Quilt Shop and Hodags

Hello Blogger Friends!

Last weekend Denis,  Mom and I went on a short road trip to Wausau and Rhinelander,  WI in search of (what else?) Quilt shops. 

Our first stop was in Wausau,  where we visited Sew Smart.   A very nice store with an antique  sewing machine collection, with some toy machines as well.  It is a store we will definately visit again.  We lunched in Wausau at a place called Wisconsin Burger Company.  VERY GOOD!!  I had Wisconsin Cheese Curds that were to die for.

After lunch, it was onward to the small town of Rhinelander.  There we found a very nice downtown, 5 to 6 blocks long.  We stopped in Sew Smart, a very nice quilt shop right downtown.  Yes, the two stores we visited that day are sister stores.  This one in Rhinelander was very tastefully decorated in a north woods decor.  They had many lovely fabrics and samples made.  Both Mom and I came home with fabrics...Mom got some lake loon fabrics and came home with some wonderful flannels.  After all that strenuous shopping (LOL) we have ice cream cones at this cute little stand.  I'm definately going back there again for more -- the ice cream is 96% fat free!!  (Does that mean I can eat twice as much?)

While in Rhinelander, we discovered the town's masct, the HODAG.  And, just what is a hodag, you ask?  Well, as far as I have learned, it is a made-up animal, created by a town resident in the 1800's to promote the town.  After the hoax was revealed, the town adopted the hodag as it's mascot.  The local HS team is, you guessed it, the Hodags.  There is Hodag Park, a hodag on the water tower, many businesses with the name hodag, and a fall hodag festval.  We found some hodag statues in downtown, gaily painted in different themes.

It was a great day.  The weather was summer perfect, I was in good company with Mom and Denis, ate wonderful cheese curds and fat-free ice cream, visited quilt shops, and learned all about the hodag.

Till next time...