We had a great weekend away! We went to The Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake -- only an hour from home, but in a sort of no-man's-land area of the state for us!

If we were into racing, that might be a different story. Stemming from a brief, popular period of open road racing in the '50s (that must have been something!), Elkhart Lake is now home to Road America, hosting NASCAR and many other types of racing (automobile & otherwise).

It's a tiny, quaint little town with a few other large, historic resorts and several fine establishments for food & drink... but no grocery store! We checked in on Friday evening, went out for a bite, and then drove to the next town to shop for a few things for the fridge. Once that was done, though, we parked the car and didn't even look at it again until it was time to pack up and head home on Sunday.

After enjoying separate massages in the spa on Saturday, we joined up afterwards for a soak in the whirlpool and a few minutes in the sauna. I'll tell you... I have had "hot stone" massages before but this one! Tiny little hot stones between each of my toes!! Your mileage may vary, but for me... that was bliss.

The resort's Elk Room, which boasts a pretty spectacular fireplace and enormous floor-to-ceiling windows with a view toward the lake, was a great place to enjoy a late lunch. It was nice enough that lots of people were out walking -- on paths around the resort, on the pond, and on the lake.

We ended up eating dinner at the Lake Street Cafe both nights! (Not that we didn't try for another, but it was closed for a special event on Saturday.) Rusty even had the same salmon dish both nights! We were on the bar side, and didn't even realize they had a more formal dining room until Sunday morning when we stepped out for breakfast. Oh well, "casual and relaxed" was definitely our mode for the weekend.

Neither of the TVs in our suite was ever turned on; instead we enjoyed the fireplace and read and knit.

I cast on my Parallelogram Scarf twice, and got a good bit done. And while I love that dark ball of yarn, it's just too... dark and there's not enough contrast. I think I would like the resulting striped scarf, but I don't think I would love it. That dark ball kept whispering to me that it would be happier doing something else, and I listened.

So I've subbed that ball for the one above and made some progress last night -- and I like it better! The sequencing pattern is showing more, too. I hope to have a photo to share tomorrow.

We have a new "selfie" for the collection, having spotted a photo booth at the restaurant!

After a quick stop at the store on the way home, I got a pot of Chili All Day on the stove and everyone came over for dinner! We had fun with my glasses and fiberfill... don't ask me how things evolve this way!

I also had yesterday off... an oil change, a meeting with Ali, and helping Kate move some stuff into her new apartment! I also had time for some bookwork, and took a little of that time to begin straightening out my workroom, and to clean off & reorganize one of the kitchen counters. We've begun redecorating in there and it's feeling good!

It'll be two weeks before another day off (other than weekends), so I'm glad it was a good one!

Here's to next year!