Girl Time
I spent the weekend with two dear friends, Brea and Rachel.
(Rach on the left, Brea in the middle, me on the right.)
The nice thing about the cottage is that it is a real get-a-way for all of us — the peninsula is populated with just enough water, music, restaurants, shops and hiking to keep almost anyone entertained for the weekend.
We made use of all of the above, to which the shopping my friends credited me. I had no idea I held such a reputation! ;)
We arrived into town on Friday and shifted gears when I insisted we had to get Jorn’s Maple Syrup, the best maple syrup around, winning blue ribbon awards every year.
The shop is really the Jorn’s home. Well into their 80’s, they’ve fostered 1200 trees that produce pure maple syrup each year, just like the generation before them did.
Here’s how we were greeted:
Before we knew it, the shop owner was on her merry way.
The shop was packed with all sizes and packages. Nothing fancy.
Made our first purchase and went on our way.
We made our way to Sweetie Pies after that, buying the traditional chocolate chip cookie pie to bake once we made it to our destination.
Still cottage bound, we decided to stop at Edgewood Orchard Gallery,
The entire environment is intriguing, as are the artists’ works on display. Housed in a stone apple barn built in 1918 and located on an 80 acre orchard, the gallery has been restored and enhanced by owner-architect Minnow Emerson. It includes a bricked courtyard with bistro tables and chairs, a glassed portico, a sculpture garden, fine leaded-glass windows and the beauty of nature outside every window.We enjoyed an outdoor sculpture garden walk and a sip of champagne punch, a stark contrast to the musty fluorescent lit barn at Jorn’s.
Some day when I’m rich (my friend Pamela always says that. Hope you don’t mind that I’ve borrowed it!) I will own original works of art too. My favorite painter is Judith Ekholm.
Since I cannot decide which of her paintings are my favorite, I’ll be purchasing a few. Quite a few. Many a few. Which means I’ll need a big home too. With lots of wall space. And rooms. And windows. And cool chairs. So I can sit and look at my paintings.
Lovely.
OK, back to the weekend.
After the gallery, we shopped a bit in the next town and then we stopped for a glass of wine for more chill time. We still hadn’t made it to the cottage yet — it’s at the tip of the peninsula, and we found a lot of distractions.
After wine, dinner. Finally, then, the cottage. We had a full 12 hour day when we arrived at our destination.
Our Saturday morning was spent sleeping in and lazing about. We had our mind set on a water hike, from Washington Island to Rock Island. We heard there is a little known 1-mile hike from one island to the next in 2' deep water, but it was not quite warm enough to venture out into an unknown territory (they do not call it Death’s Door for nothin’). Instead, we went on a water hike around a small, 273 acre lake called Europe Lake near my cottage.
The lake does not have a beach so we walked along its edge in knee-deep water.
The day was fairly warm, the water tepid, the sun bright.
We are all mothers, so it was great to get away for a bit and just be ourselves.
Time to chat and catch up.
No kids hanging on our hips or grabbing our legs.
No one to impress.
Not that we could anyway.
The water was crystal clear.
But two of the three of us were old enough to remember the quicksand scenes from the 1950’s Tarzan movies. We ran into silt and sand that gave a spongy cushioning, and our feet began todisappear sink. Mostly because it impeded our locomotion, we decided to cut the water hike short. It appeared that a lot of the lake bed would not be rocky enough for our comfort. No one really sinks in quicksand like in the movies, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I’m still a city girl at heart and this hiking and nature stuff for me is only about 5-6 years old. I’m still a novice, altho I’d take a long weekend at my cottage in Door County over a weekend in Chicago any day.
Had we made our way around the entire lake, we’d have had quite a good workout.
Instead, we decided we needed to shop and find somewhere to dine for the evening. We hit up two stores where I purchased these:
Oliver calls them my “Woodies”; evidently I sport the same fashion as Woody from Toy Story who wears a pair similar.
Sometimes he calls them my “Woody Boots”. Either way, I love their new name.
Actually, I bought my Woodies a few trips back when I was in Door County at Ecology Sports. The shop is a must-stop. The shop owners Alicia and Joel are down-to-earth great folks. If you’re lucky, you might even see their daughter (or son) bopping about the shop as well. Great people. Her husband opened up a coffee shop in the basement. Two great stops, one address. I highly recommend it.
However, I almost purchased these boots (below) this past weekend.
But there is no way I will be getting these while I’m unemployed. Surely these gorgeous Woodies are a big incentive to get working, and fast. They are to die for! I want to wear them on the range.
I’m on a cowboy boot kick, no kidding, and have been wishing lately that my mother had raised me in the South. I love southern accents, horses, ranches, cattle fields and the cowboys that go along with all that. Sigh....
When I get a job, I’m heading straight back to these boots.
…
Sunday we closed up the cottage. Two full days was not nearly enough time. We went on one last hike to the Ridges Sanctuary. Another Door County jewel.
Maybe this photo looks a bit familiar?
A quick stop for lunch after that and then we headed home. Short and sweet. Brea and I have done this every year now for ... 6 years? This was our 6th. We’ve come up with various friends, depending on everyone’s schedule.
…
OK, time to close this post. I think you get the idea that I had a blast with two of the coolest chicks on earth. I’m so lucky to have time to get away, time to be with friends, time to enjoy life and the world around me.
And I’m not in freak-out mode, thank goodness, because I still have not found a job! Lordie! Tomorrow I register Oliver for pre-school. I’m glad to have this time to be able to focus on Oliver when I’m not off doin’ my own thang.
(Rach on the left, Brea in the middle, me on the right.)
