Door County is a peninsula north of Green Bay, Wisconsin and a very popular tourist and recreation destination. It is often called the Cape Cod of the Midwest. Mr. Outback and I had not been there since 2016 and so we decided a Fall mini-vacation was overdue. We packed up the 5th wheel with way more food than 2 people could think of consuming for a week and loaded up on long pants and fleece jackets knowing how weather in Wisconsin can change in 5 minutes. At the end of our 5 day stay, we were thankful for the extra warm clothing and have returned home with more food then when we left.
How is that possible, you may wonder? Door County grows fruits and vegetables as their climate provides a well balanced growing environment. Now is when the farm markets are packed with many varieties of apples...
Honeycrisp being my most favorite of all...Nature’s most perfect food!
Honeycrisp being my most favorite of all...Nature’s most perfect food!
Pumpkins of every shape, size and color and...
The thousands of cherry trees which bore fruit earlier this summer are now picked clean and the harvest is available in many forms...
Fudge and chocolates - oh my!
Wild grape vines are everywhere and in the many vineyards, clusters of concord grapes are nearing their peak.
The peninsula offers so much - from neatly kept farms, to “Mac Mansions” built along the coastline, to wonderfully restored log cabins...country lanes and the famous winding road section leading to Gills Rock...
We spent a day on Washington Island, crossing on the ferry that serves to transport visitors and supplies back and forth. We giggled at the Garmin in our truck...we were that object doing about 11 mph on the water, just off the coast of Plum Island...(that little symbol my husband uses is a helicopter...yep, once a pilot, always a pilot!)
Being there reminded me of our trip to Halibut Cove out of Homer, Alaska - I love the slower pace, the quietness and undeveloped landscape which is becoming so rare. I think I could live on an island quite comfortably...
Especially when it contains two lavender farms...
Though the lavender at both places had been gathered back in July, there are still some fragrant stems showing...
And because the farms distill their own oils, the lavender based products are a must...wish I could offer a fragrance app for you! This book made it home too to join my little library of Lavender-inspired cookbooks...
There is a strong Scandinavian heritage in the area and the two structures we visited reflect this...
This was being used as a drying shed for lavender and the wood carvings were lovely and intricate.
This was being used as a drying shed for lavender and the wood carvings were lovely and intricate.
Farther down the road is the Stavkirke which was completed in 1995. The chapel was built by volunteers from the Lutheran Church across the road. The craftsmanship was gorgeous. (The chapel is also available for small weddings - how exquisite that must be!)
We are now back home with wonderful memories and feeling relaxed...it is back to a “normal” routine...getting the RV cleared out and winterized, finishing garden cleanup and then back to the sewing room...I have a quilting retreat coming up in 5 weeks and had better get my act together...Working on a couple of things which I won’t be able to share for a while...
Wishing you a weekend filled with making your own memories...
Pat
PS - it may be Fall here, but all ready thinking ahead to next Spring...I fell in love with these very fun glazed pots for the garden...
Oh my, your mini-vacation looks and sounds positively blissful. It is always so good for the spirit to have a break from the everyday 'normal' even if we are retired!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely trip. You describe it so well that I feel as though I have been there.....or...want to go there. I think I can smell the lavendar from here. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI don't find the tart cherries in the grocery stores here....except the cans of pie filling. My parents had two of the tart cherry trees in our yard and they made the best pies.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely trip you have made! Must have been the best way to end the summer and saying welcome to autumn. You made and shared beautiful pictures, and you bought great glazed pottery! And exciting to look forward to an upcoming retreat! Enjoy the preparations; they are half the fun already!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a delightful getaway! So many sweet adventures.
ReplyDeleteHoneycrisp is my hubby's favorite apple. And I love it when I find a local source for tart cherries. As Karen said, they make the best pies!
The scenery is beautiful, and that little chapel is intriguing.
Did you buy all those fun pots, or are you just making plans to do so?
What a fun fall getaway. Those short trips can be some of the best fun. Your photos show all kinds of special sights, smells and tastes. Yum!
ReplyDeleteOh what a lovely vacation! Thank you for taking us on a tour. I've never been to Wisconsin but it looks like a wonderful place to visit :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the virtual tour! I'll have to visit there someday. I can already smell the lavender!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great trip, also love the pots...
ReplyDeleteHi - for some reason, cannot reply to you via email. Hoping you catch this reply!!
DeleteThanks so much for dropping by. To answer your other question regarding Camp Reveille...wow...that goes back a few years so trying to remember how I did the flag block. I recall stitching all the seams together by machine rather than doing traditional needle turn applique for each wavy piece. Then when I had the whole unit together, I returned to regular needle turn applique and stitched everything to the background. Hope that makes sense! Sorry for the delay in responding to you - Blogger had put your comments in the awaiting moderation folder which I had not checked.