TEN!!!

Ten years....... Honey and I have been married ten years. I really don't think anyone had ten years in the pool. So to all you nay-sayers.......... you are so S.O.L!!!!

Our motto (after all we have been through) is "make memories, not reservations." So we always try to do something different or quirky for our anniversaries. This year ....... our 10th year...... was the anniversary of yarn and cheese.

At least that is what one of our adopted daughters told us!

We were told by these people that all anniversaries are cheese anniversaries....... at least, in Wisconsin!

So we make the 108 mile trip to Mineral Point, Wisconsin. We have been through Mineral Point many times before. We have ooooh-ed and aaaah-ed. OK ....... we drooled. Big time! This is one awesome little town. It is in the top 10 coolest towns in America........ there is a reason!

This is number one........... this is the entry to one of the most delightful yarn shops I have ever been to in my life. That really should be bold!!! Yes ... this shop is WONDERFUL!!! Yarn shop ... bookstore .... serving coffee and biscotti. Seriously, after our local yarn shop barely knows me when I drop a couple of hundred dollars for a shawl ..... and puts down their foot when I have a bottle of water....... I was in love!!!!!

We walk in .... and tell the owner that the fore-mentioned adopted daughters had told me about the shop. The owner says ..... "Is one a baker? Really cute girls? They spent all day here." And quickly started telling me about a fiber/yarn festival that will be the last weekend of September.

Uhh... yea. The fore-mentioned adopted daughter and I are heading north!! Its on her planner already.Then Honey and I dined at the Brewery. You know how we are about local. This was incredible! Only local meats and cheese and greens and tomatoes (Hydroponic in the winter) The breads and buns are baked in Madison and the all desserts and salad dressings are made from scratch. They do serve alot of salmon ... which of course, is not local. But the meal was beyond superb!

And lets not forget the beer. Honey and I like darker beers. At the moment, there were 3 beers on tap..... a golden ale, an amber ale and a porter. I had the amber ale .... very good, great flavor. Honey had the porter. OMG! A growler came home!! Many porters have a bitter after-taste. This was sooooo smooth. Probably the best porter we have ever had!

After lunch we prowled through art galleries and cheese stores. Hook's cheese make some wonderful blue cheese that we have had before. This was such a treat going into their factory. We walked in the door....... and I was looking at wet floor and stainless steel vats. I was certain I had gone in the wrong door. Nope. That was it. Up a few stairs into a small sales room. I loved it!!!

We bought Paradise Blue, Little Boy Blue (a sheep's milk blue) and Bloomin' Idiot along with some Muenster. Bloomin' Idiot is a blue cheese not pierced when they add the mold. So the outside has a tart blue flavor -- the inside is creamy and delicious.

So if you like your weekends glitzy and busy and fast-paced......... this is not for you!!!! But if you like a step back in time, if you appreciate a hand-made touch and a warm and friendly smile, if you want to eat real food...... this is the place for you!

Thank you, Mineral Point for making number ten so very special. It was so special ... Honey agreed to go for another ten!! Yea ...... I love that guy!!!