Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig...
Oct. 25th, 2006 06:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
katstalesI'm back home after a really great weekend trip to Wisconsin. It was cold and rainy all day Saturday, but we still really, really enjoyed ourselves. Things I learned on this trip:
1) My body does not like sitting in a car and driving over 900 miles in three days anymore...
2) Hubby's sense of direction is not as bad as it used to be. It's worse...MUCH worse.
3) Spur of the moment trips are even more enjoyable than those planned way in advance.
4) After being married for 29 years, we still enjoy each other's company just as much as when we were dating.
5) As nice as it was to get away, it was great to get back home again. :)
Because of the nasty weather, we didn't get many photo opportunities. I'll put a few behind a cut, along with more trip details.
The rental car wasn't ready when it was supposed to be, so we ended up leaving several hours later than planned. After grabbing a late lunch, we finally hit the road at 3pm. The drive was fairly pleasant and passed quickly, with surprisingly little road construction along the way. We finally stopped for dinner at a truck stop in Rochelle, IL (not far from the WI border) about 7:00. Food was great; both hubby and I ordered breakfast skillet dishes. Stuffed to the gills, we grabbed a few things from the travel shop, filled the gas tank, and hit the road again. After a few more pit stops at various rest areas along the way, we finally arrived at our hotel in Wisconsin Dells around midnight.
Saturday we awoke to dreary, rainy cold conditions. After hitting the breakfast room (hotel provided a free continental breakfast), we checked out and set off to see the sights. We hit a couple of souvenir shops, finding t-shirts for the granddaughters, jackets for the two of us, a wooden plaque for hubby, and jewelry and keychains for the kids. We then stopped at a confectionery for some Wisconsin fudge and caramel popcorn. We went by the Ripley's Believe It or Not building, but decided to leave it for a future visit. (It was nearly lunchtime.) After a quick pitstop to the visitor's center, we headed out for lunch. The rain had finally lightened up a bit, so we got these pictures at the restaurant.
We ate at this really touristy, kitschy place called Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty. Food is served family-style with drinks included.
The people with the black vehicle in the photo arrived right at the same time we did. They went in while we stayed outside to snap a few photos. We did a quick check of the gift shop, paid for our meal, and were seated. The people from the black SUV were seated a couple of tables away. There were three adults (two guys and one woman) and two kids, a boy (6-7ish) and a girl (8-10ish). The boy spent the entire meal arguing with the adults. He didn't want milk, he wanted tea. (We heard him order the milk himself, so it wasn't a case of the adults ordering him something he didn't want.) He didn't want to sit in the middle, he wanted to be on the end. He didn't want the chicken wing, he wanted a leg. The girl was quiet, but was running off to the restroom every five minutes. None of the adults ever went to investigate or asked if she was having a problem, despite the fact that she was gone for a fairly long time on more than one trip. And the adults? Way worse than the kids. They were loud and argumentative through the entire meal. (Guess that's where the boy got it from...) They argued about the World Series, football, who had paid for the dinner, who was paying next time, what they were going to do after dinner (movie or shopping), and last but not least, whose...equipment...was more impressive. ::rolls eyes:: I really, really felt sorry for their waitress, as nothing she brought seemed to meet with their approval. (Which did not stop them from eating any of it, nor asking for seconds on everything.)
Aside from our loud and obnoxious fellow-diners, we did enjoy our meal and found the food quite good. After we were finished eating, we found neither of us had change for the tip, so we went back to the gift shop to get it. We ended up buying two sweatshirts and two t-shirts. Hubby ran back to give the waitress the tip while I had a lovely conversation with the cashier in the gift shop.
By now it was mid-afternoon, and there had been talk of snow that night everywhere we had been that day. Hubbs did not like the idea of driving back in the snow, so we decided to start for Milwaukee where it wasn't supposed to snow. We decided that we had time for a quick pitstop at an outlet mall just a few exits away. Once inside, I checked out a jewelry shop while hubs hit the hat place. I bought three pairs of earrings, but hubby didn't find anything he wanted. We hit a couple of more shops, but didn't buy anything there. We hit the road again and drove in steady rain all the way to Milwaukee. Got to the hotel there around 8:30-9ish. After checking in, we made a quick dash to McDonald's for dinner (oriental salad for me; Big Mack combo for hubs).
