Entries Tagged as 'Wisconsin'

Bristol Renaissance Fair – Part 1

August 23rd, 2011 · No Comments

On Saturday we joined friends, Adam, Christine, Todd, Kelly, Brian, Sara, Mike, and Adam, at the Bristol Renaissance Faire just over the Wisconsin/Illinois border in Bristol, Wisconsin. I’d never been to the faire before and was interested to see what it was like.

Adam, Todd and Brian have a lake house nearby Bristol and they’ve gone to the faire the past few years. Since their house is so close, we made plans to stay there overnight. Also, because we’re old responsible people now, we hired a van to take us to the faire and then to some bars and then back home. There aren’t really cabs up there, so that was the only option for not drinking and driving.

Ok. First things first. I had no idea what to expect of this faire and what I really did not expect were permanent, solid structures. They must use these buildings for 3 months (the faire runs July – September) of the year and then they must just sit for the 3 other seasons of the year. Also, you don’t have to wear costumes to attend, but the people working there all have on very elaborate period costumes. They also all act in character. Some work at stands, some are in shows, some are just wandering around. I’m really interested to know what these people do on the off season!


Adam Crack

One of the first things we saw when we came in the door was a guy doing a show with a whip. His name was Adam Crack. This guy holds 7 Guinness World Records for things like longest whip ever cracked, most whip cracks in a minute, most candles extinguished in a minute with a whip and most drink cans broken with a whip in three minutes. Pretty impressive, but we moved on quickly. It was past noon and we needed food and drink pronto!


Clockwise: Brian, Adam, Adam & Todd, Mike

I’d been hearing the guys talking about the turkey legs you get at the Renaissance Faire. They were pretty much exactly what I imagined. I don’t know why guys like these things so much! I didn’t even take one bite.


Artichokes, Spanish Fries, Kabob-wich

Here are a few things I did bite, though. Artichoke hearts freshly steamed and served with butter. In the middle are Spanish fries. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. These were like potato wedges with grilled onions and nacho cheese sauce. Still good, though. Kelly and I split one of these kabob-wiches: garlic and lemon buttered skewers with fresh veggies on a bun. We also split a sausage with onions and sauerkraut. Oh, and Dallas and I tried a free sample of cheese fritters and they were so light and puffy and delicious.


Adam + Big Pickle

Adam seemed to really enjoy this very large pickle!

And….. it was Wisconsin, afterall. Brats!


Adam & Mike

Sword and shield shop. Boys will be boys!


Black Widow

This lady did not talk or attempt contact at all. She just quietly made her spiderwebs. It was eery!


Adam

Adam got suckered into trying this game. The ladder is secured at the top with a rope on a tree and on the bottom to the ground. For $2 you get three tries to climb it. If you make it to the top they give you $10. That should have been the first indication of how hard it is!


Adam

Here’s what happened to him every time. That guy had straw on him all day. Just to prove it can be done, the faire worker climbed up the ladder after Adam failed several times.

I visited this area many times during the day!

We arrived at this area right in time for the jousting match. Some knight called Maximilian won. Later on Dallas somehow recognized him in the parade and shouted out to him.


Dallas

Dallas got caught up in this Vegetable Justice game. As he was walking buy some guy told him that he could get a free toss because he was wearing a hat. Of course, he ended up buying more tosses. (He took the hat off while throwing.)

The thing with this game is that you have to throw tomatoes. And you know how much Dallas hates tomatoes! The tomatoes are cut in a way that makes them hard to throw. Also, the guy you’re trying to hit is launching insults at you the whole time, so it’s hard to concentrate. They even had a sign that said “This is an insult game! Do not play if you are easily offended!” I can’t remember what they said about Dallas. Something about Charlie Sheen is so far undercover that he’s disguising himself as Asian. Something like that. Look at how hard the couple behind Dallas are laughing. It must have been something funny!


Adam

Next up: Archery. Beer and arrows: What could go wrong!?


Adam

I don’t think I’ve shot an arrow since archery in junior high. Sara said she had to take it in junior high too. I still have bruises on my arm from where the bow string snapped me back.

Even better than archery: Knife throwing! Beer and knives: What could go wrong!?


Dallas

Actually, there were quite a few areas that you could throw different kind of knives and axes. I think the guys hit them all up.

Elaborately dressed and rich with our money faire worker!


Todd


Brian

Next up was the strong man competition. I think we bought about 15 swings and everyone got at least one turn.


Rachelle

Every guy hit the bell, some on the first try, some after a few tries. Every girl only made it to the plague flea level!

Stay tuned for part 2 of our Bristol Renaissance Faire day!

