The land of kitsch

I love Wisconsin.

Dave and I headed up to America's dairyland this weekend for the wedding of our friends Dan and Christy.


Their wedding was lovely, and on our way to the reception, we met some friendly Wisconsin residents:


We had a few minutes before the reception, so we stopped by the Piggly Wiggly and picked up some New Glaurus Dancing Man Wheat Beer, which was tasty. I think Diane got a kick out of that one when I called her there.

The reception was fun - even though we didn't know anybody but Dan and Christy, we hung out with Dan's college friends and had a good time. At one point, I managed to fall over during the chicken dance, but that was more due to a kid tripping me than any overall drunkenness. (I swear!)


We headed back this morning, but before embarking on the long road home, we took our hotel manager's advice and visited a scenic road and park on the peninsula overlooking Green Bay.

The park had an really great pirate ship, which Dave and I duly explored. (Awesome.) Oh, and the park had some good views of the Bay, too, but the pirate ship was so fantastic.


And, of course, our way back included a visit to that Mecca of Wisconsin kitsch, the Mars Cheese Castle. We picked up some cheddar cheese curds, a block of tomato basil cheddar, and some salami. Can't wait to have that with dinner tonight, and some New Glaurus beer. Mmm...

I wanted to make a stop at a Ponderosa Steakhouse in Sheboygan, but we weren't really hungry enough for the lunch buffet I remember from my childhood. (I haven't visited a Ponderosa in years - not since my mom and Aunt Gail would take us to the one in Joliet that closed down.) Alas, maybe next time.

For now, we will be satisfied to take back with us the best things from Wisconsin - beer and cheese.