4392. Go to the Concrete Park in Phillips

When I was looking for things to do on our Timm's Hill Trip, I discovered Timm's Hill is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. There is not a lot on my bucket list in the Northwoods because there is not anything up there. Looking at the map, I saw we were only about 30 minutes south of Phillips which is the home of the Concrete Park. I figured if we were this far north, we might as well as check it out. 

The Concrete Park is a collection of folk art figures and bas relief slabs created by Fred Smith. He started created these creations in 1936. He created people and animals out of concrete and broken beer bottles. Fred Smith had a strange hobby after he retired and since he couldn't read or write, he dictated to a scribe about some of his sculptures.

The hubby said it was the strangest thing he ever saw. It is definitely strange especially since it literally pops up in the middle of nowhere in this county park. I have to admit it is well kept up but there is no rhyme or reason to what goes where. Of course I would have loved to explore the trails but the hubby was sitting in the car rolling his eyes at this crazy stop.

Instead of exploring the actual park, I took some time and checked out the sculptures. And I wasn't the only one. Another older couple was there as well. Some of the sculptures were very interesting and yet others made complete sense. He liked Cowboys and Indians.. and beer. 

I'm glad we don't go to far out of our way to cross this off the bucket list. It is definitely strange but it is worth the visit if you are ever North of Hwy 8. Just don't climb on the statues as they have bottles and glass sticking out of them.

4382. Go to Timm’s Hill in Price County

The hubby doesn't have many places he wants to see or go that aren't sports related but Timm's Hill in Price County probably was on the top of this list. Timm's Hill is the highest point in Wisconsin and is only about 2.5-3 hours from here. Since I had a day off we decided to go for a drive to see Timm's Hill.

Timm's Hill is located outside of Ogema in Timm's Hill County Park. At an elevation of 1,951 it is higher than Rib Mountain but is not an immense land form. We were higher driving in the mountains of Pennsylvania this summer by almost a 1000 feet. Because of the dense forest and winding roads, it really doesn't rise above the landscape like Rib Mountain, Mosquito Hill, or even that random Hill near Waupaca.

To reach Timm's Hill, we entered the county park on a 1 lane road that wound its way through the park past a lake to a parking lot. It was a short 1/4 miles (or so) hike to the top of the hill. I have hiked steeper, harder trails and found this one to be relatively easy -- the hubby didn't think so. For those people who are out of shape, there are plenty of benches along the short trail to sit, rest, and observe nature.

On the top of Timm's Hill is a rickety observation tower that supposedly has views up to 30 miles. I couldn't tell you. I chickened out about a third of the way up. The tower was swaying in the wind. I made it up one more flight of stairs than the hubby. Besides it was a cloudy and windy (and I wasn't dressed for the weather). Sure I would have liked to see the view from the top but to see trees, trees, and more trees really was worth a shaky, solo climb. If the hubby (or someone else) would have made it to the top, I would have sucked it up and made it too.

I would love to have explored more of the trails but the hubby is not a hiker or nature guy. So back to the car we went and headed out the park.

It wasn't quite what I expected. I was expecting this looming hill that we could have seen driving up but it was still impressive. I can now say I've been to the highest point in Wisconsin. I just wish the fall colors would have been at their peak yet. 

#906 See the World's Largest Round Barn

This is one of those random things on the bucket list that I have absolutely no clue how or why it ended up on the bucket list. The only thing I can think of that it's in Wisconsin. Yes, I happen to like to see weird things but I have to admit this one is truly baffling.

The World's Largest Round Barn is in Marshfield at the Central Wisconsin Fairgrounds. I figured this would be one of those stop and snap a picture things. However, when the hubby and I were looking at things to do on our way up to Timm's Hill, I mentioned we could see the World's Largest Round Barn and he asked me if they did tours. After a quick Google search, I found out yes they did tours and I was able to get us one.

Photo courtesy of Google

The Round Barn was built in 1915 and is still in use. It is the cattle barn during the Central Wisconsin Fair. The design helps keep the barn cooler.

Our tour guide was new and really wasn't very informative. She gave us a pamphlet and told us to look around. Since I was not expecting to take a tour of the barn, getting inside of the barn without going to the fair was good enough for me. It is quite impressive.

If you are ever driving through Marshfield, I would suggest you check out the World's Largest Round Barn -- even if it's just for a photo op. It's one of those been there done that. I wouldn't mind seeing it at the fair all decked out in red, white, and blue.

An Hour with Jen Mann

I got an invite from someone from book club to attend this book event. The title of the book was Working with People I Want to Punch in the Throat by Jen Mann. I never heard of her but based on the title alone I figured it was worth the $15 for the book.

The event was being held at Hollanders in Little Chute which is a bar and grill. I figured we'd have a back room or something but we in a corner of the bar. Food and drink was available if you wanted to purchase it. Being in the bar made it difficult to hear at times if you were in the back. Jen also to keep things PG. I would have loved to hear the adult version of some of the stories.