[Read more →]

Tags:···········

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

August 17th, 2011 · 2 Comments

Over the weekend Dallas and I drove up to Wisconsin to visit my parents. They moved from their house in Waupaca to a new house in Greenville shortly before our wedding in February, but we just have not gotten a chance to get up and see it until now. The area where they live is very nice. The house is newer, the yard is bigger than a city lot, but not too big to keep up. I realized when I got home that I had not even one photo from their house!

When we arrived, we hung around and barbecued. My cousins Dawn and Kelly visited. Kelly brought Mark along and it was nice to finally meet him. We ate tons of food. I can’t even think of it all: Spinach dip, fruit salad, homemade salsa, Kelly brought pasta salad, turkey burgers, salmon, brats, cheddarwurst… We brought down Chicago-brewed Finch’s beer, my dad had some Wisconsin-brewed Central Waters, and there was also the local classic, Miller Lite.


Rachelle & Fang


Fox Cities Stadium Beer


Dad, Dawn, Rachelle, Dallas, Kelly, Mark, Mom

After dinner, my mom and dad treated us to a baseball game at Fox Cities Stadium. This is where the minor league Wisconsin Timber Rattlers play. The stadium was just opened right before I moved away from Wisconsin. I’d been to a game there maybe once or twice, but it had been 10+ years ago.

It was a fun time. Something different to do. The crowd there was really into the game. The Wisconsin Timbler Rattlers were playing the Quad Cities River Bandits. Before the game my dad made me get my photo taken with the Timber Rattler’s mascot, Fang. So, I stood in line behind the 8-year-olds and got my photo taken. I think it turned out cute, though.

From concessions, we drank beer specially made for the Timber Rattlers: Snaketail Ale and Rattler Brau Scottish Ale. Both are locally made in Appleton by the Stone Cellar Brew Pub. The Snaketail Ale was pretty good.


The Sweet Adelines sang the Star Spangled Banner.


Play Ball Kid, sponsored by the Post Crescent


Our seats were right behind Home Plate. At $10, they were the most expensive seats in the park!


Game highlights via TimberRattlerTV on YouTube


Strange bachelorette party in front of us.


Post-game fireworks.

The game itself was pretty interesting. The Timber Rattlers did not get even one run, but it was still fun. Dallas wasn’t cheering for them anyway! We were looking through the program before the game started and he noticed that the opposing team had a player, Kolten Wong, from Hilo who went to Dallas’s old school, Kamehameha, so he decided to cheer for them!

Minor League games are a lot different than Major League. Most notably, everything has a sponsor. Everything. Even the lighting was sponsored by a local lighting company. And in between batting and innings, there were all kinds of promos. Tons of promos. And they, of course, were all sponsored. Dallas said maybe this is to off set the cost of the stadium?

After the game we stayed in our seats for a fireworks show. It was pretty good. We didn’t see fireworks on the Fourth of July, so this made up for that. Mark and Kelly headed home and Dawn came over to my parents to visit just a bit longer, while Dallas attempted to polish off the last of her spinach dip. (He didn’t succeed but we took it home and he finished it the next night!)


Blueberry Hill Pancake House, Appleton, WI

In the morning we got up and went to breakfast at Blueberry Hill Pancake House, a place Dawn recommended to us. She mentioned it was the old Country Kitchen, but it wasn’t until I was inside sitting down that I realized how many times I’d been there before. Late night and for breakfasts and dinners. Total flashback!

Overall a great trip to Wisconsin. Short, but still good. It was nice to finally see where my parents are living. I’m a little envious of their yard and patio off the dining room. I wish we had a bit more grass. Anyway, their place is nice and they seem to really enjoy it and that’s what counts.

[Read more →]

Tags:································

Behold: The New Mars Cheese Castle

June 29th, 2011 · No Comments

In 2009, plans for a new I-94 interchange threatened Mars Cheese Castle‘s existence, but this Wisconsin landmark is back: Bigger and better than ever. I stopped in for a look while driving back from Jessica’s 8th birthday party in May.

The new Mars Cheese Castle is actually built in the shape of a castle! The new building is located directly behind the old building, which goes way back to the 1940s. (My visit to the old store.) The old building will eventually be torn down as a part of the reconstruction. For now, it’s still there, just empty (I assume). Never fear, though, Mars Cheese Castle has gotten special permission to allow their iconic old sign to remain, even though it is not in compliance with current height regulations for signs along the Interstate!

The new store, which opened in March of this year, is about 21,000 square feet. Aside from the retail area, it includes a restaurant, bar, bakery and wine shop.

Sources: Cheese Underground, Bigger, better version of Mars Cheese Castle opens, Mars Cheese Castle moves to new building, Mars Cheese Castle breaks ground on new home.

