Small Towns, Country Roads, and Big Cities

Our road trip has taken us to some amazing places in the last weeks. After leaving Red Oak, Iowa  (small town) we traveled in the early morning hours to Oxford, Wisconsin (about 700 residents) to visit friends Doug and Yvonne Lundquist, who live out of town (country roads). The have a beautiful place, full of flower gardens, wild life, and peaceful settings. I love the quietness of the country, the fresh air, and the peaceful relaxation of the surroundings. We spent time just relaxing and enjoying each other's company before driving to a near-by town to take a short ferry ride across the Wisconsin River - a short cut to another near-by small town. After a day of sight-seeing, we spent the evening with a wonderful meal at a near-by restaurant-bar on a lake. Yes, almost every country restaurant in Wisconsin is part of a bar - most of them serving locally brewed beer. The following day, we were treated to a dinner show featuring Maggie Mae, who travels south for the winter to perform for the Winter Texans. She is an amazing performer, a wonderful employer, and a true lover of the Lord. If you ever get a chance to see her, either in Wisconsin or in the Valley in the winter, make sure you make it a point to see her!!!!

the blue spruce in Lundquists yard looks like it is snow covered

waiting for the ferry

all aboard

crossing the river

Maggie Mae's dinner show

lots of room for everyone in the barn

dinner ready to go


she is an amazing yodelier

always ready to entertain with a smile

After leaving Oxford, we traveled on to Wausau (big city) to our daughter Connie's home - a very old vintage home with so much character. We were there in time for Saturday morning farmer's market - we all love to stroll around just admiring everything. There are many coffee  vendors who import their coffee beans from small growers, roast them, and offer them to the public. We bought a bag of freshly roasted beans after trying the hot water brewed cup of coffee. It has a rich aroma and wonderful taste. Also bought some fresh asparagus which we baked with olive oil and salt - delicious. One gentleman was selling imported olive oil and balsamic vinegar from Greece sold locally. Of course, there were the usual flowering baskets, vegetables, and even local maple syrup which we purchased for our family in Arkansas, not to forget honey and flavoured honey sticks. We drove through the amazing county fairgrounds which is surrounded by magnificent old pine trees as Wausau was once a big lumbering area. A high wind came through last week and took down some of these giants but there are still  many of them left. We were able to partake in the traditional Friday fish fry, of which there is no comparison anywhere!!!! Our daughter and I made the annual trek to buy flowers for her porch and yard. Even setting up the tent like pergola in the backyard despite the cool and damp weather was an enjoyment. One day as we were enjoying the perfect temperatures, the tornado warning sirens sounded, alerting everyone to take cover (I had forgotten about the tornado weather in WI). We headed for the house and sat on the front porch to watch the storm pass by. Of course we had to take a day for "cheese shopping" to visit area cheese factories to purchase cheese per the orders given to us before we left Arkansas. It really did turn out to be a beautiful day as we roared from one cheese factory to the other  in daughter's new Camero (with her driving of course). I almost felt guilty as I enjoyed the wind in my face as the fields flashed by. De Ja Vu to high school days in a 57 Chevrolet - we really thought we were special!! Trying to finish up the week with visits with old friends before heading to our sister-in-law's home. We also were able to attend Highland Community Church where we surprised friends and relatives, as we had told no one we were there.

one of the local coffee roasters where we purchased our coffee

 the tall stately pines of Marathon Park which were left standing after the storm

 cleaning up after the storm - look at the piles of logs

 

                                        

 

 the trees were broken off and destroyed

 

 

Connie's peonies and hanging basket

 

 summer flowers -

 our daughter's dog, Jack, enjoying the sunshine

 my brother is a great artist - a picture he painted for our daughter's Wizard of Oz collection

 part of the Oz collection

 

We attended Highland Community Church last Sunday where Pastor Jeff Hines emphasized that God can use anyone, even you and me, to further His Word. He used Saul (who became Paul) , Levi (a hated and dreaded unsavory tax collector who became Matthew), a donkey (who talked) and even Rehab, a Gentile, Canaanite whom God condemned for their idolatry, their human sacrifices - an immoral woman who was named Rehab after Ra, an Egyptian. God chose Jericho for Joshua to defeat because they were the worst of all - the city was in the middle of all 7 larger cities, God chose to divide the cities so Joshua could defeat Jericho for His own glory. Rahab helped in the defeat in exchange for her and her family's safety, as everyone and everything was destroyed. Just as God used her, He uses us during our Christian process - immediately and continually. What is God doing in your life to advance your Christian walk? We are a model of faith, therefore God blesses us who honor Him. Faith comes from different backgrounds, all colors, religions, ethnic groups, etc.

 

Forget what is behind you - go forth and ahead. God uses us where we are today.