Simply Norma

Day 2

We woke up to a cool morning with an expectation of rain later in the day. After eating breakfast, we took a drive to Ellison Bluff County Park in Ellison Bay. The drive was picturesque. Absolutely beautiful! The leaves on the trees are still turning colors.

Once inside, the road got narrower and the leaves turned more yellow.

The park has a wooded bluff that overlooks the Green Bay. Steps lead you to a lookout.

The overlook sits high up on the bluff and looks out at the Green Bay.

Looking down, you can see algae growing in the water.

A very nice drive and lookout.

From here, we drove and stopped at a small coffeehouse called the Brew. They had one of the best hot chocolates I’ve ever had — made from ghirardelli chocolate. The coffeehouse had ample seating and wi-fi but we took ours “to go.”

From here we went to an Asian craft store called Linden’s of Ellison Bay. There were many things from China in this store. Most of the items were very pricey and it was hard for me to gauge whether they truly were worth what the asking price was.

I did notice one large chest of drawers which was very beautiful. The outside had recently been re-finished but when you opened a drawer it felt like it was falling apart. When working with antiques, I’ve learned that you’re not supposed to re-finish the item but leave it as it is in order for it to keep it’s antique status.

Oh — there was a cemetery in the back yard also.

There are lots of shops with crafts and art. A lot of the crafts are from local artists.

At the northernmost tip of Door County one can take a ferry that goes over to Washington Island.  The island is located 6 miles off the tip of the peninsula. The ferry accommodates both cars and walk-on passengers.

We walked through an area (forested) that was not well-kept up although it had at least one trail. Unfortunately, we did not feel comfortable walking the trail as it was right next to the edge of a bluff and the hikers who were returning cautioned us to be very careful. Since we did not have hiking boots we decided to skip this hike.

Our day ended with dinner at Gibraltar Restaurant in Fish Creek. The food and restaurant was excellent. When we arrived, it was a tad bit chilly but the waiter turned the heat on when I mentioned it. We would definitely go back to this place.

A few days of vacation led me and my husband on a trip to Door County in eastern Wisconsin.

Day One

We stopped at a friend’s family cemetery in Gilman, Wisconsin, a very small town of less than 500 people. The cemetery was a little hard to find as we weren’t sure which way to go and our GPS did not work in the area.

The chiming of church bells led us to a funeral at the local church. A long line of cars  led the way to a cemetery. Could it be this was the cemetery we were looking for? In a town this small, we decided that we would follow the long line of cars and see if this was Meadow Brook Cemetery. Indeed it was.

Not having been to too many cemeteries during a funeral without actually attending the funeral, I wondered if it would be okay to walk around and look for the headstones of the family name of Brothers. Since the funeral was on the other end of the cemetery, I decided it should be okay so my husband and I started our hunt for the headstones.

We were fortunate to find them right away. I took pictures so that I could send prints to my friend. This way, he can have a remembrance as he is 79 and will not be able to head back to Wisconsin again.

Sounds a little odd that I’d be at a cemetery looking up people who I don’t know, doesn’t it? The way I look at it is that I get to know the person I know a little bit better because of the stories they tell me about themselves. The cemetery made their stories more real. Unfortunately, we were not able to find the actual town where my friend lives, Polley, Wisconsin.

The area is really pretty and is definitely a farming community.

In addition, we saw signs warning us of Amish buggies that might be on the road. The clue to most of the farms that were owned by the Amish were that there were no cars in the driveways. And — I saw this Amish farming plowing his field.

I wanted so badly to knock on this farmer’s door, introduce myself and see if they would tell me a little bit about their beliefs and culture. But, my more practical husband decided it would be a bit much for him. So we continued eastward to our destination, Door County.

After checking into the resort where we’re staying, we headed off to dinner at The English Inn in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. We made reservations for 7:30 p.m. but had to wait a half hour in order to be seated.

The entryway has two cool “knights in shining armor.”

This was my date. (No, just kidding. This mannequin was standing in the entryway.)

The service was great. Unfortunately, my meal was not very good. I had the Pistachio Encrusted Whitefish but it was doused in too much butter and had too many pistachios on top. I could not finish eating it.

I ordered scalloped potatoes which I thought would be a “side” on my dish but I got a side platter instead which included a LOT of potatoes.

Again, the service was great once we were seated but we don’t intend on returning to this restaurant. For the price of the food (expensive) it should have tasted a lot better.

I found this video rather interesting … but, no minority women?

500 years of women in art —

There’s something about a crisp sunny day in Minnesota that makes me want to sip a hot chocolate with some edam cheese. The wind blows ever so softly on my cheeks.

Beauty can be found anywhere.

From Minnesota …

To Seattle …

One can’t compare the two cities because they each have their own unique beauty.

With the Minnesota weather being almost perfect, the geese are having a great time playing in this pond.

Occasionally, looking overhead, you can see the geese in their V formation as they get ready to leave the area for the winter.

A new season will descend upon us soon enough.

I think I may have ocd (obsessive compulsive disorder) when it comes to leaves.

The driveway is so clean. I’ve swept, leaf blown or picked up the many leaves that have fallen.

The other day, I was sweeping outside and my husband looks at me and says “Look, here comes another one” as one leaf fell from a tree. It was comical at the time but the intensity I have at having an almost leaf-free driveway is still there.

It’s similar to the feelings I have when I iron — I enjoy ironing wrinkles away.

This reminds me of the show Monk which is about a private detective who suffers from extreme OCD. It’s really funny and we like to watch reruns of it.

Oh well — one must embrace what they can’t change. Welcome ocd!

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A friend sent me this picture of a couple of birds. Not sure where it came from but it sure tells the tale of “it’s all a matter of perspective.”

So cute …

Walking through Stillwater, MN recently, I came across this street sign:

I just found it ironic …