It will be a beautiful Fall weekend in the Wisconsin Northwoods at the peak of Fall color!
There’s a lot of art activity that weekend with Art Tours all around. I’ll be setting up
at Pigeon Road Pottery with a few of My Talented Friends. We’ve got ceramics, metals,
glass beads, paintings and so much more… gourmet s’mores too!

So mark your calendar and start planning a beautiful Fall getaway
to the beautiful Wisconsin Northwoods. Plus, you can follow the planning & activities
on Facebook… www.facebook.com/artdetourwisconsin.

Sadly, my weekend escape was quickly coming to an end.
So I hopped on my bike for one last ride before packing up. Another beautiful day,
another beautiful ride. Unfortunately, I knew my time was drawing short.

When I got back to the cabin, it was already time to pack up. But I had to sit on the dock
just a little more… and got for a quick dip in the lake… and then hang out a bit…
get a little sunburned… and then finally say my goodbyes and start the drive home!
I would have stayed longer… but I had to get back for another week of Summer Camp!!!

Saturday we woke up very early to get Amy to her art fair. She still had some
setting up to do, and I was apparently her designated assistant. Since we had set up
the tent the day before, Saturday started with setting up tables, shelves and putting
out her wonderful pots. Check out her website for more at Pigeon Road Pottery.

Unfortunately, after only a couple hours, a huge storm came through and effectively
closed down the art fair. But as in true Northwoods style, just an hour after we closed
everything down & packed the cars, the sun came back out! But by then, the customers
and most of the artists were gone for the day! So we went to Dari-Maid for ice cream!!!

Back at the cabin, we again relaxed, and spent a little quality time in the hammock!

Unfortunately, before the sunrise could impress us again, the clouds rolled back in
and covered the sky. So it was time for another boat trip around the lake with my friend
Pam at the helm! Then back to more relaxing… and incredible grilled brats for dinner!!!

Another day in the woods. Another day in heaven.

So while Amy did some more packing up & prepping for her art fair,
I once again hopped on my bike for another tour around the area. The roads are
in great condition and the scenery is breathtaking everywhere you go.

When I got back, we packed the cars and headed off to Land O’Lakes, way up there on the
Michigan peninsula border. My friends Pam & Pat have a cabin up on Moccasin Lake and
offered to let us stay there… since Amy’s art fair was going to be in Land O’ on Saturday.
When we got there, we were impressed by their cabin, their lakefront and their hospitality!

We played. We chatted. We relaxed. A wonderful escape.
We swam. We ate chips & salsa. We boated around the lake and saw a deer swimming
across, the loons and their newly born chick and a couple bald eagles flying around.
Which only made the loons scream and cry out louder… whimsical, yet haunting.

And so as not to disappoint, Mother Nature served up yet another stunning sunrise!

And oh, but wait there’s more… as the sun set, and I thought the sunset was over…
suddenly, the orange glow began on the horizon. Like a “freebie” second sunset!!!

Overnight, the temperatures dropped and we were faced with an incredibly beautiful day!
So we started the day with a wonderful, early morning hike along the McNaughton Trail.
Wonderful scenery, trees and that memorable Northwoods pine scent… and a beautiful
lakeside boardwalk with wonderful plants growing all around!

When we got back, Amy had some prep work to do for her weekend art fair…
so I head out on my bike for a beautiful ride through the Northwoods.

When I finally got back from my bike ride, Amy was ready for a break so we head off to a local
antique shop that she knew I would love. And she was right. Even as we entered the place.
I knew I was in for a treat… greeted by a mixture of bikes AND rust!!! Two of my favorites!!!

And that was just the entrance gate!!! And when we got inside, it was SPECTACULAR!!!
Whimiscal oddities & rusted antiques all around. I knew that a “few” of them would be
going home with me… and they did. The problem was narrowing it down…

Then we “returned to the scene of the crime” and went back to Amy’s friend Toni’s place
on the lake. Another dip in the lake, a kayak tour around the island… lily pads and all.

As the evening wore on, and we swam around the dock, the sun kept setting on the horizon.
And once again, it was spectacular. Beautiful colors… plus a couple locals playing
on the lake with some barefoot water skiing.

And there it was… the end of another beautiful day in the Northwoods!

It’s been very hot for several days… in the high 90’s-100’s… heat indices even higher…
and my Summer camp schedule changed suddenly giving my a window of opportunity!
So I hopped in my car today and drove up to the Wisconsin Northwoods. I met up with
my friend Amy Higgason who lives in Lake Tomahawk. She had a couple days off
as well… and said we could play if I helped her with her art fair on Saturday!
Of course I said yes.

So once I got there, we had a wonderful sushi dinner, and then when to her friend
Toni’s house for the evening. It was a great chance to take a dip in the lake
and enjoy the beautiful sunset! What a great escape from the heat of Chicago!!!

And a great way to start my weekend escape to the Wisconsin Northwoods!

Don’t you love it when the fortune in your cookie is spot on?!
Especially when it follows a wonderful sushi dinner with a good friend!

Then we

Another day. Another ride. Another day of heat, humidity & sweat.
With a layer of haze covering the city… ready to burn off. More humidity in the air!

What started out as a very clouded & dark morning… turned out to be a beautiful sunrise.
Yet another day of oppressive heat in the ongoing heatwave in Chicago!