Ever heard of Taco Cat?

This is just a silly card I made for fun. I received this cat die (unbranded) in the mail and wanted to give it a try. I think I saw the sentiment on Pinterest, and it made me chuckle, so I used it. The die is not a layered die, so I used some of my metallic markers to highlight specific areas. I also used my black Viva Décor pen to add shiny black eyes.

The inside of my card shows you its purpose. But it could just as easily be changed to use as a birthday card or just a fun "hello" card.



















I have a few photos to share with you of our RV trip to destinations in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Our first destination was the Winnebago Grand National Rally in Forest City, Iowa. There we met with other Rialta RV owners, some of whom were old friends and others who became new friends.

We had a few days of "pre-rally" fun, when we had lots of time to sit and chat, go out for dinner with the group and attend some of the Puckerbrush Festival activities in Forest City. If you're wondering what a puckerbrush is, it's a bush with a very sour berry that makes you pucker (I had to look that one up!).

The first official night of the rally, the headline entertainment was an Elvis impersonator. He was actually pretty good, and it was fun to sing along to all the old Elvis hits.

Next we visited Clayton and Quincy, Illinois. This mansion is on a street of such homes in Quincy. We toured it and learned its history.

My stepson and step-grandson joined us in Clayton, Illinois, where my husband grew up. We stayed in a campground, but they stayed at the Redbird Inn. When visiting them there, I looked out the window of their room, and lo and behold--there was a red bird - a beautiful Cardinal! This picture is a bit blurry because I took it so quickly, but it's easy enough to see the lovely color of the bird.

Next, we drove to Springfield, Illinois, and visited all the sites related to Abraham Lincoln. This is the home where Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln lived and raised their sons.

This is the tomb where Abraham and Mary Lincoln are buried, along with three of their four sons.

Our last stop on our trip was Door County, Wisconsin. We stayed at a campground in Fish Creek, but also visited the other harbor towns and villages on the peninsula. It's just SO beautiful there!

Even the poppies seemed to be more luxuriant and more brightly colored.

There were lots of artsy shops with handmade items for sale. This was a glass shop with all kinds of garden ornaments out front.

I loved these bold, bright flowers.

In the village of Sister Bay, Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant boasts of goats on the roof! Sure enough, there were quite a few goats on the roof, keeping the grass nice and short and, no doubt, enjoying a perfect view of Lake Michigan!

Our last night in Fish Creek, we attended a fish boil, which is a local tradition. A large pot of water is brought to a boil over a wood fire. Small, new potatoes are added first and allowed to cook. Then a metal basket is placed into the boiling water on top of the potatoes, and pieces of white fish and some salt is then added to this basket.

Our chef explained that during the last couple minutes of cooking, he would need to add some kerosene to the fire to get it to flare up and boil the pot over, which resulted in any scum or particles in the water flowing out of the pot. This keeps the fish clean and particle-free.

This is what it looks like when the kerosene is added!

I immediately understood why there was a low brick wall around the cooking area to prevent customers from getting too close!

The fish was good, but I still prefer mine sautéed in a little butter!

Just before we headed for home, we purchased some Montmorency cherries. They are grown locally (as shown in this pic) and sent all over the country from this area. In fact, at the height of the cherry growing in Door County, this small area provided 95% of the country's cherries.

I made a pie with the ones we purchased shortly after I got home. In fact, it became a "birthday pie" for my granddaughter. Everyone loved it.

If you stuck with me to the end of this blog post, thank you! I know it was a bit long, but I do like to share our adventures with all of you.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl