Whew!  It’s been a busy summer!

It feels like as soon as we caught our breath, it was time to pack up and head out on a plane again.  This time, we were going out to my sister-in-law’s wedding in Burlington, Wisconsin.  Burlington is such a cute little town.  We stayed downtown at the Hampton Inn, which was very nice, and had a short afternoon to walk around downtown.

Downtown Burlington, WI

It has many historic buildings with great details that the town is trying to preserve.

Historic Burlington, WI

We ran into a local shop keeper closing up, and she told us that a number of building facades had recently been restored.  They want to keep the historic, small town charm.

Detail Fancy Work

I loved the rosette on this building.  I think it’s supposed to be a sunflower.

Detail Rosette

And the details on this building.

Detail Rosettes

As we walked around, we noticed these signs.  “Burlington Liar’s Club Winner, (year)”  Most of them were real slap-stick, but it was fun.

Liar's Club Winner 1978

Not forgetting to look down, I saw these stylized grates around the trees.

Iron work

Tucked away in a corner was a little doorway, which led through to a small courtyard between two building.  There was this neat cobblestone wall on one side.  I think it could make a nice desktop picture.

Cobblestone Wall

Unfortunately, everything was pretty much closed when we were walking around late afternoon, but there were a few shops with some pretty vignettes outside.

Vignette Painted bench

An ice cream store hasn’t quite opened yet, but I couldn’t resist taking a picture of their “address.”

Sweet 2th

We concluded our tour of downtown Burlington with a stroll through the park, next to the river.  It’s a very idyllic setting, with plenty of places to sit, eat, and stroll.

River and Park, Burlington, WI

Looking at the map, there are lots of little parks all over Burlington.  And no matter which way you drive, you’ll probably cross over the river at least once.  We noticed quite a few fisherman out all weekend long.

Fisherman in Burlington, WI

It was a wonderful weekend getaway.  We left the hurricane behind (and thankfully didn’t come to any problems), and spent a lovely weekend with my husband’s family.  We flew in and out of Chicago, which was only about an hour away (without traffic).  I hope that we can go back and do a little more exploration of that city…