Buena Vista Park

Buena Vista Park is a scenic overlook located in Alma, Wisconsin.  I live only about a twenty minute drive to this park, so I have been here about half a dozen times. It's always one of the places I take out- of-town company to see.  No matter how many times I stop and take in the view, I am always awestruck when I see it again.  

On this day, my husband and I took a drive to Merrick State Park to enjoy a hike in the woods and enjoy the fall colors.  Buena Vista Park was nearby, so after our hike we decided to see the fall colors from the scenic overlook.

The park has a long, winding road up to the top.  It can be kinda scary if your afraid of heights, but it isn't as horrible as mountain roads like Pike's Peak or Mt. Washington of course.  You can also hike your way up or down.

 The park is known for it's amazing view of the Mississippi River.  Visitors can watch barges traveling up the river and locking through the dams, along with views of the sand islands and backwater areas.

I always enjoy looking straight down and seeing the little town of Alma below.  It  reminds me of a miniature train village when seen from that height.  Especially when a train comes through like in the lower left picture above.

Everyone that comes to this park comes to see the view.  There is a nice lawn and tree filled area to picnic, and we did a lot of people enjoying it on this beautiful eighty degree fall day.

This is a Lock and Dam #4.  You can walk across a bridge and get an up close view of the dam if you wish.  I think we did it one time, but because two of my biggest fears are heights and water, I wasn't thrilled with the experience.

There are large birds that fly in the sky above the Mississippi that provide a lot of entertainment to the sight-seekers.  I believe this is a turkey vulture, but it is also quite common to see Eagles in this area as well.

There are always lots of boats out on the Mississippi River to watch! (lower right corner above)

It was a little early for fall color, so the colors weren't as vibrant as we hoped, but it was still pretty.

That is a power plant pictured below.

Whenever we travel, my husband is usually the photographer.  He likes to use the DSLR, and I don't like to carry it, so I happily give the job to him.  That's why so many of our travel photos are of me.  I do however take my own pictures as well, but I use my IPhone.

He always worries me because he takes risks I would never take to get the perfect photo: like climbing on the edge of cliffs!  I have learned I can't even watch him when he is doing something risky, and I have to just turn and walk away or I'll have a heart attack.  No matter how many times I ask him not to do something dangerous, he does it anyway.  He always insists he is perfectly safe.  So I give up.

This is a photo I took with my IPhone.  I love the way it turned it turned out.

Have a great day!  Amy

Kisses $1.00!

I had to travel out of town for four days, and right before I had to leave I realized I needed to pop an anniversary card in the mail.  I had zero time to make a card, so when I saw this pre-printed digital stamp sitting on my desk, I knew it would be perfect.

All I did was cut it out with Spellbinder's Nestabilities.  I then mounted it on a second white frame, and popped that up on dimensionals onto a white card base.

I tied a brown gingham ribbon around the image base for embellishment.

This card would have looked un-done or too simple if I wouldn't have added the extra details of the dimension and the ribbon.  Just adding one or two elements to a clean and simple card can make all the difference in the world.

Have a great day!  Amy

My New Poncho

A few years ago I bought a poncho and I wore it once or twice then I gave it away.  I just didn't like the way it looked on me;  the heavy, thick knit added a lot of pounds to my frame.  I also felt it was very impractical in my climate.  I couldn't wear it under a coat (trust me, I tried), and it was too cold most of the year to wear it without a coat.  Plus, I felt my movements were greatly restricted in a poncho.  So trendy or not, out it went.  Then they came back into style big time this season.  I asked myself, do I really want to go there again?  I mean, I love the way they look on everyone else, but they look horrible on me and they don't work for my lifestyle.

Well then Stitch Fix sent me a square poncho (shown HERE), and I loved it!  It looked great, I could wear a coat over it, and I felt I had plenty of arm movement.  I then realized it was because the knit was thin, and it had armholes.

Later that week,  my husband and I were visiting the cute little town of Wabasha, MN (see THIS POST), and we stopped in a little boutique where they had a ton of ponchos and wraps for only $25.00 a piece!  My husband graciously told me to pick one out for myself, (and it was hard, for they were all so pretty and there were so many different colors and styles).   I decided on this black one because I thought it would go with anything in my closet and it had a hood!  I've never seen a hood on a poncho before.

The poncho is very thin and somewhat see-thru.  It is also very long.  I believe the reason this poncho works for me and my old one did not, is because the thin yarn does not add extra bulk and the length elongates the torso.

The hood has a little soft, furry trim.

 It is also asymmetrical and has a fringe on the edge.

The hood is not very deep, it barely frames my face.  But it covers my ears enough to keep them warm if needed.

I gave you a hint of this outfit and poncho in my Stitch Fix post last Friday.  But since that post was all about my Fix, I wanted to do a separate post about the poncho.

I wore my poncho with this plaid skirt that Stitch Fix sent me and a Michael Kors tunic.  I initially was going to wear the poncho as outwear, but I ended up leaving it on inside as well because it was so cozy, warm, and comfortable.  I felt like I was snug in a blanket and I loved it!

For jewelry, I only wore silver bracelets and my usual rings since the poncho went right up to my neckline.

In case you missed Friday's Fashion Post, this is the outfit I wore under the poncho.

I wore grey, cable knit tights on my legs, and suede booties on my feet (old, Famous Footwear).

Stitch Fix also sent me a fabulous fringe hand bag in my Fall Fix.

My experience with ponchos taught me a valuable fashion lesson:  If a trend doesn't initially work for you, try different styles till you find one that is right for you!  Ponchos come in all shapes, styles, and materials.  I learned that the short, thick and chunky ponchos do not work for my body type;  but the thin, long, asymmetrical ones do!

So what about you?  Have you purchased a poncho yet?  I'd love to hear from you!

Have a great day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!