Waukesha County Fair

Saturday afternoon was so warm and sunny we decided to go to the Waukesha County Fair.

New cow every year!

As always the fair is just plain fun. The exhibits, music, animals, and food, are something that signifies SUMMER to us.

We always enjoy the 4-H exhibits. This year, there were some really nice looking bakery and preserve entries.

4-H train exhibit and  creator

4-H hot jelly

Talented Kids

The animals are, of course, are a must see. Odd looking ducks and speckled goats caught our eye. As well as huge turkeys and magnificent horses.

Grand Champion Steer

Such Pretty Pidgeons

Odd Duck

Who's your Daddy?

The pig, duck and goat races were fun to watch. We always marvel how these animals just run around the track and give the crowd such a good time!

This fair has some of the best food we have seen at any fair. The variety of meats is extensive, as well meat on stick and meat wrapped in bacon.

Meat everywhere!

This year, we opted for an ice cream dessert. The cookie dough sundae was about 16 ounces of vanilla ice cream covered with huge pieces of cookie dough and chocolate. So very good... and so very rich!!!!

Two weeks to State Fair!!

Doug and Tina came to Town

This weekend we got to enjoy a visit from Lou's baby brother, Doug, and his wife, Tina. We had a great visit catching up on their life in Arizona.

Doug is very active with the Habitat for Humanity, and has helped build many wonderful homes for those who through oppression or misfortune could not obtain a home. He also runs a high-end rug cleaning business-specializing in cleaning and treating wool carpets.

Tina is extremely busy with her church, and is very involved in fund-raising. Tina has a heart for young people, and has accompanied them on various missions. Along with doing interior design for clients and volunteering at her church, she is busy collecting pictures of her adorable grand-children.

We got to enjoy lunch with them and had a great time laughing about all of our little driving mishaps over the years, as well as reminding ourselves of all the wisdom that comes with age!

Doug and Tina may become snow-birds and may find a summer home in Wisconsin so that they can spend more time with their children and grand-children.

One thing that Lou and Tina have in common is their love for making spiced pecans. So, come Christmas time, we are going to have the great "nut bake-off" to determine if spouses can tell the difference between the goodies.

Happy house-hunting, Doug and Tina! Hope to see you soon.

Picnic on the Farm-July 4th, 2017

Lou and I usually host a large Fourth of July party at our house, but this year we were invited to a big church picnic at Scot and Shirley Cerka's Farm in Burlington, WI.

Beautiful Day and Beautiful Surroundings

Scott and Shirley own 18 acres of beautiful land complete with horses, geese, an in-ground swimming pool, hot tub and lots of fun toys.

Horses enjoyed the day, too!

Noisy, happy geese

Miniature Horse, Emma

Boys and their toys!

Scott spent much of the beautiful, sunny afternoon cooking burgers, brats, hot dogs and corn. Guests brought various salads, fruit and desserts. Shirley was busy making guests welcome and ensuring everything went smoothly.

Chef Scot

Awesome Food!

There were some friendly games of bean bag toss, Frisbee, and bocce ball to keep people entertained along the sidelines.

Bocce Men

Deciding who goes first?

Looking for the little white ball

The Stanger Team-sheer power!

One attention getter was the kitten, Ethel, who found her way onto various laps. Elfrieda really enjoyed holding Ethel and entertaining her. Ethel also enjoyed taking a nap on Ali's lap. It was just so cute.

Elfrieda and Ethel

Ali and Ethel

Everyone was having a great time just relaxing and eating! What a way to spend a holiday.

Big and Fast

Brad and Lou

Diane and Clark

Having a good time

Jeff preparing for the Olympics

Fun in the Sun

Preacher Jeff Pose

Thank you Scott and Shirley for a great day!

Summer Vacation 2017

This year we decided to return to Bayfield WI and explore more of this beautiful area and the Apostle Islands.

The first thing we saw that we thought would make a great picture is this truck that looks like it is coming straight toward us. 

It was actually a truck cab being pulled by another truck. But, it does look a little threatening.

Another strange sight is the "Free Wine and Beer" signs that pepper the road for a few miles.

From what we could tell, the name of the store was "Free."

The challenge with planning a vacation early in the year is never knowing what type of weather you will encounter. The ride was dotted with showers, as was much of the 5 days we spent.

When we got to our Inn, the skies cleared and we enjoyed a beautiful night.

Beautiful Rainbow on Lake Superior

Boats in the harbor

We ate at Greunke's our first night. It was a cute place with a 50's/60's  theme. Lou really enjoyed the huge pulled pork sandwich and chili.

Lots of 50's stuff

I love to eat

60's posters

Our first full day in Bayfield was predicted to be the best weather of the week, so we decided to take the car ferry to Madeline Island and do some hiking and exploring. We found some beautiful wild flowers as well as a small beach where we sat and watched the waves.

Beauty Everywhere on Madeline Island

Joni's Beach

Just walking the town

View from the Island

Wave Watching

Back on the Dock

Gulls lining up every day at lunch time

We had booked a "Shipwreck, Lighthouses and Sea Caves" tour in early January and decided to take the cruise, even though our captain told us that the weather would make the ride choppy and that we might not see any of the shipwrecks that one could see on a sunny day.

Lighthouse on Sand Island

Sea Caves

Sea Caves

Well, the captain was right. We didn't see any shipwrecks, but did see the lighthouses and sea caves. What we learned is that "choppy" means different things to different people! Choppy to the Captain Dan was "roller coaster, big-wave, scary" to us.

View from Back of Boat

Captain Lou

The weather was rainy and cold, so you will notice the gloves on me. I had to sit close to Lou to keep from freezing. But, it was an adventure, so at least we have something exciting to talk about.

So cold, but kind of fun (and scary)

We love the Bayfield Museum and always get a great education. Below are some of the displays that are very interesting.

Frequently, you will see men from the town actually building a boat using tools and procedures that would have been common to earlier times. A few of the townsmen spoke to us about their latest creation. They certainly have a lot of passion and work great as a team.

Of course, one of reasons Lou wanted to visit Bayfield again is the Pork Nachos at Maggie's.

Pork Nachos

So much cheese

Maggie is an older lady who started the business years ago and has a love for flamingoes. The restaurant is covered with them and they make for great conversation.

On our last day, we explored some of the orchards that this area is famous for. We came across a beautiful orchard and gift shop at Sunset Valley Orchard. The owner was telling us about the frequent bear visits near her shop. We did not encounter any-although we did hope to see one from the safety of our car!

Sunset Valley Orchard

Gift Shop at Sunset Valley Orchard.

We did daily walks through the town, visited the candy and ice cream shops, and tried our luck at the Legendary Waters casino in the evenings. It made for a fun and relaxing trip.

Exploring the town

Dusk at the Bayfield Inn

Room 103-so nice

Great View of Lake Superior

We always like to stop and visit Jim and Jackie on our way home. We enjoy seeing the kids and how they have grown.

Roman made sure to tell us about his new orange glasses. They are just as cute as he is. A few of the boys were at summer camp in the UP, so we got to visit with 5 instead of 9!!

Victor, Roman, and Nick were adorable together, and Vince is always so good to his little sister.

The twins are getting so big and really developing their own personalities.

Jackie and Jim are always busy with the kids as well as new projects. This year, Jim's greenhouses are really paying off, as his tomatoes and other crops are lush and healthy.

The greenhouses were fogging up my camera lens, but were really hot! With the growing season so short in northern WI, Jim and Jackie will have crops well into winter.

It was a great vacation, but the weather could have been a bit better. Next year, perhaps Thunder Bay in Canada.