The nice thing about the cottage is that it is a real get-a-way for all of us — the peninsula is populated with just enough water, music, restaurants, shops and hiking to keep almost anyone entertained for the weekend.
We made use of all of the above, to which the shopping my friends credited me. I had no idea I held such a reputation! ;)
We arrived into town on Friday and shifted gears when I insisted we had to get Jorn’s Maple Syrup, the best maple syrup around, winning blue ribbon awards every year.
The shop is really the Jorn’s home. Well into their 80’s, they’ve fostered 1200 trees that produce pure maple syrup each year, just like the generation before them did.
Here’s how we were greeted:
Before we knew it, the shop owner was on her merry way.
The shop was packed with all sizes and packages. Nothing fancy.
Made our first purchase and went on our way.
We made our way to Sweetie Pies after that, buying the traditional chocolate chip cookie pie to bake once we made it to our destination.
Still cottage bound, we decided to stop at Edgewood Orchard Gallery,
The entire environment is intriguing, as are the artists’ works on display. Housed in a stone apple barn built in 1918 and located on an 80 acre orchard, the gallery has been restored and enhanced by owner-architect Minnow Emerson. It includes a bricked courtyard with bistro tables and chairs, a glassed portico, a sculpture garden, fine leaded-glass windows and the beauty of nature outside every window.We enjoyed an outdoor sculpture garden walk and a sip of champagne punch, a stark contrast to the musty fluorescent lit barn at Jorn’s.
Some day when I’m rich (my friend Pamela always says that. Hope you don’t mind that I’ve borrowed it!) I will own original works of art too. My favorite painter is Judith Ekholm.
Since I cannot decide which of her paintings are my favorite, I’ll be purchasing a few. Quite a few. Many a few. Which means I’ll need a big home too. With lots of wall space. And rooms. And windows. And cool chairs. So I can sit and look at my paintings.
Lovely.
OK, back to the weekend.
After the gallery, we shopped a bit in the next town and then we stopped for a glass of wine for more chill time. We still hadn’t made it to the cottage yet — it’s at the tip of the peninsula, and we found a lot of distractions.
After wine, dinner. Finally, then, the cottage. We had a full 12 hour day when we arrived at our destination.
Our Saturday morning was spent sleeping in and lazing about. We had our mind set on a water hike, from Washington Island to Rock Island. We heard there is a little known 1-mile hike from one island to the next in 2' deep water, but it was not quite warm enough to venture out into an unknown territory (they do not call it Death’s Door for nothin’). Instead, we went on a water hike around a small, 273 acre lake called Europe Lake near my cottage.
The lake does not have a beach so we walked along its edge in knee-deep water.
The day was fairly warm, the water tepid, the sun bright.
We are all mothers, so it was great to get away for a bit and just be ourselves.
Time to chat and catch up.
No kids hanging on our hips or grabbing our legs.
No one to impress.
Not that we could anyway.
The water was crystal clear.
But two of the three of us were old enough to remember the quicksand scenes from the 1950’s Tarzan movies. We ran into silt and sand that gave a spongy cushioning, and our feet began to
Had we made our way around the entire lake, we’d have had quite a good workout.
Instead, we decided we needed to shop and find somewhere to dine for the evening. We hit up two stores where I purchased these:
Oliver calls them my “Woodies”; evidently I sport the same fashion as Woody from Toy Story who wears a pair similar.
Sometimes he calls them my “Woody Boots”. Either way, I love their new name.
Actually, I bought my Woodies a few trips back when I was in Door County at Ecology Sports. The shop is a must-stop. The shop owners Alicia and Joel are down-to-earth great folks. If you’re lucky, you might even see their daughter (or son) bopping about the shop as well. Great people. Her husband opened up a coffee shop in the basement. Two great stops, one address. I highly recommend it.
However, I almost purchased these boots (below) this past weekend.
I’m on a cowboy boot kick, no kidding, and have been wishing lately that my mother had raised me in the South. I love southern accents, horses, ranches, cattle fields and the cowboys that go along with all that. Sigh....
When I get a job, I’m heading straight back to these boots.
…
Sunday we closed up the cottage. Two full days was not nearly enough time. We went on one last hike to the Ridges Sanctuary. Another Door County jewel.
Maybe this photo looks a bit familiar?
A quick stop for lunch after that and then we headed home. Short and sweet. Brea and I have done this every year now for ... 6 years? This was our 6th. We’ve come up with various friends, depending on everyone’s schedule.
…
OK, time to close this post. I think you get the idea that I had a blast with two of the coolest chicks on earth. I’m so lucky to have time to get away, time to be with friends, time to enjoy life and the world around me.
And I’m not in freak-out mode, thank goodness, because I still have not found a job! Lordie! Tomorrow I register Oliver for pre-school. I’m glad to have this time to be able to focus on Oliver when I’m not off doin’ my own thang.
Looks like fun! LOVE the boots! What brand are they? (both of them)
ReplyDelete~Judy
Judy, both boots are Old Gringos. They are stiff, but comfortable after you wear them only once. I love 'em!
DeleteI just love reading your posts!! You make me feel like I was with you. Wish I was! What a beautiful part of the country, it's gorgeous. Glad I saw this post. Keep it up kiddo : )
ReplyDeleteMe
xoxoxo
Thanks for checking in Andy! Bring your gal up to the cottage! You'll love it! Fly into Milwaukee and take the 3 hour drive north. It's such a great romantic place to be!
DeleteAwwww this is amazing. This is one area I am seriously lacking in-- girl time!
ReplyDeleteWhere is that?
ReplyDelete