Sunday started out cloudy, but at least it had stopped raining. We decided to skip sightseeing in Milwaukee and head for Chicago instead. We hit the breakfast room (another free breakfast), then checked out and hit the road. We arrived in the city around 1pm, found a parking garage and set out. The wind was viciously cold, so I decided to spend the afternoon at Borders while hubby ran all over taking pictures. (If anyone is interested, I can try to post some of those later.) I made some decent progress on the outline for my NaNoWriMo story, but still have much to do this week. Hubbs finally made his way back to Borders around 4ish and spent a good hour or so looking around for a souvenir book. I ended up buying Kate Ritter's SG-1 book for myself. Then it was off to Bella Bacino for dinner before heading back to C'ville. The drive home was fairly uneventful and we got in around 11:30pm.
Hubby also took the day off yesterday, so by the time we finished unpacking, returned the rental and mailed his eBay packages, we were both tired. Then after a little nap, it was time to take my daughter back to her friend's house and hit the grocery store. I decided I didn't feel like cooking, so we went to a local place a couple doors away from the apartment. Today I did some of the laundry and made some Irish stew for dinner.
So tomorrow, I need to finish the rest of the laundry and get. back. to. work. on. the. outline!! :)
1) My body does not like sitting in a car and driving over 900 miles in three days anymore...
2) Hubby's sense of direction is not as bad as it used to be. It's worse...MUCH worse.
3) Spur of the moment trips are even more enjoyable than those planned way in advance.
4) After being married for 29 years, we still enjoy each other's company just as much as when we were dating.
5) As nice as it was to get away, it was great to get back home again. :)
Because of the nasty weather, we didn't get many photo opportunities. I'll put a few behind a cut, along with more trip details.
The rental car wasn't ready when it was supposed to be, so we ended up leaving several hours later than planned. After grabbing a late lunch, we finally hit the road at 3pm. The drive was fairly pleasant and passed quickly, with surprisingly little road construction along the way. We finally stopped for dinner at a truck stop in Rochelle, IL (not far from the WI border) about 7:00. Food was great; both hubby and I ordered breakfast skillet dishes. Stuffed to the gills, we grabbed a few things from the travel shop, filled the gas tank, and hit the road again. After a few more pit stops at various rest areas along the way, we finally arrived at our hotel in Wisconsin Dells around midnight.
Saturday we awoke to dreary, rainy cold conditions. After hitting the breakfast room (hotel provided a free continental breakfast), we checked out and set off to see the sights. We hit a couple of souvenir shops, finding t-shirts for the granddaughters, jackets for the two of us, a wooden plaque for hubby, and jewelry and keychains for the kids. We then stopped at a confectionery for some Wisconsin fudge and caramel popcorn. We went by the Ripley's Believe It or Not building, but decided to leave it for a future visit. (It was nearly lunchtime.) After a quick pitstop to the visitor's center, we headed out for lunch. The rain had finally lightened up a bit, so we got these pictures at the restaurant.
We ate at this really touristy, kitschy place called Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty. Food is served family-style with drinks included.
The people with the black vehicle in the photo arrived right at the same time we did. They went in while we stayed outside to snap a few photos. We did a quick check of the gift shop, paid for our meal, and were seated. The people from the black SUV were seated a couple of tables away. There were three adults (two guys and one woman) and two kids, a boy (6-7ish) and a girl (8-10ish). The boy spent the entire meal arguing with the adults. He didn't want milk, he wanted tea. (We heard him order the milk himself, so it wasn't a case of the adults ordering him something he didn't want.) He didn't want to sit in the middle, he wanted to be on the end. He didn't want the chicken wing, he wanted a leg. The girl was quiet, but was running off to the restroom every five minutes. None of the adults ever went to investigate or asked if she was having a problem, despite the fact that she was gone for a fairly long time on more than one trip. And the adults? Way worse than the kids. They were loud and argumentative through the entire meal. (Guess that's where the boy got it from...) They argued about the World Series, football, who had paid for the dinner, who was paying next time, what they were going to do after dinner (movie or shopping), and last but not least, whose...equipment...was more impressive. ::rolls eyes:: I really, really felt sorry for their waitress, as nothing she brought seemed to meet with their approval. (Which did not stop them from eating any of it, nor asking for seconds on everything.)
