A Little Break

We had a little break this weekend at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  The weather was cooler, so I was able to test out our furnace, change the filter and put some new batteries in the thermostat.  We also brought in the succulents on our front porch and deadheaded most of the perennials.  I do not plant any annuals up here anymore because there is no watering going on when we are not up here.  Even a few perennials didn't make it this year because of the heat, but overall, most of the plantings look better than at home.

The Vera Jameson Sedum and Nepeta Walkers Low look much more vivid in my Wisconsin Garden than back at home.

This is also supposed to be Vera Jameson, but since planting a couple of years ago, it has always had a different look.  Vera Jameson always looks better either hanging over something or planted in front of other plantings just peeking out.

Sedum Autumn Joy

Rudbeckia, Knockout Roses and the Juniper that fell over last winter (seems to have recovered)

We even got in a little kite flying

On Sunday, we made our way to Elkhorn to the Walworth County Fair.  The fair dates back to 1850 and is everything you can imagine about an old fashioned county fair, rides, philly cheese steaks, corn dogs, cotton candy, homemade lemonade and even the church hall diner (where we ate).

Lots of horse races

The vintage church dining hall where we had lunch

We had come to the fair two years ago but it was so hot we could barely move through the congested aisles of concessions.  I remember lots of funnel cakes, my daughter riding a camel, a man carving beavers out of wood and my grandchildren posing on a fire engine.  This year, it was all about looking for the scariest ride, the tornado, silver streak, tilt a whirl, bumper cars, fireball and the octopus.

My favorite as a child, much to my mother's dismay, I came home with lots of goldfish!

Picture perfect veggies competing for a ribbon

Pastry ribbons, the one in the middle won first prize.

Crafts everywhere!

Pumpkin judging

This one won the blue ribbon

What a departure from my everyday life, miles and miles of farmland and open fields, a pristine blue sky and even though we saw many locals pulling out their BlackBerrys, there is still a feeling of the simple life.  I am not sure I could live there full time, but it is certainly a relaxing break from the daily treadmill of city life.