A Quick Trip North

We made a very quick trip to Wisconsin last week. The primary purpose of our visit was to see Papa Don and Grandma Nancy:


It was the first time we had seen them since they moved up there, and we are so grateful for the time together. We also fell in love with their little corner of Wisconsin.

One of the things on Brad's bucket list was to visit the House on the Rock, which features prominently in one of his favorite books. We had no idea it was fifteen minutes from their house! We stayed at the House on the Rock Resort, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and his team. It has been beautifully maintained, and we loved sitting on our balconies and watching the deer in the evening.

The House itself was built by one of the most eccentric men in history, and pictures will never do it justice. It was the perfect way to celebrate 23 years, though:

The house itself was build room by room, the last one being this infinity room that looks out over the valley:

The wobble was too much for me at the end, but it was beautiful.

The rest of the complex is his series of collections. Issa loved capturing us in the cool mirrors:

He is most known for his music boxes, which are actually whole orchestras that he has automated:

And this carousel is the largest in the world and the feature of the book:

Everything was quirky and you never knew what the next room would hold, but we loved it:

The next day we explored Cave of the Mounds, which was breathtaking:

It's hard to believe it was accidentally discovered when they were blasting for gravel:

It also features a restored prairie we loved exploring:

And no trip to Wisconsin is complete without a stop at the cheese factory:

Our final day took us to the Henry Villa Zoo in Madison, where we got to see a sloth up close:

And become friends with a rhino who has a log wubby he carries with him:

It was a fast and full four days, but I'm so very, very grateful for some family time, laughter, and rest in the middle of this wild summer.