Schopf's Hilltop Dairy

We had read about this dairy in the tourist brochures and decided that this gray morning would be the perfect time to visit it. Don't miss it if you visit Door County!

The milking parlor at Schopf's Hilltop Dairy is a state-of-the-art facility. They run three eight-hour shifts and approximately 500 cows are each milked every eight hours. Yes, each cow is milked three times a day! Whenever the shop is open, the milking parlor is in full view of visitors. We were entranced by the process and want to share some photos.

Here is the milking parlor, sparkling clean and ready for the beginning of the shift. Ten cows are milked on each side of the parlor.

The cows enter single file and take their places.

Two men work the parlor, treating/cleaning their teats and attaching the equipment. See the cows in the background waiting their turn?

Look closely in the cylindrical "pans" and you can see the milk going through the machines.

Here's a view of the other side of the parlor.

After the milking machines have all released on one side, gates open at each station and the cows file out as the next group walks in.

We watched this process through three sets of cows...it was fascinating! The milk from this dairy is used to make Land O Lakes products...which are favorites at our house.

Lovin' Life ~~ Learning as We Meander

Bev

At the Dog Park

Rich set up the fence for the girls in our yard here at the RV park and we were just sitting outside with them for a while.

We had the girls with us all day today and one of our stops was the dog park in Sister Bay. Here are a couple of quick movies of them.




The next one is a bit shorter.



They are expanding this RV park and we are in the new section where all the landscaping has been recently planted. I took some photos while we were outside with the girls and want to share these two of the baby leaves on the young maple tree in our yard.

Lovin' Life ~~ Playful & New

Bev

Washington Island, WI

The weather was perfect today...sunny, slight breezes, and temps in the sixties! That made today the perfect day to visit Washington Island...23 square miles of lovely landscape about six miles off the northern tip of Door County. We took a car ferry from Northport which you can see here as we left the pier.

Fifteen years ago, my friend Kay and I came up here for a few days of girl R&R and I was excited to show Rich some of the sights. Here our ferry is approaching the dock on Washington Island.

We drove nearly every road on the island today and had a great lunch at a neat old bar. Schoolhouse Beach stood out in my memory for the smooth white rocks rather than sand that cover this beach.

Rich at Schoolhouse Beach.

The water at Schoolhouse Beach on the north side of the island is crystal clear.











The island is heavily treed in many areas but there are open spaces that are farmed. It is enough cooler up here that the early spring flowers and flowering bushes are in bloom, the trees have tiny leaves that are beginning to unfurl, and the rocks are moss covered.

After a day filled with dazzling sights, the girls are ready to board the ferry for the return trip to the mainland.

Standing at the front of the ferry on the way back, the sun shining on the waves made it look like the water was sprinkled with a million sparkling diamonds.

While working on this blog post, I glanced out the window and was treated to this magnificent sunset...an ideal close to this picture-perfect post of such a beautiful day.

Lovin' Life ~~ And Sparkling Days

Bev

A Dozen Years Already!

Twelve years ago today we became grandparents at the time of your birth. That was the beginning of this phase of our lives that is so much fun and filled with so much love for you and your brother and sister. You have always amazed and delighted us with your love, your smarts, your humor, your athleticism, your good looks, your friendliness,  ...we could go on and on!

Happy Birthday, Jackson, with all our love!

Lovin' Life ~~ And Being Grandparents

Grandma & Grandpa

Door County, Wisconsin

We were home for nearly two weeks and I only posted once. I really must try to post quick, short entries instead of waiting until I have time to post one of my tomes!!! We did so much in those two weeks, some of it sad as I mentioned in the Mother's Day post, but most of it was great...it was fabulous to reconnect with everyone at home.

Now we are on the road again. We left home yesterday but drove to just south of Milwaukee before stopping for the night. The winds were horrendous and since we have no schedule for this trip, there was no reason to struggle against them or take any risks. Today we got to the RV Park in Door County, Wisconsin where we plan to stay put and just relax for a week.

After settling in, we drove up to the north end of the peninsula. What I most love about RVing are the delightful surprises that we frequently happen upon...surprises like this stretch of road between Gill's Rock and Northport.

I would love to hear the story of why this stretch of road curves like it does. We have never seen anything like this...a quite lovely surprise. And the cherry on top was this...

...wild turkey with the beautiful blue head walking alongside the road. Rich saw him spread his feathers while I was busy taking photos of this amazing road.

Coming back we also saw his mate on the opposite side of the road.










Here is a view of Green Bay near the ferry dock in Northport. We plan to take that ferry to Washington Island...perhaps tomorrow.

This next photo of Green Bay was taken just outside of Fish Creek. I was trying to capture the many gorgeous colors of the water at that time of day along with the pair of swans.

The tourist season doesn't start until Memorial Day up here so it is quiet and the pace is slow and the people are few and we already found a dog park...absolutely perfect for a relaxing week away.

Lovin' Life ~~ And Frequent Surprises

Bev

Celebrating Mothers

Our daughter, our beautiful daughter, is the most amazing Mom I have ever known. She is so loving and it shows in our grands who are naturally affectionate...we are all snugglers and huggers. I love that! She is so smart and it shows in the ways in which she is able to guide our grands to the right actions. She and Shawn are so energetic and it shows in the ways that they spend family time in a variety of activities. We couldn't be more proud of her!

My sister has, without hesitation, demonstrated the ultimate in mother's love in the care given her son throughout the years of his illness. In time that love will see him healthy again.

Today is a sad one for our daughter-in-law who lost her mother to cancer this week. The funeral mass was lovely and the message of hope and everlasting love was profoundly moving.

In January I lost My Pauline, the last of my three amazing mothers-in-law. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her and miss having her in my life.

Thankfully, my own mother is living and well and has always enjoyed her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren more than anything else in her life.

And there are many other "mothers" - family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, authors, bloggers - who have touched my life in a variety of ways and from whom I have continued to learn about love and living.

On this day we remember all the remarkable women, the "mothers" who have influenced our lives and shared our love.

Lovin' Life ~~ And Honoring Mothers

Bev

While We Were Away...

...Springtime arrived in Central Illinois! We were greeted with the sight of this beautiful tree as we drove into Carlinville Thursday.

Mom is doing very well and looks great now that she has her hair permed again. For the past couple of years she let it go straight and still kept it very short. Since she had never worn it that way, she was nearly unrecognizable. Thanks, Joyce; she looks like Mom again!

Mom's favorite nature area close to home is Beaver Dam State Park. Earlier today she and I took a drive through the park enjoying the wildflowers and lake and geese.

Here are a few shots we took. If anyone can identify any of the flowers or plants, please let me know what they are. OK, all you smartypants, even I can identify the dandelions...giggle!

Tomorrow we drive the short final leg home. It's like moving when we have to unload the RV after such a long trip...oh well, it will be good to be home again.

Lovin' Life ~~ And the Beauty of Spring

Bev