Valley Ridge - Nina - Wisconsin - Road Trip- Part 1

WOW, just where to begin. The last week has been such a whirlwind of activity both expected and unexpected. New faces, new experiences, new surroundings, new appreciation for rural life but most importantly new friendships and even bonds that one can not imagine could possibly form in mere days. The purpose of our trip was simple....an art workshop at Valley Ridge but oh my from the start of the engine on Friday morning it was so so so much more.


Examining that last sentence...the purpose of our trip was simple...well the purpose may have been simple but most people wouldn't consider a 9-10 hour drive through Chicago of all places anything but simple.....
....an art workshop....now this is not just "an art workshop" is it an art workshop with the loving, caring and insanely talented Nina Bagley...yes, now I understands Kim's gleeful anticipation for this weekend.
....at Valley Ridge....simple, yes it does resemble simple life, but it is absolutely breath taking, the scenery for such a retreat could not be better but then Bill and Kathy enter the picture. An absolutely fabulous couple living their dream and being kind enough to share it with us all. Their sincerity, generosity and warm personalities make Valley Ridge come to life.

For a sense of Valley Ridge here a two shots of our surroundings.......
Now, that you are relaxed and looking off into the green pastures afar, I will account the experiences of the part one of my wisconsin experience........

**Friday ... we are off, starting the 9 hour trip to Dodgeville, WI where we will be resting our heads through Monday. First stop, 2 hours into the drive Starbucks (of course!) in Bowling Green, OH. With the caffeine now flowing through our veins we hit Chicago in great time. Given the lack of any deadlines and our craving for one of our Chicago faves, we jump off the highway and head downtown, yes I said downtown to Portillos. Yes, most call us crazy but we just love Chicago and can put up with a little traffic. We head up Lakefront past the Navy Pier and then head over to Portillos for some Chicago style hot dogs! It would only have been better if Laura and Jane, our Portillos buddies, were there to share in the moment. Hours later we arrive in Dodgeville, check in and head out to check out Valley Ridge. Well, the directions were perfect; however, a slight glitch...a detour...no maps, just an old mapquest print out with limited info...so we searched around ended up in Cobb and followed the closed road the remaining 7 miles...oh what fun even when it hit one lane. After successfully locating Valley Ridge, we decide to stop at the local, very local Castle Rock Inn....needless to say we stuck out in the crowd!! In typical WI fashion fried fish (actually a whole fried seafood buffet) was the meal of the evening. We played along, got out of there as quickly as possible and topped of the evening with a Rootbeer Float from an old fashioned A&W stand.

**Saturday...day one of the workshop, I must admit feeling much anxiety over the fact I had agreed to take the class. As soon as we open the car door, we are greeted by Bill given the Valley Ridge welcome and overview. From that moment, I knew the weekend would be special.
Nina arrives and after some introductions, hugs and reacquainting, class is starting. The anxiety continues to build, why? The unknown, the new, the "unartist" in me asking what are you doing here?? But I look over at Kim, then up at Nina and know I am in goods hands and can give this a go...yes, I have taken a couple classes over the last couple months but this was a workshop, two days, one project....ok, yes I know get over it. The rest of the class is really a blur but within an hour, ok maybe two, I am more at ease and just letting things come as they do, step by step, listen, watch, do....my accomplishments at the end of day one....

**Sunday...beginning of day two is a stark contrast to the day before, coffee, relaxation, anticipation of whats to come, maybe this necklace won't turn out that bad after all....here it is the one on the right...the two on the left are Kim's wonderful creations....but it wasn't about the necklace, it was about the whole experience. It has really made an impression on me from the feeling of accomplishment to the escape of everyday life capped off by the wonderful company of Kim, Nina, Kathy and Bill. Each of you touched me in a way that I can not express. Leaving Valley Ridge was tough but knowing we'd be back real soon made it a little easier.

Back home in Ohio, full of new and unexpected energy I knocked out almost 30 hours of work in two days in anticipations of the next trip to Wisconsin. 1,600 miles down, much more on the next 1,900 soon............