Aside from our loud and obnoxious fellow-diners, we did enjoy our meal and found the food quite good. After we were finished eating, we found neither of us had change for the tip, so we went back to the gift shop to get it. We ended up buying two sweatshirts and two t-shirts. Hubby ran back to give the waitress the tip while I had a lovely conversation with the cashier in the gift shop.
By now it was mid-afternoon, and there had been talk of snow that night everywhere we had been that day. Hubbs did not like the idea of driving back in the snow, so we decided to start for Milwaukee where it wasn't supposed to snow. We decided that we had time for a quick pitstop at an outlet mall just a few exits away. Once inside, I checked out a jewelry shop while hubs hit the hat place. I bought three pairs of earrings, but hubby didn't find anything he wanted. We hit a couple of more shops, but didn't buy anything there. We hit the road again and drove in steady rain all the way to Milwaukee. Got to the hotel there around 8:30-9ish. After checking in, we made a quick dash to McDonald's for dinner (oriental salad for me; Big Mack combo for hubs).
Sunday started out cloudy, but at least it had stopped raining. We decided to skip sightseeing in Milwaukee and head for Chicago instead. We hit the breakfast room (another free breakfast), then checked out and hit the road. We arrived in the city around 1pm, found a parking garage and set out. The wind was viciously cold, so I decided to spend the afternoon at Borders while hubby ran all over taking pictures. (If anyone is interested, I can try to post some of those later.) I made some decent progress on the outline for my NaNoWriMo story, but still have much to do this week. Hubbs finally made his way back to Borders around 4ish and spent a good hour or so looking around for a souvenir book. I ended up buying Kate Ritter's SG-1 book for myself. Then it was off to Bella Bacino for dinner before heading back to C'ville. The drive home was fairly uneventful and we got in around 11:30pm.
Hubby also took the day off yesterday, so by the time we finished unpacking, returned the rental and mailed his eBay packages, we were both tired. Then after a little nap, it was time to take my daughter back to her friend's house and hit the grocery store. I decided I didn't feel like cooking, so we went to a local place a couple doors away from the apartment. Today I did some of the laundry and made some Irish stew for dinner.
So tomorrow, I need to finish the rest of the laundry and get. back. to. work. on. the. outline!! :)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-25 01:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-26 02:41 am (UTC)I'll try to get some of the Chi-town pics up as soon as Hubs gets them adjusted. (The overcast conditions didn't make for the best lighting, so he's fixing them in photoshop as he gets time. And with 174 pics, it might well take a bit of time...)
LOL, I will see what I can do on the SGA story for you. I've been mainly concentrating on my NaNoWriMo plot/characters/setting, but I think it will be okay to spend a little time in Pegasus Galaxy tonight, too. ;)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-26 08:40 pm (UTC)Anyway, just dropped in to say 'hello'.
*g*
meli
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-27 03:45 am (UTC)I'm making slow progress on the NaNo outline and story--but I do now have a title! I haven't done much more with the outline, as I discovered at Borders that I needed to come up with names for a number of supporting characters and towns, villages, and landmarks before going any further. I also have to get a better feel for the setting, so am playing with some mapping programs that I found on NaNo forums.
I really should be ignoring my SGA stuff, too, but The Muse insisted. I can't seem to get her to cooperate for love nor money--or even chocolate...maybe I should resort to drastic measures again (like with the VS9 story)... ::giggles::
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-27 10:14 pm (UTC)As far as naming places, where did you find the mapping forums at? In what category or could you just send me a link? *puppy dog eyes* Please. (meliaka@aol.com) My story seems to be traversing the map -at least the states- and I could use some help there.
Well, off to do some more work on this nightmare... err project. *grin* jk. It's not that bad... yet...
See ya!
meli
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-28 02:38 am (UTC)I did send an email with the links a little while ago, so let me know if it doesn't show up for some reason (like, oh I don't know, maybe because it's ATT/Yaheck???) So just in case, I found the mapping threads in the Fantasy Genre forums, should you need to search on your own.
LOL, I know what you mean! The closer it gets and the more I realize I have yet to do, the more a nightmare it seems. I'm still getting more and more excited and so very looking forward to it, tho!! ::grins::