Cedarburg...in the books....

Well, so first off, you'll be happy (or sad...) to know that with all the changes we had to do with our show, there turns out to be not too many things to report, show-wise. We made the changes that we needed to make - some of them worked themselves out better than others - and we got through the day with flying colors. We DID have a few 'Jackie Moments' - but they aren't that easily explainable in writing. (Where IS your black sweatshirt, Jackie?)

Our day DID start with a light snowstorm. And it was HEAVEN!

A few more snow shots.

Between shows, we went to the historic downtown of Cedarburg, and I think that it turned out to be a big hit. Everyone kind of did their own thing - but I think in the end, everyone was happy! Chris and I met up sometime during the day, and we walked past a store called Downtown Dough - which had a sign out front that claimed to have 1,300 Cookie Cutters inside.
Well, I had to see it. So we went in - and it was true...the place was FULL of cookies cutters. All different sizes, shapes, everything. I got on the phone and called my mom and sister and one of my sister-in-laws to see if they needed any cutters...and the hunt was on. I got all the standards - alphabet letters, flowers, stuff like that...but I went WAY beyond normal...and walked out with a gecko, the state of Idaho AND Arizona, a cactus and a dog bone, to name just a few. AND they were featured in Good Housekeeping magazine. So that's impressive.

Behold, the COOKIE CUTTER STORE.

Everyone enjoyed Cedarburg so much that after our second show, we all headed back down for some more fun before we left town. And on the second trip, the cookie cutter store was a HUGE hit with everyone. Other favorites in Cedarburg: the bead store, Cedarburg Coffee Roastery (coffees roasted on site from around the world...who KNEW Timor had a coffee industry?), The Chocolate Factory (I had a potato au gratin soup that easily changed my life), and the Italian deli/market. I am taking this time to tell you that out of all of the little cities that this tour has shown us, Cedarburg is my NEW favorite one, hands down! The people were so nice, the shopping was fun and it was especially great heading into the holidays! If you have a second, and you're ever in the Milwaukee area, take a side-trip to Cedarburg.

Some black and whites of Cedarburg...from the MAC. (Matt Anderson Collection.)

Some DOWNTOWN shots...with the color ON! In the first picture, coming down the sidewalk, it's none other than Puppetmaster Chris, Emily and Torg!

A couple of Holiday Windows downtown Cedarburg.

The drive to Madison was fine - we hit a lot of holiday-traffic in Milwaukee, but once we were passed there, it was smooth sailing. Our hotel is RIGHT on the Capital complex here in Madison - and the downtown is beautiful and EASILY walkable. We went to dinner last night, and after everyone headed out to drink, I took a walk around downtown to check everything out.

Since we're right by the Wisconsin State Capitol, which is beautiful, I took some pictures on my walk.

More of the same...only slightly more ARTISTIC. haha. or something.

Today Jackie headed back to Northern Virginia to have Thanksgiving with her family - MISS YOU ALREADY, JACKSON! - and the rest of us are here in Madison, heading out to a Thanksgiving dinner later and to the movies later than that.
I'll return to wrap up our Thanksgiving festivities later tonight. Until then, eat, sleep and be merry. And save me a piece of that PIE!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!


We came out of our show in Cedarburg and our Tour Car had been ripped APART! It was shocking.


These were 2 signs seen in different shops in Cedarburg. They both delighted me. The FIRST one was in the window of a yarn store. Who knew yarn-lifting was such a big problem? The second was in the Mary Jane Confectionary store window. BLLLLLLLLLECH.


So look! We found Wonka outside his shop - right after he had turned it over to it's NEW owner.


And then I was bored.


So here in Madison, down State Street, there is this TINY little place called Triangle Market - and their sign outside talks about FREE TOURS DAILY...claiming to be WORLD FAMOUS. I found it quite hysterical, and then INSIDE, I found these flyers WITH a self-guided portion printed inside. Thought it was entertaining enough to share.