Jen highlighted her journey from trying to get a job in NYC to being here in WI promoting another book. She has a cynical sense of humor and pretty much says what she thinks. Because she is a venter, her husband suggested she write a blog to get her frustrations out. After a late night post about the Elf on the Shelf, she went viral and the rest is history.

Even though I would have loved to spend more time with Jen, it was an enjoyable hour or so. She is funny as snot and her book proves it. I am going to track down some of her other books at the library or even amazon even though the hubby thinks I don't need any more books. Oh yeah and maybe follow her blog. I can always use a dose of humor every day especially when work wants to make me punch people in the face or throat. You should too because everyone needs more humor in their life.

Taking Home Some Holiday Decorating Tips

As you probably know by now I am always looking for free and fun things to do which is why I scout the area libraries' calendars to see what fun and interesting programs they are offering each month. I have been to several events at the various libraries but I do have favorite libraries that I would prefer to visit. One of the events that interested me was Decorating for the Holidays at Little Chute. Even though the hubby is a Grinch when it comes to holidays, I do love the holidays and decorating.

This event was part of the Master Garden Series offered by the KimLit Library and the Outagamie Chapter of the Master Gardener. I am not a garden nor do we have space for garden so I have never attended any Master Gardener event. However, this one seemed to be more my speed.

Well... I was more my speed but way more work than I would consider doing for the holidays. Dumpster Diving or Curb Shopping isn't really my thing even if it's just to steal my neighbor's pine branches... wait I live an apartment that isn't going to happen. I'm not about to cruise random neighborhoods looking for other people's prunings. I'm pretty sure the hubby would think I'm nuts anyways.

The program was done by 2 master gardeners that own a shop downtown Appleton... I'm horrible at remembering names and names of stores. My little bit of Googling didn't get me very far. We first learned different ways to decorate for fall even though it was a week before Halloween.

The one takeaway I may use in the future was white pumpkins. They can be used solo, with other pumpkins, or even as a planter. However, they are not easy to carve to make the planter. Maybe I will just stick with painting them.

The second half of the program was the Christmas season. 

I learned all about chalk painted mason jars -- this is something I could handle and might even try in the future. They are cute, relatively cheap, and very versatile and you make paint them any color.

I also learned how to make my own planter with the "stolen" pine branches. You want to make sure you have a variety of color and textures (great more houses to try to steal these branches from). Then it was just a matter of trying to stick them a big pot that you can stick outside.

 Again we don't have much space outside.. definitely not for a chair and a fence board.. maybe some old school skis though or a sled...

We can use some of those same stolen branches to make a centerpiece for the chalk jars or any other Christmasy looking vessel. Based on our living space, this might only work best on the mantle. It did give me some good ideas to store away in the memory bank.

Since I would have leftover branches from my nightly neighborhood excursions, I would use them to make a wreath too and tie a pretty bow on it.

I honestly thought most of this was way too foo-foo for me and especially the hubby. I like minimal, classic looks. When I showed the hubby the pictures of some of these projects, he actually thought some of them were not too bad. He did like the greenery centerpiece and the chair outside. Some days he surprises.

Will I go out foraging the neighborhood for pine branches this fall? Probably not. If I spot some I might consider swiping them in hopes that I might have some creativity in me to fix the mantle up for all the (non-exist) visitors we get every year.

Overall it was a very informative night. I am not sure how much of my new knowledge I might use. If I was more of a gardener, I probably would attend more of these Master Gardener programs. They are great community outreach programs. Maybe one day I will find another that will work for me.

Soup Hoppin' on the Ave

On a whim, I went to hear Ron Faiola at Menasha Library for the Book Festival. Before heading down to the book festival, I stopped to see what FAN passes were available. There was a pair of passes to the Appleton Soup Walk. Without even hesitating, I snatched them up. The hubby said he's go with me until he say the list of soups and bailed. Danielle and Gavin came along.

The Appleton Soup Walk is put on by Downtown Appleton and it features a different soup at area restaurants. There are two different options -- one more downtown and the other that followed the trolley route. I picked the downtown option since it was less spaced out and with a bum ankle I thought that might have been better. Honestly I just wanted to try the Red Velvet Soup.

The weather was gorgeous. Danielle, Gavin, and I had a great afternoon strolling through downtown trying new soups. I have to admit it was my first time in most of the bars/restaurants along the Ave. I know the hubby would not have enjoyed the experience as much as I did so I'm glad he decided to work instead.

With tickets in hand, we headed out and tried soups. Most places gave just a little sample cup but a few actually gave us a bowl -- not all the way full but about 1/3 or so.

Rookie's Bar & Grill -- Clam Chowder

This was the first time I ever had clam chowder. I've always been too scared to try it when we'd go out for a fish fry.

Honestly I thought it was too runny. I thought it was supposed to be much thicker. My first reaction was "it smells". If I just swallowed it, it was actually pretty good. Maybe I will try clam chowder in a restaurant one day. Gavin liked that his daddy likes clam chowder.

