WildWestDays2008: Sammy the Bull tames a buffalo...

And that's no bull.

True story. There was a buffalo named Cody at the Viroqua Wild West Days. On Friday night a woman rode it in the parade...but still it was a wild and ferocious buffalo. Until he met Sammy.

Cody the buffalo...

A cowboy offered Cody some of his beer (really)...
...Cody was starting to look like he might stampede...
...until...

Sammy the Bull bravely stared down the belligerent buffalo...

To further tame Cody...
...Sammy reached down and touched his horns...
...an act of bravery accomplished by no other toddler at the Viroqua Wild West Days...

Like a safari hunter...
...Sammy posed over the vanquished...

WildWestDays2008: Five Dollar Fine

Sammy tends to have eclectic music tastes (everything from classical to Dean Martin to cowboy songs). At the Viroqua Wild West Days, he roped us into sitting down for a number of songs by Tex & Mary Shutz. He really seemed to enjoy their singing (as we did). Our favorite song sung by them is "Five-Dollar Fine for Whining."

Tex & Mary...
...can you imagine someday Paul & Michele...
...Michele playing the oboe and Paul (someday) the ukulele?

Sammy watching and listening intently...

Sammy applauds the performance...

Sammy keeps won't be a little boy for long...
...so we try to savor each day with him as much as we can...

WildWestDays2008: Subprime Sam -- or -- Sammynomics

Sammy showed how to avoid a banking breakdown by showing how it was done in the west while at the Viroqua Wild West Days. When a would be sub-prime borrower came in (played by Paul's sister Anne), Sammy refused to lend her the money...even when she pulled out her six-shooters.

Sammy refuses to lend money and/or be robbed...

He quickly ran over to the safe and slammed it shut...
...a bank can't lose money if it won't loan it...
...maybe Freddie Mac and Sallie Mae should take a play from that book...

A shareholder (played by Diane) feels that her money is safe in Sammy's bank...
...even if it doesn't gain any interest...

WildWestDays2008: Morning Events

After we woke up and showered and ate breakfast, we headed over to the Viroqua Wild West Days.

A stray varmint that we named Monroe came by asking for milk...

At breakfast, Sammy showed his outlaw look...

At the Wild West Days, the parking...
...a wagon pulled up and the driver offered Sammy a ride...

Sammy delighted the cowpokes on the wagon with his horse riding stories...

The Viroqua Wild West Days...

There was free entertainment such as this singing cowboy...

Sammy waits to have his shoes shined...

WildWestDays2008: Friday Night Parade

Friday night at Viroqua's Wild West Days there was a parade--full of horses which Sammy thoroughly enjoyed.

Sammy watching the parade...

A few dollars and horses short of the Wells Fargo Wagon...
...but spectacular anyway...

WildWestDays2008: Our Accommodations

We hastily made our reservations for Viroqua's Wild West Days at the last minute, so our options were limited. We rented a cabin one night then switched to motel rooms the next. We had a bit of trouble actually finding the cabin place when we got there. And when we did, we pulled up to the office which was wide open but no one was there. A sign told us to go inside an call the phone number and someone would eventually come and take care of us. We didn't get a good look at the outside of our cabin until the next morning. But it really wasn't so bad, and aside from the shower where you had to pull a string to get hot water, it actually was kind of fun...in a roughing-it sort of way.

The office...

The sign...
...yes, it is a life preserver...

Aunt Annie "roughing" it...

Cowboy Sam...

A feature of our cabin was that the stairway had a tree trunk in it...
...later we noticed it had a ceramic squirrel on the railing too...

Upon closer inspection...
...we noticed the tree trunk in the staircase...
...had been watching us...

Morning came...
...we found a heavy fog had enveloped our cabin...

In the fog, it did not look quite so bad...

Until we saw the upholstered chair on the porch...
...ewwwww....

The fog burned off...
...and we could see the natural splendor of the scenery...

That was about when we noticed...
...we could see twin Winnebago's....
...both sitting on cinder-blocks...

WildWestDays2008: Viroqua Sam....

A couple of weeks ago, Paul stumbled online across the Viroqua Wild West Days website. A few years ago, we had gone to southwestern Wisconsin for a weekend getaway and fell in love the hilly area. Given Sammy's love of cowboys and horses, we had to go. Paul's sisters Anne & Diane came along too. We have a number of postings to do on all the events--we fit in quite a bit into a few short days this past weekend.

Sammy watching cowboys roping calves...

TRIP: SW Wisconsin 9/3/2005 - 9/4/2005

This labor day weekend, Michele and I went on a quick trip to southwestern Wisconsin. We had hoped instead to go to the Black Hills of South Dakota, but we faced time constraints. So at the last minute we were able to find a Bed and Breakfast (B&B) in Westby, Wisconsin called "Westby House."

It was a really nice B&B run by a husband and wife team. The wife runs the "inside" while the husband runs the kitchen and maintains the property. We spent just one night in the "Garden Room" and slept well. We drove around the town and saw the Amish folk baling their hay. Unfortunately, Paul didn't get any photos of that. But on before we left, we took some photos of the B&B and the towns we drove through.

The B&B owners suggested DiSciascio's Restaurant in Coon Valley, Wisconsin for dining. Since there isn't alot of choice, we decided to drive over Saturday night and give it a try. We've been living in the midwest for about 10 years, having been transplants from the east coast. This was the first time in all those years that we have found an Italian restaurant which has food like we could eat back home. As it turned out, the owner grew up in Ocean City, NJ and married a woman who graduated at the top of her class at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America)...which is impressive (the world's premier culinary college). His wife is originally from Zumbrota, MN so somehow they ended up opening a restaurant here. We now have a reason to come back here again!

After Michele finished her 'antiquing' at the local Westby stores, we drove around the countryside. Between Ontario and La Farge is a "Rustic Road" which is definitely worth taking. It is off of Route 131 just south of Ontario and it drops you back on Route 131 closer to La Farge.

We ate lunch at a diner called "Kelly's Cafe" in Viroqua, Wisconsin. The owner's husband seemd to take quite an interest in us and our little car. He spent about fifteen minutes talking to us and never gave us the menu. His wife came by to take our order and seemed a little upset (not alot though) that he was talking to us and not getting us to take our order. He seemed like a nice guy, and told us that east of that city there was an awful lot of maple trees and the colors will be great in about three weeks. We'll have to go back some year during autumn!!

We came back and swung by Winona, Minnesota to take a view from the looking point Garvin Heights...a big "mountain" (does Minnesota have any?) that you can look down on the island city of Winona. For a trip of lasting a little over 24 hours, we had a great time.

(click on the photos to see an enlargened version)

View of Westby Bed & Breakfast

And an small office building in Westby that Paul liked the proportions of....


A big brick building in Westby...

And our NBC (New Beetle Convertible) parked in Westby
as Michele shops for 'antiques'...

We drove through Cashton...it had a nice brick building...


And literally in the middle of nowhere, there was this big church called Saint Mary's...


Michele admiring the view on the Rustic Road, just south of Ontario, Wi...


A view from the Rustic Road between Ontario and La Farge, Wi. ...


A view of Winona and Michele from Garvin Heights overlook...

And to finish up, a bit of history (click on image to read)...