The trip up by train was interesting to say the least. The train ended up sitting on the tracks for hours at various spots. I will say that the seats were comfortable and had tons of leg room. This is very important to me as I am 6'2. There was a car with glass sides and comfortable chairs and tables. I had packed food knowing that food on trains leaves much to be desired. I also could roam up and down the hallway without bothering people. One of the things I hate about traveling is feeling stuck in my seat.
The Chicago bus station is very large and cacaphonous. There was a very nice railway worker at the end of the platform giving directions. Without her, I would probably have been wandering around for hours. She pointed me to where I could get caffeine and find a bathroom. I luckily got into Chicago in the nick of time to catch the bus to Madison. I had missed my original bus and didn't want to wait around for another 3 hours to catch the next one.
Arriving at the bus stop a bit dazed and confused from traveling all night, it was heaven to see my friend Anne's smiling face waiting for me. We hugged and had a good squeeze. I miss her so much. She had become one of the few people I got to know well in Cleveland and is a kindred spirit through and through.
We had never really had any good pictures together so I had her husband take a series on one of the last nights I was there. I laughed so hard as I was downloading them. I used the app A Beautiful Mess to create the collage.
Madison is a couple of hours outside of Anne's town Viroqua. The drive was lovely. I hadn't realized that Wisconsin had hills and mountains.
We finally made it to the house. There were flowers blooming and puppies at the door waiting to greet me.
Matthias and Anne in front of their cute house.
The first night we chilled, ate, and watched some Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Always fun. I stayed in the basement. It was like a little apartment with my own bathroom and TV. Matthias is a Mac guru guy and has Apple TV. I could play stuff from my iPod on their TV. It was like magic to me. Anne had put flowers around and made me feel at home.
I don't remember the order of things we did. There was a lot of hanging out in the garden. I slept a lot. To the point where one day poor Matthias thought I might be dead. Never underestimate my ability to sleep.
The first thing we did was go to Anne's parents farm. We went there several times to eat, wander the garden, and visit the chickens.
The farmhouse and front gardens.
When we first arrived it was a bit gloomy. The weather turned sunny and we explored the wildlife a bit. I love frogs and there were many different kinds hopping around. Anne caught some for me to see.
We also paid a visit to her mom's chickens.
The rooster is the one with the crazy hair. I forgot what kind of chicken he is. He was definitely large and in charge of his ladies. He had a loud voice and liked to announce himself often. I was a little scared like I usually am around animals but got through it ok.
The golden chicken you see Anne's mom Sharon holding was the only one I touched. If I remember correctly her name is Lady. Her feathers were so incredibly soft to touch and the gleamed in the sunlight. She was a very pretty chicken.
The girls preferred to sit on the nest more than running around. They had a large area to move around in with a wild bit of tall grass that the rooster liked to hide in.
What I enjoyed the most was just relaxing outside and wandering about. The farm is set up a bit from its surrounding and every view was beautiful.
We also did some shopping at great secondhand stores. I got some shirts and scarves. In once place, there was this bit of brussels lace that I bought. I want to try adding it to a blouse or fancy jammies.
One day we went for a drive. There are lots of little towns around. We went along the Mississippi and across it to Iowa for lunch.
We had lunch literally hanging over the river. You can kind of see the restaurant in the last photo. The barge you also see in the last picture stopped for lunch as well. We saw it pull up to the other shore and stop. When we left, we saw a rowboat with the same name tied up to the landing. It was funny to think of the sailors stopping for a quick bite.
I didn't get any pictures of it, but we drove through a nature reserve to get across the Mississippi. It was strange to see that the area looked similar to the Mississippi area in Louisiana. The trees and marshy bits made me feel like I was back down south.
On my last night we went out to the farm for dinner, fireworks, and Peepfest 2014.
We let off brightly colored smoke bombs and sparklers and ate roasted Peeps. I love roasted Peeps. They remind me of crème brulée. Crunchy sugar coating with sweet filling. It was a nice way to end the trip.
The time went by quickly. We didn't craft nearly as much as expected. We did get some time in helping me learn to use watercolors and playing with Sculpey.
The family minus Jerome the cat who was probably sleeping in his chair in Anne's studio.
These guys are awesome. I hope I can go back soon.
Stay tuned for the next installment.