[Read more →]

Tags:··

Osteria Nonna Maria, Sheboygan, WI

June 23rd, 2011 · No Comments

While I was staying over in Kohler, WI, we went to dinner at Osteria Nonna Maria in Sheboygan, WI. It was just a short drive from Kohler. Jill had somehow heard about this place while looking up restaurants online. It’s a small hole in the wall kind of place. It’s a house in a row of houses in a residential area. When you see the sign pointing to downtown, go the other way, basically! It’s a “hidden gem” according to our hotel concierge when we asked for directions.


SEE YOU IN MY NIGHTMARES!

When you walk in there’s a dining room with booths to the right. It has the feeling of a diner crossed with your grandma’s house. In fact, the owners, Bill and Mary Jo (Nonna Maria), have photos of all of their grand kids on one wall. To the left is the kitchen. We were lead through this area to a room in the back with a bar and some “interesting” wall mountings.


Parmesan Artichoke Crostini – Fresh grated Parmesan cheese and artichoke on toasted Italian bread


Fresh-baked olive bread


Salad with homemade creamy dill dressing


Chicken Cacciatore – Chunked chicken in Nonna’s creamy Sicilian marinara and vegetables served with Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on imported capellini

Our server for the night was Kim, who is the grand daughter of the owners of Osteria Nonna Maria. Kim was perfectly nice and attentive, giving us recommendations off the menu. We had a super delicious parmesan and artichoke crostini for an appetizer. We all got salads to start and most were obsessed with the creamy dill dressing. It was like putting dill dip on top of your salad. So good. Our bread was hot-out-of-the-oven olive bread. And for my entree I got chicken cacciatore. At some point during dinner, the owner/grandma stopped by our table and chatted with us a bit. I thought that was nice.

I couldn’t finish all of my pasta so they wrapped it up for me to go in this cute duck made of aluminum foil. Actually, mine was more of a duckling, because Jill had a big portobello wrapped in hers which made it a lot bigger duck.

When Jill made the reservation she spoke with Kim and asked her about cake for dessert for Jen’s birthday. Kim said “let me talk to my grandma” and her grandma ended up making a whole entire cake for us! It was the lightest angel food cake, which was perfect since we’d just eaten a somewhat heavy dinner. Kim said this is the cake that her grandma has made for her birthday every year for as long as she could remember, so we made her take a slice to eat as well.

It was Jen’s mom, Nancy’s, birthday just a few days ago, so Jill arranged for her to get a slice of tiramisu with a candle in it, not knowing that we were getting a whole entire cake for Jen! We passed the tiramisu around the table. There was a lot of whipped cream on it, which Kristin loved and took care of. I really liked the part that was soaked in the strong coffee/espresso. So good.

Overall, I’d say that Osteria Nonna Maria is a hidden gem, as our concierge had said. The food was great, the prices were reasonable, and with Kim and her grandparents, and the fact that you were in a house-like building, you almost felt like you were dining in someone’s home.

[Read more →]

Tags:············

Spa Day in Kohler, WI

June 22nd, 2011 · 6 Comments

To further celebrate Jen’s birthday, this past weekend Jill, Kristin, Jen, Jen’s mom Nancy and I all headed up to Kohler, WI for a pampering girls spa weekend. I’d never spent a whole day at the spa and I’d heard a lot of things about Kohler, so I was excited to check it out.

Note: You’re not allowed to take your phone or electronics around the spa. Which makes sense, because you’re there to totally relax. The photos of the spa and our hotel are from their official websites.

On Saturday afternoon we left for our 2.5 hour drive. I did not want to take my Jeep, since the breakdown was a little fresh in my mind, so I borrowed Jen and Chad’s Smart Car and drove that. Jill rode along with me. Kristin drove the others up in another vehicle just in front of us. In Pleasant Prairie we stopped for a late lunch. I’d already eaten, so I just got a small scoop of the flavor of the day: Backyard Smores. YUM.

We arrived in the late afternoon and checked into two connecting rooms in our hotel, the Inn at Woodlake. Ironically, this is no quaint inn by the lake. Well, it is by the lake, but it is a very modern hotel. All the rooms were wired up to the max. At one point we turned the TV on and Jill was in the hallway, she thought someone was in the bathroom, but we quickly realized that there were TV speakers in the bathroom!

Also, I didn’t really think about it beforehand, but every bathroom in Kohler and the surrounding areas is all rigged up with top-of-the line Kohler products. You should have seen how many jets our shower had!

While we were settling in to our rooms we cracked open a bottle of wine that Kristin brought along. Our rooms overlooked a putting green, a bocce court, an outside seating area and a small lake (I’m assuming Wood Lake). Since the seating area was empty, we brought our wine outside and enjoyed the evening before dinner. The photo above is of the seating area/event space in use, but of course, while we were out there, we had it all to ourselves. Nice and relaxing, next to the lake, which is pretty much where that guy in the back, standing up is pointing.