Appleton Street Sports Bar & Grill -- Chicken and Rice Soup

This was very good even if it was wild rice which I normally am not a big fan of. The chicken was not over cooked. It had a smooth, creamy consistency and I could eat an entire bowl of it. This was the one place that offered oyster crackers along with the soup. They even gave Gavin his own bowl. This was one of my favorites early on.

 City Cafe -- Red Curry Noodle Soup

I am not a fan of curry and I know yellow curry is milder than red curry. I knew this was going to be spicy going into it but still wanted to try it. The soup was very spicy. The noodles helped take away the spiciness but there weren't enough noodles to finish the soup. Even though I wasn't a big fan of this soup, it had potential to be a good soup.

Antojitos Mexicanos -- Chicken Tortilla Soup

This was one of the soups I was looking forward to and I was not disappointed. I actually drank the remainder of the broth on this one. The tortilla chips gave the soup a nice crunch. The chicken wasn't over cooked. I would come here just for the soup. Danielle said it had A+ texture.

Lou's Brew Cafe -- Roasted Red Pepper Tomato with Grilled Cheese Croutons

When we got to this one, the line was out the door. I think they had to make more croutons. Danielle was disappointed by it. I thought it was alright but it didn't live up to it's expectations. The croutons were good. It was creamy and would be a good for lunch but I won't race out to get it.

CENA -- Chef's Surprise

Chef's Surprise can be a little scary especially with soup. This was a very pleasant Chef's Surprise -- they served Beer Brat Cheese Soup made with all local ingredients. The beer was from Stone Arch, the brats from Jacob's Meats, the cheese was from another local place, and all the vegetables came from Produce With Purpose out of Fond du Lac.

Danielle was a bit hesitant, I think, based on the name of this soup but as she said it was an "amazing surprise." That it was. The name alone made me want to try it. PHENOMENAL. This became my new favorite soup of the day.

Being a beer cheese soup, I would only want a cup of this soup due to it's richness. I may have to stalk this place to find out when they are serving this soup again.

Brewed Awakenings -- Ginger Turmeric Butternut Squash Soup

This was the only soup I was not excited to try. Maybe if they named it something different so I don't know it was squash soup might have made me more willing to give it a chance.

The first spoonful wasn't bad. The spices helped. The second spoonful was enough for me. I was not a fan.

Danielle thought there was a great use of spices to highlight the squash. Gavin got his own cup since Danielle finished mine. We also got a cup of water here.

Bagelicious -- Chicken Goulash with Spaetzle

Anytime anything has the word Spaetzle in the title, I am excited. Hello German food. Yum.

This did not disappoint. It is comfort food in a bowl. AMAZING!!!! It was cooked perfectly.

Danielle said it was "Flavor and Texture Overload!!!"

Gavin didn't want to share.

This is another place I am going to have to stalk when I'm craving soup.

Olde Towne Tavern -- Chili

I am very particular when it comes to chili. I don't like beans in my chili. I really don't like spicy chili -- it needs some heat but not a lot. However, even with the beans, this reminded me of my mom's chili. It was thick, meaty chili. The only thing it was missing was some cheese top it with. If I had a place to put all the beans I needed to dig out, I would have finished this. Danielle agreed that it had a great texture but it was too mild. It was definitely lacking the heat.

Bazil's Pub -- Tomato Bisque With Romano

I was disappointed. I felt this soup was missing something. It lacked flavor even for a tomato soup. I wanted a bold tomato flavor -- even if I hate tomatoes. The little flavor it did have was very fresh.

Danielle figured out if we added salt to the bisque, it brought out the flavor of the tomatoes. Either I didn't put in even salt or I still wanted more flavor. I still found it quite bland but Danielle really enjoyed it even though she doesn't like tomato soup.

D2 Sports Pub -- Red Velvet Dessert Soup

This was the perfect way for us to wrap up our soup walk. I wanted to try this one as soon as I laid eyes on it when debating which walk to go on when I picked up my tickets.

The Red Velvet soup was surprisingly smooth that excites the palate with some white chips for added texture. It honestly tasted like red velvet cake. I was amazed to be able to have the soup taste like the cake. I was worried they won't be able to replicate the soup. Not only did it taste like red velvet cake, it also tasted like Yoplait's Red Velvet Cake Yogurt probably because it was a yogurt based soup. For a cold soup it was really delicious and not too sweet.

After sampling all 11 soups we were up to our eyeballs in soup. We all had our favorites and ones that definitely disappointed us.

Favorites
Amy

• Chicken Goulash With Spaetzel
• Beer Brat Cheese Soup
• Red Velvet Soup

Danielle

• Beer Brat Cheese Soup
• Ginger Turmeric Butternut Squash Soup
• Tomato Bisque with Romano

Gavin

• Red Velvet Soup
• Chicken Goulash With Spaetzel
• Chicken with Rice

I may have turn this into an annual event even if I can't score FAN passes to it. I found some new restaurants... tried new soups.. and found a few places I want to go back to which is the whole point of this event.