One More Door

The final door from our trip to Door County.  While the house appears to need some TLC, I really love the intricate brick design, so indicative of the craftsmanship back in the day before pre-fab houses.

Secret Garden

During my morning walk in Sister Bay, I passed this old-fashioned patriotic garden with pretty flowers of all varieties and colors, along with a few pots of tomatoes, lettuce, and other veggies as well!

Speaking of Goats

Because of the popularity of Al Johnson's restaurant (see my post for 7/26) - the goat theme is prevalaent around Sister Bay.  These friendly looking rustic metal sculptures were gracing the entrance to one of the many shops along the main thoroughfare.  Almost wanted to take one home with us, but they were not for sale!   

"A Three-Hour Tour"...

(...to throw in a few words from the Gilligan's Island TV show theme song!) At the Sister Bay Marina in Door County there are all sorts of boats - from yachts to sailboats. The little lighthouse is just a replica on the pier. This charter boat was taking a group of people out for a tour of Green Bay (the body of water, not the city!)

Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant

Another institution in Sister Bay is Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant (the double-door shown is the entrance). An old-style family restaurant that is best known for their Swedish pancakes with lingonberries, they also offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a wide variety of menu items. One of the main attractions is the building's quaint grass thatched roof which occasionally has goats grazing on the top!  Legend has it that each morning at the goat farm, they open the flat-bed transport truck by the goat barn, and any interested goats who wander up the ramp are taken to the roof for that day.  They are never forced - so if no goats show an interest, there are no goats on the roof that day.  Unfortunately - that was the case for us the day of our visit. Be sure to watch the entertaining little video on their website that gives the history of the place!

The Doors of Door County

During our trip to Door County, I got up for an early morning jog and took some photos of the picturesque buildings in the Sister Bay area -- specifically, a few of the "doors of Door County!" I will be posting several more photos of the area over the next couple of days, so please come back to visit.

Welcome to Door County

After our recent stop in Green Bay, we drove on up to Door County to spend the night.  Favored as a vacation getaway for much of Wisconsin, it is essentially like large thumb jutting up in to Lake Michigan.  We stayed at a quaint little place in Sister Bay called "The Village View Inn."  Small, but comfy, with lots of friendly people.  Our little cottage backed up to a pretty flower and tree covered bluff.

Dotted with pretty little port towns along both shore lines (Lake Michigan and Green Bay) Door County is also known for it's delicious tart cherries.  The Montmorency variety is the most popular and plentiful, but they also grow other red and yellow sweet varieties.  We tasted quite a few delicious samples and also bought several quarts to take home from the small roadside stands that line the highways. Sadly, I didn't take any photos of that. Next year!

Welcome to L-L-L-L-Lambeau Field!

Last week we drove up to "meet" our new seats in the freshly completed south end of Lambeau Field, in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  Our original bench seats were in section 110, mid-bowl, on the 20 yd. line.  Pretty decent seats, but when the option of the new south section opened up - offering actual molded chairs with backs, arms, cup holders and leg room(!) - we jumped at the chance and were lucky enough to be selected.  Our new location is just left of the south end zone with a great bird's eye view of the field and we are also under cover should it rain or snow.

My husband was a loyal Green Bay Packers fan even when they were a losing team back in the 70's. So in 1979, when the Pack still played a few games each year at County Stadium in Milwaukee, my husband drove over to the ticket office after work one day on a whim and put himself on the season ticket waiting list.  Each year as they continued to play woefully - through the shadowy coaching of Bart Starr and Forrest Gregg - fair weather fans would drop off the list while we moved steadily up.

Finally, in 1989, he got the letter.  We were at the top of the list!  And it only took 10 years!  We've had our four seats every year since, and you can be sure that we will go hungry or lose our house before my husband would let those tickets go!

Those early years offered three games at County Stadium, but since 1995, the Packers have played exclusively at Lambeau Field up in Green Bay.  The Milwaukee (or "Gold") package still offers three games per year, and when we pass on, the tickets will be willed to our son and daughter.... lucky them!  With over 100,000 people on the waiting list, it can literally take a lifetime - or more - to get tickets.  Never mind the tickets - many people are even willing their spot on the waiting list to their children.

That, my friends, is a Green Bay Packers fan!

Smell-O-Vision

Seriously - if you have never had the chance to inhale the intoxicating perfume of the milkweed flower, you are missing something amazing.  I wish I could share the air around this bloom with you.  It's no wonder that the Monarch Butterflies go crazy over it!

Grand-Dogger

This is Harriet, my daughter's four-year old Cockapoo.  She is delightfully energetic, yet was being unusually well-behaved and patient during our photography session.  Saturday was warm and humid, and it was quite a walk down to the Washington Highlands creek, so I believe it took a little wind out of her sails.  She was just happy to rest for a while on the cool rocks along the creek before our hike home.

Stalking the Wild Strawberry

Nik and I stumbled upon a hidden patch of tiny wild strawberries while walking the back perimeter of nearby Balmer Park. They are just adorable, but not very tasty - kind of bland and spongy.  Nonetheless, they make a super-cute garnish atop a frosty Margarita or a glass of lemonade!

Happy Independence Day! SkyWatch Friday

One of the spectacular fireworks from our Pewaukee Lake Fourth of July display:

Plus, you can watch the exciting grande finale here!

Be sure to check out all the other great entries at SkyWatch Friday.