For dinner we took a very short drive over to Sheboygan and ate at Osteria Nonna Maria. This place was great! Delicious, down-home Italian cooking. Our waitress was Kim and her grandparents own the place. And we got to meet them. They went all out to help us celebrate Jen’s birthday. I’ll have more on this in a separate post, because the restaurant is one place I did take photos.

So, the next morning we headed over to the Kohler Waters Spa. Our hotel offered a free shuttle to anywhere in Kohler that we wanted to go. So convenient. And there was no wait either. When we had the concierge call, it took about 3 minutes for the shuttle to arrive. I was not getting a massage until 11:00, but decided to head to the spa early with everyone. If you were getting any services there you were able to hang around the spa all day and take advantage of the relaxation pool with a waterfall, whirlpools, sauna, steam room, rooftop relaxation room with a huge whirlpool and fireplace, and refreshments like fresh fruit and nuts throughout the 4-story building.

We checked in, got our robe and spa slippers, changed into bathing suits, put everything else into our lockers and then headed our separate ways. I spent a couple hours on the rooftop reading a book on a luxurious lounge chair nearby the fireplace. I switched off between reading, napping and taking dips in a whirlpool all morning. The funny thing is that in the hotel the night before I was reading a Kohler magazine and saw a photograph. I held the magazine up and proclaimed, “I want to go to there!” Guess where I was the next day? Yeh, I spent almost the whole day in the room I had seen in the magazine. So awesome.

At 11:00 it was time for my massage. I didn’t know what kind I wanted to get, so I got the massage sampler. This was 50 minutes of several massage techniques in sequence, including warm stones, stretching, ah-shiatsu (barefoot massage), and sinus pressure relief. I loved the stretching and the warm stones. The barefoot massage was .. uh interesting.. The therapist actually stood on the massage table and held onto bars that were attached to the ceiling while she massaged me with her feet! It was interesting. You couldn’t really tell it was feet. I had a hot compress under my neck and a cold compress on my eyes at that point and really you just feel the pressure the same way you do with hands/arms/elbows. And yes, she did wash her feet right before the procedure!

At noon we all met back up for lunch. We’d pre ordered lunches when we checked in. I had a salad and a glass of wine. Actually, I think everyone got salads. After Culver’s, an Italian dinner and birthday cake the night before, we needed to detox with vegetables!

So everyone else was staying up in Kohler until Monday, but my vacation time from work is severely limited for the rest of the year because of all the vacation time I took for our wedding. So, I needed to head back home in the Smart Car on Sunday. I’d originally planned to leave after lunch, but I realized there was nothing I really needed to be home for. Dallas wasn’t even there, he was in North Carolina. Plus, I was having so much fun at the spa, I didn’t want to leave. Everyone else had afternoon spa services scheduled, but I didn’t because I had planned to leave. I decided to just hang out for the afternoon. I laid around and did more napping and swimming and reading and loafing around. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon!

When everyone was done with their spa services we all met back up.. for… you guessed it! More laying around! The spa was just so relaxing and beautiful. I never wanted to leave! But, alas, I had to get on the road at some point. I took a shower at the spa and we all left to go back to the hotel. I quickly packed my things and was about to fly out of the room, but oh man! Kristin and Jill were setting up a cheese plate to have pre-dinner snacks and wine. They were eating at the Whistling Straights restaurant. Fancy! I guess my wallet wasn’t going to miss that, but they do have an awesome looking scallop dinner on the menu that I would have loved to try. Oh well.

My drive back to Chicago was pretty uneventful.. until I got close to Chicago. I left Kohler around 6:15 p.m. and expected I’d be back to Jen & Chad’s by 9:15. Around the part where the tollway ends and merges to the Edens I hit some major traffic and was stuck there for something like 70 minutes. More than an hour. Just stopped. Crazy. It did give me time to call my dad for Father’s Day, though! I had seen him a week then and given him a gift (Kona Brewing beer label tshirt of the beer we had at our wedding!), but it was still nice to chat quick on the actual day. Anyway, I didn’t end up getting to Jen and Chad’s to get my car til late, I didn’t get home til after 11 p.m. I was so tired! Monday morning came early!

Despite the drive home, I had a fantastic weekend. I loved hanging out at the spa. Yes, it was way pricey, but I only got one service and then just enjoyed the free amenities. A big thanks to Jill for coordinating every detail of the trip! She was so organized and prepared that I told her she should be applying for event planner jobs! And happy birthday to Jen. Remember, 40 is the new 30!

P.S. Fun fact I just learned while looking up “Kohler, WI” on Wikipedia:

Many people in Wisconsin refer to drinking fountains as “bubblers,” because the first Kohler drinking fountain was known as “The Bubbler.”

…. so! That explains that. Finally!

[Read more →]

Tags:·····················