Holiday Vacation: Cheezing

Later this week we were supposed to visit Hans' great aunt in La Crosse with his sister, but since another winter storm is predicted, Hans' mom took us today (sans sister, who did not arrive until this evening). I enjoyed the rolling scenery of old farmhouses and harvest remains of cornfields, cut close the the ground and lightly blanketed with a dusting of snow. Along the way we visited a variety of creamery shops in the area (mostly for my benefit, since it is my first time here). For road snacks Hans' mom purchased a bag of fresh, warm, and squeaky cheese curds, which were a welcome treat. Hans and I had fun picking out different types of cheeses at the shops but we were constantly in danger of over indulging.


When we got to La Crosse, we saw the house where Hans' dad grew up and various haunts from his youth. We made a surprise visit to another one of Hans' great aunts (by marriage) with a plate of Christmas goodies. The historic downtown area was pretty, with brightly painted turn-of-the-century brick buildings.

Downtown La Crosse

We stopped at a bakery to pick up some rosettes, a yummy Norwegian Christmas tradition (only made during this time of year). Other customers commented on their fond memories of grandparents to prepared the pretty, sugar-dusted, fried-dough treats. Hans and I were each given one to try, and more were purchased for others back at the house.

After a quick walk and a small lunch, we went to Great-Aunt Rita's (a plate of cookies for her also) and visited for about an hour. She's famous in the family for being a troublemaker and tormentor, and she told us funny stories from her times in Catholic school.

At the end of the day we went to a large grocery store in Onalaska, where I picked up a few gifts and some Thai cooking ingredients that I can't find in Cape. We quickly stopped at the riverfront of La Crosse, where the Rotary Club was holding a fundraiser with extravagant Christmas lights and decorations. As we drove back to the house along the river, a good amount of snow began to fall. The evening ended with a reunion over grilled spiral-cut ham and some experimentation with Galliano.

The fire-breathing dragon