LATEST TRICKS: Wisconsin Rocks!

Southern Wisconsin
Saturday, September 18, 2010

As promised the night before, We started our day with a visit to Schubert's Downtown Diner and Bakery. 

Steve greeted us at the door with open arms, soon followed by a warm welcome from Julie.  We were delighted to be back in the presence of these wonderful folks and hope that we were able to share that generosity of spirit in return. 

We ordered a Lefse Omelette and a plate of Norwegian Meatballs, both appropriate to the local area.  Both were delicious. 

Steve got out his laptop computer and showed us a video on how the Lefse, a traditional soft Norwegian flatbread, was made from mashed potatoes, milk and flour.  Wow!  Like we said, these guys are something special. 

The icing on the cake was when Julie told us that she had a heartfelt gift for us--A very special cookbook that her family and friends had put together as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life (Julie is the area's Relay chairperson).  The book was dedicated to her father, who lost his life to lung cancer.  The cookbook was filled with special family recipes, as well as those contributed by friends, and Julie wanted us to have a copy.  What a wonderful, heartfelt, and unexpected gift!  Laura and I were truly touched, not only by Julie's generosity but also by the loving nature of her family--which we had experienced first hand when we stopped into Schubert's the previous night. We had everyone at the restaurant sign the book, which we will treasure and enjoy using for years to come. 

THANK YOU to everyone at Schubert's for making our visit to Mount Horeb a truly memorable one.  Your joyous and generous spirit will be with us and paid forward wherever we go.

Now it was time for something completely different...the legendary House on the Rock.  How does one begin to describe this place?  It is a massive monument to creator Alex Jordan's unbridled creative spirit comingled with his unrelenting urge to build collections of intriguing objects.  The brochure describes it as best as anything can: "A one-of-a-kind adventure and treasure-trove of some of the world's most unique architecture and eclectic collections filled with the exotic, the whimsical and the unexpected."  The size and scope of this place is staggering.  This isn't just a house on some rock filled with a lot of cool stuff.  This is a series of warehouse-sized galleries that have consumed the side of a mountain.  Take a Valium (or two) and check it out!   

As we were touring the menagerie of rooms, buildings, and collections at the House on the Rock, we were also thinking of Alecia who we met at the Blue Gate restaurant in Indiana.  She was getting married this afternoon at 3:00pm.  Best wishes Alecia; we wish you a long, healthy marriage that is bursting with friendship, good humor, and the joys and comforts of true love. 

Our heads were spinning after touring the House on the Rock.  A stop at Peck's Farm Market East in Spring Green helped calm the senses.  We enjoyed hot mulled cider and molasses cookies while strolling around the property.  Their fall displays were beautiful, as was the spectacular sunset over the cornfields.  Peck's had a menagerie of their own that we enjoyed-- bison, elk, several species of deer, a wallaby, a donkey, rheas, a pot-bellied pig, ducks, homing pigeons, roosters, peafowl, sheep, goats, and the most colorful varieties of pheasant we had ever seen.  What a delightful, tasty and relaxing stop!

We continued toward our hotel in Verona with a quick stop at a place we just couldn't pass up--The Firm Worm Bait-n-Liquor Shop.  Where else can you get a pizza, a fifth of gin, and some nightcrawlers all in one place?! 

After stocking up on a few supplies (none of which could be used as bait), we went to a laundromat in Verona where we did some necessary wash as well as a re-vamp of the organization in Rover (our van).  When you're on the road, you make the most of handy settings like a drive-up laundromat with good lighting!
--Ted and Laura