Wisconsin Dells!

During the Memorial Day weekend Dale and I decided to take a little day trip to Wisconsin. We ended up at one very unusual place: The Wisconsin Dells! Sprung up around the spectacular natural beauty of the Wisconsin Dells is the most unnaturally beautiful place I've ever been! The Dells is filled with the following:

Wacky theme hotels (often attached to very large waterparks)...
(that's right, it's the Colosseum)

large fiberglass people, animals, and things...
(that's right, it's Paul Bunyan)

wacky cars (and wacky swimming pools, though not in this post)...
(that's right, it's a moose strapped to the hood of a PT Cruiser)

places to buy cheese...
(that's right, it's a big mouse eating a big piece of cheese on top of a store)

flashy retro/vintage neon signs...
(and the fabulous motels they sit in front of)

bizarre tourist attractions...
(I don't know what Wizard Quest is, sorry)

even more bizarre tourist attractions...
(yes, it's that weird)

and restaurants....
(Wally's House of Embers, est. 1959).

It might be my favorite day trip of all time.

Needless to say the Roadside Curiosities blog will be updated with lots of new posts with more pictures of the Dells in the coming weeks.

Hot Rods on a Sunday

Last weekend Dale and I stopped by a BBQ for a car club because Dale wants to take some photos of cars and people who work on cars. So he snapped up a few pics . . .

Check out this hot ride! She goes flat when not in motion!

Inside . . .

Back . . .

Front . . .

Craziest wheels I've ever seen. And I grew up in Buick City, people! We've seen a LOT of custom cars.

A different tricked-out classic!

And another one . . .

New Job!

Big news! I accepted a job offer and put in notice at my current company! I start working in the loop and taking the train June 2! Wish me luck.

I'll be writing and editing for construction and architecture magazine...sound familiar? Yeah, it's my old job. But at a different company in a sweet location--in the heart of downtown Chicago!

Some extra pics of Charlevoix

Dale took a few postcard-esque shots of Charlevoix and other things that caught his fancy. Just though I'd share them rather than tuck them away in a folder! The photo above is the harbor in Charlevoix.

An abandoned building. Abandoned buildings are almost always interesting to me; I don't know why.

Lake Michigan from Charlevoix. Pretty!

Weekend Up North . . .

Dale shot a wedding in Petoskey the first weekend of May and since it was my birthday weekend--and a place where many dear friends live--I decided to go with him.

We stayed with Doug...

and the boys (Oliver and Cole, pictured above).

Dale did everything he could to make it a nice birthday for me. It was great, actually, though this year is filled with painful "firsts" without my mom Dale made it really special and fun. Anyway, Dale had a bunch of people call me (he's sneaky) and got me a new iPod. Sweet! And my friend Rebecca made me cupcakes for the road trip--she's a sweetie!

While Dale was working, Doug & I drove to Charlevoix on Saturday to meet our friend Heather and her little girl Maggie for lunch. We also wandered about Charlevoix for a spell and got ice cream.

Heather is pregnant with baby #2 and is due in a couple of weeks! This is us in Charlevoix. Oh, and I'm wearing my new glasses! As one of the bosses at work told me, "very fashion-forward!" But I think that might have been an insult. Hee!

Maggie is a cutie! And she loves her glass, too, obviously! She lit up like the fourth of July when Heather gave her the sunglasses! Ha!

Then it was back to Petoskey. During the weekend we went to a few of our favorite spots including Roast & Toast (an adorable indie coffee shop/deli) that is situated right next to one of my favorite bookstores in the world: McLean & Eakin (I could live there). Also, we went to the greatest kitchen gadget store in Michigan: Cutler's. It was a very happy trip!

We drove to Harbor Springs on Sunday and had breakfast at Mary Ellen's Diner--an old-fashioned counter grill and ice cream spot.

Doug & I soaking up the atmosphere! We also saw Iron Man. Good times.

Dale and I took the long way home--we drove along Lake Michigan as much as we could and stopped for dinner in St. Joseph to eat on a restaurant patio and watch the sunset. Lovely weekend! It was great to see Heather & Doug! I wish we all lived closer.

Vintage Dishes...

Dale and I share a well-known (among our friends and family) love of retro and vintage things (particularly things with a midcentury modern aesthetic--in case you want to get us something!) and our dear friends Lara & Trish (mom and daughter) generously offered us Trish's mom's set of dishes from the 1950s. We already use vintage dishes everyday and were very interested! These are the dishes--they are ADORABLE! Pink, with a black and white pinecone/nature theme. They were produced by Taylor Smith Taylor and are the Pink Dwarf Pine design.

LOVE THEM! Thanks Trish & Lara for thinking of us and giving us such a lovely set!

Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle

Hugely dorky post ahead... Click on the photos for larger versions of the images.

Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle is a major attraction at the Museum of Science and Industry and one of my favorite things. I love miniatures! And Dale awesomely took a bunch of photos of the dollhouse for me--it's behind thick plastic in a very dark room so he took photos so I could see things up close! Yay! Every little room has a bunch of little stories!

The chapel organ. To the right of the organ is a candelabra and in the middle is a real diamond--it was in Colleen Moore's mother's engagement ring.

The dining room with King Arthur's Round Table in the center. The plates and tiny silver wear is all made of real gold. The glasses are crystal.

The Drawing Room . . . The floor is rose quartz and jade and the chandelier is made with real diamonds, emeralds, and pearls.

Another shot of the drawing room--see the mural of Cinderella running away painted on the wall to the left of the fireplace?

The Great Hall features many tiny treasures including Knights in shining armor that once belonged to Rudolph Valentino and hard-carved ancient vases.

In the kitchen you'll find Royal Doulton china with the Queen of England's crest on it. Only two sets of this tiny china set were made--one for Colleen Moore and one for the Queen of England's doll house.

The library features tiny furniture for the fairies to lounge on and read. The books are all real and many of them are gifts from prominent authors of the day with mini versions of their books.

The Fairy Prince's Bedroom features Excalibur's sword--and a "bear" rug made with mice teeth!

The Prince's Bathroom is made of alabaster and features real sapphires.

The Princess's Bedroom is spectacular! Sleeping Beauty's bed sits off to the right and the chairs--center of the photo--are made of platinum, diamond, and emerald earrings. The floor is Mother of Pearl.

The Magic Garden features a weeping willow tree that actually weeps.

And that's the Fairy Castle! I'm a dork.