A Wisconsin Road Trip

I've been a bit sporadic in my posting lately, haven't I?

Yes, I know. I'm sorry.

I don't have any impressive excuses. I've just been busy. With gardening and dog training and this little thing I sometimes do called work. (Actually, I do it more than sometimes. I work quite regularly, despite the fact that Conservative Boy thinks I sit on the couch eating bonbons all day.) Anyhow. In addition to the aforementioned activities, this past weekend we took a little road trip. To Wisconsin. A state I had never before been to (at least, I don't think).

In Wisconsin you'll find lots of great things. Like cheese curds (yum), lovely trees, Packers fans galore, and old-school cigarette vending machines sitting next to totem poles. I forgot the take pictures of the first three things, but I did snap a photo of this:


Terrific, isn't it? (Despite the fact I'm not a big fan of cigarettes, I am fond of vintage cigarette memorabilia.)

In addition, I am a fan of lakes. This is the lake we spent the weekend by.


It is located in Chippewa Falls, WI, which, I just learned from the Chippewa Falls Chamber of Commerce website, was named one of the top ten small towns in America by Time Magazine. Impressive, eh?

Let's see. What else can I tell you about lovely Chippewa Falls? Oh yes. A very important thing: It's where the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. is located. The brewery includes this terrific lodge filled with all sorts of Leinenkugel gear and, of course, a tasting area. Here's a peek into the lodge:


The sad thing about said lodge is that I discovered that everything I wanted to take home with me wasn't actually for sale. I somehow wanted to purchase all of the decor. Oops.


But who wouldn't want to take these signs home?


Or these boxes? Can anyone get me one of these old wooden boxes? If so, I would be forever grateful.

Fortunately, I was able to blunt the sadness of my less-than-successful souvenir hunting with samples of the beer. One last thing you should know: 7-oz. samples in Wisconsin are actually the size of full beers. What a wonderful state.