a warm seat

About a year ago my husband and I took an overnight trip to Kohler, Wisconsin and stayed here. Our accomodations were curtesy of my brother and sister in-law, who had given us a gift certificate to the historic hotel a couple of years prior. Yes, a couple of years. You know how it is with gift certificates. Why is it so hard to use them?

Well, we finally did and we had a wonderful, although quick, trip. If you have been up to Kohler before you already know how lovely it is. If you have not (we hadn't), take my word that it is a place worth visiting.

In addition to the natural beauty in the setting, there is also some wonderful shopping up there. Not just girlie shopping, either. My husband had a great time strolling around and checking out the sites and shops with me. The Kohler store is something else.

At a darling store called Past Basket I found this handpainted bench. It's a Tracy Porter original (painted by Tracy herself!), from the early 1990's. We had been looking around for a bench to sit in one of our bay windows, and this one I liked more than any other I had seen. I couldn't resist the colors and of course, the handpainted detail. There is another Past Basket store in Illinois, and the Kohler store offered to send it on their truck down to that location for me. That was such a break.

So here it sits in our window, one year later. I really like it. Right now it's reminding me of that quick trip north. We keep talking about going back. I hope it doesn't take us as long to return as it did to get there the first time.