Our neck of the woods

We live in the area known as the driftless part of Wisconsin.

An area which the glaciers did not touch.  We are blessed with rolling hills, bluffs, the Mississippi river and areas of great natural beauty.  On Sunday we headed over to the picturesque little town of Alma, Wisconsin.  Alma is situated right along the Great River Road and is a hopping little town especially during the warmer months.

They have a great little Art and Music festival once a year during Labor day weekend.

One of the highlights of the day was a presentation by a trainer from the National Eagle Center just up the road a bit in Wabasha, Minnesota.

My little niece Chloe and grand-daughter Addison sure enjoyed getting up close and personal with this majestic bird.

She brought with her one of their smaller Eagles.  This one only weighed about 7lbs. and was a Florida Eagle.  The eagles around us get up to 18 lbs..I think she may have wanted a lighter load this day.

The bluffs are truly magnificent!  If you want a great autumn drive well let me tell you, the Great River Road is just one of the best.

Besides music, food, art and other fun things the little girls enjoyed just strolling along the beach.

The husband/grandpa too. 

They had a great time dancing and entertained a lot of the senior folks in the audience.

A real treat was seeing the American Queen pass through the lock and dam in the little town of Alma.

A crowd came out to greet them.

It was one of those days I wish I could bottle up and do over.

So what's up in your neck of the woods?

Cindy

Door County, Wisconsin

Last week my husband Dan and I spent 3 days in one of my favorite spots, Door County, Wisconsin

Described as the Cape Cod of the Midwest it never disappoints.

If you look at a map of Wisconsin you will see a thumb just a little above Green Bay, that is Door County.

Surrounded by beautiful Lake Michigan it's a peninsula with all kinds of charming little towns with names like Fish Creek and Egg Harbor.

Door County is known for it's rolling hills, cherry orchards, and charming little lake towns.  Washington Island, ferries and of course Lake Michigan.

Cave Point is one of my favorite spots although there are so many I can't even cover them all here.  Cave Point stands above sea caves spread across a limestone section of Lake Michigan.

We went to celebrate our 16th Wedding Anniversary.

I can't think of a better place to go.

Door County is also known for it's light houses.  There are about a dozen of them scattered around the peninsula. The Cana Island light house is one that allows visitors to climb the 97 stairs to the top for a birds eye view like this one below.

I got up early one morning and although I don't have a fancy camera, I was still able to get a pretty neat picture of the sun rising over Lake Michigan.

The lake effect seems to do wonders for all the beautiful flowers.

Another shot of Cave Point.

There is an endless supply of charming places to stop for a bite to eat.

And the shops could keep you busy for days.

Kayak lessons looked fun.

While we were visiting, the "tall ships"  as they are called, were passing through the biggest Door County town of Sturgeon Bay.

The roof-top of one of our favorite restaurants.  Al Johnson's is a very popular Swedish restaurant  in the town of Sister Bay that serves traditional Swedish food.  They're meatballs are the best I've ever tasted. They also keep anywhere from 3 to 5 goats on their grass roof.. weather permitting.

No lawn mowing necessary.

And fish boils are another not to miss tradition.

It really is a fun experience.  You gather with other diners while they cook the famous Door County fish boil.

This consists of fresh Lake Michigan white fish, potatoes, onions, and the highlight is when the pot boils over.

Everyone gathers around to watch and then dinner is served.

Dessert is Door County cherry pie served with a scoop of ice creme.

 We only had 3 days for our little get away.  Door County is only about a 3 hour drive for us, but you feel like your in another part of the country.

If you ever get the chance, don't hesitate to go.

Thanks for stopping by friends.

Cindy

Joining the Tablescaper for Oh the Places I've been,