Madison Quilt Expo

On September 8th, I attended the Quilt Expo at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. This is the fourth time I've gone to this event. There are hundreds of vendors with quilt related items, as well as over 400 quilts people have submitted for judging. There are also numerous workshops and mini sessions to attend over the three day event.

I didn't attend any sessions, and I spent less than $40. That's very good.  Instead, I volunteered three hours in the display area to make sure people don't touch the quilts or eat or drink. I've done this before. I get free parking and admission and get to walk up and down the aisles and admire the amazing quilts. Here are a few that I really liked.

This one is such an optical illusion just in the way the squares are laid out and the use of color.

It's hard to really appreciate the next one from a picture. The horses are filled in with sewing and different thread colors. It's a technique called thread painting. I can't imagine the amount of hours and spools of thread used. And, what an amazing job! Very deserving of a blue ribbon.

This one was just so much fun! I love all the monsters and the border.  Click on the picture to enlarge.

The next three pictures are all the same quilt. The panels are attached like little tents. The first view is straight on which doesn't really look like anything.  The second view is from the left and the third view is from the right. I've seen this technique before, but find it very fascinating.

I walked over 13,000 steps that day, so not only did I really enjoy seeing all the quilts and vendors booths, but I got a lot of exercise.  Of course, there were so many outstanding pieces, I can't even begin to share them all. The ones above are just a few that caught my eye.

Things here at the park are winding down. We leave three weeks from tomorrow. We were nearly full this past weekend with very nice weather.

Our Norcold refrigerator has been acting up the last few weeks. A couple of times it has stopped working. If we shut it down and restart it a little while later, it comes back to life. There is a RV repair place in Beaver Dam, so Kevin stopped in to ask the guy if he did any mobile service. He doesn't, but it turns out Kevin knows the guy from his days in the automotive business, so he will do mobile service for us. Small world!

Because it is an intermittent problem, it's hard to diagnose. He talked to Norcold, and they feel it is the thermistor and/or heating elements. So, the parts have been ordered, and he will install them this week. Hopefully, this will solve the problem. Of course, we are four months out of warranty, so too bad for us!

Our weather has been above average and quite wet so far this month. Fall is definitely around the corner as some trees are starting to turn. I love this time of year.

We were going to go golfing today, but Kevin stepped wrong yesterday and sprained his ankle a bit. It's not super bad, but he needs to ice, rest and elevate it so it doesn't get worse. He has plans to golf with a friend on Tuesday, so hopefully, it will be better by then.  Bummer!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Bar Hopping With Eric

Well, I believe this was a first. It's not too often we go bar hopping with one of our kids.

In the past few years as we traveled west along Hwy. 151 in Wisconsin, we kept seeing billboards for The Grumpy Troll Brew Pub in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. On my way back from Nebraska a few weeks ago, I also noticed a sign for Wisconsin Brewing Company in Verona, along the route to Mount Horeb.

So, this summer we decided on a day trip to explore both of these microbreweries. Eric was on vacation last week, so I invited him along. He arrived at our place on Thursday around noon, and we headed out. Mount Horeb is about an hour from our campground, and that was our first stop.

The Grumpy Troll is in a renovated old building. There was construction work being done on the side of the building. It looked like they were expanding their dining room. Kevin and Eric each had a flight of 5 beers. Each 4 ounce sample is $1.50. They both agreed that the beers were tasty. We also ordered deep fried white cheddar cheese curds and Grump chips, which were homemade potato chips. Both appetizers were good.

I had to laugh at one of the appetizer selections. It was an Uff Da pretzel served with a couple of different dipping sauces. Our daughter-in-law Cathryn is from Moorhead, Minnesota and is of Norwegian heritage. Once in a while she uses the phrase Uff Da, so this is for her :)

I'm not a beer drinker, but I ordered an apple hard cider brewed on site. It was okay, but didn't have enough apple flavor for my liking.

We had visited Mount Horeb several years ago, and I remembered lots of troll statues around the downtown area of town. Trolls are a big deal in this town. After leaving the pub, we drove around, but there weren't as many trolls as I remembered.

Our next stop was Wisconsin Brewing Company in Verona along our route back home. This is a newer microbrewery in an industrial park with just a tap room for tasting. No food is sold, but customers are welcome to bring in their own food. We saw two groups that had brought in their own food.

Again, Kevin and Eric sampled four beers served in a clever holder shaped like Wisconsin. They were made of wood and for sale in the gift shop for $55.

At this point, my phone battery died so no more pictures. The guys both enjoyed their beers, and then we headed back home. As we skirted Madison, there was once again construction traffic to deal with. In our six years of full time RVing, we have traveled around Madison every year, and there is always construction. What a pain!

Kevin cooked brats on the grill for supper at Eric's request. Eric spent the night, we had a nice breakfast the next morning, and he went back home to enjoy the rest of his week off of work.

On Sunday my family came for a picnic. It was another warm and humid day. There have been so many humid days this summer. I'm looking forward to some crisp, fall days. The flies and bees were quite pesky, but we still had a good time.

This weekend is Labor Day Weekend, and the campground will be full. Three of the sites will be occupied by friends of ours. We're looking forward to a fun weekend with these long time friends.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!