There was plenty of corn to go around last weekend at the Sun Prairie Corn Festival despite concerns over this year’s crop..
It was all being served up along with a little music ..
(The band played to a nice crowd at the VFW pavilion Sunday.)
A little rain .. 
A little Zoe.
One of my favorite drives/hikes/moonlight cross country skiing areas. Beautiful. And there used to be this awesome little backroad bar on the drive up the pass from Lolo .. owned by couple from Wisconsin. First place ever saw mountain lion up close and personal. Thanks for sharing the photos .. envious of your awesome travels/adventures. Drive safely.
Of all the mountain passes I have crossed, Lolo Pass between Montana and Idaho is my all-time favorite, not necessarily for how it looks to me, but for how it must have looked to Lewis & Clark. Legend has it that the Lewis & Clark expedition climbed to the top of Lolo Pass, expecting to get their first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean. Of course, the Pacific lies another 700 miles west. All you can see from the summit of Lolo Pass is endless trees and rugged country. Gives new meaning to that eternal traveling question: “Are we there yet?”
The dusty trail from Chicago ..
.. brought us back one more time to the last night of the Horse Show in Fort Atkinson. 
Flip flops and shorts were quickly exchanged for jeans and boots.
“Would you ever want to live here, honey?” the Cowboy asked his daughter on a whirlwind trip to Chicago. We were in a cab on the way back to our car, cutting it close to the time we needed to be heading again for home.
“No way,” she replied, with a slight chuckle for emphasis.
The Cowboy’s little girl just celebrated a birthday. While preferring a country lifestyle, ever since I have known her (and most likely long before that), she has expressed a fascination with the city. Not just like a small city. Big cities. Skyscrapers. People. Things going on. She’s been to a few others. But for her birthday, she told us she really wanted to go to Chicago.
We weren’t quite sure we could make it happen.
But amid the chaos of work, a horse show and other commitments .. we made the most of what little time we did have, and made a run to town.
It seemed as though a long line might thwart our plans to visit the Shedd Aquarium, but the wait made for some great photo opportunities.
Sharks, dolphins and jellies on the wish list to see. Check. Check. 
And check.
Back to the Cowboy’s question. None of them said they would ever want to live in the big city. But when we were closer to home again, the Cowboy asked, “Hey kids, what was your favorite part of that trip?”
“All of it,” replied one of the boys.
“Yep, all of it,” the other two echoed. “When can we go back …… “
Last year about this time was one of the first visits by the Cowboy .. to Wisconsin. 
Well, since I had met him anyway.
This year’s Horse Show at the JB Ranch in Fort Atkinson was another return trip for some more fun/work. This year, we were lucky to have most of the kids along.
So did our friends ..
Wednesday was day one of a three day show and the Cowboy’s first day back in town this week. Been a busy week for us, but a fun one too.
And so nice to finally meet Carter … A & E.
There are few season so brightly colored when it comes to food .. as summer.
Watermelon is one of those things, when the kids are around we cannot seem to keep enough of in the house. Or on a plate on the porch …
Fresh flowers always for the dining room table ..
Ripe tomatoes on the vine out the back door .. 
And an ice cold beverage .. perhaps like one of these that I couldn’t seem to get a friend to share this past week.
It was the perfect day for a photo shoot ..
.. Few more shadows than I might have liked or know yet what to do with, the amateur photographer I am. But the temperature, for a late summer day was just right. And most importantly, everyone, all 18 of them, could be there.
Spent time taking this past week taking photos for a dear friend from our younger years and her beautiful family … as they face some pretty big life challenges.
It truly is an honor that people allow you into some of the most wonderful, heartfelt, intimate times in their lives in order to take a photo, or tell a story ..
Every year now, a couple times a year when special events roll around, for quite some time .. I have received an invitation to help out at a dear friends vineyard.
Sunday was one of those days …
Botham Vineyards hosts a Classic Car Show, a day and a hobby near and dear to the hearts and families of the beautiful couple who own and operate the vineyard.
The morning was crisp for a drive in a classic convertible, but made for some beautiful moments.
Cars were enjoyed. Wine was shared. Moments were had.
And fun memories were made. Many of which I witnessed, made me miss the Cowboy even more than I usually do the days we are unable to be together. But overall, a beautiful day in a serene setting over fine wine and with good friends. Blessed.
Amazing what new discoveries are out there .. when you take time to walk. And simply look around.
This past Saturday took an hour and walked the Farmer’s Market and upper end of State Street in Madison.
Little window shopping proved an appetizer for return trip soon with the kids. New niche candy shop and bakery just a few doors from each other.
There’s been boom in niche chocolatiers, cupcakeries ..
A big fan of breads and as communities look to shop and support local business, I wonder if this is something we’ll start to see more of. Apparently the case in some parts of the world.
Get out and enjoy …
A lot has happened since my last post. Probably for just about anyone that might be reading this and hopefully everyone else in the world, right? I hope so otherwise the days would get pretty boring. Families gather. Summer calls. There are backyard bar-b-ques. Days at the lake. Hot days. Really hot this summer. Nights are filled with the sounds of air conditioners still going strong. Kids finally making their way back outside to play. Lawn mowers running. Crickets. Fireflies light up the night and little feet run after them.
Things happen. Life changes. We enjoy what we can and stand tall and grounded in our faith in the face of another new day and all of the new challenges that might come along with it.
We have had so many blessings presented us this year. And some incredible challenges. In the midst of it all, I want to be authentic in writing about any of it.
For any number of reasons, it’s not easy to do that at the moment ..
So instead of not writing at all, I’m switching it up for the time being to photography. Which I love. I have been doing much more of that anyway these days. I’m looking to get better at it. And just have fun.
Besides, a photo can tell a thousand words. Isn’t that what ‘they’ say?
Conversations With a Cowboy 