seeing France in northwest Wisconsin

On the second of two trips to the beau's cabin way up in NW Wisconsin (think two hours east of Minneapolis), I started thinking that the environment was not unlike rural France. Lots of farms, rolling hills, cheese--OK, France has better cheese plus wine, good restaurants, and pretty chateaux, but a girl can dream.

Lots of cows of course. These either wanted snacks or help breaking out.

The local (still in use) mill.

The cabin. Beau stays there with his whole family sometimes, which must get pretty snug--only one bedroom. But he tends to sleep in a tent on the lawn when there's a crowd. We were on our own--very romantic.

View from the house in the early morning.

It was a little rainy one day, but that brought out this perfect, unbroken rainbow--a good omen on the beau's birthday, I think!

Un homme et son chat. This cat goes nuts when the beau takes him up there. Every day I made the beau clear the "killing field," aka the lawn, of dead mice and shrews before I went outside. (Poor things!)

Sailing with a beer in hand is tricky! I had never sailed a boat myself before. I got really into it--sailing is kind of like playing a game with the wind.

I was going to say "Here's one thing they don't have in France," but of course they do have turkeys there. But are they as jolie laide as this one at the county fair? I don't think so.