. The first stop was West of the Lake Gardens. Don’t let their awful website stop you though. The place itself is great. There are fantastic spaces, all completely...
Read MoreLeaving Door County
I can’t believe I haven’t written about the last day of our mini-vacation. This morning, like the others before, we had a wonderful breakfast in our room. But today we were leaving, so we packed up our stuff and checked out by 10 AM. But it was too nice a day to leave yet, and I had a few stops to make. The first stop of the day was to the oilerie, where I bought some garlic olive oil. I really like this store because you can try the olive oils and the vinegars. I’ve been to this store last year, and even wrote a little review of it. The other “must” stop for the day was at the K. Allen Gallery. It’s a small gallery and has some...
Read MoreIt’s Independence Day
And right now, there’s a band playing not too far, so I can hear it sitting on my bed in my hotel room. The band is trying to play a Jimmi Hendrix song and earlier attempted a Rolling Stones song. The weather is absolutely stunning today. It’s warm, sunny, wispy clouds roll along the vast expanse of sky, a gentle breeze keeps things cool. We ate breakfast in the room again. Honestly, we’re eating better than at any restaurant. Great food, comfortable, nobody hurrying us up, etc. Of course, it helps that we are a close family. After breakfast we drove around some art galleries and antique shops. First, we went to K. Allen gallery to see if they got...
Read MoreGorgeous Day
Today, the weather didn’t disappoint. The sun was out, a gentle breeze reminded us that we’re in Wisconsin and that even in July we should wear jackets up here. Which, dad did. I had my fleece and grandma had her thick cardigan. But it’s gorgeous. We had breakfast in our room. See, we have 2 little fridges full of food and then some, so it’s a shame to waste it. Additionally, we came here with full intention of not eating out at least for breakfast. It turns out that each of us has packed a loaf of bread, cheese, and a sausage of some kind, in addition to hard boiled eggs, yogurt, and cottage cheese and cream. So we had breakfast...
Read MoreFish Creek, WI
We’re in Door County, WI, or “up north” as most Wisconsinites refer to anything “north” of where they are currently. We actually made pretty good time, 2.5 hours. No traffic or construction to deal with so the drive was rather nice.It was wonderful to see grandma so excited. She’s never been here before so to see her reaction to all the clean greenery was great.Our hotel is nice and we have lots of room, he beds are nice and big, the fridge keeps cold, and we have a table an chairs. We played cards for a few hours and laughed our butts off. It was nice. Reminds me when I was little and the three of us (dad, grandma, and I) went...
Read MoreI still haven’t packed…
Or marinated the chicken. I am a terrible procrastinator. But that’s my nature on such things, I suppose. Yes, we’re planning another trip, but this time it’s within driving distance. I am taking a half-day of vacation tomorrow, so we can head up north at a decent time. Since I don’t want us to go out to restaurants all the time, I’m marinating the chicken and bringing my electric grill. NOTE TO SELF: DON’T FORGET THE GRILL! But I’m charging the camera batteries as we speak. Priorities. I’ll post the recipe for the chicken a bit later, but for now, I gotta go clean and marinate it. Share this:
Read MoreCreativity – Where do you get yours?
Lately, my creative juices have been running a little dry for jewelry making. Maybe it’s because I have a lot on my mind, maybe because I have a lot of work, or maybe because I’m working on a few other project. I’ve also been out taking pictures when the weather is a little nicer. We’ve had a few days of warmer weather last week, so I went to Cedarburg to take pictures of a waterfall. Instead, I was completely fascinated by a bunch of ducks that were enjoying the weather as much as we were. Doesn’t this duck look like he’s saluting? So cute! And I don’t even particularly like ducks. I’m thinking of...
